subject: How To Lower Uric Acid Quickly Without Triggering A Gout Attack [print this page] When you suffer from gout there is a tendency to want to lower your uric acid levels quickly to help get rid of the agonizing symptoms as fast as possible. Discover here why this course of action might be a big mistake.
Most people with an interest know that gout is caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood, out of which urate crystals form and settle in the joints and surrounding tissue. And that, as a gout sufferer, you need to reduce those high levels. But there is a real problem with lowering the levels too quickly...
AFFECT OF ABRUPT CHANGES IN URIC ACID
The symptoms of gout are just so excruciating that a victim can be excused for wanting to eliminate them as quickly as possible. And there is certainly nothing wrong with doing all you can, as quickly as you can, to get rid of the pain.
But, as well as eliminating the pain, you also have to try to reduce your high acid levels. The problem is that altering your acid levels too quickly can actually make things worse...
You see, abrupt changes in uric acid levels are known to trigger gout attacks, so that when attempting to lower your uric acid levels quickly it has to be done in a more measured way to reduce the risk of another attack.
The same applies when you are in the middle of an attack. In this case too fast a change can result in the symptoms getting worse and more prolonged.
So, given these conflicts, how fast is too fast and how can you lower uric acid levels without triggering another gout attack?
There is no definitive answer, the reason probably being that everyone's metabolism is different. But here are a couple of options for you to consider...
USING MEDICATION TO LOWER URIC ACID QUICKLY
One answer that I found in my research - and have personal experience of - is that you shouldn't take uric acid reducing medications, such as Allopurinol etc., during a gout attack if you aren't already taking them.
A doctor once gave me such medication for the first time along with the usual NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for an attack and the symptoms very quickly got worse, much worse. Nowadays, there seems to be general agreement that this shouldn't be prescribed during an actual attack.
However, if you are already on a course of uric acid reducing drugs and are unfortunate enough to have an attack, then the general advice is to continue the medication, as you aren't introducing an abrupt change, just continuing with the prescribed dosage which your body is used to. In fact, to stop them may actually make things worse.
In terms of maintenance, your physician will probably prescribe medications like Allopurinol to be taken after the attack has completely subsided and which is intended to prevent future attacks by reducing and maintaining lower uric acid levels. Often something like 50 mg is used to start with until the dosage that best suits you is identified.
USING DIET TO HELP LOWER URIC ACID QUICKLY
There are many natural ways to lower uric acid levels. And more and more people seem to be interested in this path. There are various reasons for this, but two of the most pressing reasons could be the negative side effects of mainstream drugs - both for pain and acid reduction - and the long-term nature of the acid reducing drugs.
One of the most effective and most popular ways of lowering uric acid quickly and naturally is through diet...
Because our foods contain purines which produce uric acid during metabolization, and because different foods have different concentrations of purines, a very effective way of lowering uric acid is by changing to a low purine diet. This has the effect of reducing the amount of uric acid produced in the body.
Now clearly, how quickly your acid levels change is dependent on how much of a change you make to your diet and how fast you change it. For example, if you cut out all high and very high purine foods altogether and do that overnight, then you run a very high risk of suffering a gout attack.
I also have had experience of this or at least my brother-in-law has. After he had his first gout attack he researched the subject - much as you are doing - and went on a low-purine diet. But he did it so abruptly that he suffered a very bad attack soon after.
So the lesson here is that if you change to a low-purine diet, do it gradually over time, certainly don't 'crash diet.' Start by reducing portion sizes to say 6 ounces of lean meat, poultry or fish per day. You may then consider avoiding the very highest purine foods altogether.
You can track the progress of your uric acid levels by blood tests either through your physician or through those pharmacies that provide this service.
FYI the foods with the highest levels of purines are fatty red meat, organ meat (liver, brains, kidneys, heart, sweetbreads), some poultry (e.g. goose, turkey), some fish (especially mackerel, sardines, anchovies, herring and sardines), and shellfish.
But, as with all significant dietary changes, you must consult your physician before embarking on such a diet. They will be able to advise on which foods to avoid and which foods to add to your diet.
I hope you can now see that whilst you may want to lower your uric acid levels quickly you are best served if you do it in a more measured way, one that will reduce the risk of future gout attacks.
