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I am on Allopurinol for 10 weeks now. Started with 150mg and reached 300 mg about 12 days back.
About 10 days back( 2 days after 300 mg), I got a minor rash on my arm, about 2 inches away from the hand. It is about half to 3/4 inch in size, 10 to 12 scattered pink color dots. This showed up when I came back after doing my evening exercise outside near a creek. It looks like a half smily face. The dots are not very prominent, kind of subdued. You can hardly feel it if you rub your finger on it, but it is celarly visible.
There has been no itching.
I showed it to doctor next day if that was due to Allopurinol. He said probably not as it was just one rash(not widespread) and told me to use 1% Hydrocortisone Anti-itch ointment and monitor for any other rash.
It is now 9 days that I am using 1% Hydrocortisone Anti-itch ointment but the rash is still there. It did not get worse, no itching, improved by about 25-30% and no new rash.
As I generally get confusign things, this one appeared after I came back from the exercie from outside, so it may be even an insect bite, do not know.
I wanted to check if anyone ever got this kind of rash and should I do anyting more about it.
Likely, 'the creek' gives the biggest clue !
I've had Lyme type reactiion from a mozzie bite at the coast where some big beasts were flying. Took antibiotic to get rid of the patch, about 1cm dia. after 2 weeks.
Very little other effects fortunately, but rash [on hand] was persistent.
Yours sounds stable, but these minor events can be worrying- especially if with non specific feeling of unwellness. If the Gout treatment is progressing OK I would sit it out. If it's something in your system- topical applications are not going to have a lot of effect.
I believe Lyme Disease is getting more common, possibly due to Global warming- and it bears keeping an eye on.
I do not have any other symptom or itching. And it is stable, getting better but slowly. I checked the websites and it does not seem to be Lyme.
My concern is – could it be due to Allopurinol? Or is it just a minor heat rash due to sweating or something similar?
As I said there is no other rash and there is no itching or any sensation in the rash.
trev, took the wods right out of my fingers.
My first thought was beware of LYME. My brother-in- law had been an avid fisherman with a cabin in the mountains for the warmer months. He came down with a terribly swollen knee and ankle and the first suspect was gout. He even had his knee drained twice for relief. He had a blood test and it came back positive for choice #2, LYME DISEASE that he had probably incubated for 2 years. A month of strong antibiotics and he is aok.
THe rash is supposed to be a telltale bullseye but often is distorted and sometimes not seen at all. My BIL never noticed such a rash, not to say it wasn't present and he thought iit a mosquito bite or poison ivy. It sometimes hard to remember back 2 years for something trivial.
LYME is caused by a spirochete and resembeles syphiilis in a number of ways…spirochetes, a sore, chancre, at the site of infection a long time establishment in the body, inability of the immune system to fight it and then eventual joint destruction, and even dementia unless strong antibitics intervene.
Odds are good that the rash is just a rash and you'll never know the cause…but have a blood draw for LYME next time you see your doctor even if the odds are slight because it can be a pretty awful scourge and the sooner it is treated the quicker the cure.
p.s. A “half smiley face” sounds a little too much like half a bullseye. Check out these two pics under symptoms:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L…..me_disease
p.p.s. An allopurinol rash will either come on VERY quickly with the first couple doses because of a hypertensitivity reaction or take many years to develop as the body slowly loses tolerance for the drug…the latter is rare.
Thanks Trev and Zip.
I will get it tested for Lyme. I am seeing the doctor next week and will ask for it.
The rash in the mean time is improving but the improvement is slow. The color is getting light. I am using 1% hydracortisone cream twice a day. In 12 days, I will say improved by 50%.
Any idea how much time it takes for rash to fully disappear or near to disappear? The doctor told me 10 days back that it takes a while for rash to disappear. What is this while is what is causing some anxiety.
Best to double check! These minor oddities can sometimes be nothing, but once flagged up- it's easy to check for peace of mind and treatment is easy in the early stages. from what Zip said, Lymes can lie 'doggo' for a long time.
Over use of steroids can thin the skin- so not a long term solution anyway.
Let us know results in any case ..
I will use Cortisone for 2 days more and then stop it as it will be 2 weeks then and doctor told me to stop it after completiing 2 weeks.
From the shape and size of the rash, it does not look like Lyme. I checked a lot of pictures on the web and mine does not come close. But as you said, better check it and get peace of mind. Early treatment is better than complications later.
By the way, any idea generally how much time the rash takes to almost disappear or merge in the skin color?
Can't say Utube! The main thing is your AlloP is going OK and nothing is actually getting worse.
Time is a great healer, apart from |Gout ,that is
I hope so that everyhting works out fine. My home testing readings are now very consistent – Early morning readings are 4.3 to 4.9, before lunch 3.8 to 4.3, evening before dinner 3.1 to 3.6 in last one week.
The residual pain in toe seems to be from the injury as I was given one sleeve with gel pad to wear with shoe and that seems to take the pain away by almost 95%. Looks like the injury has limited the movement of toe, which is taking time to get back to normal motion and the sleeve is helping in that.
The doctor wants me to stop Colchicine ( I am taking it one 0.6 mg tab on alternate days for 10 days now, earlier I was on 1 tab a day for 2 months) and reduce the Allopurinol to 200 mg(from 300 mg I am taking for last 2 weeks) as he thinks that will keep my UA level in range of 4's and 5's instead of values in range of 3's and 4's. More so becuase of the rash as it appeared a day after I moved to 300 mg dose.
I am puzzled as I donot want to be near 6 UA level and stay away from Gout as much as possible.
Always remember it's YOUR call. I ask my doctor for his best advice and then I connect the dots. Since I'm paying the bills, and I'm doing the suffering, and the cure is most important to ME, it is I who makes the choices.
My old doctor told me to go to 200 mg. also, and after a while I started to get bunion twinges again and my little finger tophus apppeared. I went back to 300 mg. and all was fine for a year or more. Then I went back to 200 mg. to test the effect of furosemide-losartan and I started getting twinges and a 6.7 UA at my NEW doctor's office. He said that was fine and I corrected him and went back to 300 mg. and all is fine…but that damn little tophi won't resolve.
Someday I will take a sterile razor blade to it…all it will take is a half millimeter deep slice and it will ooze out. But I'm not feeling particularly brave these days. Better yet, I DO have a glucose tester auto lance that has 5 depth settings….HMMM! WHo knows maybe POP GOES THE WEASEL.
It's your call utube.
Thanks Zip.
I agree with you, lower UA level gives much more confidence and peace of mind. As my readings of UA are showing mostly less than 4( mostly lower to mid 3's), he thinks that 200 mg will not make it higher than 5 anyway. I feel more comfortable with around 4 readings than 5.
I am seeing the doctor tomorrow and will insist on 300 mg and also ask him for labs for liver and kidney functions.
I showed the rash to doctor. he said it takes 4-6 weeks for the rash to disappear. Why it happened, no idea but most likely some insect bite or touching some poison plant…Should not be due to Allopurinol.
About Lyme, he said it does not look like one.
My next labs are due this month end and I will ask him to include it in those tests.
If it's any help- I had a shin scrape in the garden [earth bourne, I assume] 2 months ago that needed antibiotics from the hospital at midnight, 30 hours later- due to infectious swelling.
It has ONLY just healed, after care in dressing etc., and using antiseptic cream. There are loads of pathogens lurking out there and only when one gets an unholy grip does it get worrying- one good reason for overall good immune health- as that is the best protection.
Gout does tend to keep your eye on the ball in this regard- but nothing stops bad luck!
This is when the Drs. usually say ” There's a lot of IT about” meaning they sympathise – but expect you to ride it out.
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