Symptoms are often relieved within 24 hours after treatment has begun. The goals of treatment are to relieve pain and inflammation, and prevent future gout attacks which could lead to permanent joint damage. Gout is mainly treated with the following medications. If side effects from the therapy occur, treatment may be changed to a different medication. Your health care provider will discuss the potential side effects with you.
Steroids also work by decreasing inflammation.
Steroids can be injected into the affected joint or given as pills. Colchicine can be used either in moderate doses to treat an acute or attack or sometimes in low doses for a long period of time to reduce the risk of recurrent attacks. Some patients may need to take medications that lower the uric acid in the blood. Examples are allopurinol or probenecid. These drugs are recommended for patients who have had multiple attacks of gout or kidney stones due to uric acid.