Gout Medication – Pro’s and Con’s of Gout Medications
When you have gout, doctors usually prescribe drug-based medications. The purpose is to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and, reduce uric acid levels in order to prevent further gout attacks.
Gout medication generally falls into four types, which may be used singly, or, in combination according to your doctor’s recommendations. These are:-
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Colchicines
- Corticosteroids
- Allopurinol
NSAIDs
These are non-steroidal drugs used to reduce inflammation and help relieve pain. They cannot reduce uric acid levels, so are only of use during an attack; not to prevent further attacks.
They can be effective, but, they can also have some negative side effects. These are things such as stomach pain, bleeding and stomach ulcers over time.
Colchicines
These are very strong anti-inflammatory drugs to be used during an attack. They can work quickly enough if taken within 12 hours of the onset of a gout attack.
They also have some pretty nasty side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps.
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory steroid hormones that can be taken orally or by injection directly into the affected joint during an attack.
They work by acting on the immune system to block the triggering of anti-inflammatory actions.
These also work quickly and can eliminate all symptoms within a week or so.
Unfortunately, because of the way they act on the immune system, a serious side effect is that the ability of the body to battle infections and heal open wounds etc. is compromised.
Allopurinol
This medication is used to manage gout and does this pretty effectively. It cannot, however, affect the symptoms of a gout attack.
It is solely used to lower and maintain uric acid at relatively low levels to prevent gout attacks from re-occurring. It works by blocking the enzyme process that produces uric acid from purines in our cells.
It is a long term drug because it only works for as long as it is being taken. Once stopped uric acid levels can rise again. Which is why it is taken long term (months to years) by chronic gout sufferers.
It has side effects like diarrhea, nausea and skin rashes.
These are just very short summaries of typical gout medication prescribed by doctors. It is very important that you follow your doctor’s advice very closely. And never, ever, stop any gout medication without first consulting your doctor.
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Tags: allopurinol, colchicines, corticosteroids, gout medications, medications for gout, nsaids
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