I really interested to hear from some of you who are trying this baking soda remedy. I realize everyone's body is different and what works for one may not work for another. However, I am willing to try anything to avoid taking medicine everyday. I do not experience any side effects on zyloprim/allopurinol but if I can get off of the medicine with alternative treatment to prevent future gout attacks then I will do so. The thing with gout is that anything can seemingly trigger an attack. I have gone years without attacks then if I over-exercise or put too much stress on my feet I will get an attack. If I wear new shoes I can get an attack. Sometimes the attacks last for a few days. At other times the attack persists over weeks to months. With my latest attack I also took prednisone and it did work. I avoided taking it because of the myriad of side effects with steroids but I had no alternative. Then I went back to the allopurinol which I started 2 weeks ago.

So, if any of you are trying the baking soda please report your results back here. I am sure all of us gout sufferers will be grateful.

I have been battling this one attack for the last 6 weeks or so. A few days ago the pain and swelling were virtually gone. Not knowing this would trigger another attack, I spent most of the day standing and walking around on a concrete floor. At the end of the working day, still feeling confident my gout had vanished, I played a round of golf. Bad mistake! I got home limping and cursing thinking how stupid I was. Anyway, expecting another few days of doing nothing but laying around, I laid down and made sure my foot was raised up higher than my heart. In about 1 1/2 hours the pain and swelling had completely disappeared. This was the first time I ever got such quick relief! If anybody has any insight why this happened please post a reply. I hope this helps in any small way. This is a great forum. You can never know too much about this awful affliction!

I never fully understood how exertion can trigger gout attacks. I have experienced re-triggering of an attack when I believed the initial attack was over. In fact, in my most recent series of attacks which occured over an 8 week period, the gout returned from just standing or walking for a moderate period of time. Even now, after 3 weeks back on the allopurinol, though I am not symptomatic, the joints in my foot are still sore but getting better.

If somebody could offer an explanation on how exercise can trigger an attack I would appreciate it. I thought somebody said that the uric acid deposits are located in the joints even though one may have no symptoms. My most recent problems arose after returning to vigorous walking and moderate running. I had not exercised in quite a while and had not experienced an severe attack in 5 years and then all hell broke loose only 2 days after beginning the exercise.

I do not think anyone can understand how painful gout can be unless they have some experience with it. When you say gout, those who do not know think it's about as harmless as a mosquito bite. I laugh every time I hear somebody complain about foot or knee pain. They have no clue. I would put gout pain up against just about anything.

I am 30 year old male from india where one do not find cases of gout commonly. I faced first attack of gout four years ago. Since then attack comes to me regularly. Lately I have been on allapurinol regularly taking 3*100 mg a day. Also drinking two to three litres of water everyday. Since then I have not faced any attack but having continuous pain in my toe, ankle and neck.
Since the cases of gout not common in india it is hard to find a good doctor. So in such case detail information and alternate treatment on your webpage 'icuredmygout' has been very useful to me. I am taking baking soda 1/2 tspn. Twice a day though I am in 4th day of taking baking soda and yet to see any result I am very hopeful and will continue it.
The purpose of my post is whether in any other way you can help me. I am pure vegetarian as one can usually find in india. Anyway, thanks

I have been a sufferer of gout since I was seventeen, I am now thirtyfive. I have been told that for me to get gout it's rare because I am a woman, oh I am so glad I am in the unique end of the market as my doctor put it! Lol

i read with interest that sodium bicarbonate can rid the body of gout, well I am going to try it tonight because I have at the moment an attack in my knee joint. If it work's I will post it on here in big letter's that it does work! I have tried all sort's of thing's to rid myself of this, it really get's me down.

Here goes...

Lorraine

Hi lorraine,

there are many things you can do in addition to the use of baking soda to treat gout attacks. They can be found in "emergency gout treatment" section of http://www.Icuredmygout.Org . It is very unusual for a female teenager to have gout. Have you read about juvenile gout? Paragraph 3.1 of that webpage has some info about it. If you haven't already done so, I strongly suggest that you see a rheumatology to track down the cause of your gout. Good luck.

Hi ashishshah,

it is very unusual that gout causes neck pain. Before I comment further, may I ask:

1) have you had your joint fluids tested for msu crystals to positively diagnose gout?
2) what is your blood uric acid level?
3) have you had 24-hour urine uric acid test? What's the result?
4) you take 300 mg of allopurinol once a day. Correct? How long have you been taking it?
5) what is your diet like? What kinds of acidic foods and drinks do you consume? Do you eat peanuts and other nuts? Do you use alcohol?
6) do you do a lot of exercise? Have mental and physical stress?
6) what kind of medicines, vitamins, and supplements, are you taking?
7) what geographical area are you at?

Hi jyy2,
thank you for the information about using baking soda. I am 32 years old and have had gout for approx 7 - 8 years. I was on allopurinol for a quite a while but I got tired of always having to go to the doctor's every month and eventually I lost my health care benefits when I transferred to another state.

I am pretty positive that I got my gout from super heavy beer drinking habits.

I tried to stop drinking completely and believe it or not that cause me to have some pretty bad attacks as well as drinking too much. I talked to the doctor about it and was told that a big rise or lowering could cause an attack.

Anyways, lately my attacks had been getting very very bad and coming very often. I could pretty much gaurantee an attack if I drank even 3 beers. I got attacks in both my knees at the same time and also my wrists for the first time. Just when I though gout couldnt hurt any more it did =]

like I mentioned before, I had lost my health care and was getting desperate. I was missing a lot of work and was worried about getting fired. Out of desperation I began searching for a forum for gout sufferers to see what others were doing to control their gout.

I came across your post and hence your website, and decided to try your baking soda remedy. I have to say that for me it has so far worked amazingly.

I do enjoy drinking and after doing the baking soda for about 4 weeks I went ahead and risked it and actually ended up getting loaded on a friday night and a saturday night in a row. Normally this would guarantee me an attack but I am happy to report that I had absolutely no hints of an attack.

Not only have I not had an attack, but the residual pain that I always had since I first got gout seems to be disappearing and in some locations feels like it is gone completely.

The only good thing that I got from gout was a decent lowering of my drinking habits, but I would like to think that I could party with friends once in a while if I wanted to. I do not like the idea that having even a couple of beers would cause me 1-2 weeks of pain. Its been about a month and a half or so, and so far so good. I havent pushed it too much on the drinking thing, but I also dont have a desire to do so. Just the fact that I binged that one weekend though makes me pretty confident that the baking soda is working well.

Thanks again for the helpful advice. It has been a lifesaver so far for me and when some more time passes without an attack I will update.

P.S. - even when not drinking I was pretty much gauranteed a gout attack every month at least.

I am 25 and have had 5 gout attacks in the last 5 mo. It started in my 2nd toe. The last 2 have been just below my big toe. This one is particularly bad. I just drank 1tsp of baking soda with water. Will let you know results.

I should note that my dr does not think it is gout bc my uric acid levels are in normal range. I think it was around 7.9 and that seemed high to me. Regardless, prior attacks were treated with colchicine and indomethicine and subsided quickly. This last attack was not alleviated by the drugs.

The baking soda and water thing. Are you suppose to drink it everyday to prevent gout, and more so when you do get gout? Or are you suppose to drink it only when you have an attack, or feel you might have one?

Just wanted to make sure.

Btw, I have been using this above method. The pain goes after two days or so, but the swelling stays for about a week. Is that about on par with everyone else.

so I drank 1/2 tsp of gout that day and again that night. I also took 3 colchicine pills that day. By morning my gout was relieved and by the next day completely gone.

Its been a week and it hasnt returned. I havent done anything preventative in the meantime. No more ba, pills and normal (relatively healthy) diet.

Will arm and hammer pure baking soda work (sodium bicarbonate)?

Thanks,

kev

There are 2 kinds of a&h baking soda. One is for cooking and can also be used as antacid. Usually it comes in small (1/2 ~ 2 lb.?) package. It should work as well as sodium bicarbonate tablets from the drugstore, which costs 30~50 times more. The 2nd kind is for cleaning only and should not be consumed. Usually it comes in bulk. You can call the 800 number on the package for more info.

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over-consumption of baking soda can cause alkalosis and is bad for health. How much and how long to take depend on a person's health condition. How about take a look at the following link and ask your doctor for advice. Http://www.Nlm.Nih.Gov/medlineplus/druginf o/uspdi/202525.Html

the swelling stays for about a week for a small or medium attack. It can last for weeks or months if the attack is really bad.

As an update to my previous post, it has now been 4 months and still no sign of any gout attack after using the baking soda method.

After about a month and a half or so I pretty much stopped doing the baking soda and now occasionally have one glass with some baking soda if I think about it, but that is few and far between.

I honestly believe now that perhaps my gout is actually "cured" and not in some sort of remission. I recently lost a loved one and went on a drinking spree again for like 3-4 days and didnt get an attack. I have been having whatever I want to eat whenever I feel like it and have had no gout attacks from that either.

I used to have really bad pain in my knees and was unable to really squat down or crouch down. Now I can do that again no problem.

I am happy to report that it continues to work, and work well.

I hope it does not happen, but if you do get an attack please write here and lets us know. I am also using the baking soda method, and would really like to know how to go about using it properly.

If you can stop drinking bs and not get an attack that is great. That means, in the future I might or we all might be able to go with out any meds of bs in the future.

Congratulations.

I'm inbetween attacks, should I take the baking soda now to try and prevent an attack or wait for the next one to come.

My tolerance for pain is very low and would like to prevent it if possible.


If I take the baking soda now how much and for how long...


Thanks

keep an eye on your blood pressure. I take a tablesoon worth a day, in a big plastic bottle 750ml. If your uric acid is low, or not in the danger zone, then you do not need to be drinking it so much. Only to maintain your uc levels. Just becareful you do not raise your blood pressure. Otherwise, a tablespoon a day would not be a bad idea. Also, along with this drink plenty of water, keep your system flushed at all times.

I'm on a water pill once a day should that make any difference?

There are many things you can do besides taking baking soda (bs) for your gout attack. You may like to take a look at "emergency gout treatments" and paragraph 2.7 of http://www.Icuredmygout.Org about baking soda (bs) and gout.

Why are you taking water pills? Do you have hypertension, cardiovascular conditions, and edema? My suggestions are:

1) do not try bs unless your doctor says it's ok!
2) before trying bs, learn about the side effects of bs which includes high blood pressure, edema, etc. -- see paragraph 2.7.
3) cut salt intake to avoid sodium overdose when taking bs.
4) reduce the dosage of bs as your gout gets better.
5) no need to take bs unless you feel gout is coming.