Gout patients not only have elevated uric acid, but also have joint injuries, which makes people miserable when they have an acute attack. Therefore, many times gout patients need long-term medication control to avoid gout recurrence.

Four drugs for gout should be used with caution.

1. Drugs for inhibiting uric acid production

Gout is mainly due to the increase of uric acid level, which is deposited in joints to form crystals. Therefore, the use of drugs to inhibit uric acid production is a drug to prevent gout stones and avoid gout recurrence.

Generally, this medicine needs to be taken for a long time, but it should be noted that this medicine can only be used in the remission period of gout, not in the acute attack period of gout, otherwise it will prolong the time of inflammatory attack.

Allopurinol is the earliest and most commonly used drug to inhibit uric acid production, but it is replaced by some new drugs because of its many side effects, which not only cause rash, allergy, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, oliguria and other side effects, but also inhibit bone marrow and may cause pancytopenia.

At present, drugs used to inhibit uric acid production have fewer side effects and better safety, but the price is quite expensive. If there are conditions or patients can't tolerate allopurinol, they can choose it appropriately.

2. Drugs that promote uric acid excretion

Probenecid and benzbromarone are both drugs to promote uric acid excretion, which can not only promote uric acid excretion, but also dissolve uric acid crystals, so people with gout stones will add these drugs.

However, due to the side effects of probenecid, it will lead to liver and kidney function damage and bone marrow rejection, so it is more important to use benzbromarone.

However, not all gout patients need to use uric acid drugs, especially those with poor renal function. Generally speaking, uric acid excretion drugs, especially probenecid, are not selected. Benzbromarone is only used for patients with normal renal function or only mild damage. People with impaired renal function can only choose drugs that inhibit uric acid production such as allopurinol.

Moreover, if it is generally not needed, only drugs that inhibit uric acid such as allopurinol can be used, and only when the effect of single use is not obvious, it is necessary to use them in combination.

3. Selective anti-gouty arthritis drugs

The representative drug of this kind of medicine is colchicine, which has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. This medicine is usually used in acute gout attacks, but it must not be used for a long time.

Because colchicine is toxic, it will cause certain damage to liver and kidney, hematopoietic system and bone marrow system. If you have symptoms of premonitory poisoning such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and gastrointestinal reaction during taking the medicine, you must pay attention to stopping taking the medicine, otherwise it may be life-threatening.

Generally speaking, taking colchicine can be combined with vitamin B 12, which can reduce toxicity.

4. painkillers

If gout attacks seriously or colchicine is contraindicated, and colchicine is not effective, you can take painkillers such as diclofenac sodium and ibuprofen, but be careful not to use aspirin and painkillers containing sodium salicylate.

Of course, the painkillers used by gout patients are only used in acute attacks and unbearable pain, and cannot be taken for a long time.

In addition to the above four commonly used drugs, there are drugs that promote the decomposition of uric acid, such as non-Briase, but they are rarely used now, and their efficacy is not clear, so they are not selected.