Gout Medication: Prescription Drugs

As with most medications, whether side effects will be present or not depends on each individual. When considering gout medication the important thing you need to do is to speak with your doctor about any condition you may have, illnesses you’ve had in the past and if you have a history of any type of health problems in your family. These information will help you get the right diagnosis if you are suspecting gout as well as prevent you from being prescribed medication that can have adverse side-effects on you.

The main actions of gout medication are to relieve pain, reduce symptoms, prevent future attacks and control the recurrence of gout. Some gout medication can do only one or a few of those, so your doctor may prescribe a combination of treatments.

Below are a list of common gout medication:

· Allopurinol is a major gout medication. This drug reduces levels of uric acid in the body, thus prevent gout attacks from occurring. You should mention to your doctor if you have kidney or liver disease. Drugs that can interact with this treatment include warfarin, most diuretics and certain antibiotics like amoxicillin. Thus, you should also inform your doctor about medicines you are currently taking. Reported side effects of allopurinol are sore throat, indigestion and headaches.

· Colchicine is gout medication designed to relieve acute gouty arthritis. It is either taken orally or by injection. The benefit of colchicine is that it acts to effectively reduce inflammation in gout flare-ups. The downside is that it is not known to be a painkiller, so other medication like Ibuprofen might be needed. Side effects include nausea and diarrhea, so if you already have stomach problems be cautious about this drug. More serious side effects after long-term use are thrombocytopenia, myopathy, perpheral neuritis and aplastic anemia.

· Probenecid is used to flush excess uric acid that causes gout. It is also used to treat impaired kidneys. If you have stomach ulcers, had radiation therapy or any blood disorder let your doctor know. Several drugs can interact with probenecid and they include all diuretics, allopurinol (drug mentioned earlier), NSAIDs, aspirins, antibiotics and antiviral drugs.

· Fenofibrate is a treatment that basically lowers cholesterol and levels of trigycerides in the blood. Feofibrate is also an anti-inflammatory, but may not be good for those with heart disease, diabetes or thyroid gland conditions. You should also be cautious if you tend to drink alcohol frequently or if you are pregnant. Drugs like warfarin can interfere with this medication. Side effects include fever, vomiting, dizziness and fatigue.

· Losartan regulates blood pressure and prevent further kidney impairment. Before taking this medication you need to let your doctor know if you’ve had heart problems, potassium deficiency, are on some kind of diet or trying to get pregnant. Other treatments claimed to relieve gout such as hawthorn can interact with this drug. Side effects associated with losartan are palpitations, headaches and sleeplessness.

These drugs need to be prescribed by a medical provider.