Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Hi again,
?
I'm very sorry to hear that it did not work for either of you gents. Again I'm convinced that is really what worked for me but then I'm sure that there are far worse cases than me that could never respond to this because of other body chemistry factors. When I had it I was willing to give almost anything a shot and I almost did.
?
I disagree on your vitamin C point as I think that there really is some very good and quite reputable evidence that vitamin C lowers UA levels (did you read the BBC article?) – but I even went so far as to download the quoted paper and then (try) to read it. But I'd never claim that ascorbic acid cures a cold (I've never had luck with that one either although zinc sounds promising if you can stand its taste).
?
To the other gentlement, my guess is that if you developed gout younger then you may have more of a tendency to get it. But also if you have had it for longer then there might be far more built up reserves of UA crystals in your body meaning that this approach could take quite a bit longer to work. But I'm not a medical person so I'm just telling you what I might theorize if I were in your shoes.
?
It did not work for me for a while either although I did think (or perhaps imagine) that my attacks were getting milder.
?
Finally I wish you all good luck – I'm not claiming that this is a magic bullet but since I am completely convinced that it cured me I do feel compelled to at least share this information.
?
Bob
No problem Keith and thank you!
?
I'm not sure what your own current status is but if you haven't already given high dose vitamin C a serious try then I would highly recommend that you do so as a drug-free alternative to using allopurinol.
?
If I had perhaps learned about this later while actually taking allopurinol then I might have been very tempted to run the two in parallel for a period and then gradually phase out my drug taking while carefully watching my UA levels.
?
Personally I am a little cynical about drugs and drug firms – I have a good friend who works for a drug company who once told me that these days they are primarily interested in finding drugs that people will need to use on a permanent and ongoing basis.
Elsewhere it has also been pointed out to me that “other factors” could also be responsible for my own recovery and that spontaneous remissions from gout do happen. I can't argue with that one but I am personally convinced that it was the vitamin C that eventually did the trick for me. For the record I waited quite a long time to post my story here online just to see if the darned thing was really gone. I am now convinced that is has and I just wanted to give something back.
?
Finally if anyone reading this decides to try it themselves be aware that in my case it took about 4-6 months of regular vitamin C at 1500mg daily I reckon to finally do the trick. I also took it very religiously and I rarely missed a dose (I found some nice fruit flavored tablets that I liked to chew).
?
Cheers and good luck, Bob
Hi again,
?
I hadn't really intended to post more than once but I wanted to answer a couple of your points.
?
First, I am only 'cured' until my next attack of course – but so far so good as they say. And to use a very tired cliche your own results may vary.
?
I never did like going to doctors but I could always tell without getting their lab results when my uric acid was too high (even outside of actual attacks). Laugh if you like but I am convinced of this – in my case it was feelings of general malaise, patchy redness in certain skin areas (esp. noticeable after taking a hot shower) and a kind of nervous “pending doom” feeling that is very hard for me to describe.
?
All of those sensations are now completely gone and I feel, dare I say it, normal again. Things that used to trigger my attacks (like having a few drinks too many and/or a hangover, or eating certain foods etc…) they no longer do so at all. The aches that I used to get in certain joints are also now a thing of the past.?
?
At the time that I originally researched vitamin C use for gout I had also read somewhere else online (perhaps it was here) of some other gout sufferer (a guy) who was using it and also getting his uric acid level tested every few months. His level in his results was consistently falling as he took vitamin C over a period of several months.
?
So to answer the question it is my understanding that the regimen lowers your uric acid levels longer term (and that it may even have some more permanent lowering effects). Not sure if it might agravate an in progress attack though – it didn't seem to at least with me.
?
I am also aware that taking high doses of vitamin C might have some negative effects. I prefer taking those particular chances to the list of known allopurinol side effects. High dose vitamin C has been taken by many people without ill effect and your body may even experience some other benefits – I'm not sure. But in my opinion allopurinal was never meant to be in anyone's diet.
?
I also had higher bp too a while back which caused issues when I used to use baking soda. But since my “recovery” I have also recently been able to diet without triggering another gout attack (so far I have lost 10 pounds and my bp has come down to normal again).
?
So, at least for now I hope that both you gentlemen will forgive me if I don't frequent the gout forums too much.? I want to put that episode behind me (hopefully forever) but I also really hope that these posts will help someone else get themselves sorted out.
?
Gout really sucks! Ask me how I know
?
Bob
