I’ll second this. When I had a severe attack of gout, even the Indocin didn’t help. I tried putting ice on through a cloth, but finally simply filled a bucket with ice and water and immersed my foot. It cooled and anaesthetized the pain (somewhat) until the Indocin could take hold.
I’ve heard the various cures (like cherry juice), but the only thing that ever worked for me was Indocin/indomethacin for immediate relief and one of a variety of regular medications for long-term (colchicine never did anything for me, though).
I’ve not been diagnosed but I think I may have had a minor bout a couple of years ago and a few lesser ones since. Pain where my big toe meets the foot or thumb where it meets the hand. Annoying but not too bad and went away after a few days. When I Googled the symptoms and found gout it listed the following triggers: 1. Beer- guilty 2. Especially, binge drinking beer - guilty 3. Scallops - guilty. WTF? “These are few of my favorite things” as the song says. Little to no beer during the week but weekends can be an issue. As for scallops - I love 'em but can’t really afford them too often. So, I’ve given up scallops.
My first experience with gout was waking up in the middle of the night wondering how in the hell I broke my big toe while I was sleeping.
Nowadays, I can feel an attack coming on a few days ahead of time. Happens about once a year. What works for me is Aleve (Naproxen). Seems to keep it from getting worse and it goes away in a few days. Not sure how much it will help for a full on attack.
The only relief I ever got from gout flare-ups was Colchicine, which had its nasty side effects. But when you’re in that kind of pain, you put up with it.
(There are other gout medicines with less nasty side effects, but as luck would have it, I’m allergic to those. Hopefully things work out better for you.)
No, it is a prescription NSAID, and pretty harsh on the stomach.
I have chondrocalcinosis [pseudogout] and it is pretty miserable. Pain sucks. There are a few different meds that can work on classic gout, though a lot of people can manage it with a low purine diet and judicious use of OTC NSAIDs and keeping hydrated.
[I use colchicine, and have learned how to tell when a flare is threatening and when to start the colchicine to keep it from actually getting to a full on flare - my first one had my entire foot swollen to the size of a volley ball … not fun.]
I get in for an appointment at the VA rather quickly. I
Why dont doctors prescribe pain relievers for when gout flares up? Husband hasnt flared up in a while. It was mostly in his feet especially the tops of his toes.
If you get repeated attacks of gout like I used to your doctor might put you on Allopurinol. I haven’t had a flare in many years and I eat/drink what I want. Especially beer, sardines, turkey, beans and smelt (all things that used to kick my ass with gout). The generic is fairly cheap, under $10 for a 3 month supply.
When I used to get gout the only thing that helped was Indometacin. Over the counter stuff like Aleve, Advil, Aspirin, and Tylenol wouldn’t touch it.
I experience occasional bouts - seems to run in the family though my habits don’t help either. If you want to knock it down quickly consider going to a clinic and getting a steroid shot. With my doctor’s support I have a prescription on hand for steroid pills that I can fill as needed.
I’ve heard different things about ice - I tend to get it in my foot, and my doctor told me to soak it in the hottest water I could stand as the heat would help the uric acid crystals dissolve back into the blood. This has helped me before, and would be contrary to ice (which I can see may help the pain and perhaps reduce the inflammation some as well).
Occasional sufferer here. I have not had an attack in several years due to a few, modest, preventative changes I made:
As stated upthread, drink lots of water. No matter what food may trigger an attack, having lots of water in your system seems to blunt what may be an oncoming attack, or avoid one altogether.
Eat less meat. I understand that byproducts of digestion of animal tissue can cause gout. So, I simply reduced the amount of meat I consumed. Note, I did not remove anything from my diet, and I am just careful - for example, that broiled saba (mackerel) should be accompanied by a lot of water, and less meat all around the day before and the day after.
Exercise regularly. Keeping yourself moving and active will keep the purines and uric acid moving along (along with lots of water) the excretory channels.
I did the colchicine, indomethicin, ibuprofen, etc when I had an attack, but still the most miserable pain I have experienced. Its easier to avoid than to treat this.
…yeah, I’m on Allopurinol, been on it for about three years. Haven’t had an attack since I started, five dollars per prescription (NZ price sorry ) No home remedy advice either sorry.
My brother and I tend to be on the mumbly unintelligible end of things. One day I get a message from him “HIit’sBrotherIHAVEGOUT”. Huh, I’m not sure what he said, oh well, delete message.
He calls days later with a saga about limping down the street in NYC with a hideously painful big toe, trying to get to the doctor*. “Didn’t you get my message about me having gout?!” OOHH!! That’s what that was?!
I think he has his under control and hasn’t had a flare-up in a while; maybe there is hope!
*I’ve heard they have cabs you can just flag down on the street in NYC; not sure what the deal was there!
) No home remedy advice either sorry.