Over The Counter Treatment For Gout Pain

What To Do During An Attack

You should:

• take any medication you’ve been prescribed as early as possible after you notice an attack this should start to have an effect within two or three days
• rest and raise the limb
• avoid knocking or damaging the affected joint
• keep the joint cool remove surrounding clothing and apply an ice pack, such as a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel
• ensure you’re well hydrated

Apply the ice pack to your joint for around 20 minutes. Don’t apply ice directly to your skin and don’t apply it for more than 20 minutes at a time because this could damage the skin.

If necessary, you can keep reapplying an ice pack to your skin during an attack, but you should wait until your skin has returned to a normal temperature first.

Take Caution With Supplements For Gout

As for the many supplements and other purported home remedies available for gout, including turmeric and bromelain, there is no significant evidence backing them up as of now, and theres no adequate evidence showing that supplements have any effect even comparable to that of medicines.

From my point of view, says Dr. Fields, the home remedy concept to gout is often harmful because it keeps patients from taking medications that we know are effective.

Lifestyle Changes To Prevent Gout Attacks

Preventing acute gout attacks is just as important as gout relief. Prevention of gout generally involves:

• Fluid: Maintaining an adequate fluid intake to promote the excretion of uric acid.
• Losing weight if overweight or obese.
• Exercise: Doing regular exercise.
• Limit alcohol: Reducing alcohol intake and avoiding binge drinking.

A simple change to the types of foods that you eat can help reduce the frequency and severity of gout attacks. Find out which foods are best avoided or eaten in moderation, and other dietary changes that can help prevent gout.

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Try Natural Remedies For Gout

There are some nutrients that could be helpful.

• Proanthocyanidins can help neutralise uric acid and reduce inflammation
• Quercetin can reduce uric acid and may also provide relief
• Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce inflammation, so add a supplement if youre also cutting out certain seafoods that are rich in purines
• Heard about cherry juice for gout? Its proposed that tart cherry juice could temporarily lower blood uric acid levels, but more research is required to fully understand this link5

Vitamins And Minerals For Gout

Vitamins and minerals for gout will not only help alleviate the symptoms of gout, they will also help to improve the disbursement of uric acid from the body.

Vitamin C helps to reduce uric acid levels.

Vitamin E has anti-inflammatory properties.

Potassium, B-complex and calcium help to excrete uric acid from the body.

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What Is Best Over

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Gout Remedies That Work

By Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN

• Additional Tips for Treating Gout Naturally

Gout is something that plagues more and more people every day, and its caused from uric acid buildup in the body. I want to go over my top six home gout remedies all-natural ways to beat gout symptoms but right before that, go over the diet that is crucial to get rid of gout, along with the worst food offenders.

So if you have gout, the first thing you have to do is eliminate the excess sugar and grains in your diet, as well as processed meat. That means you need to kick that sugar addiction, as sugar feeds yeast in the body and conventional grains turn into sugar. Meanwhile, those meats are full of unhealthy hormones and antibiotics, and theyre so acidic to your system. In terms of beverages, its important to stay away from alcohol. Diet- and drink-wise, those are the best things you can do right now to eliminate gout symptoms.

In terms of a gout diet, its key to begin eating plenty of vegetables, fruits and organic meats. Some of the best foods include bone broth and my Chicken Vegetable Soup recipe.

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Foods As Gout Remedies

Black bean broth is rich in anthocyanins, which are natural anti-inflammatory agents found in tart cherries and black beans. A common gout pain remedy, black bean broth has been found effective by many readers of GoutPal.com 1. Easy to make, the recipe from GoutPal.com follows 1.

Use turtle or soy beans. Rinse 200 grams beans and remove any grit or other debris. Cover with 2 liters water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 90 minutes. Strain the liquid, which is what you drink, and throw away the beans. Allow to cool, and gulp down about 1/2 liter of the broth. Take this at the first signs of a gout attack.

Tart cherry juice has been found to be very effective as an over-the-counter treatment for gout. An anti-inflammatory rich in antioxidants, cherries can be consumed not only as cherry juice but in raw or canned form and will reduce painful gout symptoms.

• Black bean broth is rich in anthocyanins, which are natural anti-inflammatory agents found in tart cherries and black beans.
• An anti-inflammatory rich in antioxidants, cherries can be consumed not only as cherry juice but in raw or canned form and will reduce painful gout symptoms.

How To Take Colchicine

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturer’s printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about colchicine and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking it.
• You must take colchicine exactly as your doctor tells you to. Most doctors will recommend that when a gout attacks starts, you should take one tablet 2-4 times a day until the pain eases. It is important that you do not take more than 12 tablets of colchicine as a course of treatment during any one gout attack. It is also important that you leave at least three days between courses of colchicine. If you find you are having frequent attacks of gout, please let your doctor know about this.
• If you have recently been prescribed a medicine to prevent gout attacks and you have been given colchicine to prevent a flare-up attack of gout, the usual dose for this is one tablet twice each day.
• Take colchicine tablets with a drink of water.
• If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember unless it is nearly time for your next dose, in which case leave out the missed dose. Do not take two doses together to make up for a forgotten dose.

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Gout Diets And Weight Loss

Low-purine diets are often low in calories so can also help keep your weight down, further reducing your risk of gout attacks. Gradual weight loss with healthy eating and regular physical activity is the way to go, as crash dieting and rapid weight loss can actually increase uric acid levels and may trigger a gout attack.

Medicines For Gout Prevention And Complications

Your doctor can prescribe medicines that can help keep a healthy level of uric acid in your body, which can prevent future gout attacks and the complications from gout. When you have gout, your body either makes too much uric acid, or cannot get rid of enough of it, which causes it to build up. Some medicines are safe to take when you have kidney disease, but some are not. Talk to your doctor about which medicines are safe for you.

Allopurinol

Allopurinol is a medicine for people who make too much uric acid. It is the most common medicine used to treat chronic gout. Your doctor can tell you if allopurinol is safe for you to take if you have kidney disease.

Probenecid

Probenecid is a medicine that works for people who cannot get rid of enough uric acid. It works to remove extra uric acid through your urine. Probenecid can increase your risk of kidney stones. Probenecid is not safe to take for many people with kidney disease, so talk to your doctor for more information about probenecid.

Pegloticase

Pegloticase is an infusion medicine given by injection into your vein at your doctors office, usually every two weeks. It is used for severe chronic gout when other medicines do not work. Pegloticase can quickly bring your uric acid level down to a lower level than most medicines can. Talk to your doctor about whether pegloticase is safe for you.

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Fourth Stage Chronic Tophaceous Gout

Finally, chronic tophaceous gout, or fourth-stage gout, occurs when gout is left untreated for too long. Most people do not get this far with proper medication and treatment. Often taking several years or more than a decade to develop fully, chronic tophaceous gout entails hard nodules called tophi developing in the joints and tissues surrounding the joints.

Over time, tophi can do permanent damage to the joints and is the most debilitating, causing skin ulcers to appear. This is extremely rare and only if left untreated for decades. Tophi also often appear in other parts of the body, such as the fingers and ears. Permanent kidney damage at this point is also a possibility.

Natural Medications For Gout

Natural gout treatments such as Urcinol, Goutwell, Uricinex, Goutrex, Gout Care, Puricil and burdock do not require a prescription and are generally considered safe with no or minimal side effects.

Urcinol, a natural herbal based supplement helps to reduce pain and reduces uric acid levels.

Goutwell is an herbal supplement that optimizes uric acid metabolism, reduces pain and inflammation and improves blood circulation.

Uricinex addresses redness and swelling of the effected joint while balancing uric acid levels.

Goutrex is an all natural supplement used in treating high uric acid levels, while reducing pain and swelling.

Gout Care is a natural herb blend that controls over production of uric acid so as to ward off future attacks of gout.

Puricil is a botanical blend of all natural ingredients that work to relieve stiffness, inflammation, swelling and intense pain associated with gout, while keeping future attacks at a minimum. Puricil stimulates digestion, breaks down foods and also eliminates uric acid and other potent toxins.

Burdock root powder helps to remove toxins through sweat glands. It is used for arthritic conditions to reduce joint swelling.

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Home Remedies For Long

The American College of Rheumatology recommends a couple of lifestyle modifications for preventing future attacks of gout:

1) Lose weight if you need to. Being overweight can increase uric acid levels as well as put pressure on the joints.

2) Follow a low-purine diet. Another effective way to reduce uric acid levels is to follow a low-purine diet. Purines are organic compounds that break down into uric acid. Following a low-purine diet means avoiding the big four alcohol, shellfish, red meat, and high fructose corn syrup.

Limiting these foods is also beneficial for heart health and people with gout are at higher risk for heart disease.

But dont go overboard with dietary changes to relieve gout pain though, advises Dr. Fields. You can find lists of thousands of different foods youre not supposed to have if you have gout. Those recommendations are impossible to follow and can make you crazy.

Take Your Prescription Drugs

If you’ve had a gout attack before, your physician may have prescribed drugs to treat attacks. This may be your first line of defense or you may decide to use them only when NSAIDs fail to relieve your pain.

Prescription medications to treat gout include:

• Prednisolone oral tablets, which has been shown to work as well as NSAIDs and often doesnt cause the same stomach upset. Prednisolone is a type of corticosteroid and does carry other potential side effects, particularly if it is taken for longer than the recommended 5 days.4
• Colchicine, which has been shown effective in reducing pain and inflammation if taken in the first 24 hours of an attack. Always follow your physicians instructions regarding dosing to decrease your risk for potential complications and side effects.

Opioid painkillers, such as codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone, are not recommended to treat the pain caused by gout.

See Pain Medications for Arthritis Pain Relief

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Can Colchicine Cause Problems

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with colchicine. You will find a full list in the manufacturer’s information leaflet supplied with your medicine. Speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

If you experience any other symptoms which you think may be due to the tablets, speak with your doctor or pharmacist for further advice.

Risk Factors For Developing Gout

A person is more likely to develop gout if they have high levels of uric acid in their body, a condition known as hyperuricaemia.

Things that can increase levels of uric acid include:

• Diet: Consuming large amounts of red meat and oily seafood and drinking large amounts of sweetened drinks.
• Alcohol: Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, especially beer, fortified wine and spirits.
• Overweight and obesity: Being overweight or obese makes it harder for the kidneys to get rid of uric acid.
• Certain medicines: The use of some blood pressure medications including diuretics, ACE inhibitors and beta blockers, as well as low-dose aspirin, cyclosporin and some medications used by people who have had an organ transplant.
• Medical conditions: Some diseases that increase uric acid levels include untreated high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and the metabolic syndrome.
• Age and sex: Men often have higher uric acid levels after menopause, womens uric acid levels may also rise.
• Family history of gout: people are more likely to develop gout if a family member has it.
• Recent surgery or trauma: People who have had a recent operation or experienced recent trauma often have high levels of uric acid in their blood.

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Getting The Most From Your Treatment

• Try to keep your regular appointments with your doctor. This is so your doctor can check on your progress.
• Do not drink grapefruit juice while you are on colchicine. This is because grapefruit juice increases the risk that you will experience side-effects from the colchicine.
• Colchicine tablets are taken in short courses of treatment to relieve the pain of a gout attack. If you have frequent attacks of gout, let your doctor know as they may prescribe another medicine for you to take every day to help prevent the attacks from occurring.
• There are a number of lifestyle changes that you can make to help reduce the risk of having a gout attack. These include losing weight , eating a healthy diet and not drinking much alcohol or sugar-sweetened soft drinks. Your doctor will advise you about the changes which could benefit you.
• Never take more than the prescribed dose. Taking too much colchicine can cause serious problems. If you suspect that someone has taken an overdose of colchicine or has swallowed some by accident, you must contact a doctor straightaway. Alternatively, go to the accident and emergency department of a local hospital. Do not delay. Take the container with you, even if it is empty. This is so the doctor knows what has been taken.

Treatment Of A Gout Attack

Australian guidelines recommend treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for an attack of gout. These work to reduce inflammation and pain. Examples include indomethacin , naproxen sodium and etoricoxib .

If NSAIDs cant be tolerated or the person has a history of ulcers then they may try:

• Colchicine .
• Corticosteroids given by mouth or injected into the joint.

Resting the joint and applying ice packs may also help with pain and inflammation. When the affected joint is a big toe, a box or cage to keep the bedclothes off the toe may be helpful.

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Applying Ice To Affected Joints

Applying a cloth-covered ice pack to the joint can help reduce gout-related inflammation.

Try applying an ice pack wrapped in a thin towel for 1015 minutes at a time to help relieve pain.

If gout is affecting the feet, a person can also use a pack of frozen vegetables covered with a washcloth, as this may drape more easily over the feet.

Heightened stress can worsen a persons gout symptoms. While it is not always possible to eliminate all sources of stress, the following tips might help:

• exercising, such as taking a brief walk, if the pain does not limit movement
• asking for time off from work
• journaling or reading a favorite book
• listening to music

The Pros And Cons Of Cbd Oil For Gout

The Pros

• Animal and human studies have reported the benefits of CBD in treating symptoms of gout.
• CBD is safe for use because it has an excellent safety profile.
• CBD is non-addictive. Thus, gout patients may not have to worry about developing a dependence on it.

The Cons

• While there are studies on CBDs potential in alleviating gout symptoms, research on CBDs effectiveness in treating gout itself is lacking.
• The United States Food and Drug Administration has not approved CBD use aside from the treatment of epilepsy.
• There is no standard dosage for CBD when used for the treatment of gout.
• CBD products are unregulated, resulting in a proliferation of mislabeled CBD products online.

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