Gout is a disease that is characterized by the development of inflammatory arthritis due to the high concentration of uric acid in the body, which contributes to the formation of crystals in the joints. A drug such as Allopurinol helps to reduce the level of uric acid. Many doctors prescribe this remedy for such a disease. Not everyone knows how to take Allopurinol for gout. Need to sort this out.
Characteristics and description of the drug
Before answering the question of whether it is possible to take Allopurinol for gout, you need to find out what the drug is, how it affects the body.
This is an anti-inflammatory drug that disrupts the synthesis of uric acid, which contains such an active substance as allopurinol in the amount of 100 or 300 milligrams. This component is an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase, which forms fromxanthine uric acid.
As additional components in the composition of the drug are: starch, talc, magnesium stearate, lactose monohydrate, povidone, cellulose, gelatin and others.
The drug is available in the form of tablets, which are placed in blisters in the amount of 10 pieces. One package may contain 3 or 5 blisters. Also, tablets in the amount of 30 or 50 pieces can be placed in a dark-colored bottle.
How to take "Allopurinol" for gout, the doctor will tell when the results of the patient's tests show the development of hyperuricemia, especially if it gave a complication in the form of gout. In the latter case, the drug is used systematically.
In addition, the medication is prescribed in such cases:
- Primary or secondary hyperuricemia of various origins.
- Complications of kidney stones.
- Radiation therapy.
- Treatment with corticosteroids and cytostatics.
- Urate Nephropathy.
- Urolithiasis, accompanied by high levels of uric acid in the body.
Gout Therapy
How to take "Allopurinol" for gout, the attending doctor will tell. In the presence of hyperuricemia, a person develops gout over time due to the deposition of urate in the joints. The disease manifests itself in the form of acute arthritis, inflammation and pain. Therefore, people with such a pathology need to know how to take Allopurinol during an exacerbation of gout.
This drug stopsthe process of formation of uric acid, eliminates pain, gradually eliminating the cause of the development of the disease.
The goals of this treatment are:
- Reduce the number of foci of urate formation.
- Reducing the size of tophi.
- Reduce uric acid concentration to 420 µmol/L.
- Reduce the frequency of gout attacks.
How to take "Allopurinol" with exacerbation of gout, doctors have known for a long time, since this drug has been used in medicine for a long time to correct hyperuricemia in this disease.
Therapeutic action
Can I take "Allopurinol" with exacerbation of gout? Doctors give a positive answer. This medication reduces the level of uric acid in the blood and urine, so the process of deposition of its crystals slows down significantly. Under the influence of the drug, already formed crystals gradually begin to dissolve.
After ingestion, the drug dissolves well in the digestive tract, absorbed in the small intestine and duodenum, reaches its maximum concentration after an hour and a half. At the beginning of treatment, drug accumulation is possible.
When using the drug at a dosage of 100 milligrams, bioavailability is 67%, when taken at 300 milligrams - 90%.
The half-life is two hours. The active substance does not bind to plasma proteins, 80% of it is excreted by the kidneys, the rest along with feces.
Relief comes when using the medication for several months. The drug has a cumulative effect.
How to take Allopurinol for gout: dosage, rules of administration
Before starting treatment, it is recommended to study the instructions for use of the medicine, contraindications, which are compared with the state of he alth of each patient. If in doubt, you should consult your doctor.
Pills are taken orally after a meal, without chewing and drinking clean still water. During the course of therapy, you need to drink enough water daily, adhere to a certain diet to increase the solubility of urates and maintain normal diuresis.
Adult patients and children over ten years of age should take 100 or 300 milligrams of medication per day. At first, it is recommended to take one tablet of 100 mg per day, then the dosage is gradually increased, increasing it by 100 mg of the drug every week. As a result, for the third week, you need to use the drug in an amount of 300 mg per day.
In severe cases, the doctor may prescribe 600 or 800 mg per day. In this case, the dosage is divided into 2, 3 or 4 doses at regular intervals. The maximum daily amount should not exceed 800 mg of the drug.
Children from 3 to 6 years old are prescribed a medicine in the amount of 5 mg per kilogram of body weight, children from 6 to 10 years old - 19 mg / kg. They need to take the pills three times a day. In this case, the maximum daily dosage should not exceed 400 milligrams.
For patients withimpaired renal activity, a medicine is prescribed at 100 mg per day, while undergoing hemodialysis - 300 mg after each procedure 2 or 3 times a week.
Many are interested in the question of how many days to take Allopurinol for gout. The minimum course of therapy is about four months. During this time, uric acid levels are normalized. Gout attacks stop after 6-12 months from the start of therapy.
How long to take "Allopurinol" for gout, in what dosage, the attending doctor will tell. It is allowed to use the medicinal product for three years with short breaks.
It is necessary to cancel the medication gradually. Otherwise, an exacerbation of the disease is possible.
How much to take Allopurinol for gout? Doctors say that it takes from 6 to 12 months to eliminate an acute attack of the disease. It takes the same amount of time for the existing deposits to dissolve and leave the body. After the signs of pathology have been eliminated, the drug is continued to be taken at the minimum dosage as a prophylaxis. It is recommended to lead a he althy lifestyle and diet during this time.
Use restrictions
You can take "Allopurinol" for exacerbation of gout, but not everyone. There are some contraindications in the use of the medication:
- High susceptibility to drug ingredients.
- Severe kidney dysfunction.
- Pathologies of the liver.
- Children under three years of age.
- The period of bearing and breastfeeding a child.
- Decreased creatinine clearance (less than 2 ml/min).
- Hemochromatosis.
- If uric acid levels can be controlled through diet.
Can Allopurinol be taken for gout flare-ups by people with kidney or liver failure? Doctors say that in such cases, medicine is prescribed with caution. It is also taken under supervision by people with impaired hematopoiesis, heart failure, high blood pressure, while undergoing therapy with diuretics and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.
Recommendations
For the first two weeks of treatment with this drug, people with gout need to be careful. This is due to the likelihood of exacerbation of the pathology. Doctors often prescribe additional analgesics or colchicine during this period.
Before the end of the course of treatment, it is recommended to control the concentration of uric acid in the body. For this, a urine test is performed. With the correct use of the drug on the second day of therapy, the tests will show changes in a positive direction. Also, tests are needed in order not to provoke an overdose of the drug and to correct the treatment regimen in a timely manner.
Development of adverse reactions
Before starting therapy, the doctor will tell you how long to take Allopurinol for gout, as well as possible adverse reactions. These include:
- furunculosis;
- anemia, leukocytosis, leukopenia;
- fever;
- skin peeling;
- development of diabetes;
- depression, headaches;
- visual impairment;
- angina;
- increased blood pressure;
- hepatitis;
- nausea and vomiting;
- Stevens-Johnson disease;
- hair color change;
- kidney failure;
- erectile dysfunction;
- gynecomastia;
- vasculitis;
- eosinophilia;
- rashes on the skin;
- swelling and itching;
- anemia;
- liver necrosis;
- paralysis;
- cataract;
- coma;
- paresthesia;
- bradycardia;
- joint pain;
- increase in body temperature.
Usually, these symptoms appear with a single dose of the drug in a large dosage and the presence of he alth problems. Therefore, it is necessary to familiarize yourself in advance with what dosage to use the medicine, how long to take Allopurinol for gout. But usually the drug is well tolerated by patients. Provoke adverse reactions can be taken carelessly, exceeding the permissible doses and individual intolerance to the components of the drug.
If such signs develop, the drug should be stopped and you should also contact the clinic.
Overdose
When the permissible doses are exceeded, a person experiences such negative symptoms:
- dizziness;
- nausea and vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- skin rashes;
- fever;
- hyperthermia;
- exacerbation of kidney pathologies;
- hepatitis.
Therapy in this case is symptomatic, hydration and hemodialysis are also used. No specific antidote has been developed in medicine.
More information
When taking a course of therapy, it is necessary to carefully drive a car or other complex mechanisms, as the risk of developing drowsiness and dizziness increases.
You can not combine the drug and alcoholic beverages, as the latter contribute to an increase in uric acid and exacerbate the disease. When taking medication and alcohol, vomiting, diarrhea, apathy and convulsions may occur, and bleeding in the internal organs may also occur. Any alcoholic drinks, even weak and small dosage, can cause coma and heart failure.
Before taking Allopurinol for gout, you need to pay attention to the fact that salicylates, probenecid and other drugs that remove uric acid reduce the effectiveness of the drug.
When taking ampicillin, captopril or amoxicillin at the same time, the likelihood of skin rashes increases.
Store the drug in a dry place where the air temperature is from fifteen to twenty-five degrees. The shelf life is five years from the date of release of the drug.
You need to know how to take Allopurinol for gout, and follow the instructions exactly. The effectiveness of the drug will be manifested only when the patient complies with all prescriptions anddoctor's recommendations, it is forbidden to change the dosage of the medicine on your own. Such actions can cause complications.
Cost and purchase of medication
You can buy medicine in some pharmacy chains or online pharmacies. You need a doctor's prescription to buy it. The price of the medicine will depend on the number of tablets in the package and their dosage. The cost will be something like this:
- 50 tablets of 100 mg - from 94 to 106 rubles.
- 30 pills of 300 mg - from one hundred to one hundred and forty rubles.
Analogues
There are a small number of analogues of this medication. These include:
- Allupol.
- Purinol.
- Alopron.
- "Allohexal".
- Febux-40.
Reviews
Reviews about the drug are mostly positive. Many note that he gave a stable positive result, has a low cost. Some people talk about skipping a pill and not taking two pills at the same time as side effects develop.
Many say that the effectiveness of the drug increases if during therapy you drink enough pure water and follow a diet.
Conclusion
"Allopurinol" today is considered to be the most effective drug for gout. But, unfortunately, it is not possible to completely get rid of the disease. The medicine stops its progression, normalizes metabolism, eliminatesnegative symptoms, makes it possible to achieve stable long-term remission.
The drug is usually well tolerated. In rare cases, the drug is ineffective even at the maximum dosage.
