What Can I Take To Relieve Gout Pain

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.

Gout In Foot: Causes And Risk Factors

In about 90 percent of hyperuricaemia cases, there is impaired renal excretion in about 10 percent, there is a problem with overproduction.

• Urate overproduction can be linked to lifestyle factors and certain diseases such as bone marrow cancers, psoriasis, and hemolytic anemia. Lifestyle factors include being overweight and ingesting excess amount of fructose or alcohol.
• Renal impairment has multiple causes, including gene mutations, hypertension, diuretic drugs, lead exposure, and cyclosporine immunosuppressive therapy.
• Gender and age. Men are twice as likely to develop gout as women. In men, the risk rises with age. Gout is uncommon in younger women but the incidence increases dramatically after menopause, due to falling estrogen.
• Western diet. There is solid evidence from the Health Professional Follow-up Study of a link between gout and purine-rich foods. See gout diet.
• Medications. Diuretics, antihypertensives, niacin, aspirin, chemotherapy and immunosuppressive drugs increase the risk of gout.
• Other conditions. Certain conditions carry an increased risk of gout including: Recent joint injury or surgery, cardiovascular disease, chronic pulmonary disease, anemia, psoriasis, renal disease, blood cancers, and metabolic syndrome.

Elevating The Affected Joints

Gout can cause pain and swelling, especially in the feet, hands, knees, and ankles.

One way to reduce swelling is by elevating the affected joints. This encourages blood and fluid to move away from the joint and back toward the heart.

A person can also use an ice-pack in combination with elevation to reduce their gout symptoms.

Read Also: What Does Gout Feel Like In Your Big Toe

Reducing Gout Attacks With Lifestyle Changes

Gout Remedies For Pain

1. Drink More WaterThe more water you drink, the more level youre able to keep the uric acid levels in your body. When you dont drink enough water, the uric acid levels rise and cause more pain. Drink water throughout the day to keep the levels normalized and to reduce pain.

2. Apply a Cold CompressApplying a cold compress to the affected area can help ease pain and inflammation. Apply the cold compress to the area for 20-30 minutes several times a day- you can make one using a bag of crushed ice or a pack of peas and a dish cloth.

3. Rest and RelaxIf youve had a gout attack, one of the best things you can do is rest your body. Stress can aggravate gout, so relax as much as you can- watch Netflix, call a friend, read a book or listen to music to get you into a relaxed state. Whatever you do, dont go on any long walks or stand for a long time- this will make the pain much worse.

4. MedicationIf you feel the symptoms of a gout attack coming on, use what you have on hand right away. Over-the-counter ibuprofen or naproxen will help relieve the pain, but never take Aspirin, which can actually make your symptoms worse. If youve been prescribed an anti-inflammatory by your doctor for your gout flare-ups, make sure to take the recommended dose. If you have frequent pain and flare-ups, you may be prescribed a daily medication of a uric acid lowering drug.

If youve been dealing with gout, we hope these prevention tips and remedies help ease the pain and discomfort!

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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.

Dos And Dont For Gout

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How Do We Prevent Gout Flare

Generally, we need to get your uric acid levels lower to prevent gout flare-ups. Firstly, you need to treat lifestyle factors. Examples include losing weight, reducing alcohol intake, and a healthy diet. Secondly, your doctor may prescribe medications to lower uric acid. The most common drug is allopurinol. It is important to wait until an acute attack has settled before starting this drug. Speak to your doctor about whether you should consider this drug. In general, preventative medication such as Alluprinol is useful if youre uric acid levels are high .

When you start taking Allopurinol, you should take another tablet such as colchicine for about 4 weeks to prevent another attack.

Typically, a change in lifestyle can reduce uric acid levels. Examples of foods that increase purine and should be avoided include organ meats, sardines, anchovies, prawns, board beans, and foods containing a high concentration of high fructose corn sugar. In addition, yeast and yeast-based foods such as frozen foods and canned food can be problematic. Also, sugar-sweetened beverages and alcoholic drinks increase acid levels. Generally, wine is better than hard liquor or beer.

On the contrary, foods that reduce uric acid include cherries, fruit and vegetables high in vitamin C, low-fat dairy products, and a vegetarian diet. Also, keeping well hydrated can prevent and treat an attack.

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If you havegout, youre all too familiar with the sudden, burning joint pain that a gout attack can bring on most commonly in the big toe.

Gout a type ofarthritis is caused by too much uric acid in the blood. Usually, having an excess of uric acid isnt harmful. In fact, many people with high levels in their blood never get gout. But when uricacid levels in your blood are too high, the uric acid may form hard crystals in your joints.

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Why Are Your Feet So Vulnerable To Gout

Your feet and, more precisely, your big toes are the most common area to be affected if you suffer with gout. Just why your feet are so vulnerable is unclear.

Some parties claim this is down to temperature urate crystals forming faster in cooler temperatures and your toes being among the coolest areas because they are furthest from the heart.

However, the truth is more complicated than that as Roddy concluded in an article for the Journal Of Foot And Ankle Research, the reasons for gout appearing in the toe first are

multi-factorial in origin and arises from the unique combination of the susceptibility of the joint to OA and local anatomical considerations of temperature, minor physical trauma and biomechanical stress

In other words, there are a number of reasons why gout will often attack your toe first.

The same is also true however of your heel its distance from your heart and its propensity to suffer trauma or stress make it another prime target.

How gout forms

Just as a quick reminder, gout is formed when your body produces more uric acid than it can get rid of via your kidneys. This condition is often referred to as hyperuricemia.

Having a high level of uric acid doesnt necessarily mean that youll suffer with gout, because its only when urate crystals are formed from the uric acid that gout begins.

Lifestyle Changes Can Make Gout Attacks Less Likely

When you consider how much pain gout causes, it makes sense to try and prevent the problem flaring up. A key approach is to consume fewer foods and drinks containing high levels of purines, substances that lead to a uric acid build-up. A low-purine diet means avoiding beer, rich meats such as bacon, pork and liver, as well as many types of fish, seafood and shellfish.

The link between gout and over-indulgence is why the condition was known historically as the rich mans disease. Being a healthy weight, drinking plenty of water to flush out uric acid and exercising regularly can all help you to avoid gout attacks.

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An Inside Look At Gout

Gout is triggered by the crystallization of uric acid within the joints. It happens like this: Your body produces uric acid from breaking down purines, which are formed by the body and found in certain foods. Uric acid enters your blood and passes through your kidneys into your urine.

However, sometimes your body produces too much uric acid or excretes too little. This causes uric acid to build up and form needle-like urate crystals in a joint or the surrounding tissue. The result: a sudden, painful flare-up.

The large joint of the big toe is the most common affected area, followed by the side of the foot and ankle. Other hot spots include the knees, hands, and wrists. Most episodes last approximately seven to 10 days.

While gout can occur at any time, it is most likely to strike at night or early morning. The main reasons for this are believed to be lower body temperature and nighttime dehydration. “Crystals are more likely to form in lower temperatures, and dehydration can prevent excess uric acid from being flushed from the body,” says Dr. Shmerling.

Treatment For Gout In The Foot Pain Relief

1) Painkillers

We covered off a lot of this in our article on gout pain treatments, except to add that where your feet are concerned, if you feel a gout attack just about to start, you may be better gently applying an anti-inflammatory topical cream if your toes/ heel are not too painful.

This will potentially get to the source much faster than swallowing a tablet.

Other than that, the effect of painkillers is fairly universal, so doesnt warrant special coverage here.

2) Ice Treatment

Where your foot is concerned, ice treatment is a great option for slowing down the blood flow and reducing the swelling/ bruising that will cause much of your pain. This is also easy to apply any standard water-based foot massager can be filled with cold water and you just pop your foot in to soak.

Ideally you should add ice to the water, although never put ice directly on your skin as it could cause burns.

Alternatively, pop a towel in the freezer and leave it for an hour, then get it out and gently wrap it around your affected foot. A bag of frozen vegetables is another option but can squash your foot, leading to a trauma and extra pain.

This is perhaps the 2nd best treatment for gout in the foot as it is easy to do, required little extra equipment and can potentially be carried out at work in an office if you are really suffering.

3) Supportive Equipment

This is especially true if you get gout in both feet a walking stick will typically only take pressure off one side.

4) Rest.

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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.

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When To Get Help For A Gout Flare

It’s always a good idea to let your doctor know that you are having a flare. Sometimes, you may need to follow up to make sure your treatment plan is working or if your symptoms don’t improve. Call your doctor if:

This is your first flare-up. There are several other conditions, such as a joint infection, that have some of the same symptoms as gout attacks.

You have a highfever and chills. Gout attack symptoms may include a mild fever, but a higher temperature may be a sign of an infection.

Your symptoms don’t get any better after 48 hours or don’t end after about a week. If you don’t start to feel somewhat better after a few days, call your doctor. They may suggest a different treatment. Most gout attacks will go away by themselves in several weeks, even without treatment.

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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.

How Is Gout Treated

When you have a gout attack, pain relief is your first goal. Its important to call your doctor even if the pain has stopped. The uric acid buildup that triggered your gout attack may still be irritating your joints and could eventually cause seriousdamage, like joint destruction and kidney damage.

Your doctor may:

• Give you a shot of corticosteroids to ease discomfort quickly
• Prescribe a long-term medication that can prevent and even reverse uric acid buildup
• Recommend lifestyle changes or alternative treatments

Theres a lot you can do on your own to ease symptoms:

• Rest the affected joint until the attack passes and for 24 hours after the attack.
• Elevate painful joints.
• Use ice to reduce swelling.
• Relieve inflammation with NSAIDS . Avoid aspirin, which can worsen symptoms.
• Limit alcohol, especially beer and hard liquor.
• Cut back on meat and seafood, which can raise uric acid levels.
• Follow a moderate exercise program.
• Control your weight. Being overweight increases your risk for gout.

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Treating Gout Pain With Compounded Pain Creams

Gout is a complicated medical condition that usually affects the feet. It begins with too little uric acid being eliminated out of the body. Excess uric acid in the body builds up and forms crystals in the joints, causing swelling and pain. The pain that typically accompanies sudden gout attacks is intense and can feel as though the foot or joint is on fire. The small joint at the base of the big toe is the most common site for a gout attack. Other joints that can be affected include the ankles, knees, wrists, fingers, and elbows.

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.

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