Sunday, July 27, 2008

Gout Medicine: 3 Gout Medications You Can Take To Lessen the Pain

By Sable Woods

There may be a lot of natural gout remedies that surface, but one of the first things people turn to when trying to cure the inflammation of bodily joints is gout medicine. Proper medications are typically the main solutions of people inflicted with any forms of ailments and the ones suffering from the attacks of gout. There are a lot of medications that concentrate on reducing the high levels of uric acid in the blood.

NSAIDs and corticosteroids are the most common gout medicine. NSAIDs are taken orally in high dosages, which helps inhibit the presence and spreading of a substance called prostaglandin (this contributes to the painfully severe feeling during gout).

If NSAIDs fail, then you could take corticosteroids instead. These also give immediate pain relief through a direct injection into the swollen joint. With this method of injection, the medication can specifically target the afflicted area.

But there is a downside to using corticosteroids as your gout medicine. You can't take it daily or during repeat flare-ups, because frequently using this medication will damage the joint and weaken the surrounding bone cartilage.

If there are instances where these two medications aren't effective, you can turn to a drug called colchicines that can be used for the first 12 hours of the attack. This differs from the other two medications since this can be taken once every hour. This kind of gout medicine has the following side effects: diarrhea, unsettled stomach, and abdominal cramps. Colchicines are considered to be the oldest cure to gout. This has been around for centuries, offering the same relief with that of the other medications.

Gout medicine, like most medications, definitely has its share of side effects. Thus, it is important that you take some time to carefully consider your options. Seeking help from professionals, specialists, and even other gout sufferers with resources will play a salient role in relieving your gout attacks.

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