Gout Drugs are medicines that prevent or relieve the symptoms of Gout, a
disease that affects the joints and kidneys.
Purpose
Gout is a disease in which uric acid, a waste product that normally passes
out of the body in urine, collects and forms crystals in the joints and the
kidneys. When uric acid crystals build up in the joints, the tissue around
the joint becomes inflamed, and nerve endings in the area become irritated,
causing extreme pain. Uric acid crystals in the kidneys can lead to kidney
stones and eventually to kidney failure.
The symptoms of gout-severe pain usually in the hand or foot (often at the
base of the big toe), but sometimes in the elbow or knee, should be reported
to a health care professional. If not treated, gout can lead to high blood
pressure, deformed joints, and even death from kidney failure. Fortunately,
the condition is easily treated.
For patients who have just had their first attack, physicians may prescribe
only medicine to reduce the pain and inflammation, such as Non-steroidal
Anti-inflammatory Drugs, Corticosteroids or Colchicine. Patients may also be
advised to change their eating and drinking habits, avoiding organ meats and
other protein-rich foods, cutting out alcoholic beverages, and drinking more
water. Some people never have another gout attack after the first. For those
who do, physicians may prescribe additional drugs that either help the body
get rid of uric acid or reduce the amount of uric acid the body produces.
These drugs will not relieve gout attacks that already have started, but
will help prevent attacks when taken regularly.
Description
Three main types of drugs are used in treating Gout. Colchicine helps
relieve the symptoms of gout by reducing inflammation. Allopurinol (Lopurin,
Zyloprim) reduces the amount of uric acid produced in the body. Probenecid
(Benemid, Probalan) and sulfinpyrazone (Anturane) help the body get rid of
excess uric acid. Physicians may recommend that patients take more than one
type of gout drug at the same time. Some of these medicines may also be
prescribed for other medical conditions that are caused by too much uric
acid in the body.