Black cherries to the rescue

March 22, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I started taking allopurinol about a year ago for gout with mixed success. I happened to mention having gout at my local gym about six weeks ago and was totally surprised to hear how many people have had it.

Then four people mentioned getting black cherry concentrate at the local health store at $17.00 for a three month supply. I cannot believe what a difference the cherry concentrate has made. My pain has been completely gone for the last month and I have been able to work out at the gym like I did before the gout started a year ago.

Thank you for the info on gout and keep your great medical column coming.
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Tips for dealing with gout

June 11, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I just found out that the terrible pain I have been having is gout. Through many hours of research on the Internet, I have found out that I should not eat high-purine foods but should eat low-purine foods. However, I cannot find a list of what is acceptable versus what is not. Can you help? Also, is there a website, book or other resource where I could find menus? Thank you.

DEAR READER: Gout is a form of arthritis that causes a buildup of urate crystals in one or more joints. These crystals develop because of greater-than-normal levels of uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is created during the breakdown of purines. Gout most commonly affects the base of the great toe, but can also appear in other joints such as the feet, ankles, knees, wrists and hands.
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Expensive Colcrys replaces colchicine

March 3, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: You told a reader the injectable form of colchicine is no longer available but the oral tablet is. I beg to differ. I recently attempted to get a renewal of colchicine and was told by the pharmacist that it was no longer available and had been withdrawn from the market. I had to have my doctor write a script for the brand name Colcrys. My health plan, which usually pays for my generic medications, balked, and I had to pay more than $40 for the brand name Colcrys. The generic has been withdrawn from the market, according to my Walgreens pharmacist.

DEAR DR. GOTT: Oral colchicine was taken off the market because there was no way to check for objectionable materials in the formula. It was replaced with Colcrys, an FDA-approved drug, this past December.
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Has colchicine been nixed?

January 25, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I was in my doctor’s office last week for new prescriptions, and he indicated that colchicine is being pulled from the market. I take it for gout and don’t know what I can use in its place. Do you have any suggestions?

DEAR READER: As you are aware, oral colchicine is prescribed either to prevent attacks of gout brought on by the presence of too much uric acid in the blood or to treat symptoms once they occur. The injectable form has been on the market since the 1950s and has been used for acute gout attacks and as an alternative for the treatment of back pain.
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