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Pamela,
How “underweight” is underweight? I ask this because being underweight is very subjective. If a person is 6’0″ and weighs 140 lbs. (sorry I live in the USA, we don’t use the metric system here) I’d say that person is underweight. If a person is 5’7″ and weighs 140 lbs., that person might not be THAT underweight. So this is a pretty important fact as it pertains to low blood pressure.
Low blood pressure can be caused by many things. Some are good, some are bad. People who are lean (not underweight), athletic, etc. will tend to have a low blood pressure and pulse simply because their arteries and blood vessels have very little resistance or plaque build up. Their hearts, which is a muscle, is strong and can push blood with no problem and very little resistance.
But the flip side of low blood pressure is the bad parts. Low blood pressure can also be caused by a bleed internally. This is a “worst case scenario” type situation. This would be associated with a higher resting pulse rate, and possibly a tender or painful abdomen, and dark or “tar” like stool. Again, this is usually associated with a combination of other medical problems.
So if your friend is not complaining of the other medical issues I mentioned, maybe his being underweight is what is causing his low blood pressure. And for the record, low blood pressure is not that big of a deal….unless it is being caused by the medical conditions I mentioned. One thing I forgot to mention, and this is important. If you friend DOES have some sort of bleeding issue AND is taking aspirin, he needs to stop taking it immediately. Aspirin is an anti-coagulant, which prevents blood clotting.
A physical could answer all the questions. Hope that helped, and didn’t cause you unnecesary fright.
Paul,
I’m not sure of the correlation between Gout drugs and Tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears), but is Naproxen the only Gout drug you are taking? You didn’t mention the names of any other drugs. Naproxen is just an anti inflammatory drug and I’m not sure there is a connection between the two conditions.
If I were you, I’d be more concerned that the Tinnitus is happening because of Hypertension (high blood pressure). When a person has Hypertension, there are several very concerning health effects. Bloody noses, headaches, dizziness, blurry vision and Tinnitus are all common conditions and should be discussed immediately with your doctor.
You DID mention steaks, alcohol and the inability to exercise though. I don’t know how old you are, or what type of physical condition you are in, but I’d highly recommend a full physical with a complete blood work up. If only for peace of mind, but to esentially rule out hypertension and worse yet, a stroke.
Andrew,
The most probable reason you don’t see a page for supplements on this site (feel free to correct me Keith) is because there really is no HARD evidence to conclude supplements such as Cherry Pills, Cherry Juice, or the like have anything more than a plecbo effect on Gout sufferers. Yes, they have redeeming benefits for one’s health, but to say they have a specific effect on Uric Acid (what is the real problem) or Gout in general hasn’t been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
I fell into the “Cherry Juice/Cherry Pills” remedy also. I still drink/take them. What can it hurt, right? But when I first started this journey, they did abslutely NOTHING to remedy what the real problem was…..Uric Acid reduction. Until that is taken care of, you can drink 100 gallons of cherry Juice and all you may have in return is pleasant smelling urine.
Some claim analgesic effects from some supplements, but I’m not sure of all the ones you are talking about. Water and proper hydration are your better solutions, but I’m not a doctor, and NO I don’t play one on TV either.
Then the question I’d ask my doctor friend is “What is it EXACTLY that is the proper Gout symptoms, since I have a Uric Acid above 7, and the joints in my fingers and toes hurt?” And why then was I prescribed a drug that SPECIFICALLY targets the main cause of Gout, Uric Acid?
These should be very basic and simple questions any doctor worth his salt should be able to answer, even if the guy is your friend.
As Keith and others have pointed out very often, Uric Acid has very harmful long term affects on the joints and elsewhere. I’d like to know if that’s his response, otherwise there is absolutely no reason to prescribe you a Uric Acid reducing drug.
Whatever the reason, keep that Uric Acid as low as possible and if you are not taking Allopurinol or Uloric, good luck.
Good Luck to Andrew. I just have a question. Are you still taking Allopurinol or did your doctor only prescribe you a 2 month (8 week) supply?
I ask because whatever MG’s you were taking (100 MG, 200, 300 etc.) obviously seemed to work for you and I’d be concerned for you if you stopped taking the medication now. 8 weeks is a very short time frame to undo what could have been several years worth of Uric Acid crystal build up.
If your doctor doesn’t think you have Gout, then why did he/she prescribe you a medication that has been proven to reduce Uric Acid…..the cause of Gout in the first place? That doesn’t even make sense. That’s like a doctor prescribing Lipitor to a patient to reduce Cholesterol, but telling the patient she doesn’t have to worry about plaque build up in your coronary arteries or future heart issues.
Very head scratching, and these are questions you should be asking your Rhuemotologist very pointedly. Good luck and try and stay pain free.
Lowell,
I’m not Keith, but I’ll tell you what happened with me. Like you, I had a major Gout flare before I was finally given Allopurinol 100mg to start. I took this for 3 months and was already eating right, long before I started on the medication. After 3 months of 100mg Allopurinol, I went back for my 3 month blood work evaluation and found that my Uric Acid went from 7.8 to 7.6. I thought, “are you kidding me? I have been doing everything right and my Uric Acid only went down 0.2? That’s BS.”
So don’t be discouraged. It’s only been 8 weeks on the medication, and you may find out that 100mg hasn’t really done much for you. You may need a higher dose. I know you are concerned about the side effects. That’s a legitimate concern. But for me, the pain of major Gout flare ups was more of an issue than the side effects. With my line of work, I can’t be having Gout attacks. Especially the ones that keep you down for days or weeks.
With your Uric Acid hovering around 5.0, that doesn’t sound very high, but Uric Acid flucuates. That’s why in the early fazes, blood work should be done almost monthly to gauge where you are.
As for particular triggers, you diet seems fine. It might not even have to do with “triggers” in particular. It might just be that you are predisposed to the condition and it’s going to take time for the medication to be adjusted and for it to start to take hold. Be patient and keep doing what you are doing.
Also hydrate and exercise as much as possible. That helps also.
Disregard that last question John. I was able to find the answer myself. I was away from my tablet and my phone wouldn’t link up when I tried to Google search Krystexxa. Boy, doctors are pretty divided when it comes to this drug therapy. Aside from cost, the health effects, and potential side effects seem to be a real gamble. Glad it is working for you, but I think I’m going to stick with Allopurinol and a healthy lifestyle for now. Until I can read more about these other potential cures, but thanks for the heads up
John, wow. Can I ask you a question? I’m not familiar with Krystexxa treatment, but it is anything similiar to Ultraviolet Blood Therapy? This was/is something I’ve been looking into but have been hesitant to get to far into. Thanks.
Hi Irma. Your question is an interesting one. Who prescribed you Allopurinol and Colchicine in the first place? Maybe not Colchicine, but for sure Allopuinol, you should have had blood work done before that medication was prescibed to you. I realize you are from South Africa and I’m not versed on how they do things medically over there, but Allopurinol is usually prescribed after a liver function and kidney function blood test was done. This is to insure your body will be able to handle the medication, and the 100mg starting dose is pretty normal.
I started they same way as you. 100MG of Allopurinol and 0.6MG of Colchicine taken for 60 days, then a blood retest. So if you have had blood work done, and were prescribed Allopurinol, I guess my question is why haven’t you been taking those medications already?
If you haven’t had blood work done prior, I’d be hesitant to start a medication without doctor oversight. I don’t know you’re medical history (diabetes, renal issues, hepatitus, etc.) so answering that question is nearly impossible. Your doctor should have that info. Be careful.
Hey Mike,
Dude, Gout attacks suck. Those of us who have had them know this all too well. Let’s start off easy here. It sounds like you know what Gout is, and it sounds like you may have had an attack before. So let’s start here:
Have you ever had blood work done to measure exactly where your Uric Acid stands? If not, do so when possible. That way, you will know for sure if your Uric Acid is high or at least above what we call “the Danger Zone”.
Next, if it is high, do yourself a favor and go see a rheumotologist and BE SURE to bring your blood test results with you. Go over them. Especially the Uric Acid section. He/she may want to start you on medication right away (depending on how aggressive they are) or they may want to do some additional tests to check your liver and kidney functions.
Next, do you have a history of Gout in your family? Ask around. Many of your relatives (even your father) are usually not very forthcoming telling people they have Gout. The old stigma surrounding Gout (regal condition, it’s a “drunks” condition, etc.) will often lead people to not disclose they have it. Bottom line is roughly 85% of people who have Gout have received it through genetics. It may have been passed on to you through family history. Who knows? Ask around.
Lastly, kind of personal question…..are you overweight, or can you afford to lose “a few pounds?” With proper diet, hydration, and exercise these few things can help your overall lifestyle and maybe help control future Gout attacks. Notice I said “CAN HELP”. These things alone will NOT stop future attacks until you can control your Uric Acid fully. I speak from experience here. I did the diet, exercise, healthy eating, no alcohol, no red meat, herbs stuff for over a year. Dropped 14 pounds, and only dropped my Uric Acid from 7.8 to 7.6. Talk about a kick to the groin. It blew me away.
I got on Allopurinol in January with a sky high Uric Acid of 9.6. By July it was down to 4.8. I continue to exercise, eat right, hydrate, and enjoy a Gout Attack free life, so far. I still wake up every day wondering when my next attack may happen, but through this site, research and talking to others I’m hoping the next attack will never come. I know this is a long response, but don’t fall into the misinformation trap or the rumor mill. Do your homework and stick around this website. It will help you a lot.
Robert thanks for the kind words and the advice. I’m finally glad my Rheumotologist prescribed Allopurinol for me also. You are correct in your assumption that he is starting me off slow (100mg) and wants to see me again in 6 weeks with new blood screening results and discuss further treatment options. He discussed with me that if he didn’t see a significant drop in my Uric Acid, he would bump up my dosage to 200mg or 300mg, depending on where the UA was.
He also put me 0.6 of Colchicine to help curb potential gout attacks. I’m hoping that will help so that I won’t go through what happened to you with gout attacks happening as the crystals dissolve.
I’m hoping that my medications will help control my UA and I can go on leading my life the way I used to (with more knowledge of course). Thanks and good luck to you also
Finally prescribed Allopurinal – What is Allopurinal?
I’ve been diagnosed with gout for about 4 years now and my doctor FINALLY put me on Allopurinal. A little backstory as I’ve told it before, but my Rheumotologist was reluctant to put me on Allopurinal because his thinking was I wasn’t getting more than 3 “severe” Gout attacks a year. We went back and forth every time I went to him to be treated, saying I was tired of this.
Well I had 2 severe attacks that were within 2 months of each other (Dec and Feb) and after the last one in Feb, I went back to my regular MD and asked for all the previous annual physical blood work results he had and I brought those with me 2 weeks ago to my Rheumotologist.
Since 2012 my Uric Acid results were as follows:
2012- 8.2
2013- 8.6
2014- 8.8
2015- 9.6See the trend? Well since the end of last year, I’ve made sweeping changes to my lifestyle and changed diet, alcohol, hydration, and really bumped up the exercise. The results were 8 lbs of weight loss (I weigh 165 lbs by the way) and my Uric Acid was 7.6. Not good enough for me or my Rheumotologist. He put me on 100mg of Allopurinol and 0.6 of Colchcine. He wants me to update my blood work in 5 weeks and wants a face to face in 6 weeks. I feel like “finally I can start to get this Uric Acid under control” after 4 years of begging.
I read a lot on this site, as well as a few others so I kind of know what to expect in the upcoming weeks. Anything you all can think of would be appreciated.
I learn a lot from the experiences of everybody here, and thank you for that.
How much time will you waste by delaying start of allopurinol therapy?
As a 4 year gout sufferer whose Rheumatologist is reluctant to prescribe Allopurinal for, I am always looking to eliminate the next “major” flare up. Again, since I’m not on Allopurinal, I have had to do everything I can in my power to lower my UA on my own. I have changed my entire lifestyle, and like you Rhys, I’m almost leading a pseudo vegan lifestyle. I never eat red meat, I haven’t had a beer in over a month, I will occasionally have a cocktail (once a week), and veggies, yogurt, fruits and cherry juice are my new main staples in life.
If fish oil, or flax seed, or algae-based Omega-3, is proven to work I will be all over it. Anything to help lower my UA, I’m in. I will be paying close attention to this thread, just in case.
Thanks for the replies Keith and Linda. I’ve spoken to a few doctors and all have said that Diet Coke shouldn’t have any impact on my gout, but I think it’s just easier for me to eliminate sodas altogether. I thought it would be harder than it actually has been. Substituting water has made me feel better. Maybe it a psychosematic thing, who knows but I actually feel better.
I’ve been reading the site for a few weeks now, and I don’t recall this topic being discussed. I understand the link between sugary drinks (fructose, sucrose, also, etc.) but what about “diet” or “sugar free” drinks?
I used to be a big Diet Coke drinker but after my last gout flare up 2 weeks ago, I have cut out ALL soda style drinks including Diet Coke, Sugar Free Monsters, and the like. The problem is, I used to like an occasional Captain Morgan and Diet Coke. Now that I’ve gone cold turkey in regards to soda drinks and almost all alcohol period, I’m just wondering if there is an actual problem with Diet Cokes or Sugar Free drinks in general. I’ve read the ingredients and besides caramel coloring and aspertame, it doesn’t appear there is anything in there that would trick the body.
Thanks in advance
