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Are there any prescription treatments for gout?

Prescription medicines are the main treatments for gout. Colchicine relieves symptoms of gout in 75 to 95 percent of people who have this condition. Colchicine works best if you start using it during the first 48 hours of a gout attack.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as >indomethacin (brand name Indocin), >naproxen (Naprosyn), and >ibuprofen (Motrin) also relieve the pain and swelling caused by gout. These drugs are effective for treating gout attacks 85 to 95 percent of the time. If you cannot use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or colchicine, your doctor may prescribe >prednisone instead.

If you have frequent episodes of gout, you may be able to prevent them by taking prescription medicine daily. >Allopurinol (Zyloprim, Aloprim) and >probenecid (Benemid) are drugs used for this purpose. Low daily doses of colchicine can also prevent gout attacks.

Sources:
Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach. Appleton and Lange, 1999.
Applied Therapeutics: The Clinical Use of Drugs. Applied Therapeutics, 1995.
Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics. Lippincott-Raven, 1998.
The Merck Manual of Medical Information: Home Edition. Merck & Co., 1997.
Micromedex® Healthcare Series. Thomson Micromedex, 2007.
Medline Plus. Medline, 2007.
Diseases and Conditions. "Gout."http://www.mayoclinic.com. Mayo Clinic Health. Last accessed 1/4/2007.

This answer prepared 8/8/2001.
This information updated 1/4/2007.

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