Allopurinol Gout Treatment

Allopurinol gout treatment is the most common form of long term gout treatment. It works by blocking the enzyme, xanthine oxidase, that normally produces uric acid. It is vital that you have regular uric acid tests whilst on this treatment.

Before you begin taking allopurinol, you must be aware that all uric acid lowering therapies can trigger a painful gout flare. This will diminish as you keep taking the medication. It is caused by uric acid crystals that have accumulated in your body tissue dissolving. It is vital that you get rid of these crystals to avoid Link similar to crippling joint damage, so you must manage this pain for the few weeks or months that it takes to dissolve them. See my explanation of allopurinol medication for more details.

You will normally start with 50mg - 100mg allopurinol tablets, followed by a blood test. It is important to go straight back to your doctor if you notice any side-effects. In a very small number of cases, you can have a strong reaction against this drug, and it is vital that this is picked up immediately.

The blood test will indicate if your dosage needs to be increased - common allopurinol gout treatment dosage is 300mg, but this will depend entirely on your particular circumstances. Repeat blood tests at the interval advised by your doctor to ensure this dosage is right for you.

Although allopurinol gout treatment is common, it is also commonly misused. As I reported in my December 2006 Newsletter (Retrospective Claims Analysis of Gout Drug Utilization, Compliance and Associated Serum Urate Levels), less than half of gout patients who start allopurinol treatment continue with it. Of those that do, only one person in three will take a sufficient dose to lower uric acid to the level that will dissolve all uric acid crystals.

For successful allopurinol gout treatment, remember:

• Take pain relief as a precaution, or as you need it
• Continue to drink water all the time to flush xanthine oxidase from your system
• Get uric acid tests to make sure levels are maintained below 6mg/dL
• Take allopurinol every day
• Do not stop taking allopurinol unless advised by your doctor

I have some news about testing uric acid levels in my August 2007 gout newsletter. Sign up now to make sure you get your copy.

Allopurinol Information

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Allopurinol Drug Spelling

• alipurinal
• alipurinol
• allipurinal
• allopurino
• alopurenol
• alopurinal

All these refer to the allopurinol gout drug.

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