Gout

[WillyL]

Can anyone recommend a good medication for gout. Acorxia is effective but expensive. Are there any generic around?

Thanks.

[chuchok]

Etoricoxib or Acorxia is just an anti-inflamatory. (I think??)There are plenty of cheap anti inflams on the market.

You should address the problem of high uric acid in the body as well.If you can controll that,then there is no need for any anti inflams.

[Old Croc]

There was a good thread on this subject a few months back. See the link.

Gout Thread

I sympathise, my gout is playing up at the moment too.

[Prakanong]

The only one that really works for me is Naproxene (SP)

I take it when I feel a twinge and not had an attack for 2.5 years and counting with fingers crossed

My uric acid levels were very high when i had my yearly health screening last December. My Dr's said I must have a high tolerance for it as others have a lot of attacks with that score and need allapurin daily.

[jumbo]

Etoricoxib or Acorxia is just an anti-inflamatory. (I think??)There are plenty of cheap anti inflams on the market.

You should address the problem of high uric acid in the body as well.If you can controll that,then there is no need for any anti inflams.

I assume you can buy baking soda (not familiair with the stuff) in every supermarket??

J

[Master of the court]

Can anyone recommend a good medication for gout. Acorxia is effective but expensive. Are there any generic around?

Thanks.

I got some chinese herbal call "uralit" not sure about the spelling........it really worked for the achid.....I never had an attack again.......its made from Vinegar.....what is one of the best thing you can take.............also Rose hip or hip rose......sorry Im not sure is good....

BUT the best medicine is WATER........drink lots of WATER everyday.....stay away from dark meat , red/port wine........coffee, beer but they are not a problem if you remember the water.....

Water mate.....water........

Cheers

[chuchok]

Etoricoxib or Acorxia is just an anti-inflamatory. (I think??)There are plenty of cheap anti inflams on the market.

You should address the problem of high uric acid in the body as well.If you can controll that,then there is no need for any anti inflams.

I assume you can buy baking soda (not familiair with the stuff) in every supermarket??

J

Mai kow jai??

[lazeeboy]

Etoricoxib or Acorxia is just an anti-inflamatory. (I think??)There are plenty of cheap anti inflams on the market.

You should address the problem of high uric acid in the body as well.If you can controll that,then there is no need for any anti inflams.

I assume you can buy baking soda (not familiair with the stuff) in every supermarket??

J

Mai kow jai??

i had a twinge of gout a while back ,the dr told me to cut down on drinking smoking, rich food ,steaks, winged meat ,and drink lots of water .unfortunatly gout is a rich mans desease .

all the above things help keep your yuric acid high,get that down and the chances gout will go away quickly

[Lost in LOS]

Had Riters symptom years ago, worse than gout............ found that when i went on a no/low carb Akins diet it completly went away.....sugar is the culprit of most of it. ie, bread, pasta, candy cokes etc. try limiting carbs for a couple of weeks and you will see a big difference.

[Prakanong]

Had Riters symptom years ago, worse than gout............ found that when i went on a no/low carb Akins diet it completly went away.....sugar is the culprit of most of it. ie, bread, pasta, candy cokes etc. try limiting carbs for a couple of weeks and you will see a big difference.

With gout it is not sugar but foods that are high in purines (although not all foods rich in purines cause an increased incidence of gout such as (There was no increased risk associated with a diet which included:

peas

beans

mushrooms

cauliflower

spinach)

Foods which can be a problem

Johns Hopkins lists foods which are higher in purines

Foods very high in purines include:

hearts

herring

mussels

yeast

smelt

sardines

sweetbreads

Foods moderately high in purines include:

anchovies

grouse

mutton

veal

bacon

liver

salmon

turkey

kidneys

partridge

trout

goose

haddock

pheasant

scallops

[Master of the court]

There was a good thread on this subject a few months back. See the link.

Gout Thread

I sympathise, my gout is playing up at the moment too.

Good info about the Baking Soda.......but how long did this guy take it ??????? anybody with experience.....or who could understand that hp better than me ??

[ProThaiExpat]

I have had elevated uric acid levels in my blood for over 45 years. I have been on generic allopurinol 300 mg. one daily for most of those years. On two occasions I stopped taking allopurinol and immediately had clinical gout pain that remained until I resumed the allopurinol.

Allopurinol effectively assists the body excrete uric acid from the blood stream.

If your having an acute attack, a different drug is taken to stop the uric acid from forming into crystals in your joints but allopurinol remains a necessity. Some drug sell pills that are a combination of allopurinol and the other drug, the name of which I can't remember.

My neighbor falang doesn't take allopurinol and had a bad attach. He went to the pharmacy and bought genereic "the other drug" and he was back to normal within three days.

Google gout and you will learn all you need to treat this common problem.

[Gary A]

I used to take Colchisine when I felt it coming on. Unfortunately Colchisine causes major stomach upsets and you don't want to be too far from the toilet if you take enough to stop an attack. My doctor told me that gout causes permanent damage to the joints and recommended Alopurinol daily. After I found out how great it worked, I bought a 1,000 tablet bottle of them. I think the bottle of 100mg tablets was about 500 baht. No problems since.

[ProThaiExpat]

Gary A: My experience exactly, including the 1000 pill generic allopurinol bottle at no real cost per pill.

[Master of the court]

There was a good thread on this subject a few months back. See the link.

Gout Thread

I sympathise, my gout is playing up at the moment too.

Hey Old Croc:

you're saying your gout is paying up now.........did you follow the Thread you recommend ??? or does it not work on you ?? do you know , how many weeks they recommend to take the Baking soda ???

[Sheryl]

Arcoxia is just an anti-inflammatory to relieve symptoms. It is in the same drug family as Vioxx, which was recently withdrawn due to dangerous cardiac effects, and the US FDA voted 20 to 1 against approving it for use in the USA due to expectation that the same problems seen with Vioxx would be found.

If you are sure that what you have is gout (has been confirmed with lab tests) then you should be on a drug to reduce serum uric acid. There are several available in cheap generic: allopurinol (usual dose 200-300 mg once a day), colchicine etc. All of these drugs have potentially serious side effects and are best taken under a doctor's care. Allopurinol is the less toxic, but even so need to be sure that blood count, liver and kidney function are normal before you start on it and need to monitor blood count, liver and kidney function thereafter (say 6 months after you start on it then once a yearthereafter if no problem). Also need to be aware that allopurinol interacts with man other medications in various ways; best to read up on it and be ask about potential interactions before taking any other long term medication with it.

Arthritis and other conditions can be mistaken for gout (and vice versa) so initial diagnosis by a doctor is essential.

Avoiding foods high in purines helps.

If despite taking a preventive agent like allopurinol an attack occurs, any anti-inflammatory drug (aspirin, ibuprofen etc) will help but take care to take with food and don't take if any history of bleeding disorder or ulcer. While there are newer, more expensive anti-inflammatory drugs on the market (like Acorxia) they are not necessarily much better than the older ones available in generic form. In addition, having been used longer, the effects of the older drugs are better known. Doctors keep dishing out the expensive new anti-inflammatories because this is what the drug reps push, there being little profit in generics.

In really severe attack Colchicine can be taken hourly either by mouth or as an intavenous injection until the pain stops. Same cautions as with allopurinol.

None of these drugs are expensive, the problem is monitoring against adverse effects, and also being sure iof the correct diagnosis in the first place.

[rumrunner]

I find cholchicine twice a day to be great! Your stomach will get used to it after a while. allopurinol causes me severe hive reaction. The beauty with cholchicine is you can up the does if you feel something coming on and it is inexpensive

[Mossfinn]

Arthritis and other conditions can be mistaken for gout (and vice versa) so initial diagnosis by a doctor is essential.

This is true, I was treated for gout some years ago, Allopurinal for preventative measures and Indomethacin an anti-inflamatory.

But they didn't work, mainly because I didn't have gout, although this was diagnosed by a GP, I had Psoriatic arthritis, so best to get it checked out if you havn't already.

Good Luck

Moss

[Gary A]

If there is any doubt what you have, insist on a blood test. A simple test will show high uric acid levels in your blood and that is what causes gout. I have absolutely no adverse reactions with Alopurinol and best of all no gout.

[Oswulf]

For me, allopurinol (generic) (a.k.a. Zyloprim or Zyloric) works well.

From Boots (I don't want to buy a cheap fake), the 100 mg tablets are 800 Baht/100, and the 300 mg tablets are 2000 Baht/100.

If your symptoms are mild, start with 100 mg/day, and work up slowly.

If you get any sort of rash, stop immediately. (In theory you can restart with 50 mg/day after a couple of weeks, then work the dose up, but I'd recommend doing so under the supervision of a decent doctor.)

When I tried Atkins, I was almost immediately in agony - I needed to up my dose to six times the norm. I won't be trying low-carb diets in the future.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor - if in doubt, or you have unexplained symptoms, talk to a proper doctor.

[dutch]

For me, allopurinol (generic) (a.k.a. Zyloprim or Zyloric) works well.

From Boots (I don't want to buy a cheap fake), the 100 mg tablets are 800 Baht/100, and the 300 mg tablets are 2000 Baht/100.

If your symptoms are mild, start with 100 mg/day, and work up slowly.

If you get any sort of rash, stop immediately. (In theory you can restart with 50 mg/day after a couple of weeks, then work the dose up, but I'd recommend doing so under the supervision of a decent doctor.)

When I tried Atkins, I was almost immediately in agony - I needed to up my dose to six times the norm. I won't be trying low-carb diets in the future.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor - if in doubt, or you have unexplained symptoms, talk to a proper doctor.

Well I bought recently (from hospital prescription Bangkok hospital and St Mary hospital in Korat) Alopurinol 300 at 500 baht/100 pcs.

Yesterday I went to Boots and I checked the supply list:They don't have alupurinol 300 on their list but Alinol 300 at 380 baht/100 pcs.Lady told me it was the same.On the list they wrote:Alinol(alopurinol).

[esbkk]

Can anyone recommend a good medication for gout. Acorxia is effective but expensive. Are there any generic around?

Thanks.

What about Apple Cider Vinegar? It worked like magic for me! Available from Foodland, Tops or health stores.

esbkk

[Oswulf]

For me, allopurinol (generic) (a.k.a. Zyloprim or Zyloric) works well.

From Boots (I don't want to buy a cheap fake), the 100 mg tablets are 800 Baht/100, and the 300 mg tablets are 2000 Baht/100.

Well I bought recently (from hospital prescription Bangkok hospital and St Mary hospital in Korat) Alopurinol 300 at 500 baht/100 pcs.

Yesterday I went to Boots and I checked the supply list:They don't have alupurinol 300 on their list but Alinol 300 at 380 baht/100 pcs.Lady told me it was the same.On the list they wrote:Alinol(alopurinol).

Good point. The generic versions are cheaper. The prices I quoted were for the branded Zyloric.

[Beachbunny]

My husband has gout and could have died from the allergic reaction he had to the so-called normal gout medication prescribed. (so I wouldn't be taking someone else's recommendation or self prescribing colchichine & allipurinol) His body was covered in masses of hives, not just his skin but inside his mouth, his throuat, nose and in his hair. The doctor found out by doing a skin bipopsy. He told my husband his immune system is so strong it was pushing out the medicine, so he gave my husband a shot o depresses his immune system. He gave two shots a few days apart. Then the doctor said he couldn't give him anymore or my husband could have serious health problems. So the last of it he just had to suffer.

He now takes probenecid to keep from having an attack.

One thing you should not drink if you have gout is Soybean milk, it is extremely high in protein. Also,in Thailand the doctors give you a long list of what not to eat, it's different than the one from the states. If you follow both doctors advice you can't eat anything. The last information online that we saw is, don't overeat anything and be cautious so you know what you can tolerate, but eat in moderation. Also, injuring yourself can bring on a gout attack. a sprained or a bump in the area you normally get gout attacks.

By the way it is no longer considered a rich man's disease. Lots of thai people have it as do many western people of moderate means.

Beachbunny

[meadish_sweetball]

I frequently hear Thais tell me I should not eat much chicken because it will give me gout.

While I have seen chicken included in the list of 'eat with moderation' foods, it does not seem to be up there with all those internal organs that the same Thais debunking chicken like to eat.

Are they confusing it with badly prepared chicken that can cause bacterial arthritis?

[Pink Mist]

I have suffered from gout for 10 years.

A few things to understand, it's a disease that's with you for life.

I have been told I have to take 1 allopurinol tablet for the rest of my life and it does control it (allopurinol,limits the amount of uric acid your body produces)

I also have colchicine, which is one of the oldest medicines known, made from a bark from memory and has been around for about 2500 years, it helps the body get rid of the uric acid which accummilates in the joints.

Both of these drugs arn't anti inflamitories, but control the way uric acid is dispersed and disposed within the body.

I can eat any food now as long as my medication is up to scratch, but just remember gout is a lifetime sentence.

[Prakanong]

I have suffered from gout for 10 years.

A few things to understand, it's a disease that's with you for life.

I have been told I have to take 1 allopurinol tablet for the rest of my life and it does control it (allopurinol,limits the amount of uric acid your body produces)

I also have colchicine, which is one of the oldest medicines known, made from a bark from memory and has been around for about 2500 years, it helps the body get rid of the uric acid which accummilates in the joints.

Both of these drugs arn't anti inflamitories, but control the way uric acid is dispersed and disposed within the body.

I can eat any food now as long as my medication is up to scratch, but just remember gout is a lifetime sentence.

If you go on Allopurinol its for life - I have a few pals on it. I am trying to avoid it.

Colchine (sp) is when an attack comes on - take together with NSAID's - I should not say this but i am lucky to have a GP and colleagues who are Dr's who suffer from Gout!

[percy2]

I frequently hear Thais tell me I should not eat much chicken because it will give me gout.

While I have seen chicken included in the list of 'eat with moderation' foods, it does not seem to be up there with all those internal organs that the same Thais debunking chicken like to eat.

Are they confusing it with badly prepared chicken that can cause bacterial arthritis?

Its chicken skin thats the problem.

Cheers

[percy2]

In really severe attack Colchicine can be taken hourly either by mouth or as an intavenous injection until the pain stops. Same cautions as with allopurinol.

Sheryl,

I know its says this in the literature that comes with the drug but it doesn't say max. 4 hrs or whatever.

Without an upper limit surely this advice could lead to renal failure?

Cheers

[Gary A]

I took colchicine for several years during active gout attacks. In the US it must be prescribed by a doctor. My doctor said that different people have a different tolerance levels for it. Her advice was one tablet every two hours until my stomach was quite upset. I didn't want to be very far from a toilet either.

I now take a tablet and a half of allopurinol (150 mg) every morning and it controls it very well. I got along on 100 mg for a couple of years but that is not enough now. I haven't had a blood test since the increased dosage but no gout attacks either.