Gout again.

[samboy]

Hi gang.

                Woke up this morning with gout in my big toe. I get it at least 6 times a year and i've never known pain like it.

                Supposed to be going shooting tomorrow. I dont smoke or drink or eat rich foods so i dont know what causes it.

                 Dont eat shellfish either . But i will persevere. 

[JohnfromUK]

1 hour ago, samboy said:

i dont know what causes it.

My best guess (and I get it 2 or 3 times a year) in this warm dry weather is dehydration.  Try and make sure you drink plenty of water, especially if doing work outside.  Different 'triggers' seem to apply differently to different people, but dehydration is a common cause - and easily countered.  As a guide, I try and have a minimum of 1.5 litres of 'water' a day (and I only do light garden stuff, not heavy work).  Tea and coffee are not ideal as they tend to cause you to pass more water.  I simply drink tap water

[lord_seagrave]

My sympathies, Samboy.

John’s advice is spot on.

Triggers vary, but grain alcohol and offal are common. All effects and susceptibility are mitigated by plenty of water.

Good luck.

 

LS

[fatchap]

I suffer really bad with this in my big toe, usually after smoked mackerel fillets. 

Tried lots of different remedies, but found cherry juice very effective. A few glasses a day and it clears up in a couple of days.

[kingsy18]

17 hours ago, samboy said:

Hi gang.

                Woke up this morning with gout in my big toe. I get it at least 6 times a year and i've never known pain like it.

                Supposed to be going shooting tomorrow. I dont smoke or drink or eat rich foods so i dont know what causes it.

                 Dont eat shellfish either . But i will persevere. 

Sympathise with you,use to get flare ups regularly ,now on medication allupurinol not had it since.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Change your diet, I have and have not (touch wood) had gout for about 4 years now.

Plenty of information on line about it.

Good luck

[discobob]

Apple Cider Vinegar seems to be a good cure all - not sure for gout but it done wonders for me earlier this year when I though my gall bladder had given up the ghost with Gallstones. I was ill for weeks more on than off. The pain and indegestion was terrible and no end of ant-acids would touch it. I think that the actual problem was that I wasn't producing enough acid and the indigestion effect was caused by rotting food in my stomach. The doctor put me on the list to have my Gall bladder removed (pre-corvid) as I have previously been scanned and shown to have gallstones after a night of me screaming down the house in 2018.

I then read about Apple Cider Vinegar - a tablespoon in a glass of water daily - I felt the effects immediately - I only took it for a week and not had any problems since. Apparently you need to get a first pressing (with mama(?)).

[JohnfromUK]

1 minute ago, discobob said:

Apple Cider Vinegar seems to be a good cure all

Interesting; my father used to take Apple Cider Vinegar, though I'm not quite sure what for, probably arthritis, but he had a number of old age issues (he was in his upper 80s).  I tried it for gout for about 3 months and didn't notice any difference and still had a gout attack, so have given up as a regular dose, but I still use it in salad dressings. 

I have also tried cherry juice.  The problem here is that these seems some doubt as to whether the (readily obtainable) supermarket stuff is OK as it is made from concentrate, has added sugar etc.  Some articles I have read suggest you have to use a 'tart' cherry juice, others that you have to use 'black' cherry juice.  Again, I didn't really find much advantage in cherry juice (I think I drank a small glass a day) and it does have a lot of sugar, which is something I try to avoid.

[samboy]

Thanks for all replies chaps. I have some allupurinol so i will get some apple cider vinegar and cherry juice and give it a go.

[islandgun]

I can recommend optima dilute sour cherry juice 

[JohnfromUK]

Just now, samboy said:

I have some allupurinol

I assume this is through your Doc?  The reason I ask is that I have discussed this with my Doc.  It is my choice not to be on allopurinol (yet anyway) because once on it - it is almost certainly permanent, and secondly, my Doc said you shouldn't start it until you have been gout free for a period (I thought she said ideally 3 months) because it can initially worsen gout until you get it stable.  I believe you also need regular blood tests initially to fine tune your dose.  I suspect I will end up on it in due course.

Having said that - I have several friends who swear by allopurinol.

I have a supply (again from the Doc) of colchicine - which you take for up to 3 days only - and only when you have an attack starting or in progress.  It works fine for me and reduces and shortens an attack, but it can be upsetting to the stomach and not everyone gets on with it.  It is not intended to long term, but if you feel an attack starting usually two pills a day for 1 or 2 days clears it.

[daisyrob1]

Water, water and more water 👍dyhidration in warm weather a big factor, I went for the strongbow, strongbow and more strongbow over the weekend started twinging yesterday think I've nipped it in the bud

[discobob]

I had one bout of gout - doctor gave me diclofenic - worked like a dream to clear it up within a day or so - but you can't be on it long term - a lot of doctors don't like giving it out now as it can affect the lining of the stomach if taken for a long time

[JohnfromUK]

10 minutes ago, discobob said:

doctor gave me diclofenic

I used to be given Diclofenac, then they got a bit worried about that despite me taking only a few a year, and I was given Naproxen, then they got worried about that as well, so my old Doc gave me Codeine.  All of these were 'pain killers/anti inflamatory' and taken only when pain happened.  Typically they went past the use by date before I had used many as I'm not keen on taking pills.  Last lot of Codeine expired and I had 22 of the 28 pills given me left, which I handed back in expecting more - only to be told by new Doc that they wouldn't prescribe Codeine now for most things because of possible addiction issues.  Agreed that I wasn't going to get addicted on 6 in a year ....... but no more opiods as a general principle.

I now have Colchicine, which isn't a pain killer/anti inflammatory, but reduces the specific that cause gout (or something like that - it isn't a general anti inflammatory anyway).  It actually works (for me anyway) better than any of the others.

[Retsdon]

I used to get gout about 4 to 5 times a year.  It first appeared when I was in my late 40s and but stopped when I started taking alluprinol regularly when I was in my early 50s. In the interim I had used colchicine when I got attacks (which works very well btw although you have to be careful of the dosage).Anyway,  I kept with the allupurinol until about 4 years ago I ran out of it one day (you're supposed to take it every day)and never got around to getting more,. And I've never had gout since (touch wood!!!).

The only thing that I can think of that's changed is that I'm several  kgs lighter and quite a lot fitter than I used to be. So perhaps weight loss and regular hard exercise is worth trying along with the drugs. 

Good luck! Gout's a pain (figuratively as well as literally) when you get it regularly.

 

[bruno22rf]

I have been prescribed Allopurinol and Prednisolone - crippled without out them but no symptoms at all if I just take one of each every other day. Not had any regular Blood tests nor worsening of condition when I first started taking them.Both very low dose.