Do these gout medications sound familiar?
- Indocin
- Colchicine
- Allopurinol
- Sulfinpyrazone
- Probenecid
- Naproxen
I’m sure there are more, but anyone with gout has heard of at least one or two of the above medications. My next question is; how are they working for you?
When you are unfortunate enough to have a gout flare-up, which of the above medications do you run to and how quickly do they work?
Just one more question; what are the side effects of the drug. Does nausea, upset stomach, headache, drowsiness, rash or even an induced gout flare up sound familiar? To top it off, your doctor will only prescribe a certain number of refills for the drug because of its potentially dangerous side effects. You’ve got to come in and get re-examined to make sure the cure isn’t worse than the ailment.
Try Something Natural
The next time you have a gout flare-up, try something a little different. Go to the store and buy a bottle of vitamin C (1,000 mg). On the first day of the flare-up drink plenty of water and take vitamin C every couple of hours (you need to get a minimum of about 6,000 mg). On the second day of the flare up, you can reduce the frequency.
People seem to have a problem with taking large doses of vitamin C but feel perfectly comfortable taking prescribed medication with awful side effects (go figure).
Side Effects of Vitamin C for Gout
- You will pee a lot. Not so sure if it’s the vitamin C or large amounts of water, but you will pee a lot. The vitamin C breaks down the uric acid and peeing eliminates it from the body.
- Within 24 hours the pain will be gone. You may notice an improvement in half the time, but you’ll definitely be pain-free (or at least 95% pain-free) in 24 hours.
It will take an additional day or so for the gout swelling to go down, but the pain leaves immediately.
Vitamin C Toxicity
Here’s some research on the effects of taking high doses of Vitamin C.
- Dr. Klenner used doses as high as 35,000 mg of vitamin C with no ill effects. Well, let me rephrase that. There were no ill effects on the patient, but the diseases he was treating didn’t survive.
- Dr. Andrew Saul tells of how intravenous doses of C at levels of 100,000 mg a day kills cancer cells and leaves healthy cells intact. The patient doesn’t undergo the nasty side effects associated with conventional cancer treatments.
The Choice is Yours
I’ve watched loved ones suffer for years with gout. I’ve also researched the medications they had to take to alleviate the symptoms. After coming across this information, I got a chance to see vitamin C in action. In less than 24 hours vitamin C was able to accomplish what years of prescribed medication couldn’t do; quickly alleviate gout pain.
Oh, by the way, according to a 20 year study, taking at least 1,500 mg of vitamin C a day reduces the chance of gout flare-ups.
Life is about making choices. You can continue taking the prescribed medications for your gout if it’s working for you. If not, why not try a natural alternative? The choice is yours.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional or a licensed nutritionist. What works for one may not work for another. This post was written as a suggested alternative to the conventional way of treating gout pain.
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Good day Felicia! I tried out the Vitamin C and didn’t notice a great difference in pain. However, after being extra careful with my toe and putting it in a makeshift stint the pain is going away. I’m thinking it was a fracture of some kind. I’m going to take some bone vitamins and use a tincture of Solomon’s Seal on the toe in the hopes it will heal up faster.
I have had low blood pressure my whole life. The only time it affects me in a hazardous way is when I was pregnant, working long hours, or bending over for longer than a minute. Most times it just means my fingers and toes are icy cold – even in 100 degree temps, weight takes longer to shed, and doctors always think I’m very calm at appointments.
But I do often worry that as I age and my extremities remain cold, that it means injuries will take longer to heal. I’ve tried drinking coffee and taking ephedra to hasten my pulse but the former gives me headaches and the latter made me age faster (I know this makes me sound vain, but it really did creep me out when I looked 10 years older from one month to the next) For now I just stick to adding too much salt to my diet, I know the dietitians out there would have fits over how much sodium I consume but it seems to have the least side effects in maintaining my blood pressure and keeping me from fainting.
My family was really pushing me to see a doctor, but in my experience they are expensive, inconclusive, pharmaceutical band-aid pushers that really don’t fix the issue at hand (or foot). I’m not saying doctors are useless, because I know they do save lives, but for some medical issues I think it’s better to be your own health advocate first. That used to be near impossible thirty years ago. As the internet grows and sites like yours are easier to find it’s become a lot easier.
I can’t thank you enough for the information you shared in your blog! Thank you! Thank you!
Good luck on your health journey and I look forward to reading more on your site!
Sam, I see we think very much alike.
BTW, have you done any research on eating keto? Don’t know if it will help you, but it does have its merits.
I wish you all the best!
I did try a keto diet in the past and it didn’t go to well for me. I had a lot of energy issues and brain fog after 2 months. Mind you, I have several friends who swear by it; I am just a weird apple I suppose. With the salt cravings, low blood pressure, and the fact that two cortisol injections didn’t faze the swelling in my toe I’m beginning to suspect some type of adrenal insufficiency. Which would explain why keto didn’t work for me.
Sam, you’ve got the best disposition. Your ability to find humor in situations is a wonderful quality! You may be a weird apple, but you’re an authentic weird apple.
I do hope things improve for both you and your hubby!
Hang in there (as I know you will). 🙂
Wow, I was just about to lament my toe as a lost cause when I clicked over to your “As We Age” tab from your detached fingernail article and found the gout section. When I take over 500mg of Vitamin C daily I start to get a rash. This might have something to do with an allergic reaction to C, however; C is very water soluble and safe. It’s worth it to be itchy for a day to see if the pain goes away. The alternative is that I have a fractured toe. Getting older is definitely making me more clever and cautious. Thank you again for the information!
Sorry to hear about your reaction to vitamin C. Maybe the itching could be because of an additive in the vitamin? We frequently megadose on vitamin C for all types of ailments and would be lost if we had an allergic reaction to it.
Another thing you might want to look into is the foods you’re eating. Over the years as I changed my diet, I’ve found a lot of the niggling pains, aches and conditions I previously suffered from slowly and eventually went away. Some of the additives in our food also contributes to inflammation and pain. I’m not saying that’s what is causing your toe pain (it might be a fracture…I know what that’s like because I’ve fractured my toe in the past), but it can’t hurt to experiment with foods also.
Just one question about the possible fracture. If it is a fracture, it eventually heals and shouldn’t cause consistent pain. You’ve got me stumped. 🙂
The pain went away for a day or two after the epsom salt soak. It all started about a month and a half ago. I didn’t remember stubbing my toe, but then again I do it so often I couldn’t say it’s ever a notable event. Which is why it might possibly be a fracture, just the other night I banged it again. I wish there was a supplement for good old fashioned mindfulness. Serrapeptase runs a pretty penny in our area and I’m always hesitant to take asprin (white willow bark). The pain isn’t that bad. It’s just a concern since I have low blood pressure and I’m always worried about loosing appendages from lack of circulation. So far I’ve got all my fingers and toes so I’m probably just being a hypochondriac. I’m hoping to get out and find a Vitamin C without any extra ingredients – you are probably spot on about an allergy to extra ingredients.
I know what you mean about diet. I generally play around with my diet first if I’m feeling unwell and I can usually fix whatever ails me this way. I’m just too used to moving around as if I’m still a teenager, I need more mirrors in my home to remind me of the gray in my hair and to take care of myself externally.
Well, thanks for listening to me blab on about my toe! I’ll keep you updated on any progress 🙂
LOL, Sam. I know what you mean about the reminder of our age. There are many occasions where I have to remind myself that I’m no longer that gal of 20. Now that the weather is getting nicer is a prime example. I have to remember that I cannot spend the entire day doing yard work without feeling the effects of it the next day. Mind you, I feel great while I’m out there, but there’s always the next day.
When I was much younger, I could work in the yard all day and wake up and repeat the next day. Now I’ve got to remind myself to take it a little at a time until the body gets used to the new movements.
On a more serious note, you mentioned low blood pressure. Is this something you’ve always had or is it something that occurred later in life? I wonder how that affects your toe situation.
Oh, I almost forgot. I came across this the other day on the internet and thought of you. Take a look see. It’s about how a person cured his gout with baking soda: https://bit.ly/2Uq8uVk
Hello lady! I commented on your onycholysis page about my toe ending up being ingrown. I just wanted to say that the baking soda idea sounds brilliant, my hubs has horrible eczema and I’m hoping to convince him to try this out to abate his inflammation. Also, I happened to try out a friend’s packet of generic Emergen-C and I didn’t feel any itching from the C. So you are absolutely right! It must have been the poor quality vitamin I was taking for C from before. It was from Costco so I’m not really surprised. I hope you are having a wonderful day!