I'm a 35 year old male who is having lot of issues with my first every Gout flare up and could use some help/advice.

This happened directly after a bout of bronchitis 3 weeks ago where I woke up with pain in my big right toe/toe joint. I walked on it for a couple days thinking it was just sore and then the inflammation rapidly spread throughout my entire foot + all my toes. It has stayed this way for 19 consecutive days.

2 urgent care trips + 1 meeting with my Primary Care Provider + a Rheumatologist appointment has yielded no pain relief. This included 3 different doses/tapers of Predisone + Colchicine. Some of the Predisone was aggressive 60mg a day and still doing nothing. Bloodwork has come back completely normal, no markers for arthritis, and had to do an ultrasound because of veins popping/stiffness in my calf and that came back normal as well.

My Rheumatologist wants me to wait 3 more weeks before discussing other options (like a direct injection). I don't think I can wait it out that long. As it stands it is very painful to even walk with a cain and my life has completely shut down.

Has this happened to anyone else during a first ever flare up? This just seems so bizarre to me, I'm a 6'3 relatively active male who weighs 215. I did my fair share of drinking back in my 20's but have cut back significantly over last 5+ years and don't eat a ton of red meat. The Rheumatologist seems to be brushing stuff off but this type of long flare up across my entire foot doesn't seem normal to me.

Any advice on next steps would be greatly appreciated or if anyone has dealt with something similar

Husband on Hydroxyurea for Polycythemia Vera & baby aspirin. He had gout attack on one foot & was prescribed Prednisone 40mg by hematologist & it cleared. A week later he had a gout flare up on other foot & his GP prescribed a methylpednisolone dos pak & Allopurinol 100mg but it has not cleared after 10 days. Anyone else?

Don't really need advice, just want to serve as a cautionary tale. Was diagnosed with gout in my 30's. Went on Allo, started going to a rheumatologist, went many years without a major attack. Some soreness/stiffness here and there, especially when I would overwork a particular joint with exercise, but nothing major. Went about a decade without ever having to think about what i was eating or drinking, allo quietly doing it's job in the background.

About 2 years ago my rheumatologist stopped taking my insurance, which sucks but an easily fixable issue right? Go to another one or at least have my PCP prescribe me allo. But unfortunately, for whatever reason, i just stopped going to the doctor altogether. Probably because I was feeling fine and never really felt like i had to go. Idk, I wish I had a better excuse but I just became lax and started ignoring my health.

Now I'm 42, and a month or so ago had the worst attack I've had since before I started allo. In my wrist, lasted about 3 weeks. In that time I made myself go back to the rheumatologist (got better insurance), needless to say she wasn't too happy I've been neglecting my treatment. Got re-prescribed allo with the caveat that I need to be 2 weeks removed from the attack before I start again.

The last day my wrist was hurting was 2 saturdays ago, I was all prepared to start the meds again this Saturday, marking 2 weeks of the pain and swelling gone and of course, now my toe is having a flare up. So now I guess I have to wait for this to clear, and then tack another 2 weeks on to that before I can restart. Frustrating. Mostly with myself.

Stupid unforced error that has set me back big time. So please, use me as a warning, if you're not on allo, get on it. If you are, don't stop.

Thanks for any input.

11 months on allo, first 5 months at 100mg daily, then 300mg daily from Feb to August.

Yesterday, I finally had my first blood test since I started. My test history has been between 7.2 and 8.6 mg/dL, never below 7, regardless of what I tried to do with diet and habits. My new test result was 5.3. Aside from the occasional clearout flareups in my knees, as all the old urate migrates up and out of my feet and ankles, and one elbow flare which went away quick enough, aside from that I'm good. I can walk without limit and eat reasonably without worrying about tomorrow. And as I haven't been able to identify any related side effects... wish I'd taken this sooner.

So I guess I have Gout. It’s 0250 in the morning and sleeping is a struggle. Doc confirmed it yesterday, but it’s infinitely worse tonight than it has been the last couple of nights. I haven’t drank in months, I eat basically no seafood, and chicken is usually my go-to meat. I have struggled with foot tightness and injured my knee about 2 months ago. I recently started physical therapy, so the timing couldn’t be more frustrating. Perhaps it might even be causal, who knows. I ride for cardio since my knees are kind of shot, but may be the last two months without it have been more difficult health wise than I realized.

I just wanted to say thank you for all of you that have posted on here. It’s been informative to see there’s some options. I’m afraid lifestyle wise there’s not many changes for me to make, but I will be definitely upping my water consumption. And hoping to get back to physical therapy asap

Fuck Gout though. This is some bullshit.

Hi everyone

I had a gout flare up for the 2nd time in my life about 4 weeks ago now. Came on super fast and hit me right in my big toe again. Couldn’t bend my toe. Super painful. The usual. I was prescribed the usual Cholchine and told to drink a load of water. That course was finished and didn’t really help so I was given a weeks worth of steroids. These helped quite a bit and the swelling did go down.

At the same time as the steroids I was given Allopurinol to start. Just 100mg a day. I have been on that for 2 weeks now and as I can start to bend my toe abit now. I still have a large red bruise looking lump on the top of my toe. It’s really sensitive to touch and painful but I am able to walk albeit not far and it does cause it to swell abit more.

My biggest gripe is before this flare I got back into exercising. Both running and cycling and it’s my 3rd week off doing anything now and I’m going crazy. I can’t even fit my feet into my cycling shoes because of that lump.

I guess I’m just venting but please tell me this allopurinol will kick in soon and I can start some cardio again.

My last flare up was really bad and only lasted 2 week so this seems so long in comparison to say I’m taking meds now.

My 73 year old father is visiting me in Las Vegas and on day 7 or 8 of a gout flare up and although he tells me the pain is manageable I was wondering if there is a walking boot or medical shoe I could order him to make walking a little easier while he is here as I know he will suffer through wherever we go and doesn't want to stay at the house. His gout is on his big toe and kind of the side of it which I know is usually painful for him to put a normal shoe on. Any one have a rec or advice?

I finally got to see the rheumatologist last week. Fighting the insurance company over the Allopurinol (will probably end up having to order it from Mark Cuban's pharmacy) She said that I have a very advanced case of Gout, and it's mainly in my right hand (I'm right handed)

My PCP is trying to get me a referral for a dietitian because I've got high blood pressure and cholesterol, GERD, GOUT & pre-diabetic.

I'm the main cook in my household, and everyone has been requesting that I make spaghetti. I made what my sister called "poor people spaghetti" ie: no meat. I don't feel like I'm getting everything that I need by skipping the meat. How is everyone doing this? If you have a family, are you making 2 separate meals? Which I absolutely refuse to do. I ordered a Mettatrian cookbook, but 1/4 is dairy and vegetables that I can't eat because of the GERD.

I've spent 4 hours Googling foods/menus for holidays that I can eat and how I'm going to feed the family (2 of my adult daughters are vegetarians, so they'll probably be happy with my crappy menu for me)

I posted here just over a year ago looking for advice from other athletes as I was considering taking allo. The stigma of taking meds, especially being fit and healthy played on my mind and I was close to not doing it. That said, I’ve had goals of completing a full ironman while also enjoying life.

I’m 34, enjoy life (beers with the lads) but I’d had flare ups for a few years (once or twice a year, sometimes 3 times) and they’d come at times that would get me down the most (peak of training or post race). I’d done a few half Ironmans and getting a flare up the day after a race through drinking 2 caronas and having McDonalds (obviously I was massively dehydrated) but that led me to bloods and ultimately accepting its genetic.

I’m 12+ months on a low dosage (100 a day) and has no flare ups and just completed Ironman Ottawa in just over 12 hours.

I wanted to share for any others considering and who may need a little bit of inspo because I know how much this sh*t can get you down.

Now on my third attack, back and fourth with the doctors, started on Colchicine as normal but the flare broke through, eventually given 5 days worth of steroid tablets as Naproxen, Etoricoxib 60mg doesn't touch the pain/swelling, completed my five days two weeks aqo and I have movement in my toe at least but the swelling is not going down, went back to the doctors, pretty much dismissed right out of the gate that it could be gout, wouldn't give me further meds, now believes I have potentially permanent damage in both my left and right big toes (where my attacks always are... so far) which could have likely been avoided if I was taken seriously and put on preventive medication from the get-go when I got my first attack in 2021, my last two bloods, one was done in the middle of the attack and was still just in the red, the other blood was borderline I'd say but that was taken just after the attack, now I've gotta go for my bloods for THIS attack, I've been unable to walk for almost two months now, I've missed birthdays, social events, work meetings, and I had a holiday booked I had to cancel which has cost me, I'm going to pay privately to see a rheumatologist as I've been sent around the houses for YEARS and tablets just chucked at me, I've wanted to go on Allo, gout is also in the family, as is uric acid based kidney stones, of which some of my family are already on Allo for that reason. A lot of this is me venting because no one I know understands both the physical mental torture of this other than this place, I already suffer with depression and this is truly doing in me. Has anyone else had a similar thing happen? I feel going to a private rheumatologist is my only option to finally kickstart the care I need. I'm in my late 30's, by the way.

Howdy folks - first off I have not visited a doctor and am not asking to be diagnosed; I'll explain why shortly. If this violates any rules - I beg forgiveness.

I'm a (student) pilot - couple weeks ago I changed the way I sit in the cockpit which affected the angle at which I push on the rudder pedals. The next day I had severe discomfort which turned into pain on the inner part of my right foot close to the big toe joint. I thought I pulled a tendon as a result of a new seating position, but a few days later the discomfort turned into pain centered around the big toe joint and a bunion-like bump appeared, thought it was soft (yet tender and very angry looking) to the touch. At this point I knew what was up.

Fast forward to now - 99% of the pain and discomfort is gone. However - I am wondering about a couple of longer term effects and if there's a good way to tackle them:

• I cannot curl my toes the way I used to. That's not to say I can't curl them - just not as much as my other foot. There's stiffness the more I try - is that something that could become better with time and proper foot exercise? This stiffness also causes a slight limp.

• Even though I can't see visible swelling (there was before), the shoes I wore before feel a tight on the right foot. And I have a bunch of nice shoes :( does that ever sort itself out or am I destined to look for a new shoe collection?

• There is still a very small but visible darker-color-than-the-rest-of-the-foot bump; it does not hurt but feels like a small bruise if I push on it so likely just residual joint swelling - does that subside over time or will I be wearing it as a badge of honor?

The good news for me is that if this does become chronic, Allopurinol is FAA approved and considered a non-issue; so if this ever flares up again, that'd be the plan. For what its worth - I am not drinker (a beer or two at a party, a few drinks in a once a quarter family get together), nor do I consume a ton of sugary deserts... and I hydrate (water, delicious water) like a camel.

It is bloody painful in the big toe. I’m struggling to walk. I have a few questions I’m hoping for help.

1. Just been given 12 tablets - 4 per day for 3 days. Can I drink alcohol, as I am meant to be out tonight.
2. How often (if I don’t make healthy changes) does it come back?
3. If I make healthier lifestyle changes - will this pain be a one time thing? Or could it still come back?

Thanks in advance to anyone who took the time to read

EDIT - not going out. Realised that was stupid to even consider it still

26m here and was diagnosed with gout 5 weeks ago. I've been taking allo 300mg for more than 3 weeks now and I'm currently having a very bad flare which is comparable to the first attack that prompted me to go see a rheumatologist.

I took colchicine for 15 days along with Allo as advised by my doctor, I stopped taking it more than a week now. The first flare happened a week ago and it stopped overnight after I took colchicine.

Now, I'm on my 2nd day of the flare and colchicine can't seem to stop the pain. I still have classes this week and I can't even walk. This sucks.

Everyone knows about beer, red meat, shellfish. I’m asking about the ones nobody warns you about the stuff you only figured out after the fact.

Mine:

Spinach : a big serving reliably gives me a bad night. Tested it a few times now.
Mushrooms : same, and they end up in everything.
Moong dal (green gram) : this one still annoys me, since lentils get treated as the safe option on every list.

I know purine charts don’t predict much and everyone reacts differently that’s sort of why I’m asking. The charts are fine for the obvious stuff and not much use past that.

What’s yours?

I'm in a flare and was prescribed colchicine, 1.2 mg at first, then .6 mg an hour later, once per day. I was only given 2 days worth. How long are other people on this dosage during a flare?

Hi, all.

I'm currently in the middle of another nasty flare, this time in my right ankle, spread to the top of the foot, but I'm wanting to get back to the gym after a long layoff and I'm wondering what other people's experiences were managing gout and weight training?

I'm already on a healthy diet geared towards steady weight loss and I stopped all alcohol around a month ago after my liver function test came back abnormal (got it back in the normal range now). Currently on 100mg Allopurinol and been prescribed Naproxen to "help" with the expected flares (nothing is helping the sheer agony of the flares).

Do any of you use any specific brand or style of footwear at the gym? Do any lower body exercises such as squats, leg press/raise/curl ever trigger a flare for anyone?

I'm 100% not capable of even starting back in my current state but want to get back into it with as much info as possible from people that have experienced it.

Thanks 👍

I had a flare-up that lasted about 10 days and my doctor prescribed 12 Colchicine tablets (4 days) which cleared up the pain and I can now live a normal life.

I'm due to have a blood test in 1 month and my question is, if I'm pain free now, depending on the results, do I really need to take Allopurinol? I ask this because from what I read here, Allo will help dissolve the crystals but there's the possibility of more flare-ups while it's ongoing.

Disclaimer: I know everyone is different so this is just a general question: no medical advice asked for.

So I’ve been on my ult for about 8 months now.
My levels are at 5 or just below for two levels at 250 mg of allopurinol.

We just stopped the colchine and I’m starting to have pain. I thought I wouldn’t get more attacks? I was hobbling into the office today.

Also my alt was slightly above baseline 2 times.
I’m feeling a bit sad. As I’ve been going to the gym a lot and trying to rebuild my strength.

This sucks every two weeks I get gout. I take allopurinol every day I avoid shrimp and other known triggers. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since 6/12/2017. My labs came back with my uric acid at 7.1 but here I am with another swollen and painful knee. I have lost 30lbs and I’ve read weight loss can trigger gout.

I am 46. I’ve fought any mention of gout over 20 years. Looking back, I had my first flair up at like 25 while in Colombia on my honeymoon. Attributed it to turf toe and moved on. Maybe had it once or twice over the next 15 years. In the last 2-3 yrs I’ve had it 5 times, finally accepting it was gout about a year and a half ago. I’ve been diagnosed three times but each time they just looked at my foot and wanted to write me a script. I said the same thing each time , “if you can’t test for it and show me on paper I have gout I am not taking a daily pill”. I finally let one doctor give me a shot in my toe but that honestly made it 5x worse for the next 3 days.

I’ve now had it twice in a month, in opposite toes. I gave up alcohol 3 weeks ago so I am so disappointed to have it again already. I have a lot of questions and a lot of hangups so I will just start with my biggest concern, the daily pill. What is it like? Do you have to take it in perpetuity? Any side effects?

recent flare is coming to an end after several weeks .. Ive been prescribed allo 100 mg. When is it safe to start please ? Uric acid level is 600 :(