Identifying things that cause you to have gout symptoms can help you to eliminate these triggers and reduce your chances of having it again. Gout can be prevented from reoccurring so often and so severely by making changes to your diet and taking medicines if needed.
Diet
What you choose to eat and drink can have an impact on gout. There are some foods that are very high in purines, which can increase the amount of uric acid in your blood. It’s best not to eat much of these foods very often. These include:
- liver and kidneys
- oily fish, such as mackerel, sardines and anchovies
- shellfish, including mussels, crab and shrimp
- certain vegetables, such as asparagus, cauliflower, lentils, mushrooms and spinach
- oats and oatmeal
If you’re planning to make changes to your diet, ask your doctor or a dietitian for advice to ensure you still get all the nutrients you need. Eating a well-balanced diet will help you to manage your symptoms. See our frequently asked questions for more information.
Aim to drink less alcohol – especially cutting out beer, stout, port and fortified wines because these can have the greatest effect on causing gout symptoms. Drinking enough water every day will help to dilute your blood and urine, lowering the uric acid levels in your body.
If you need to lose excess weight, doing regular exercise will help you towards your goal. The recommended healthy level of physical activity is 150 minutes (two and a half hours) of moderate exercise over a week in bouts of 10 minutes or more. You can do this by carrying out 30 minutes on at least five days each week.
If you need to lose excess weight, doing regular exercise will help you towards your goal. The recommended healthy level of physical activity is 150 minutes (two and a half hours) of moderate exercise over a week in bouts of 10 minutes or more. You can do this by carrying out 30 minutes on at least five days each week.
Medicines
In addition to changing your diet, you may need medicines to prevent gout. These help control the levels of uric acid in your blood. The aim is to prevent you getting gout again and if you do, make it last for a shorter time and be less severe. These medicines aren't used to treat symptoms of gout and are usually prescribed several weeks after your last gout symptoms have gone.
Your doctor may prescribe you a medicine called allopurinol to take daily. An alternative is febuxostat if there is a reason why you can’t take allopurinol. Both of these medicines prevent gout by stopping the formation of uric acid. Both allopurinol and febuxostat may actually cause more symptoms of gout when you first start taking them. To help prevent this happening, your doctor may prescribe NSAIDs, colchicine or steroid tablets for you to take alongside allopurinol or febuxostat for up to three months. Make sure you drink enough fluids when taking these medicines.
Your doctor may prescribe you other medicines, such as probenecid, to increase the amount of uric acid that is removed from your body in your urine.
Always ask your doctor for advice and read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine.
Your doctor may prescribe you a medicine called allopurinol to take daily. An alternative is febuxostat if there is a reason why you can’t take allopurinol. Both of these medicines prevent gout by stopping the formation of uric acid. Both allopurinol and febuxostat may actually cause more symptoms of gout when you first start taking them. To help prevent this happening, your doctor may prescribe NSAIDs, colchicine or steroid tablets for you to take alongside allopurinol or febuxostat for up to three months. Make sure you drink enough fluids when taking these medicines.
Your doctor may prescribe you other medicines, such as probenecid, to increase the amount of uric acid that is removed from your body in your urine.
Always ask your doctor for advice and read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine.
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