Got Gout? What Fun.

I know there has to be gout sufferers here, too
many old guys like me. I had my first attack 25
years ago and was on crutches for a week. It
went away and came back with a vengence 10
years later and I've been on Allopurinol ever
since.

I saw the doc last week and he was really pushing
the new gout drug Uloric on me for no apparent
reason. Its 4 times as expensive as Allopurinol and
has horrible side effects like chest pain and arm
pain, and possible heart attack. 1 out of 5 people
experience anxiety and depression. Allopurinol
has a possibility of giving you a rash, in 1% of
the people who took it. Big deal.

Why would I switch from a drug that works fine, is
cheap, and has no side effects? He was really pushing
it, are doctors still getting kickbacks from the drug
companies? Thats the only thing I can think of as to
why he'd be doing it.

there is some kind of suspicious relationship drug companies have with doctors. If investigative reporting is supposed to find out about it, forget it. If you think about it, what would TV [for example] do without all those drug ads? What is it, 75% of their revenue now? Drug ads for prescription drugs were not allowed before, you know.

Whenever a doctor starts acting like a salesman, beware.

I'd stay with what is working.

The upside to medical capitalism is that we are constantly getting new treatments that are better.

BUT.

The downside is that we are also getting new treatments that are different, but not better, and more expensive. Allopurinol is generic, and it works, Uloric is controlled, and it also works.

"A committee of the British National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence concluded that although febuxostat had been shown to be more effective than fixed-dose (300 mg) allopurinol in lowering serum uric acid concentration, it had not been shown to be clinically more efficacious or cost effective compared with allopurinol when taken to control uric acid levels (up to 900 mg). However, the committee recommended febuxostat for people who are intolerant of allopurinol."

If you aren't intolerant of Allopurinol, then you should keep taking it, IMO.

I want to ask you, has this been the same doctor for the last 25 years? If so, you should be able to ask him why he would recommend the change.

I've had pseudogout; same symptoms, different crystal. It is pretty bad. Pseudogout isn't as dangerous as gout, and goes away on its own, but there isn't any treatment, either. You just have to take painkillers or put up with the pain until it goes away, usually about a week. I haven't had it in years, thank goodness.

I am a long-time GOUT victim.

I suggest getting a Rx for ULORIC

Discuss it with your doctor.