I recently had a bad attack of gout. I also got severe chills. Is this also a symptom of a gout attack?

G'day,

Gout is due to the crystallisation of uric acid in the joints, like the knees, ankles, elbows. This is very prevalent in individuals that "enjoy" a drink or two, or three or more. Wine and beer intake should be minimised in patients with gout, even stopped if serious. You won't notice the results straight away, but you should see improvement after about 1 month of stopping the booze. (I am presuming you enjoy a drink :)

As for medications, your doctor will prescribe you non-steroidal anti-inflammatory tablets to reduce swelling of the joints. This however is not a permanent fix. Diet is a big part of it.

Gout attack usually affects the toes first and is very painful. This can sometimes be accompanied by chills. Using an ice pack on the affected joint can help in gout attack, and bed rest is vital.

Good luck to you.

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I have had gout for over 25 years. Both feet have been operated on just to keep my mobility. I have had several bad attacks accompanied by flu-like chill symptoms as you said. I also experienced waves of intense pain traveling up my legs from ankles to hips. I recommend Uloric or Benemid along with Colchicine as a daily regimen. Colchicine is a good defender during an attack also. Otherwise you can use Morphine or Tylenol III if your doctor will prescribe them. I can't say much about Allopurinol since I am allergic to it but many gout sufferers claim that it works for them. NSAIDS have never done much for me and I spent years taking Motrin and Indomethicine daily just so I could go to work. Uloric reduces the uric acid production (which causes the gout to begin with) and Colchicine removes the uric acid crystals. Need to stop the attacks or your will ruin the big toe joints (like miine) and need a bunionectomy to regain mobility again after the bones in the toes become severely ravaged.

Gout is a condition where uric acid crystals build up in the body.

This can happen in the area of the big toe and cause a lot of pain.

Our foods contain purines; some foods are higher in this than others.

The doctor may place you on a lower purine diet (of which they will usually provide you a list of foods to avoid. There is also medications that can lower the uric acid in the blood

Here an alternative way to cure gout?

Cut and pastes from other sites aside, the root cause of the disease are sharp uric acid crystals that block a small blood vessel (like in a toe or finger) and which need to be reduced in size before they can move out of there and stop hurting you. Some of the best things you can do are to go to a health food store and do a full week of detox. You'll flush out the crud that's been accumulating in your digestive system, as well as the crud in your bloodstream. Granted you'll spend most of the week in a stinky bathroom, but at the end of it you'll feel much better. Another thing that helps is to drink loads of water with lemon juice in it. Lemon has great properties, but especially when it comes to cleansing and breaking up impurities. If you can find a good Napropath in your area, you'll also find that there are excellent herbal remedies. I'm just not well-versed in all of them. But I do wish you luck with it.

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