Table of contents:
- List of medical drugs to treat gout
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Colchicine
- Steroids
- Allopurinol
- Febuxostat
- Probenecid
- Pegloticase
- A healthy lifestyle as a way to treat gout that needs to be applied
- Changing diet
- Doing exercise regularly
- Increase drinking water
- Use alternative medicines with caution
Gout is inflammation of the joints (arthritis) that commonly occurs in the big toe, knee, ankle, foot, wrist, or elbow. To treat gout, you generally need medication, which can be purchased at a pharmacy (generic) or from a doctor's prescription. So, what are the medical drugs to treat gout? Are there other ways to treat gout?
List of medical drugs to treat gout
Gout disease is caused by uric acid levels (uric acid) high in the body. High levels of uric acid can build up and crystallize in the joints, causing pain, swelling, and other disturbing symptoms.
Symptoms of gout generally occur suddenly or are often referred to as gout attacks. Then these attacks can subside over time and come back in the future, especially if your uric acid levels are not controlled.
Therefore, gout treatment is generally given in two main parts, namely to treat sudden gout attacks and prevent future attacks. By preventing these attacks, you can control your disease and avoid chronic gout and gout complications that can affect your health.
Here are the names of drugs that are considered the most effective, whether purchased at a pharmacy or from a doctor's prescription, to cure symptoms and reduce uric acid levels in yourself:
In addition to osteoarthritis, NSAID drugs are also commonly used to treat gout attacks, both relieving pain and reducing inflammation in the joints. This type of drug can shorten the time of the attack, especially if it is taken within the first 24 hours of the attack. Therefore, NSAID drugs need to be taken as soon as you feel any symptoms appear.
You can find some generic NSAIDs to treat gout at pharmacies, such as ibuprofen or naproxen. However, for more severe cases, you may need stronger NSAIDs, such as indomethacin or celecoxib. However, the names of these two drugs can only be obtained from a doctor's prescription and are often given to treat acute gout attacks.
Although it can be purchased over the counter at pharmacies, you should first consult with your doctor before consuming it. The reason is, NSAID drugs can interact with other drugs that you may be taking. In addition, these drugs can also cause side effects related to the digestive system if taken in the long term.
Colchicine is a drug that can help relieve joint pain by reducing inflammation caused by the formation of urate crystals. This medication is generally used for two conditions.
First, colchicine is taken by mouth in high doses and along with NSAIDs when a gout attack occurs. In this condition, the drug colchicine must be taken as soon as a gout attack comes to help relieve these symptoms.
Second, colchicine is taken in low doses and long-term after the gout attack subsides. In this condition, the colchicine drug aims to prevent gout attacks from occurring in the future.
However, colchicine drugs are also at risk of causing side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or stomach pain. In addition, this drug should not be consumed by gout sufferers who have chronic kidney disease.
If you are at risk of taking NSAIDs or colchicine, or both drugs are not working effectively on you, your doctor may give you steroids to treat your gout. Steroids or corticosteroids, such as prednisone, are powerful drugs to control inflammation and severe pain in joints.
This type of medicine is generally given when you have an acute gout attack, and should not be used long-term. They can come in the form of pills or tablets that are taken within a few days or injections directly into the affected joint area. Therefore, even though this drug is available in pharmacies, you must redeem it with a doctor's prescription.
Although considered more effective, steroid drugs can also cause side effects, such as mood swings and increases in blood sugar and blood pressure. The injectable steroid drugs can cause ligament and cartilage damage if used too often.
Allopurinol is a xanthine oxidase inhibitor class drug, which aims to prevent the next gout attack. Allopurinol works by reducing excess uric acid production, so this can be a way to lower uric acid levels in your body.
This uric acid-lowering drug is available in pharmacies, but you must get it by redeeming a doctor's prescription. Initially, the doctor will give allopurinol in a low dose, then it can be increased gradually until you get the right dose.
Reporting from Versus Arthritis, this is important to do so as not to trigger gout attacks. In addition, your doctor makes sure that you only get enough low doses to control your uric acid levels.
However, allopurinol can cause side effects in the form of a rash and a low blood count. This drug is not recommended for those who have kidney problems.
Just like allopurinol, febuxostat is also a xanthine oxidase inhibitor drug, which works by reducing excess uric acid levels in the body. However, this drug is generally given if you cannot take allopurinol or are unable to take allopurinol in high doses.
You can't buy uric acid-lowering drugs over the counter at pharmacies. The reason is, giving febuxostat must be gradual, from low to high doses, especially when low doses are not enough to reduce uric acid levels.
In addition, febuxostat is also more likely to trigger gout attacks the first time you consume it. Because of this, doctors generally will also give you a low dose of NSAIDs or colchicine to be consumed during the first six months when you start taking febuxostat.
This medicine for gout pain should not be taken together with 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) or azathioprine. The use of febuxostat can also cause side effects, such as rash, nausea, decreased liver function, and an increased risk of heart-related death.
Probenecid is a drug that works by increasing the ability of the kidneys to remove excess uric acid from your body through urine. This can help you lower uric acid levels in the blood and prevent uric acid from recurring.
The drug probenecid is usually given when allopurinol and febuxostat you cannot take or are not effective for you. However, under certain conditions, this uric acid-lowering drug can also be used in conjunction with allopurinol and febuxostat.
On the other hand, this drug generally can't be used if you have kidney problems, especially kidney stones. The reason is, by boosting the kidneys' ability to filter uric acid, this can also increase the risk of kidney stones forming.
Apart from probenecid, a similar drug that is commonly given by doctors, namely lesinurad. Talk to your doctor about the right type of medication.
Pegloticase is an enzyme that can process uric acid into allantoin, which the body will then excrete through urine. This type of medicine is given when other medicines can't lower your uric acid levels.
On the other hand, giving pegloticase is one way to reduce uric acid quickly. The reason is, this drug is given by intravenous infusion every 2 weeks. Therefore, this gout drug cannot be purchased over the counter at pharmacies.
However, you should not be treated with pegloticase if you are allergic to the substances in it. You also will not be prescribed this drug if your doctor finds that you have a deficiency of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD).
In addition, you may also be given other drugs, such as steroids or antihistamines to help prevent allergic reactions. You will also be closely monitored to see how your body reacts to the infusion.
A healthy lifestyle as a way to treat gout that needs to be applied
Source: Open Fit
Although given various drugs, gout still cannot be cured completely. You need to control the uric acid level and the symptoms that arise so that the disease does not get worse.
Apart from going through drugs, how to reduce or reduce high uric acid levels is through lifestyle changes. Here are some other ways to deal with gout that you can practice at home:
One of the causes of high uric acid is the food you consume. Therefore, you need to change your diet to help reduce these high uric acid levels.
As for achieving this goal, you need to avoid and limit foods containing purines which are taboo for uric acid, such as offal, seafood, alcohol, and so on. On the other hand, you need to eat foods that are low in fat and sugar and high in fiber content.
If necessary, the consumption of foods for gout is recommended, such as cherries, which are said to help reduce the risk of developing gout, especially when taken with allopurinol.
Routine exercise is the next way that can help treat your gout. This activity can reduce the chance of gout attack and keep your body weight and overall health.
To achieve this goal, exercise regularly at a light to moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes for five days a week, such as walking, swimming, or cycling. Start exercising slowly and increase it gradually. If necessary, consult with your doctor about the right time and type of exercise.
We recommend that you drink at least eight glasses of water per day to stay hydrated. Drinking lots of water is an effective way to lower uric acid.
The reason is, water helps transport toxins and unused substances, including excess uric acid. That is why some experts believe that drinking water helps to flush out the build-up of uric acid in the body.
Apart from medical and lifestyle changes, you can also take alternative medicines as a way to treat or reduce high uric acid levels. This alternative treatment can be in the form of gout herbal remedies or supplements. Supplements that are believed to help reduce uric acid, namely those containing vitamin C.
However, you should first consult with your doctor before taking this alternative medicine. The reason is, some supplements or herbal remedies may interact with the uric acid treatment that you are currently undergoing or it can worsen your disease.
