If you have a gout outbreak on your big toe, rest and raise your foot. You can try home remedies such as applying ice, taking over-the-counter pain relievers, and drinking plenty of water to help relieve pain. If the pain is severe or worsens, contact your doctor. Take the medicine you have on hand.
Start treatment right away with over-the-counter ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) or naproxen (Aleve), but never take aspirin, as it can worsen an outbreak. If you have had an outbreak before and your doctor has prescribed an anti-inflammatory medication for you to take in the event of another, take the prescribed medication as directed by your doctor. If you are already taking a medication that lowers uric acid to reduce the risk of exacerbations, continue taking it. One way to reduce swelling is by elevating affected joints.
This causes blood and fluid to move away from the joint and back to the heart. If an exacerbation does not begin to subside after 48 hours, a person should call their doctor to determine if they need additional medical treatment. Keep an ice pack in the freezer so you always have it ready to help calm a gout attack. Applying ice to the affected joint is one of the quickest and easiest ways to reduce the heat and swelling associated with a gout flare-up.
During a gout attack, the affected joint swells, becomes hot to the touch and looks very red. Even the slightest pressure on the joint can be very painful. Attacks most often occur in the middle of the night; about 50 percent start on the big toe, according to the Alliance for Gout Awareness. Some patients may spend a long time between attacks.
In fact, for 62 percent of patients, the next attack is more than a year away and some won't have another attack in the next 10 years. However, if you start to have more frequent attacks, talk to your doctor about the possibility of intensifying treatment. Gout may be damaging joints. It means you still have too much uric acid, Shakouri says.
It won't help with an acute attack, but it will help prevent future attacks by reducing uric acid production. While there are some legitimate home remedies for gout, prescription medications are still the cornerstone for treating gout, both during an acute attack and in the long term to reduce gout attacks in the first place. The treatment and diagnosis of gout should be reserved for a rheumatologist, as the signs of gout are not clear. Both gout and RA cause joint inflammation, and gout usually affects the joints of the big toe.
Fields warns that you should not rely solely on home remedies to quickly relieve gout pain instead of taking medications, because the longer you wait, the longer it will take for the gout to get better. Hundreds of years ago, gout used to only affect those who could afford to eat a diet rich in alcohol and sugar-laden foods every day. Because the pain of a gout attack can be so severe, people with this condition often try anything to ease it, which has led to a rise in so-called home remedies for gout. If you've already had a gout attack, you may notice some warning signs of an impending attack more easily than someone who has never had gout before.
While gout has had a long history of being associated with wealthy older men, in fact, gout can affect anyone of any age or sex. Eating a diet high in sugar and alcohol is the worst thing you can do if you want to avoid gout attacks. Gout can also be triggered by health and lifestyle factors, such as a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. Recent studies have shown that drinking enough water for 24 hours before a gout outbreak can decrease intensity and recurrent gout attacks.
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