Which Painkiller Should You Pick
So which pain med reigns supreme? While theres no right answer, these pointers can help you decide.
Fever
Most research suggest acetaminophen and ibuprofen have similar results in controlling fevers, so pick what works for you.
Stomach trouble
If you have a sensitive stomach or find that ibuprofen causes heartburn or nausea, give acetaminophen a whirl.
Period pains
Ibuprofen reduces your bodys production of prostaglandins. These are the chemicals that trigger the uterus to contract and start periods each month. Ibuprofen can ease menstrual cramps and may also make menstrual bleeding lighter.
Other meds
Both ibuprofen and acetaminophen can interact negatively with some prescription and over-the-counter drugs. If youre taking medication, talk to your provider doctor or pharmacist before reaching for the painkillers.
Persistent pain
If youre taking painkillers over several days, consider alternating ibuprofen and acetaminophen to lower the risk of side effects.
Kids
Both ibuprofen and acetaminophen can control pain in kids. But ibuprofen tends to work better as a fever reducer. Be sure to follow the dosage guidelines on the label for your little ones age and weight.
Whats the takeaway? When used responsibly, ibuprofen and acetaminophen are safe choices for turning down the dial on fever and pain. And isnt it good to have options?
Effects On Other Treatments
Some drugs interact with allopurinol, so you should discuss any new medication with your doctor before starting it. You should also tell anyone else treating you that youre taking allopurinol.
Do not use complementary treatments, such as herbal remedies, without discussing this first with your doctor or pharmacist. Some of them could react with allopurinol.
You should avoid taking aspirin while youre being treated for gout. If youre in pain, you can take paracetamol and NSAIDs. But remember you should only take one NSAID at a time so do not take another if you have already been prescribed one to reduce the effects of gout attacks.
Allopurinol can also react with drugs that are often prescribed for high blood pressure, such as bendroflumethiazide, indapamide, lisinopril, ramipril.
Allopurinol reduces the breakdown of azathioprine, which is used to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Your doctor may change your dose of azathioprine to account for this.
It can also reduce the breakdown of the leukaemia drug mercaptopurine, so the dose of mercaptopurine will need to be reduced if you take this drug.
Allopurinol may also increase the risk of developing a rash if you take them with the antibiotics ampicillin or amoxicillin.
My Experience With Ibuprofen And Gout
This is a nonsteroidal and anti-inflammatory medication, therefore it is more than just helpful when it comes to gout. The first results are noticed within a few minutes and in most cases, the relief is massive. On one occasion I had a severe pain caused by gout. I took ibuprofen and the situation started to change almost immediately. The next main reason why I prefer this medication is the fact it doesnt have side effects. At first, when it was invented you could have it only with a prescription. But, many years after, and after so many studies and trials, it is over a counter medication, so there is no risk of tasking it.
At this moment, I would recommend having a consultation with your healthcare provider, if you have never taken ibuprofen. If you already have, there is no need for that. Of course, there are a few more facts you should know regarding ibuprofen and gout.
Don’t Miss: Are Almonds High In Purines
Chronic Gout Signs And Symptoms
- Compared with the dramatic nature of acute gout pain, chronic gout pain is more of a soreness or persistent ache.
- Pain that tends to be a more continuous feeling of dull aching or soreness in the joints
- Hard white deposits or lumps under the skin, called tophi, found on the elbows, ears, or fingers.
Taking Allopurinol With Painkillers
You can take allopurinol with paracetamol and anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen, naproxen, or indomethacin.
Your doctor may prescribe a NSAID (such as diclofenac or naproxen or a medicine called colchicine to help prevent or to deal with attacks of gout especially in the early stages of allopurinol treatment.
Recommended Reading: Are Almonds Bad For Gout
Aspirin For Gout: What Is This Medication
The aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid is actually a salicylate that is working by reducing the substances in the body. This substances that I am referring to are the ones that cause inflammation, pain, and even fever. The aspirin is beneficial in treating the aforementioned conditions. Furthermore, it is also used in preventing strokes, heart attacks, chest pain or angina, as well as the formation of blood clot.
It was in 1763 when aspirin was first discovered in a bark of the willow tree. The active ingredient that is in this medicine is the salicylic acid. The medication is actually part of the drug family, NSAIDs or Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs. However, the aspirin has some difference from the other NSAIDs, especially in the way that they work.
It, being an NSAID, it may bring about the following effects:
- Anti-inflammatory: it lowers the inflammation when you use it in a higher dosage.
- Antipyretic: it reduces the fever.
- Analgesic: it relieves pain even without anesthesia or the loss of consciousness.
The present form of the aspirin has actually been around for over a hundred years. Furthermore, it is still one of the most extensively used medicines in the whole wide world. In the actual fact, in an estimate, there is about 35,000 metric tons of this medication that is being consumed every year.
Drink Plenty Of Water
This wont likely provide immediate relief, but inadequate hydration is known to contribute towards the creation of urate crystals.
Drinking water may flush uric acid crystals out of your system.
Preliminary research suggests that adequate water consumption during the 24-hour period before a gout flare can decrease recurrent gout attacks.
You May Like: Almond Milk Gout
Who Gets Gout Gout Risk Factors
Gout happens when too much uric acid builds up in the body. Uric acid is a normal waste product in the blood resulting from the breakdown of certain foods. Uric acid usually passes through the kidneys and is eliminated from the body in urine. But it can build up in the blood and form painful, spiky crystals in your joints. This may happen if the body is making too much uric acid or if the kidneys are having a hard time filtering it out.
Having too much uric acid in the blood is a condition called hyperuricemia. Certain foods, medicines, and lifestyle factors can cause high uric acid levels in the blood, triggering a gout attack.
Your risk of gout goes up when your diet is high in naturally occurring compounds called purines. When purines break down in the body, they cause uric acid to form. Purines are found in certain high-protein foods and some drinks. It used to be thought that gout was caused only by lifestyle and diet, but new research has found thats not true instead, gout is thought to have a genetic link. Diet, however, does play a role in the disease.
Other risk factors for gout include:
- Being a man
- Health conditions that cause rapid turnover of cells
- KelleySeegmiller syndrome or LeschNyhan syndrome
Editors Picks
You May Like: How To Treat Gout Over The Counter
Precautions About Aspirin Acetaminophen And Ibuprofen In Other Medicines
Some opioids also contain aspirin or acetaminophen in the same pill. A few also contain ibuprofen. It can be dangerous if you take these drugs without being aware of this.
- If one of your doctors tells you not to take aspirin or ibuprofen, or if you cant take NSAIDs for some reason, be sure to check your medicine labels carefully.
- If one of your prescription medicines has acetaminophen in it, and you also take over-the-counter acetaminophen for pain, you can get too much without knowing it. Too much acetaminophen can damage your liver.
- If youre not sure if a medicine contains aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen, ask a pharmacist.
- If you take any non-prescription medicine for a cold, sinus pain, or menstrual symptoms while youre taking pain medicines, read the label carefully. Most of these drugs are combination products that contain aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen. Check with a pharmacist to find out what you can safely take with your pain medicines.
Recommended Reading: Foods Good For Gout List
Recommended Reading: How Many Cherries Should I Eat For Gout
What Is The Fastest Way To Get Rid Of Gout
Medications for acute gout attack: These medications are usually prescribed to treat an acute attack of gout:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs : These can quickly relieve the pain and swelling of an acute gout episode. They can shorten the attack, especially if taken in the first 24 hours.
- Corticosteroids: These drugs can be taken by mouth or injected into an inflamed joint to quickly relieve the pain and swelling of an acute attack. Corticosteroids usually start working within 24 hours after they are taken.
- Colchicine: An anti-inflammatory medicine that works best if taken within the first 24 hours of a gout attack.
Medications for reducing uric acid levels: These are usually prescribed after an acute attack ends to reduce uric acid levels in the body to prevent future attacks.
- Colchicine: Regular and low doses of colchicine may be given along with other medications below to prevent flare-ups.
- Allopurinol: It reduces uric acid production in the body.
- : It reduces uric acid production in the body.
- Probenecid: It acts on the kidneys to help eliminate uric acid.
- Pegloticase: This is a medication that is injected every 2 weeks. It reduces uric acid quickly and used when other medications fail.
Lifestyle and home remedies to treat acute gout and can prevent recurrent attacks:
- Limiting or avoiding alcohol consumption and drinks sweetened with fructose
- Limiting intake of foods high in purines, such as red meat, organ meats, and seafood
- Drinking plenty of fluids
Gout Attacks: Pain Relief
Gout attacks are one of the most painful joint problems. Anti-inflammatory painkillers and steroids can help relieve the pain. The gout medication colchicine is another option but it has a slower effect.
Gout is caused by high uric acid levels. If the amount of uric acid in the body is too high, crystals may start to form in the joints and cause a painful gout attack. The pain and swelling are usually at their worst 6 to 12 hours after an attack starts. It usually takes about a week for the swelling to go down and the joint to recover. Acute pain can be relieved with anti-inflammatory painkillers or short-term steroid treatment. These medications start working within one hour.
You May Like: Is Pickle Juice Good For Gout
Medication Options For Uric Acid Lowering
It is important to note that whenever starting a uric acid lowering treatment, there is a risk of precipitating a gout flare. A plan should be in place for management if this occurs. This generally can be avoided with the co-administration of prophylactic medications along with the uric acid lowering therapy.
Probenecid
Probenecid may be given to patients with decreased clearance of uric acid by the kidney and normal renal function. In general its use should be limited to patients under the age of 60. Probenecid acts by inhibiting reabsorption of uric acid in the proximal tubules of the kidney. Starting dose is at 500 mg to 1000 mg daily and increased to 1500 mg to 2000 mg as needed. Occasionally higher doses are needed. Probenecid may precipitate renal stone formation and good oral hydration should be encouraged. Probenecid is contraindicated in patients with renal stones and in patients with urate nephropathy. Probenecid given inappropriately to patients with hyperuricemia due to overproduction of uric acid can cause renal stones and urate nephropathy.
- uricosuric
- useful in patients with decreased renal clearance of uric acid
- can only be used if creatinine clearance > 40 cc/min
- must have 24 hour urine for uric acid < 800 mg/dl
- can be used in renal failure
- increased risk of renal stones
Allopurinol
May Contribute To Opioid Crisis
Opioids were commonly given to patients as a treatment for acute gout attacks, despite the availability of other effective and appropriate therapies, a retrospective study found.
Among 456 patients who were discharged from the hospital or emergency department with a primary diagnosis of gout, 28.3% received an opioid prescription, according to Deepan S. Dalal, MD, of Brown University Warren Alpert School of Medicine in East Providence, Rhode Island, and colleagues.
And while the median duration of the prescription was 8 days, one-quarter of these patients had prescriptions for 14 days or more, which exceeds gout attacks’ normal expected length, the researchers reported in Arthritis Care & Research.
“The fact that 28% of patients are being treated with opioids, and many longer than 2 weeks, is alarming and provides an opportunity to reduce the burden of prescription opioids,” Dalal said in a press release.
Gout is an inflammatory form of arthritis that has been estimated to afflict 4% of the population, and is associated with high levels of pain and disability. Recommended therapies include corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and colchicine, which are “very effective for reducing the inflammation and pain associated with the attack,” the researchers wrote.
In contrast, opioids are not considered as having anti-inflammatory effects, yet anecdotal evidence has suggested they are often prescribed acute gout attacks.
Disclosures
Recommended Reading: Is Rice Good For Gout
How To Take It
Swallow the allopurinol tablets with water, ideally after food. Youll usually take it once a day, but if youre on a high dose, your doctor may advise you to split the dose and take it twice a day.
If your doctor has recommended you take allopurinol with lots of fluid, try to drink 2 to 3 litres of fluids every day.
You can take allopurinol at any time of the day, however, try to take your doses at the same time of day each day.
You May Like: List Of Foods Not Good For Gout
Home Remedies And Lifestyle
Gout symptoms are caused by the excessive accumulation of uric acid, a condition known as hyperuricemia. Over time, the build-up can lead to the formation of uric acid crystals in and around a joint, triggering severe and protracted bouts of pain and inflammation.
As such, gout treatment is focused on two things: the reduction of uric acid and the alleviation of gout pain.
Recommended Reading: Almond And Gout
Practice Mindfulness And Meditation
The good news: A gout attack is self-limited and will clear in time. In the meantime, according to the Arthritis Foundation,meditation, yoga breathing, mindfulness, and guided imagery can help you deal with the pain.
RELATED: Why You Want to Elicit the Relaxation Response If You Have Rheumatoid Arthritis
When Should Nsaids Be Used In The Treatment Of Gout
NSAIDs are the drugs of choice in most patients with acute gout who do not have underlying health problems. Although indomethacin is the NSAID traditionally chosen for acute gout, most of the other NSAIDs can be used as well. Select an agent with a quick onset of action. Do not use aspirin, because it can alter uric acid levels and potentially prolong and intensify an acute attack. Low-dose aspirin alters uric acid levels, increasing the risk of gout attacks and requiring close uric acid monitoring when aspirin is added to a uric acid/gout treatment regimen.
Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors have been used with success, but patients may require higher dosages than are typically used.
Avoid NSAIDs in patients with a history of peptic ulcer disease or gastrointestinal bleeding, those with renal insufficiency or abnormal hepatic function, those taking warfarin , and those in the intensive care unit who are predisposed to gastritis. Limit NSAID use in elderly patients, because of the potential for adverse central nervous system effects. Use NSAIDs cautiously in patients with diabetes and those who are receiving concomitant angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.
Dont Miss: What Does Gout Feel Like In Your Big Toe
Don’t Miss: Gout And Tofu
Can You Drop 8 Pounds Weight Loss Helps Prevent Gout
If youre overweight, you are likely to have higher-than-normal uric acid levels, a primary risk factor for developing gout. Thats why weight loss is an important part of a gout diet.
Losing weight may help lower uric acid levels and reduce the risk that you will experience future gout attacks. In fact, a weight loss of about eight pounds or more led to long-term reductions in uric acid levels and gout attacks in overweight or obese people, according to a review of studies published in 2017 in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
While some people with gout benefit from cutting back on foods that are high in purine, a chemical that contributes to uric acid formation, it is not clear how much purine intake makes a difference. You dont have to avoid all high-purine foods. Moderate changes to your eating style may help you feel better and reduce gout risks, and research suggests that purine-rich vegetables dont trigger gout. High-purine foods such as lentils and beans can be a smart source of lean protein.
Comorbidities Age Mean Fewer Options
NSAIDs increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, especially in the first week of use. Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, considered as effective as NSAIDs in treating acute gout pain, are also associated with GI bleeds. In addition, NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors increase cardiovascular risks, prompting the American Heart Association to recommend restricted use of both. NSAIDs effect on renal function, fluid retention, and interactions with anticoagulants are additional concerns, because gout patients are generally older and often have comorbid renal and cardiovascular diseases.,-
In the United States, nearly 70% of patients who develop acute gout seek treatment from primary care physicians. Family physicians need a safe alternative to NSAIDs to relieve the severe pain associated with this condition. Will oral corticosteroids fit the bill?
Read Also: Allopurinol Side Effects Alcohol