In the article, we consider effective drugs for the treatment of gout.
Gout is a complex articular pathology, which must be treated with medications. The articulation is affected due to the excessive volume of uric acid and salts. The drug for the treatment of gout is selected on the basis of determining the causes of the disease, examination of the patient. Treatment should be carried out immediately.
Causes and symptoms of the disease
Gout is most often located on the big toes. The cause of the appearance of the pathology can be excessive physical activity, metabolic disturbances in the body, improper nutrition.
Gout is a very insidious disease. She may not manifest herself for a long time. During an exacerbation, she has the following symptoms: increased local temperature, swelling of the affected area, severe pain, which appears mainly at night. In this case, the joint is highly sensitive to the slightest touch.
As already noted, symptoms of gout and drug treatment are interrelated.
Schemes and principles of therapy
First of all, it must be said that the therapeutic methods for the disease at the stage of remission and an acute attack of gout have differences. During exacerbation, anti-inflammatory therapy is carried out. Drugs for the treatment of gout during an exacerbation can be administered to the patient intraarticular, intramuscularly and orally, which is decided by the doctor.
The choice of drugs, dosage features in each case are set individually. Mostly during the period of exacerbation, the patient requires hospitalization. With the just diagnosed gouty arthritis or when the patient is in remission, the treatment is mainly aimed at preventing the recurrence of exacerbation, as well as at eliminating the accompanying symptoms: high blood lipids, obesity, low sugar, atherosclerosis, hypertension. Also, therapy provides for the prevention of the formation of kidney stones in the kidneys. Treatment can be carried out under the supervision of a nephrologist or rheumatologist at home, in a specialized sanatorium or in a hospital. The effectiveness of the measures taken is determined by the right combination: a noticeable result can be achieved with a reasonable combination of pharmacological drugs, proper nutrition, physiotherapy and a healthy lifestyle. This means that the most successful will be the comprehensive treatment of the disease.
Features of the treatment of pathology during the exacerbation
Thus, treatment is best done in a hospital setting. At this stage, the main thing is to eliminate pain, reduce or eliminate the intensity of the inflammatory process, restore the natural mobility of the joint. During an exacerbation, an attack is stopped using the drugs listed below.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of gout
Ibuprofen. This drug is used in tablet form. It is mainly used at a time when an attack of exacerbation reaches its peak, that is, with the maximum severity of symptoms. The daily norm for the patient can be in the range of 1200-2400 milligrams. What other pills are used to treat gout?
"Indomethacin." This tablet is one of the most effective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It is prescribed to get rid of gout on the legs in the vast majority of cases. Its main advantage is the ability to quickly eliminate pain during an exacerbation. Tablets should be taken at 0.05 grams three times a day.
There are other drugs to treat gout.
Butadion ointment is an anti-inflammatory type that can eliminate fever and pain. In addition, this tool is an excellent antirheumatic drug. The ointment should be applied near the affected area with a thin layer. Rubbing it is not necessary.
Hormonal steroid drugs
These drugs for the treatment of gout are not always resolved, since they have a very strong effect, but they also have side effects. If they are written out, then only in extreme cases, they have a significantly limited period of use. For treatment, the following steroid-type drugs against inflammation are most often used:
- Betamethasone. This pain medication is used to reduce the inflammatory process. The hormonal drug can be applied topically or systemically.
- "Methylprednisolone." Such an anti-inflammatory agent is used in the form of tablets, ointments and injections.
- Ketazone. The drug copes with the process of inflammation. It can be used in the form of tablets or dragees. The patient should take medicine for gout twice a day.
You can use medicinal steroid drugs only after the approval of the attending physician. You can not use them yourself, as this is fraught with numerous violations of human health.
Treatment of gout is popular with drugs that remove uric acid.
Colchicine
Against gout on the legs, one of the most effective drugs is Colchicine. This tool is created on a plant basis and is almost completely safe, in connection with which there are no restrictions for patients, except kidney failure and an allergic reaction. Thanks to "Colchicine", not only severe pain and other signs of gout are eliminated, but the formation of uric acid salts also stops. That is why the drug perfectly stops a gouty attack, since it has an analgesic effect.
The drug for the treatment of gout on the legs "Colchicine" allows you to remove uric acid from the blood. But the effectiveness of the drug is determined by when the patient began to take it. The fact is that you need to drink "Colchicine" on the first day of the onset of inflammation. At the same time, these anti-gout tablets should be taken every hour (no more than ten pieces per day).
Patients respond well to Colchicine, noting that with the help of the medicine it is possible to achieve a decrease in the content of uric acid in the blood plasma. The use of the drug ends after the intensity of the symptoms decreases, and the signs of the disease disappear.
What other drugs for the treatment of gout are prescribed?
Preparations for basic treatment
As soon as an acute gouty attack was stopped, you need to switch to the main treatment, which implies a decrease in the content of uric acid in the blood and removal of salts from the body. Drugs in this situation are prescribed non-steroidal, they almost do not serve to eliminate pain and other pathogenic signs. There are two groups of such drugs: uricodepressants and uricosuric.
Treatment of gout with drugs that remove uric acid should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist.
Uricodepressants
These drugs inhibit the synthesis of uric acid.
The medicine "Allopurinol." It must be taken once a day in the amount of 300 milligrams or three times a day for one hundred milligrams. It is recommended to drink the tablet after eating. Allopurinol removes uric acid from blood plasma. In addition, this drug prevents complications. During his admission, the patient's duty is to monitor the content of uric acid in the blood every month. The use of the drug should be agreed with the doctor. The fact is that due to "Allopurinol" a person’s condition may worsen in the presence of concomitant pathologies. "Thiopurinol" is an analogue of the medication described above.
What else is used to treat gout? Uric acid excreting drugs are inexpensive.
Uricosuric agents (remove salts from the joints and purify the blood)
Preparations of this type purify the blood and remove salts from the joints.
- "Benemid." Tablets can accelerate the elimination of salts from the body several times. This drug is fairly well tolerated by humans.
- "Antoran." Such tablets, in comparison with the previous ones, are even more effective. But the medicine should not be taken along with Aspirin, since it blocks its functioning. Treatment of gout with drugs that remove uric acid is very effective.
- "Flexen." The presented medicine is sold in ampoules, tablets, suppositories and capsules. This remedy is used when it is necessary to suppress an acute attack and cope with other gouty symptoms.
- Amplivix. Therapy with this drug helps to accelerate the excretion of uric acid salts from the body. But it is necessary to take it for several weeks up to a couple of months.
All described non-steroidal medicines can be prescribed by a doctor, depending on the characteristics of the attack. In addition, the ability of the kidneys and liver to perform their functions and the age of the person should be considered.
Compresses
Most often used for lotions is a drug such as Dimexide, which is an additional tool in the treatment of gout. It should be used correctly:
- the solution must be mixed in equal proportions with water;
- then a piece of gauze is wetted in the mixture, applied to the affected joint, covered with a film;
- as a supplement, the compress should be wrapped in a woolen scarf or cotton cloth;
- should be removed after half an hour.
The treatment course can last from 10 to 90 days. Patients respond positively about this solution. But it can not be used for an attack.
Analgesics
In an acute gouty attack, it is vital to use medications that relieve pain. The most effective among them are:
- "Movalis" in injections. Thanks to its use, accelerated short-term action can be achieved. The drug is administered intramuscularly. The medicine is strictly forbidden to enter into a vein, since this is fraught with a deficiency of kidney activity.
- Diclofenac. This tool is fast acting. You can use it in the form of ointments or tablets (the first form is most often used). The course of treatment lasts about a month and a half.
- Voltaren. Used for a severe attack of pain. In this case, the simultaneous use of ointment and tablets is required.
- "Blemaren." This tool helps to quickly remove uric acid and alkalizes it. The advantage of the drug is absolute safety for the kidneys and liver.
It is strictly forbidden to engage in self-treatment of gout with drugs during exacerbation.
New drugs
Pathologies of the supporting system of the human body greatly complicate life.
Gout is an insidious disease that causes a lot of suffering. That is why it should be fought thoroughly. The disease can be treated using modern drugs of a new generation.
A new drug for the treatment of gout "Febuxostat." This tool is not purine origin, is used to get rid of the increased content of uric acid in the body with gout. You can not use it with an exacerbation of the disease. The fact is that at first the acid level rises. Reception of "Febuxostat" is allowed for a long time. With the development of exacerbation, after the administration of the drug, do not stop taking it. “Febuxostat” is a rather effective tool, but it is used strictly for its intended purpose.
The modern drug for the treatment of gout "Arcoxia." It is used to treat pain and other signs of illness. But "Arcoxia" may not be used by everyone. This tool can cause many side effects, despite the fact that when used correctly, undesirable effects are infrequent, isolated. The drug is available in the form of tablets, which are coated with a film coating. It is used more often as an anti-inflammatory and painkiller.
All medications of the latest generation against gout have proven effective, but only a doctor can recommend the best of them for each patient.
Modern methods of physiotherapy against gout
As part of a comprehensive treatment for gout, physiotherapy is quite effective: thanks to it, the condition of cartilage tissues improves, and their decay is prevented. You can list the most common methods of physiotherapy, which are most often prescribed between attacks of gout:
- Electrophoresis is a procedure in which a patient is exposed to permanent electrical impulses, thereby producing a local therapeutic effect. In addition, electrophoresis makes it possible to enhance the penetration of external drugs through the skin.
- For gout anesthesia, Novocain and Analgin are used, and cartilage tissue stimulates lithium, sulfur and zinc.
- Mud treatment is a popular way to improve a patient's condition. This procedure is often prescribed during the period of spa treatment.
- Thermal treatments dissolve uric acid deposits. For this, patients undergo ozocerite and paraffin applications.
- One of the most enjoyable physiotherapeutic methods is balneotherapy. The effect on the joints is carried out while taking baths.
- Bischofite is a natural solution containing titanium, iron, copper, iodine, potassium, calcium and sodium. Compresses with it allow you to anesthetize the inflamed area and eliminate inflammation.
- In addition, with gout, magnetotherapy, ultrasound, UVT, massage and exercise therapy are successfully used.
Which method of physiotherapy will be most effective in a particular situation, the doctor can determine. The vast majority of physiotherapeutic procedures are most often available when undergoing spa treatment.
Prevention
The possibility of gout is quite high in people who abuse fatty foods, alcohol, lead a sedentary lifestyle and neglect a healthy diet. Also at risk are people with overweight and high blood pressure, and those who have relatives with the same disease. Preventive measures are extremely simple: physical activity, proper nutrition, refusal of alcohol, weight control and fresh air. If they are followed, unpleasant consequences can be avoided.
In addition to treating gout with medications, diet therapy is important.
Diet
With gout, it is the diet that allows you to control the disease and avoid its attacks in the future. The most harmful product in this case is red meat.
The basic principle of nutrition in this case is to avoid foods containing a lot of urates or substances that can turn into urates in the body. These products are primarily: meat, especially veal and lamb, kidneys and liver, meat broths and soups, jellied meat, certain fish (herring, sardines, mackerel), alcohol. Without restrictions, you can eat bread, pasta, milk and dairy products, cheeses.
Reviews
Patients note in the reviews drugs that help them with gout. During an acute attack, specialists often prescribe Colchicine. The appearance of nausea after taking the pills, however, inflammation and pain in the legs really became less. Some reviews claim that the drug negatively affects the liver, stomach and kidneys. However, pills do help to heal.
Other patients report the effectiveness of the drug Allopurinol. There is an improvement in a few tricks. Reviews often talk about depressive conditions and headaches, as a side effect of the drug, but this does not happen to everyone.
In the absence of the effectiveness of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and “Colchicine,” doctors prescribe hormonal agents that reduce inflammation, glucocorticoid hormones.
Patients also note that diet helps very well. But the most important thing is to start taking the drugs on time to stop the development of gout.