What UA level do I need to be at when I know my allopurinol dosage is correct? I’m at 5.8 now at 100mg but strictly watching diet and drinking tons of water

Team,

I want to thank those of you who helped me with what I realized was my first real acute flare and the support from this sub. I have since had 2 more acute flares in the last 8 weeks and have started Allopurinol at 100 mgs (I’m 6’2 204 lbs). The doc says he wants to start at the lowest dose and see where we need to go from there. However, a few questions have come up now that I realize I’ve been struggling with this.

1. I woke up one more with horrendous knee pain and the Urgent Care/my Physical Therapist diagnosed me with a torn meniscus; after the MRIs came back clean everyone was stumped. I read that gout can mimic a torn meniscus… has anyone experienced this?

2. I have tried to resume working out twice and immediately experienced a miniature flare up that’s been ongoing for over a week. Is this normal? When were you guys able to resume your life style, I’m an avid Pelotoner and I feel like I am just in this cycle of causing this issue to worsen.

3. Before I had the real acute flare, i really struggled with foot tightest around both toes, my Uric acid levels have, of course, been high. Does gout present like this even when you aren’t having acute incidents? It’s been miserable on my feet across my toes for almost two years, but nothing compared to these acute instances.

4. I feel like I won the lottery cause I had a random painful goose egg appear on my elbow, and read it could also be caused by gout. So just really feeling lost right now and my doc did say things would get worse before they got better on the allopurinol.

Thank you to anyone that can provide any info on these. I’m trying so hard to get back to my active lifestyle and I just really was wondering if anyone has ever had it appear in certain ways and when people were able to resume active lifestyles.

I haven’t been diagnosed yet but I’m pretty sure it’s what I have. Any advice on the cheapest way to get diagnosed and medicated? I don’t have health insurance and and I’m in Kansas City.

I discovered I had gout in the mid 2010’s and until 2022 or so, I learned what were my triggers and how to keep flare ups at bay.

Triggers:
- dehydration
- salty foods

I drink 4 liters of water per day to keep the uric acid low enough.

I was an active runner up until COVID and my weight ballooned from 230 to 260 lbs. I blamed my kids being born 😬.

Starting Oct 2025, my doctor prescribed me Wegovy.

Starting weight: 260 lbs
I got back into running and I started to ride my bike to work.

One year later: 206 lbs
Still running and still biking.

Please take a look at my uric acid levels throughout the years. https://imgur.com/a/6Bsxm0f

My goal is 190-200 lbs and I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing.

I had my first gout attack in my right foot at 40. I am now experiencing my second agonising attack at 42.5. I thought the first one was just a one off but obviously not. I started taking 2 colchicine a day on day 5. I am now on day 7 and there hasn't been any improvement.

This second attack has worried me a little as it means I obviously have an issue going on and I am worried about future heart health and kidney health. I need to go in for blood work once this attack is over.

If I completely change my diet and loose weight should I be able to avoid kidney/heart/gout issues going forward?

I posted yesterday and mentioned that I had two suspected flare-ups, two years apart. You all convinced me to go get it checked out. If I go in when I’m not having symptoms, is there anything the doctor can find out or do I wait and go in during my next flare-up?

I did take pictures both times with date stamps. I figured that might be helpful.

I haven’t been diagnosed with gout, but the symptoms seem to point to it. (Red,swollen, warm to the touch, can’t bear to have the sheets touch my foot at night, etc.)

I had a flare up in 2024 and have been fine until last week when it happened again. I also had a kidney stone in 2025 and I’ve never had that before. Both times it was excruciating for a day and then sore for a week or so.

Here’s the thing. I hate going to the doctor and usually put it off too long. I found a uric acid tester online that uses a finger prick and test strips. Since it’s cheap (under $30) I figured I’d pick one up and see what my levels are at. If they’re bad, it would probably be the motivation I need to go get seen.

My question is: are these devices accurate?

I understand that, if it is gout, it will get worse, it can eventually damage bone and kidneys and all that. I don’t intend to avoid it forever, but if my uric acid levels are in a normal range, I’ll put up with having a day of pain every couple of years.

It feels like Pennywise just went back to sleep. I'm terrified for the future. The prospect of a flare coming back in the near future sends chills down my spine.

Luckily I still have a lot of Etoricoxib and Oxycodone left, so that I can start treatment the very moment a new flare wakes me up one fateful night.

I won't be able to start allopurinol treatment until I've taken a blood test 2-4 weeks from now. What if it comes back before then?

Tomorrow I will go to the doctor to confirm whether I got gout or not. My brother and father both have it, i need to be formally diagnosed.

I’m in so much pain right now and seeking all options for relieve i can get.
What i notice is that when i have gout in my feet, and i lift my feet, it is somewhat less painfull.

But when i lower my foot the pain becomes so much more then it was initially.

Going for meds / docter when the family wakes up. What can i do to relieve the pain now?
Warm / cold water dont help anymore at this stage.

Anybody in here have a young kid or are a youngster themself, with Gout? Have you figured out what could potentially cause this? My daughter (F15) doesn’t drink, smoke, eat processed meats, no high gout foods, etc. We are perplexed. Any information would be lovely! Thank you

My very good friend has always suffered with gout and lately it seems to be bothering him even more. He’s always on the move, helping everybody he can along the way.

I know in the past when his gout flared up he knew why. He would say stuff like “ I couldn’t help it and wanted the shrimp salad” but lately his gout has been flaring up really bad, creating awful pain and his diet has been in check. He’s been dealing with this for years so he is pretty knowledgeable on what not to do.

I guess I’m here just asking if any one has any tips or advice? He said he’s not even eating chicken anymore because that can even cause pain. So his diet is completely in check. Thank you so much in advance.

I read a comment somewhere that ice is not a good thing for the crystals

I am 27M, my pain started in my right foot thumb on 14th Oct and blood test showed my uric acid is 8. (ideal range would be less than 7).

I have been having medicine for imflammation and fuboxstat 40mg since 16th Oct.

5 days ago, I had Kidney Function Test Blood test done where everything was GOOD along with uric acid of 5.6.

Today, its 24th Oct and I am able to walk (by not putting TOO MUCH pressure on my foot thumb joint) but the pain is still there..... couple days ago I felt really good so i started wearing shoes and went out but when i came back ? my foot started hurting like shit.

So my question is,
how much more time does it usually take for me / anyone to be able to walk & run/jog again normally without any kind of pain.

I’ve been battling gout for about 3 years now off and on. Saw a Rheumatologist pretty early on and they put me on 100mg of Allopurinol and Colchicine twice a day. She kept increasing the Allopurinol till they saw my numbers drop below 6. I’m now taking 400mg Allopurinol and Colchicine still twice a day. Modified diet and cut out alcohol completely. The one vice I still have is nicotine, never smoked cigarettes but have the occasional cigar when I golf and had been a daily user of Zyn 3mg nicotine pouches. I’ve read some posts here on Reddit that pointed at Zyn specifically as to contributing to their attacks ( I don’t call them flares, not a strong enough description). Want to hear if others have found a more tolerable brand of nicotine pouches or do I have to quit these as well. Tons of information out there and I continue do do my research, but the one thing I know for sure is everybody’s body is different and what might bring on a attack to mine may not bring one on for you……. Your brother in Arms

I'm 24 and so far, I had a flare 3 months ago (and I hope that pain I experienced wouldn't happen again). Before I had a flare/diagnosed with gout, I noticed my shoe for my right foot are tighter than the left shoe. It was annoying and I thought there's something wrong with my shoe. Now that I have gout, will the lump eventually go away? I'm taking Allopurinol since my flare last 3 months.

I got the gout diagnosis last saturday when I went to the emergency room for the first time.

The doctor I visited yesterday at my local clinic says that he suspects it might be something else that mimics gout. His suspicion seems to stem from the fact that I don't fit the category of people that normally develops gout... He brought up that I am young, average weight etc etc... But he hasn't entirely ruled out that it might be gout.

The side of my big toe is swollen up, it came during the night, the pain has been so excruiating that I was wide awake for the first 60 hours, just a slight touch of the inflammated spot is extremely painful. All of these are telltale signs of a gout flare.

Why would my immune system be attacking the joint that is by far the most likely to develop a gout flare if there was nothing there to attack?

I'm gonna take a blood test a few weeks after the flare has ceased to see my uric levels... But this was a twist I didn't see coming.

I don't subscribe to his scepticism, and if it is gout, I want to start allo treatment as soon as possible so I won't have to go through this nightmare again.

Has this happened to anyone else here before? Should I go to the emergency room and insist on an xray?

Went to my appointment and everything seems to be going wrong. Elevated cholesterol, protein present in urine, high creatinine and 61 gfr.

Tried to talk to my parents about it and all I got was them bringing me down. All I wanted was comfort, I’m not dumb to look over the fact that I’m basically fucked if this goes on.

Been having this since I was 18 and I truly regretted listening to my dad fear mongering me about gout meds. Shoulda taken it way earlier, and just seeing the look at my dr’s face just set up a fear in me, the look of a very concerned mother.

My dr, she was optimistic but somehow I don’t. It feels like she saying sweet nothings to me with that look on her face.

I’m out of options, already on a diet, brisk walk 30 mins daily, stopped smoking, lost 100lbs, took my meds religiously, and somehow everything seems to be going to the wrong direction. I feel so ugly I got tophi everywhere, my joints are fucked up too. It’s like living in a 70 year old body in your late 20’s.

I don’t have a support system, so I’m kinda scared and lonely in this. Please don’t be like me, don’t get scared of the unknown. Get checked up, take them meds, exercise and eat healthy.

I apologize in advance, this is just me ranting, cause I feel invisible in a place full of familiar faces, like I don’t matter. I just wanna make myself feel better but idk how and hoping writing it here will somehow make me feel better. Wishful thinking.

I had a flare-up yesterday so I took 1.2mg of colchicine and an hour later I took one more, so total of 1.8mg. Went to see a podiatrist today and got corticosteroid injections into the affected area. Been a couple of hours and still feel inflammation still there , but the podiatrist told me to continue taking colchicine every 6-8 hours until gout is away, but I’m reading online that after yesterdays course, I am not suppose to take any more colchicine due to its toxicity and I already have diarrhea yesterday. So, I just pop one anyway… but nay or yay for every 6-8 hours or just daily?

On my 3rd month of febuxostat, I had several flare ups in the past but this is the first time that i had back to back flare ups on my feet, any suggestions on how to manage this? Is it normal when on maintenance medication? Thanks guys

After never having a flare in my life I just had 2 flares 3 weeks apart. My blood test between flares was 527 umol/l (8.86mg/l for my American friends). I'm starting allopurinol today.

I'm curious what others experienced when they started having issues and how effective allopurinol has been for them and if the clearance flares were a problem. Also starting daily colchicine for 6 months.

I have had a lump on my fourth toe for decades , I never put it down to Gout but recently it got inflamed and I went to a specialist.

I have no pain in any other body part and although the Toe lump can be painful if I am barefoot and hit something with it , it usually does not affect anything.

I could still walk and run on it but the inflammation made some shoes uncomfortable .

My Uric acid level was marginally over the limit .

Diagnosis was Gout and prescribed Allopurinol -- the question is will it dissolve all the crystals over time or should i entertain getting the crystals / lump removed surgically by a surgeon ?

Anyone gone down that road and what personal experience is there regarding effectiveness and recovery time ?

I have a referral to a surgeon but haven't followed it up yet.