Any ideas for a long term solution ?

Diet, exercise, reduce alcohol

If you're one of those people prone to producing too much uric acid, then you may have to start taking allopurinol., that's if you can' control it by diet - or don't want to.If you are taking ither medication regularly (like plavix, which can play merry bloody hell with gout), then talk to your doctor. Do a google for foods high in purines. These you have to avoid, like Vegemite - being a yeast extract.

If you're one of those people prone to producing too much uric acid, then you may have to start taking allopurinol., that's if you can' control it by diet - or don't want to.If you are taking ither medication regularly (like plavix, which can play merry bloody hell with gout), then talk to your doctor. Do a google for foods high in purines. These you have to avoid, like Vegemite - being a yeast extract.

I produce to much uric acid and take medication for it. I think the poster should be looking in the health thread for this one. I don't drink and haven't for many years but when I did I had no problem with my uric acid or gout.

Control of uric acid is the key and diet will help but for many of us medication is needed in the form of allopurinol. I had and family history foretold this with all males on fathers side of family having. But have not had an attack in 25 years since using allopurinol to control the uric acid and since moving to mostly salid meals have been able to reduce that from 300 to 100mg.

Gout is not pleasant - amazing how much pain a toe can cause. Much prefer not having that.

I started getting gout about 4 yrs ago started out as every 3 months or so,then about 1 a month now i find that if i drink at weekends it becomes 1 a week and bloody painful for about 3 days, for me i stopped the alcohol for 1 week didnt get the attack so presume thats what is causing it, that and them fact im 25kg heavier than i was 4 yrs ago.