i just tried uloric over the last three days and my gout worsened to crippling (knee). i'm going to use one of the older drugs starting today.

btw, indomethacin didn't work for me at first either. later it worked reasonably well and helped me control gout syptoms for about 9 years. sometimes i doubled up on the dosage and it worked when one pill didn't. i still have it as a back up but am counting on the anti-gout medication to help.

i have really bad gout and don't like the possible side effects of alapurinol. no thank you on possible steven johnsons syndrome. i started taking uloric about one month ago and it has saved my life. after about one week all pain was gone and the medicine does not make me feel sick like the others. just give it a chance and you may have good benefits like i did

I started on Uloric today to see if it can improve on my previous Allopurinol treatment. Will report back frequently.

I was feeling pretty good, almost no foot discoloration, but by the early evening I could feel that Uloric was going to elicit a gout attack as lacenaire suggested.

So, here's what I did today on day #2: I used a pill splitter to halve Uloric 40mg to about 20mg. And I took it with Prednisone and Indomethacin to counter its effects. I will use it at this lower dose level for the next three days and take it back to normal on day #6.

OK, here's what I've done so far. I split the Uloric tabs and took half for four days with Prednisone to ward off an attack, as I mentioned before.

After four days, I went to full-strength Uloric, which I have been on for a week now. I was able to stop the Prednisone treatment about four days after switching to full-strength.

I used to get mild flares if I went for a long walk. Now I can already happily report, Uloric allows me to walk at a brisk pace without much of any lasting effects, save perhaps for a little bit of tingling afterwards but no evening pain.

My early verdict: many people are going to love it!!! Definitely more effective than my Allopurinol treatment.

Today I'm going to travel, which is the ultimate test for gout sufferers, as plane air pressure and travel stress inevitably worsen gout symptoms.

Will report after I return. But so far, I'm very happy!

Experimenter,
How did you start taking Prednisone? Did you need to begin with 6 pills and then ween yourself down, or did your doc just prescribe 1 pill a day.
Thanks for the info.

bobbyceee, my doctor had previously prescribed Prednisone to help me get back on Allopurinol. I knew from that experience that it takes two pills a day to handle flare-ups.

Did the same with Uloric: from two pills a day to one a day after about four days, then one pill for another four days or so.

Hope that helps.

Ok thanks Experimenter. Years ago, I had gout in both feet and I was given Prednisone. I cant recall the dosage, however I do remember it started with 6 pills and then lowered each day. I am now in a situation where I have it in my knees, feet, hands and elbows and am considering Prednisone again. I do not want to do the 6 pill start-up again. Do you recall the dosage you were taking? I treid Allopurinol in February, but it started affecting my body immediately, so I went back to Inomethacin. I was hoping to take Prednisone to clear my body and then begin the new medicine ULORIC. Have you heard anyhing about the other new one called PURICASE? That one sounds like something I need to fix this issue once and for all. Thanks for your response.
Bob

I took uloric for the first time and suffered a gout attack later in the day. Is this a normal side effect? Will the gout attacks stop as I continue to take uloric?

Your doctor should have advised you that starting Uloric, like Allopurinol, will result in gout attacks. Take Indomethacin to stop the attacks and it will go away.

Started Uloric today. Dr. also prescribed Prednisone as I have to travel this weekend. Hope this works because Allopurinol never got rid of the lingering pain. Anyone have any bad side effects and has anyone been able to drink or not manage diet as closely? Just asking, like I said going to travel this weekend, Wedding!!

Well, here's an update on my experience after 30 days/pills. I have completed two major airplane trips, one to the midwest and one to New York. I would usually have to take Indomethacin after air travel, and while I did take one pill during trip #1, I didn't have to after concluding my travels, so definitely an improvement.

That said, discoloration of the foot is still present, suggesting that the inflammation remains, albeit at a low enough level to not cause any pain, only minor tingling.

I'm going to report back after month two. Obviously, given that I've had gout for seven years-plus, symptoms are not going to disappear overnight. I believe I will have more conclusive results to report after eight weeks.

I've eaten and drunk a fair amount during my travels, so certainly that could have caused a minor flare-up I experienced during one journey. But my sense is that Uloric does control flare-ups better than Allopurinol. And no side-effects to report, so far.

Forum admins: can we get a better set of smileys? The ones you provide are not particularly suited for most of the communication that needs to occur here!

Here's my update at six weeks. As you may have deduced, I don't really have a bad case of gout with many attacks, only one that's irritating enough to want me seek a cure after first being diagnosed in 1998.

I believe that given my relative light gout pain, Uloric should be able to relieve my symptoms noticeably. That has not been the case. I can still feel pain once in a while and my foot remains discolored, although not red.

My early verdict: I don't believe it's worth $180/month when I can get the same results for $10 (Allopurinol). I'm self-pay, so your results may be more favorable if you have insurance to pick up the tab.

experimenter,

what dosage of uloric are you taking? it comes in 2 doses and they are both the same price. if the 40 mg dose is not working titrate up to 80 mg. clinical trials have shown that the 80 mg dose was far superior than allopurniol at lowering uric acid levels below the target level of 6 mg/dl. remember that any increase or decrease in uric acid levels can and mostly will initiate a gouty attack, but once your uric acid level is below 6 you shouldn't experience any more flares as well as have to worry about any further crystal deposition in between attacks (which actualy is responsible for the most joint damage for gout patients)

Thanks for the tip, I will up my dosage to 80mg, because 40mg certainly does not work.

BTW, has anyone experienced an increase in muscle spasms, like Charlie Horses? I seem to be getting more of them and wonder if it's related.

yes less than 1 % of patients in these trials experienced muscle spasms. Definately keep an eye on it and if it doesn't go away or if it gets worse or unbeareable go consult your doctor. the 3 main side effects of Uloric were ahtralgia(joint pain) nausea and liver function abnormality. but there were some patients who experienced muscle spasms. I would definately keep an eye on it and contiune to monitor it.

I'm in the midst of a mild flare-up. And it's being made worse every day I take Uloric. I missed one day a few weeks ago in the middle of a stressful event and when I returned from that trip, I've been taking it every day with no improvement.

I'm concerned that if this does not get better after such a long time of using Uloric (almost four months) that it's no longer effective battling gout, even doubling the dose as suggested earlier. What should I do?

I have been on Uloric for two months. I have server gout. At least two flare ups a month. I am 47 and have had it since I was 19. Nothing seemed to bring down my uric acid numbers, around 12.8.
In two months on Uloric my levels dropped down to 6.6. Sounds amazing but the drop seems to have come to quickly and I started having gout pain almost full time and in different places then normal. I was rushed to the ER and stayed in the hosp. for five days do to a heavy amount of blood in my urine and a high fever. I am told it is a complication to the sudden release of crystals in my blood and urine.
So take care everyone.