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 lower uric acid levels. Many doctors prescribe this remedy for such a disease. Not everyone knows how to take Allopurinol for gout. You need to figure this out.
Description and description of the medication
Before answering the question of whether it is possible to take “Allopurinol” for gout, it is necessary to find out what the medication 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 an amount of 100 or 300 milligrams. This component is an xanthine oxidase inhibitor that forms uric acid from xanthine.
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 an amount of 10 pieces. In one package can be 3 or 5 blisters. Also, tablets in the amount of 30 or 50 pieces can be placed in a dark bottle.
How to take “Allopurinol” for gout, the doctor will tell, when the results of the patient’s tests will show the development of hyperuricemia, especially if it gave a gout complication. In the latter case, the drug is used systematically.
In addition, the medication is prescribed in such cases:
- Primary or secondary hyperuricemia of different genesis.
- Complications of kidney stone disease.
- Radiation therapy.
- Treatment with corticosteroids and cytostatics.
- Nephropathy is urate.
- Urolithiasis, accompanied by a high level in the body of uric acid.
Gout Therapy
How to take "Allopurinol" with gout, the attending doctor will tell. In the presence of hyperuricemia, a person develops gout over time due to 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" with exacerbation of gout.
This drug stops the process of uric acid formation, eliminates pain, gradually eliminating the cause of the disease.
The goals of this treatment are:
- Reducing the number of foci of formation of urate.
- Reducing the size of tofus.
- A decrease in the concentration of uric acid to 420 ÎĽmol / L.
- Reducing the frequency of gout attacks.
Doctors have known how to take Allopurinol for exacerbation of gout for a long time, since this drug has been used in medicine for a long time to correct hyperuricemia in this disease.
Therapeutic effect
Can I take Allopurinol for 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 is significantly slowed down. Under the influence of the drug, already formed crystals gradually begin to dissolve.
After oral administration, the drug dissolves well in the digestive tract, is absorbed in the small and duodenal ulcers, reaches its maximum concentration after an hour and a half. At the beginning of treatment, cumulation of the drug is possible.
When using the drug in a dosage of 100 milligrams, bioavailability is 67%, while taking 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 with feces.
Relief occurs 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 using the medicine, contraindications, which are compared with the health status of each patient. If in doubt, consult your doctor.
Tablets are taken orally after a meal, without chewing and drinking with clean still water. When taking a 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 after ten years of age must take 100 or 300 milligrams of the drug per day. First, it is recommended to take one tablet 100 mg per day, then the dosage is gradually increased, increasing it by 100 mg every week. As a result, for the third week it is necessary 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 of age are prescribed a medicine in the amount of 5 mg per kilogram of body weight, children from 6 to 10 years of age - 19 mg / kg. They need to take pills three times a day. In this case, the maximum daily dosage should not be more than 400 milligrams.
Patients with impaired renal activity are prescribed 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 values ​​are normalized. Gout attacks stop after 6-12 months from the start of therapy.
How long to take "Allopurinol" with gout, in what dosage, the doctor will tell. It is allowed to use the drug for three years with short interruptions.
Cancel the medication is necessary gradually. Otherwise, an exacerbation of the disease is possible.
How much to take "Allopurinol" for gout? Doctors say that to eliminate an acute attack of the disease, it takes from 6 to 12 months. It takes the same amount of time for the existing deposits to dissolve and leave the body. After eliminating the signs of pathology, the drug is continued to be taken in the minimum dosage as a prophylaxis. It is recommended at this time to lead a healthy lifestyle and follow a diet.
Usage restrictions
You can take "Allopurinol" with exacerbation of gout, but not all. There are some contraindications in the use of the medication:
- High susceptibility to the components of the drug.
- Severely impaired renal activity.
- Pathology of the liver.
- Children's age up to three years.
- The period of gestation and breastfeeding.
- Reduced creatinine clearance (less than 2 ml / min).
- Hemochromatosis.
- If possible, control uric acid levels through diet.
Is it possible to take “Allopurinol” with exacerbation of gout for people with kidney or liver failure? Doctors say that in such cases, a medicine is prescribed with caution. Also under supervision it is taken by people with impaired hematopoiesis, heart failure, high blood pressure, while undergoing therapy with diuretics and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.
Recommendations
Caution is required for people with gout during the first two weeks of therapy with this drug. 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 medicine on the second day of therapy, tests will show changes in a positive direction. Also, tests are needed in order not to provoke an overdose of the medicine and timely adjust the treatment regimen.
Adverse Reactions
Before starting treatment, 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;
- peeling of the skin;
- the development of diabetes;
- depression, headaches;
- visual impairment;
- angina pectoris;
- increase in blood pressure;
- hepatitis;
- nausea and vomiting;
- Stevens-Johnson disease;
- hair color change;
- kidney failure;
- violation of erectile function;
- gynecomastia;
- vasculitis;
- eosinophilia;
- rashes on the skin;
- swelling and itching;
- anemia;
- liver necrosis;
- paralysis;
- cataract;
- coma;
- paresthesia;
- bradycardia;
- joint pain;
- increase in body temperature.
Typically, such signs appear with a single dose of the drug in a large dosage and the presence of health disorders. Therefore, it is necessary to familiarize yourself in advance with what dosage to use the medicine, how long it takes to take “Allopurinol” for gout. But usually the medication is well tolerated by patients. Adverse reactions can be provoked by its careless use, excess of permissible doses and individual intolerance of the drug components.
With the development of such signs, the drug is stopped, it is also necessary to contact the clinic.
Overdose
If the permissible doses are exceeded, a person has 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. A specific antidote in medicine has not been developed.
additional information
When taking the course of therapy, it is necessary to carefully manage the car or other complex mechanisms, since the risk of developing drowsiness and dizziness increases.
You can not combine the drug and alcoholic beverages, since the latter contribute to an increase in uric acid and exacerbate the disease. When taking medication and alcohol, vomiting, diarrhea, apathy, and seizures may occur, and bleeding in the internal organs may also occur. Any alcoholic beverages, even mild and small dosage, can cause coma and heart failure.
Before taking "Allopurinol" for gout, you need to pay attention that they reduce the effectiveness of the drug salicylates, probenecid and other drugs that remove uric acid.
With the simultaneous administration of ampicillin, captopril or amoxicillin, the likelihood of skin rashes increases.
Store the drug in a dry place where the air temperature is from fifteen to twenty-five degrees. Shelf life is five years from the date of release of the medicine.
You need to know how to take "Allopurinol" for gout, and clearly follow the instructions. The effectiveness of the medication will be manifested only when the patient complies with all the appointments and recommendations of the doctor, it is forbidden to change the dosage of the medicine on his own. Such actions can cause complications.
Cost and purchase of medication
You can buy medicine in some pharmacy chains or in online pharmacies. To buy it, you need a prescription from a doctor. 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.
Analogs
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 say that he gave a lasting positive result, has a low cost. Some people say that if you missed taking the pill, then you do not need to immediately drink two pills, as adverse reactions develop.
Many note that the effectiveness of the medication increases if you use enough pure water during the therapy and follow a diet.
Conclusion
"Allopurinol" today is considered to be the most effective drug for gout. But to completely get rid of the disease, unfortunately, is not possible. The medicine stops its progression, normalizes metabolism, eliminates negative symptoms, and makes it possible to achieve persistent long-term remission.
The medicine is usually well tolerated. In isolated cases, the drug is ineffective even at the maximum dosage.