Just took my first 100 mg dose. I do that for a week, then up it to 200 mg/day for a week, then 300 mg/day. Apparently it sometimes causes a gout flare-up when starting. For those on it, anybody experience this?
I had gout for years and my doc wouldn't prescribe Allopurinol because my uric acid level was not elevated. It finally got so bad he referred me to a endocrinologist who tested me for everything. My uric acid level wasn't high, but it was definitely gout. He said that Allopurinol probably wouldn't help, but that it wouldn't hurt. I took it for about three weeks, the gout went away, and I decided to see what would happen if I stopped taking it. That was three years ago and I haven't had a joint problem since. (Knock on wood.)
I don't think much is understood about gout.
That sounds about like me. I had flare ups from time to time, but usually it went away in a day, just made me walk gingerly.
One time it took a week to go away, went to an urgent care place on the weekend, they said it was gout, gave me basically some strong Aleve and a pain killer, which didn't do much for me at all. It did go away a few days later though.
A year later, had a flare up, went to an actual doctor, he drew blood, said my acid levels were just barely elevated, I about punched him in the jaw my toe hurt so bad. He prescribed Allopurinol, but said not to take it until the flare up was gone. It went away in a few days, I took the Allopurinol for a few months religiously, then quit. I've had 2 small flare ups in the 2 years since then. When I feel it coming on, I take the Allopurinol, and by the next day I'm fine, and the flare ups haven't been bad at all.
All I really know, is when a flare up is bad, I wouldn't wish it on anybody. Trying to figure out how you broke your big toe by simply lying in bed is bad. When the air blowing on it from the ceiling fan makes it hurt, its bad.
