A wide range of gout medications are in common use. They all have complications – some serious. How necessary are they? Should you use natural alternatives
The list of gout medications below are those that are most commonly prescribed:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Aloprim
- Colchicine
- Corticosteroids
- Corticotropin (adrenocorticotropic hormone)
- Febuxostat
- Zyloprim
The bad news is that with the current state of medical knowledge, there is NO conclusive studies showing that drugs can cure gout.
Furthermore, all of them have side effects, including very unpleasant side effects.
So why do gout sufferers persist in taking these drugs and why does the medical fraternity persist in prescribing them?
The short answer is desperation. The pain can be so acute that sufferers are willing to risk the known side effects and doctors don’t have any alternatives in their prescription repertoire.
One of the most common prescription medications for gout is NSAIDs, which can cause a raft of side effects including:
- Gastrointestinal problems – nausea, diarrhea, constipation and vomiting
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Disorientation
- Headaches
- Rashes
- Kidney failure
- Liver failure
- Fluid retention
- Shortness of breath
NSAID can also increase the risk of strokes, heart attacks and lead to fatal stomach and intestinal conditions. Low dose aspirin, which is also classed as an NSAID is not believed to be associated with increases in the risk of serious cardiovascular conditions.
Drugs specifically for gout, such as allopurinol and colchicine also can have serious side effects over the long term. They block the body’s inflammatory reaction by fighting the formation of crystals and lowering uric acid levels.
So what do you do? You are damned if you take the drugs but damned if you don’t. Natural gout remedies may, in some cases, be used in place of gout medications. Sometimes natural alternatives will not replace prescription drugs entirely, but may assist in reducing the necessary dosage, and improve a gout suffers quality of life in the process.