Allopurinol good for you?

[mybigtoe]

Is this medication good or bad? The info at the top of the forum in the form of studies is beyond my education level.:)

I have heard it triggers gout. If I were to stop taking it what would happen?

thanks

[thurstonb]

Allopurinol is a uric-acid lowering drug, which aims to reduce the uric acid levels therefore removing the chief cause of gout.

My doctor advised that I would be on it for the rest of my life. He also advised that there is a small risk that it might trigger a gout attack when you first start taking it.

He started me out on a lower dose, I didn't get a gout attack straight away, but a few weeks later I had another attack. I don't relate this to the medicine, but to my hyperuricemia. He increased the dosage a couple of times until the gout attacks stopped. I was supposed to get more pills when they ran out, but I didn't.

I had changed my diet somewhat, and in particular I had cut out all alcohol and started eating much more healthily. So I wanted to see how I would go without the medication, even though the doctor had told me I would be taking it forever.

I haven't had gout since! It just takes knowing what foods to avoid and keeping away from high-purine foods. There are also many foods that are beneficial for gout, and Vitamin C has recently been shown to reduce gout risk.

Brett

[mybigtoe]

Thanks Brett.
Had a blood sample taken and my uric acid level were within the normal range using the allopurinol but what would be causing me to continue to have the throbs. Mind you these are not the piercing needle like pains that I had in the beginning although I sometimes will have one every other day.

On another note last night my feet were tingling and feeling cold.

thanks.

[thurstonb]

I still get the occasional "oh-oh" moment when I feel my foot starting to throb a little. But I've not had a problem with it flaring up again. Gout can actually cause some permanent damage, so depending on how bad you've had it you might have some ongoing effects there.

In fact I was just learning tonight that it can actually cause erosion of the bones! Nasty.

I've not had the tingling and cold feeling before. That sounds to me like it might be a circulation problem.