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Confused About Gout?
I've been having a lot of aching and pain in my legs, mostly in the calf region, front and back. We did blood work and it showed my magnesium was low. He started me on 420 MG, but I still had the pain. So after a month we increased it to 840 a month, and its finally at a good level, and most of the time, the pain is gone. Every now and then I do have some pain still, but its usually after a day when I've been on my feet a lot. After the pain had stopped with the increased mag. I went through a week and a half where for no reason at all, I had severe leg pain again. My doctor wanted to try colchicine, saying that even thought I don't have gout, that the pain is similar, and if it helps with gout, it could help me. Since I've been on colchicine, I've only had one or two days with pain. I'm on quite a few other meds for different reasons. Domperidone & Rabeprazole for damage from bulimia, Trazodone & Welbutrin. for depression and sleep aid as well as Melatonin. Atenolol for tachycardia, simple PVC and skipped beats. Spironolactone, Lasix & Ducosate for fluid retention constipation (Abused diuretics and laxatives for years while I was going through my worst time with Bulimia, and now have fluid retention & constipation all the time). Colchicine & Cytomel (psychiatrist put me on this a month ago, not because of a thyroid problem, but to see if it would give me energy, but am now hyperthyroid according the blood work I had done on monday. My thyroid has always been normal, and if its still low in two weeks when i have more blood work, my GP is taking me off it) I also take prescribed vitamin D & Prescribed Magnesium. I take Clonazepam, Zopiclone & Atasol 30 ONLY when needed. I also take Omega 3-6-9 fish oil caps & a multi vitamin. I asked my doctor today if there are any meds that I can come off, and we went through each one seeing only melatonin and cytomel are the only ones I can really come off. The colchicine is the last one we looked at, and I said do I need to be on this if I dont have gout (because he said its used for gout but can be used for other pain when I started on it). This time he said if I want the pain to stay away I need to stay on it. I said "but I dont have gout,, so I can just use the atasol 30 when the pain becomes too much". And then he said its a good chance I have gout because I have high uric acid? I told him he didnt tell me that before. He's never given me any ideas on how I can fix high uric acid, so I am wondering if he has me mixed up with someone else. But thats not why I'm writing. I've looked up high uric acid on google, on ways to lower it, and all the things they say, I already do. I dont eat red meat. Mostly chicken, but still not a lot of it, some fish (talapia, cod and trout maybe once a month. I dont drink alcohol AT ALL. I cant drink milk because it upsets my stomach, but when I have any dairy, usually cheese and yogurt, its low fat or light, I dont eat cooked veggies, I don't like the taste, so I eat a lot of tomatoes, raw celery, raw cauliflower and broccoli, lettuce, raw mini carrots, and lots of fruit like oranges, apples and watermelon and berries when I can afford them. I eat eggs & quinoa to get my protein. And only eat whole wheat food, like rice and bread.So I'm wondering what can be causing high uric acid, and what I can do to lower it. I don't have pain in my feet, just in the long bones of my lower legs. I get pain in my neck, but i have a direct family history of arthritis in the neck (mother, grandmother, sister). And I have pain in both my thumbs, also something that runs in the same family ling, aggravated for both me and my sister, who have worked on computer for 10 + years. I have no deformities in any part of my body. People talk about how nice my hands and feet are. So what could be my problem. Any help would be appreciated!
Also, I realized I made a mistake in my first message. My psychiatrist didn't put me on the colchicine, my GP did. What I meant to say up there was my psychiatrist put me on melatonin and cytomel.
Hi there yourself,
I wasnt prescribed the Cytomel for any other reason but that my psychiatrist thought it might give me energy during the day. It seems he didn't get that the reason I was tired during the day, was because I wasn't sleeping at night. My doctor was quite concerned after the first lot of blood work, that in only a couple of weeks my regular numbers were already half of what they were, but after the second lot of blood work 2 weeks later showing they were even lower and having extreme side affects, he took me off them right away.
The colchicine... I've been reading up on gout and high uric acid, and aside from the use of Lasix, there is no other reason for me to have high uric acid. I don't eat rich food. In fact, because of my eating disorder, I stick to a lot of raw veggies, egg whites, chicken breast, and don't eat much of the food listed that causes high uric acid. I even stopped taking the Omega 3-6-9 caps since I wrote this first, thinking they might be too rich. I take what it recommends on the bottle (3000 IU a day) But according to my last blood work, its still high. When I do get pain, there's no redness or swelling like there is suppose to be with gout. I do have some joint pain, but its mostly in my hands and neck and there is no redness or swelling, and is mostly from genetics (mother, grandmother) and working on the computer for so many years. But I have to say, since I started on the colchicine, the pain is less. I still get really bad days. I live on an island and the damp air, especially in the winter, can really cause pain. So on days when it get unbearable, he's prescribed me atasol 30's. I take 2 and seem to be fine till the next day. That can happen a couple times a week. I would really like him to schedule me for a bone density test to check what damage, if any, I've caused myself from the anorexia/bulimia over the last 18 years. He's done a bone scan, but not a bone density scan. I really think there might be some kind of problem like that. My friends who has also dealt with anorexia for as long as I have, had a bone scan, and it showed she has osteopenia and has a lot of pain like I do. She also takes atasol 30, but was also on fosamax, but was taken off it recently. The main pain I seem to have is the muscular pain and pain in the long bones in my legs (thats when I usually take the atasol 30) I am also very sensitive to touch. What I mean by that is if someone poked me lightly in, say my upper arm muscle it can send me into major pain for up to 5 minutes. Its not a light pain, its more like if you walked into something, like the hard, sharp corner of your dresser thats sticking out too far. But its just from a light poke. Yet, my tolerence for pain is very high. I have been a cutter/burner since I was 15 (now 35). My son was born au naturel. But when it comes to my muscles and bones in my legs and arms, sometimes it seems unbearable, and all I can do is lay in bed and keep moving, because if I stop moving the pain feels worse, like someone is drilling a hole through my the long bones in my legs.
It also says a heart condition can cause high uric acid. I do have a heart condition that was, as I've been told, caused by the eating disorder, but we also have congenital heart defects that run in our family (My son had HLHS, Dextro., Situs Inversus, my mother has rhythm issues as I do, as well as my grandfather did. My son passed away when he was 10 months old after complications after a heart transplant, my grandfather passed away one day just wiping snow off the car. His heart just stopped and they said he was gone before he even hit the ground. We all have/had low blood pressure including my sister, mother, me, my grandfather and my niece which makes us more prone to passing out, especially when we're sick), and although my heart has been checked in all way possible, and except for abnormalities on the ekg and a 48 hour holter monitor, everything else is fine.
Its all quite confusing and frustrating when you have two different doctors prescribing you medications when one wont communicate with the other (the psychiatrist wont communicate with my GP, who is a wonderful, very supportive man who I've been seeing since I was 16. At my last visit he also took me off domperidone, which I've been on for at least 6 years for slow stomach motility because of the eating disorder, because its been discovered that it can also cause heart problems. The last few weeks have been very rough, food wise, since I've been off it. I have a lot of nausea to not even remembering to eat now. I have blood work due again tomorrow and a appt with my nutritionist. Praying my blood work comes back fine and that my appointment will help me get back on track. The last thing I want is to be stuck back in the hospital with an NG shoved down my nose and in IV hooked up. Two poles aren't easy to push around. Sorry to ramble on like this. Thank you for your reply!
I wasnt prescribed the Cytomel for any other reason but that my psychiatrist thought it might give me energy during the day. It seems he didn't get that the reason I was tired during the day, was because I wasn't sleeping at night. My doctor was quite concerned after the first lot of blood work, that in only a couple of weeks my regular numbers were already half of what they were, but after the second lot of blood work 2 weeks later showing they were even lower and having extreme side affects, he took me off them right away.
The colchicine... I've been reading up on gout and high uric acid, and aside from the use of Lasix, there is no other reason for me to have high uric acid. I don't eat rich food. In fact, because of my eating disorder, I stick to a lot of raw veggies, egg whites, chicken breast, and don't eat much of the food listed that causes high uric acid. I even stopped taking the Omega 3-6-9 caps since I wrote this first, thinking they might be too rich. I take what it recommends on the bottle (3000 IU a day) But according to my last blood work, its still high. When I do get pain, there's no redness or swelling like there is suppose to be with gout. I do have some joint pain, but its mostly in my hands and neck and there is no redness or swelling, and is mostly from genetics (mother, grandmother) and working on the computer for so many years. But I have to say, since I started on the colchicine, the pain is less. I still get really bad days. I live on an island and the damp air, especially in the winter, can really cause pain. So on days when it get unbearable, he's prescribed me atasol 30's. I take 2 and seem to be fine till the next day. That can happen a couple times a week. I would really like him to schedule me for a bone density test to check what damage, if any, I've caused myself from the anorexia/bulimia over the last 18 years. He's done a bone scan, but not a bone density scan. I really think there might be some kind of problem like that. My friends who has also dealt with anorexia for as long as I have, had a bone scan, and it showed she has osteopenia and has a lot of pain like I do. She also takes atasol 30, but was also on fosamax, but was taken off it recently. The main pain I seem to have is the muscular pain and pain in the long bones in my legs (thats when I usually take the atasol 30) I am also very sensitive to touch. What I mean by that is if someone poked me lightly in, say my upper arm muscle it can send me into major pain for up to 5 minutes. Its not a light pain, its more like if you walked into something, like the hard, sharp corner of your dresser thats sticking out too far. But its just from a light poke. Yet, my tolerence for pain is very high. I have been a cutter/burner since I was 15 (now 35). My son was born au naturel. But when it comes to my muscles and bones in my legs and arms, sometimes it seems unbearable, and all I can do is lay in bed and keep moving, because if I stop moving the pain feels worse, like someone is drilling a hole through my the long bones in my legs.
It also says a heart condition can cause high uric acid. I do have a heart condition that was, as I've been told, caused by the eating disorder, but we also have congenital heart defects that run in our family (My son had HLHS, Dextro., Situs Inversus, my mother has rhythm issues as I do, as well as my grandfather did. My son passed away when he was 10 months old after complications after a heart transplant, my grandfather passed away one day just wiping snow off the car. His heart just stopped and they said he was gone before he even hit the ground. We all have/had low blood pressure including my sister, mother, me, my grandfather and my niece which makes us more prone to passing out, especially when we're sick), and although my heart has been checked in all way possible, and except for abnormalities on the ekg and a 48 hour holter monitor, everything else is fine.
Its all quite confusing and frustrating when you have two different doctors prescribing you medications when one wont communicate with the other (the psychiatrist wont communicate with my GP, who is a wonderful, very supportive man who I've been seeing since I was 16. At my last visit he also took me off domperidone, which I've been on for at least 6 years for slow stomach motility because of the eating disorder, because its been discovered that it can also cause heart problems. The last few weeks have been very rough, food wise, since I've been off it. I have a lot of nausea to not even remembering to eat now. I have blood work due again tomorrow and a appt with my nutritionist. Praying my blood work comes back fine and that my appointment will help me get back on track. The last thing I want is to be stuck back in the hospital with an NG shoved down my nose and in IV hooked up. Two poles aren't easy to push around. Sorry to ramble on like this. Thank you for your reply!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi there!
Well, without a detailed clinical evaluation it would be difficult to comment on the situation. It wasn’t prudent to prescribe cytomel in the first place without known thyroid issues. I would support your GP in taking it off. Regarding colchicine, the mechanism by which it lowers pain in gout is not precisely known and I wouldn’t particularly support the medication without a history of gout even if the uric acid symptoms seem elevated. Gout is usually associated with joint pain and calf/ muscular pain isn’t classically described. Aside the diet modification one may consider some medications to lower the uric acid levels if they seem to be very high. Muscular pain could be caused due to neuro-muscular/ vascular issues, electrolyte abnormalities, hormonal/ endocrine imbalances etc. I would suggest considering a detailed evaluation for the same for appropriate management
Hope this is helpful.
Take care!
Well, without a detailed clinical evaluation it would be difficult to comment on the situation. It wasn’t prudent to prescribe cytomel in the first place without known thyroid issues. I would support your GP in taking it off. Regarding colchicine, the mechanism by which it lowers pain in gout is not precisely known and I wouldn’t particularly support the medication without a history of gout even if the uric acid symptoms seem elevated. Gout is usually associated with joint pain and calf/ muscular pain isn’t classically described. Aside the diet modification one may consider some medications to lower the uric acid levels if they seem to be very high. Muscular pain could be caused due to neuro-muscular/ vascular issues, electrolyte abnormalities, hormonal/ endocrine imbalances etc. I would suggest considering a detailed evaluation for the same for appropriate management
Hope this is helpful.
Take care!
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