Preventive Measures Against Gout

For gout sufferers, preventative measures are among the most important bits of information you could ever have as they will stop you from future pain.  However; You may be suffering from an attack now and wanting information about how to stop your current attack, I would recommend starting here though there might be other posts on this blog in the future that talk about treatment.  

Let's again return to the National Institute of Arthritis Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases website and learn what they say about preventative measures:  

What Can People With Gout Do to Stay Healthy?

Some things that you can do to stay healthy are:

• Take the medicines your doctor prescribes as directed.
• Tell your doctor about all the medicines and vitamins you take.
• Plan followup visits with your doctor.
• Maintain a healthy, balanced diet. Avoid foods that are high in purines, and drink plenty of water.
• Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy body weight. Ask your doctor about how to lose weight safely. Fast or extreme weight loss can increase uric acid levels in the blood. [1]

Most experienced gout sufferers can attest that preventative measure #1 is the drink water.  Some doctors agree with this as well as can be seen here.  I personally make a goal to drink 3 liters of water a day which is more than half a gallon (1 gallon = 3.785 liters source: google).  I have personally seen my gout attacks go down.

Many of the gout sufferers that swear by water drinking would also suggest preventative medicine that can be prescribed by your doctor.  I take allopurinol, which reduces uric acid.  Some of the main side effects of allopurinol that I have experienced include: some skin rashes and initial gout flare ups in the first 2-3 months of use.

This second side effect shows just how much of a tricky condition gout can be, i.e. taking a medicine to prevent it makes you get it.  

Other side effects are more rare but fatal.  So scheduling follow-ups with the doctor would be advisable.  If patients show adverse effect to allopurinol there are other preventative medicines they can take like febuxostat.

One final note:  future discussion on this blog will include avoiding purine high foods, though this subject is another example of just how tricky a condition gout is. Until then: what are your preventative measures against gout?  Let me a comment.

  

**This website is for informative purposes and should not be substituted as advice of a medical professional.  If you believe you have gout, I STRONGLY recommend scheduling an appointment with a medical professional and getting the problem checked out.
[Source: http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Gout/gout_ff.asp]