Apparently it sometimes causes a gout flare-up when starting. For those on it, anybody experience this?
It caused flare ups when I first went on it. That's the reason they ease you on to it. To understand why you need to understand how it works. Uric acid in your bloodstream causes gout & when you've got that much in your blood you also have it stored in your muscle tissue. Your body should purge the Uric acid through your kidneys filtering it from your blood & pissing it out but in people with gout the body retains it instead of purging it. There's a protein layer that the body encapsulates the Uric acid with that allows the body to store it. Allopurinol destroys this protein layer which causes the body to shed the Uric acid. When the muscles start purging it the UA goes into the bloodstream where it's carried to the kidneys, filtered out & you discharge it through urination. What it means is that when you first go on allopurinol it elevates your UA levels in the blood which will trigger gout flare ups. It'll keep the levels high until your body purges the stored UA, that's why it's important to drink lots of water so you keep pissing that stuff out as your body sheds it. If you get flare ups during this period treat it with indomethacin or other gout drugs.
Allopurinol is a preventative medicine, not a treatment for flare ups. People that haven't been on a steady allopurinol regime & try to take it just when they have a gout attack are actually making it worse instead of better. That's like throwing gas on a fire.
