Gout epidemic

[SpikeC]

What is up with the barrage of commercials touting gout remedies?
Is this something that we should be worried about? How many out there have been visited by this scourge?:sad0:

 

[Eamon Burke]

Usually a barrage of a certain med has to do with some change involving how it is allowed to be advertised, a change in the hands of who owns the drug, or a sign of distress for a specialized section of an otherwise properous company.

Usually, ads come first, then the epidemic.

 

[SpikeC]

And right now there is a shortage of very necessary but not very profitable drugs.

 

[Vertigo]

Usually a barrage of a certain med has to do with some change involving how it is allowed to be advertised, a change in the hands of who owns the drug, or a sign of distress for a specialized section of an otherwise properous company.

Usually, ads come first, then the epidemic.

Well said.

 

[JohnnyChance]

One of my former "chefs" (a total hack and fatass) has gout.

 

[Andrew H]

And right now there is a shortage of very necessary but not very profitable drugs.

+1

 

[Delbert Ealy]

I really loath the advertising of prescription drugs(and otc weight-loss ones too), but I have started listening to the side effects, and I am a relatively healthy person, but some of these side effects sound worse than the condition they are supposed to treat. I get a kind of perverse satisfaction of listening to the side effects now.
Del

 

[JohnnyChance]

I really loath the advertising of prescription drugs(and otc weight-loss ones too), but I have started listening to the side effects, and I am a relatively healthy person, but some of these side effects sound worse than the condition they are supposed to treat. I get a kind of perverse satisfaction of listening to the side effects now.
Del

Exactly. Shouldnt your doctor be telling you what you need? Advertising just adds to the already ridiculous cost of medicine. The whole system is broken and corrupt.

 

[Ichi]

The lunch lady said "I wear these brown orthopedic shoes 'Cause I got a bad case of the gout" :running:

 

[mr drinky]

Exactly. Shouldnt your doctor be telling you what you need? Advertising just adds to the already ridiculous cost of medicine. The whole system is broken and corrupt.

Part of these ads are to help get regular people to ask their doctor about drugs. This way drug reps and patients can both waste your doctor's time. The commercials essentially create millions of mildly to poorly informed drug reps canvasing the hospitals and clinics. The FDA relaxed the rules for listing every side effect in 1997 and then when the Bush Administration came and decided not to enforce the rules, the flood gates opened. Now the FDA under Obama is enforcing rules more, so commercials are having to list side effects or be taken off the air as 'misleading'. Nothing like regulatory politics streaming into your home.

I also hate how the commercials are louder, so you have to reach for the remote to turn it down. Apparently, advertisers can advertise at volumes up to the loudest part of the accompanying show, so if there is a loud gun battle during a show, you then get a gun-shot-worthy loud commercial about gout too. Great.

Btw, the only other country that allows drug advertising is New Zealand (and all the bleed over TV broadcasts in to Canada).

k.

 

[Mike Davis]

I love the commercials for stupid stuff like girl part pains....This little pill will treat the symptoms of your discomfort, but the side effects could be Diarrhea, nausea, upset stomach, nose bleeds, rectal leakage, poorly painted fingernails,yeast infections, multiple personality syndrome, excessive sweating, having sex with ugly people, hair loss, heart attack and possibly death.

Really?....How stupid is society now? I remember this stuff called...tylenol

 

[ecchef]

Really?....How stupid is society now?

Is that a rhetorical question?

 

[Delbert Ealy]

I love the commercials for stupid stuff like girl part pains....This little pill will treat the symptoms of your discomfort, but the side effects could be Diarrhea, nausea, upset stomach, nose bleeds, rectal leakage, poorly painted fingernails,yeast infections, multiple personality syndrome, excessive sweating, having sex with ugly people, hair loss, heart attack and possibly death.

Really?....How stupid is society now? I remember this stuff called...tylenol

Hey regular midol is good for toothaches, not that I have to worry about that now.
Del

 

[Crothcipt]

A few years back I was attacked by my genes by what is called gout. there has been a increase of it showing up in the last 10 years. Until then the industry has looked the other way, and has done nothing for it. Worse case scenario your kidneys shutdown and you die. Most drugs that are out there is not really helpful. It is thought that diet plays a big portion of the problem. It is a very weird one to have. No yeast, no beef, pork, some fish is a no no too. Not supposed to eat asparagus, spinach. There is more misinformation about this disease than any other one I have read about.

 

[sachem allison]

lay off fatty foods and organ meats . i do believe it is a build up of uric acid in the joints.

 

[Deckhand]

A few years back I was attacked by my genes by what is called gout. there has been a increase of it showing up in the last 10 years. Until then the industry has looked the other way, and has done nothing for it. Worse case scenario your kidneys shutdown and you die. Most drugs that are out there is not really helpful. It is thought that diet plays a big portion of the problem. It is a very weird one to have. No yeast, no beef, pork, some fish is a no no too. Not supposed to eat asparagus, spinach. There is more misinformation about this disease than any other one I have read about.

Used to give out allopurinol and advice on diet modification. Just for amusement looked up when it was started on the market. Allopurinol started on the market August 19,1966.

 

[littleroundman]

Facts is facts

A few years back I was attacked by my genes by what is called gout. there has been a increase of it showing up in the last 10 years. Until then the industry has looked the other way, and has done nothing for it. Worse case scenario your kidneys shutdown and you die. Most drugs that are out there is not really helpful. It is thought that diet plays a big portion of the problem. It is a very weird one to have. No yeast, no beef, pork, some fish is a no no too. Not supposed to eat asparagus, spinach. There is more misinformation about this disease than any other one I have read about.

Gout has increased in frequency in recent decades affecting approximately one to two percent of the Western population at some point in their lives. The increase is believed to be due to increasing risk factors in the population, such as metabolic syndrome, longer life expectancy and changes in diet.

Genetics (our inherited genes), gender, and nutrition (alcoholism, obesity) play key roles in the development of gout. Gout is not contagious.

If your parents have gout, then you have a 20% chance of developing it.

British people are five times more likely to develop gout.

American blacks, but not African blacks, are more likely to have gout than other populations.

Intake of alcoholic beverages, especially beer, increases the risk for gout.

Diets rich in red meats, internal organs, yeast, and oily fish increase the risk for gout.

Uric acid levels increase at puberty in men and at menopause in women, so men first develop gout at an earlier age (after puberty) than do women (after menopause). Gout in premenopausal women is distinctly unusual.

Attacks of gouty arthritis can be precipitated when there is a sudden change in uric acid levels, which may be caused by

overindulgence in alcohol and red meats,

trauma,

starvation and dehydration,

IV contrast dyes,

chemotherapy,

medications,

diuretics and some other anti-hypertensive medications,

aspirin (Bayer, Ecotrin),

nicotinic acid (B-3-50, B3-500-Gr, Niacin SR, Niacor, Niaspan ER, Slo-Niacin),

cyclosporin A,

allopurinol (Zyloprim) and probenecid (Benemid),

others.

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/gout/page2_em.htm#Gout%20Causes

 

[Crothcipt]

For fatty foods and organ meats yes. But that isn't all like I said it is ranged all around. All alcohol except red wine is frowned on exp. beer.

Most meds now new and old just treat the after problem of the build up and is used more in the consideration of a flareup. I will have to find my notes to give examples. Like I said there is more misinformation about gout than information.

 

[Deckhand]

Weird the fact list didn't mention Filipinos. They have a higher risk.

 

[Crothcipt]

Most of the new gout drugs are because of the out break in flareups. Just a quick look up, have read more in the New England Journal of Medicine.
http://arthritis.webmd.com/news/20101110/gout-cases-on-the-rise-in-u-s

 

[Deckhand]

Most of the new gout drugs are because of the out break in flareups. Just a quick look up, have read more in the New England Journal of Medicine.
http://arthritis.webmd.com/news/20101110/gout-cases-on-the-rise-in-u-s

Appeared obesity and longer life expectancy were major factors in the modern increase.
Interesting article it used to be considered rich man's disease. Current availabilty of rich foods and food in general is incredibly easy in our modern society here in the U.S. A blessing and a curse.

 

[jmforge]

Perhaps people are peeing on their own feet more these days.

 

[DeepCSweede]

I have had several gout runs over the years. Feels like someone is sticking a DT petty into the ball of your foot and toe joints and wrenching it. The first time I had it, I thought either that I had turf toe or that my dog jumped on my foot or something. My dad let me know that genetically I have it on both sides of the family - DOH!!!:curse:, plus diet, plus I was a big beer drinker at the time.

I really had to reign in my beer drinking and drop down the level of red meat I was eating (never been a big veg eater) but most importantly drinking a lot of water. Uric acid breaks down easily if purged constantly, so I really kicked in my water consumption. I haven't had a flare-up in several years but I can feel if I am starting to build up and remedy it quickly.

I've never been one on drugs if there is a natural solution (look at the side affects) - No thanks - water is good for me.

 

[Keith Neal]

Perhaps people are peeing on their own feet more these days.

More people are peeing on their feet these days because they cannot see the peeing apparatus or their feet.

The people I have known who had gout were mostly obese.

 

[9mmbhp]

Long-time gout sufferer here too, passed down over multiple generations from my father's side of the family. Our blood chemistry is such that we over-produce uric acid ("hyperuricemia") and we need chemical help to hold it in check. Cutting down on beer and whisk(e)y and avoiding high purine foods helps but daily doses of allopurinol are still required.

Prior to be being diagnosed and beginning regular allopurinol, I had built up visibly noticeable uric acid deposits in several joints including elbows, wrists and fingers. As described above it's like having needles (crystalized uric acid actually looks like sharp pointy glass shards under a microscope) in your joints and any movement causes sharp, stabbing pain. Attacks could go on for 10-14 days. Unpleasant and at times debilitating.

It is now close to 10 years of being on allopurinol with no further attacks but it did take close to a year to fully flush the accumulated uric acid buildup from all the affected joints.

BTW: I'm not obese, nor are my father and uncle, we're all around 6 feet tall, 165lbs. We just have bad genes: hypertension, gout and miserably dry skin.

 

[Keith Neal]

Long-time gout sufferer here too, passed down over multiple generations from my father's side of the family. Our blood chemistry is such that we over-produce uric acid ("hyperuricemia") and we need chemical help to hold it in check. Cutting down on beer and whisk(e)y and avoiding high purine foods helps but daily doses of allopurinol are still required.

Prior to be being diagnosed and beginning regular allopurinol, I had built up visibly noticeable uric acid deposits in several joints including elbows, wrists and fingers. As described above it's like having needles (crystalized uric acid actually looks like sharp pointy glass shards under a microscope) in your joints and any movement causes sharp, stabbing pain. Attacks could go on for 10-14 days. Unpleasant and at times debilitating.

It is now close to 10 years of being on allopurinol with no further attacks but it did take close to a year to fully flush the accumulated uric acid buildup from all the affected joints.

BTW: I'm not obese, nor are my father and uncle, we're all around 6 feet tall, 165lbs. We just have bad genes: hypertension, gout and miserably dry skin.

My apologies, no offense intended. I was trying to interject a little humor, which was out of order.

 

[DeepCSweede]

My apologies, no offense intended. I was trying to interject a little humor, which was out of order.

No offense taken here - A little humor is always in order - life is too short otherwise.

By the way though, I actually wasn't very overweight when I had my last flare-up. By BMI standards I was, but that doesn't take into account muscle mass (such a joke of a measurement if you ask me). I was working out three-four days a week and walking 4-7 miles a day with my dog and after about a week of suffering through it, I could barely get up to get a cup of coffee.

 

[Lucretia]

I love the commercials for stupid stuff like girl part pains....This little pill will treat the symptoms of your discomfort, but the side effects could be Diarrhea, nausea, upset stomach, nose bleeds, rectal leakage, poorly painted fingernails,yeast infections, multiple personality syndrome, excessive sweating, having sex with ugly people, hair loss, heart attack and possibly death.

Best treatment in the world for girl part pains--Beer. Seriously. Even better if you can have several and a nap. And if you're a happy drunk everyone around you will benefit, too! Side effects can include a craving for pizza or hot wings.

One of the most disgusting things about retirement is the commercials on daytime tv (which is another topic--complete and total drivel.) Your eyelashes are too short and thin! Take a pill! You've got wrinkles! Take a shot of poison to paralyze your face! If you aren't stick thin, you're ugly/lazy/stupid/unloveable! Take our pills and eat our pre-fab meals! Your kids are squalling brats because they spend all day in front of the tv and don't get any exercise! Tranquilize them! You're depressed because something bad happened--take a happy pill! If you're tired at bedtime or have bad breath and need to pee when you wake up in the morning, there may be something wrong with you--be sure to ask your doctor if you can take our drugs!

Have to wonder how much better off we'd be if the money going towards drugs to make us look good and feel happy all the time went instead to treatment of actual illnesses...

 

[9mmbhp]

My apologies, no offense intended. I was trying to interject a little humor, which was out of order.

No offense taken. Many people assume that it is strictly caused by lifestyle choices, ala it's the "rich man's disease" and the result of a decadent & indulgent lifestyle, but sometimes it just boils down to bad genetics.

 

[Deckhand]

No offense taken. Many people assume that it is strictly caused by lifestyle choices, ala it's the "rich man's disease" and the result of a decadent & indulgent lifestyle, but sometimes it just boils down to bad genetics.

True true many different factors age,race, genes, weight, etc. Medicine tries to put everything in a box and a book, but there will always be some that didn't bother to read the book as well.