Home Treatments & Remedies For Gout Pain And Uric Acid

Content

• How To Eat To Help Control Your Gout
• Symptoms
• Avoid Alcohol
• Alternative Treatments For Gout

The most common side effects in patients taking KRYSTEXXA were gout flare-ups or attacks, allergic reactions, nausea, bruising, sore throat, constipation, chest pain, and vomiting. Even with oral medication, people with out-of-control gout can have a hard time getting rid of uric acid. KRYSTEXXA is a prescription medicine used in adults to help reduce the signs and symptoms of gout that are not controlled by other treatments.

It restricts the breakdown of purines and so reduces uric acid levels. The medication is taken after a meal with plenty of fluids. Gout, also known as gouty arthritis is caused by the buildup of uric acid, a metabolite of protein and can be extremely painful. Gout generally occurs more often in men and second most in post menopausal women. Since gout is a form of arthritis and fish oil has been proven to be an effective treatment for arthritis, it only makes sense its omega-3 content benefits people with gout.

How To Eat To Help Control Your Gout

If you have tophi, your doctor may want to biopsy one of the lumps. Remember to go to the AARP home page every day for tips on keeping healthy and sharp, and great deals. Animal proteins have a higher level of purines, so it's better to eat vegetable proteins like beans and peas. We comply with applicable Federal civil rights laws and Minnesota laws.

Do tomatoes cause gout?

Since diet can play a role in increased blood levels of uric acid, it is worth paying attention to the foods that trigger you. Tomatoes are one food that many people with gout identify as being a trigger for gout flare-ups. Tomatoes contain two potential gout triggers: glutamate and phenolic acid.

Normally, uric acid dissolves in the blood and gets excreted into the urine. However, sometimes there is too much uric acid or too little uric acid excreted causing urate crystals in the joint. Individuals with gout may experience burning, tingling, or itching in a joint about an hour prior to a flare-up. The joint may also feel stiff or a bit sore before the gout attack begins. In other cases, people with gout may have no early sign or symptoms that a flare-up is about to start. Waking up in the middle of the night with a very painful joint is common amongst patients with gout.

Symptoms

Prescription drugs such as allopurinol , febuxostat and probenecid all alleviate gout by controlling blood levels of uric acid. Colchicine is also given to reduce inflammation during an acute gout attack. This drug has recently been approved by the Federal Drug Administration for treatment of gout. Like all medications, colchicine has side effects that you will need to discuss with your doctor. It’s not always clear what’s meant by "frequent" gout attacks. Usually, it means more than one or two gout attacks per year.

Sometimes during an acute gout attack, uric acid levels may test normal because the uric acid has left your bloodstream and entered the inflamed tissue. If you do have a high uric acid level during a gout attack, it is likely that the level was even higher before the attack. To help diagnose gout, your doctor may check your blood uric acid levels in between attacks to see if they run high. A diagnosis of gout can be made with the documentation of the presence of uric acid crystals in synovial fluid or from a tophaceous deposit.

What To Expect From Your Doctor

At first, probenecid or sulfinpyrazone may increase your risk for kidney stones by increasing the uric acid content of the urine. To prevent this problem, keep your urine diluted by drinking eight ounce glasses of fluid every day. If you have kidney stones due to uric acid, you may need to avoid or limit foods that raise your uric acid level such as those listed below. Talk to your doctor about what foods you may have to avoid. They last only a week or so and then everything seems to go back to normal with no symptoms between episodes. If the disease is not controlled by medication, attacks may occur more often and may last longer.

Limit alcoholic beverages and drinks sweetened with fruit sugar . Instead, drink plenty of nonalcoholic beverages, especially water. Joint X-rays can be helpful to rule out other causes of joint inflammation.

Foods That Help Lower Uric Acid Levels For Gout Relief

These can make the susceptibility for gout greater, especially in persons who cannot eliminate uric acid efficiently. The kidneys are the portal through which uric acid is eliminated and if they can’t do it fast enough, uric acid build-up occurs. Several medical conditions, including blood and metabolism disorders, sometimes cause gout by lowering uric acid excretion from the body. In some cases of gout when the joint flares up, treatment with a Physical Therapist at Sports Rehabilitation Unlimited can be helpful in conjunction with medication. Your therapist may use modalities such as ice, ultrasound, or laser to calm your joint down.

Having a chronic disease like arthritis affects many aspects of daily living and can cause stress. Gout attack symptoms may include a mild fever, but a higher temperature may be a sign of an infection. If your doctor has diagnosed you with gout and given you medicine for a flare-up, take the medicine as directed when you know you’re having one. In most cases, that will probably be as soon as the first signs begin. If you have gout, you know the signs that a flare-up is on the way. There's nothing you can do to stop an attack once it starts, but you can ease some of the symptoms at home.

Alternative Treatments For Gout

Uric acid levels rise when you are dehydrated, potentially increasing your gout pain. Wrap it with a thin towel and an ace bandage to secure to your foot with mild pressure for up to 20 minutes. This can be done in spaced increments several times a day during the flare-up.