For this reason, Benemid, Anturane and Zyloprim are not used during the acute stage of gout. Accordingly, colchicine in a dose low enough to avoid toxic side effects is sometimes prescribed to prevent acute attacks during this phase of treatment. Then, too, folk wisdom about gout, coupled with good science and medicine, points to measures that prudent people can take to prevent or at least lessen the severity of the condition. Many authorities and the Arthritis Foundation, which supports research and public service programs relating to gout, advocate weight control as a logical aid to gout prevention. They point out, however, that people who are overweight should get professional guidance in planning a weight-reduction program, because fasting or severe dieting can actually increase uric acid levels.
Experts generally agree that people with gout can eat pretty much what they want, within limits.
People who have kidney stones caused by uric acid may need to avoid purine-rich foods. But this problem can usually be handled effectively with drug treatment. So can drinking six or eight glasses of water a day, which dilutes uric acid and aids its removal by the kidneys. A gout patient taking one of these drugs may have to switch to another type of diuretic or blood pressure medicine. Finally, although uncommon, it might be helpful to find out if an environmental or occupational exposure to lead is playing a role in a patient's problem with gout.