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Management
Management of Gout
With the right treatment, most people who suffer from gout are able to control their symptoms and maintain their normal lifestyle.
To help prevent and minimize future attacks:
- Take your medication as prescribed
- Treat gout when the symptoms first occur
- Follow-up with your physician until you find a treatment that is right for you
- Tell your physician about all the medications and over-the-counter products you take, including herbs and vitamins
- Maintain a healthy, balanced diet
- Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy body weight
Management of Pain
To decrease the pain of an acute attack, you can try the following:
- Rest the affected joint for 24 hours after the initial attack or until the pain eases
- Elevate painful joints
- Apply cold packs wrapped in towels to the affected joints for 20-30 minutes several times a day
- Relieve inflammation by taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as Advil® or Aleve®*
- Aspirin may abruptly change uric acid levels and make symptoms worse. Patients taking low-dose aspirin (75-325 mg/day) for prevention and/or treatment of cardiovascular disease or stroke should continue to take aspirin as prescribed, even in the setting of an acute gout attack. However, patients should not take higher doses of aspirin (6-12 tablets or 2000-4000 mg per day) to treat a gout attack.
* If you have high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, ulcers, heartburn, or if you bruise easily, check with your physician before taking NSAIDs.
