I’ve endured some painful days while dealing with a gout flare up. And some of those days, I didn’t have any medicine to get me through. It just happens – you sometimes run out of medicine before the next flare up and it may be on a weekend when you can’t get a prescription from your doctor.
During times like this, I’ve had to resort to looking for natural remedies online. When you’re in that much pain, you literally have to do whatever you can to get you through until you’re able to order more meds.
Some of the suggested remedies I found online were: Naxopren, water with baking soda, water with Apple Cider Vinegar, cherries, tart cherry, ginger, turmeric and various supplements.
I’ve tried most of these suggested remedies and here is my experience with each one:
Naxopren: Naxopren is an anti-inflammatory drug that can be bought over the counter at most drug stores. There are different brands (ie: Aleve) so you can buy any brand you want. I bought the CVS brand and it did nothing for the pain. All I got out of it was nauseousness so I stopped taking it after a day and a half. The idea is that since gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis, that Naxopren would help alleviate some of the pain.
Water with baking soda: I didn’t get any immediate relief from this, but based on theory, baking soda is supposed to add alkalinity to your blood, which acts a neutralizing agent against the uric acid. I drink this mixture occasionally, using a teaspoon of baking soda and about a cup of water.
Water with Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple Cider Vinegar has been used for centuries for cooking and health benefits. Although there is no evidence that it helps with gout flare ups, I do drink this mixture every other day as a daily supplement. I switch between this and water with baking soda. You won’t get any immediate relief by drinking this mixture, but I do believe it helps in preventing future gout flare ups. Why? It helps you overall health and I believe gout is a symptom of declining health.
Cherries: I’ve tried this option many times, but it never really helped with my gout flare ups. Based on research, cherries have been known to reduce uric acid in the blood and prevent future gout attacks when taken with certain gout medicine. In my experience, at best it helped a little. But it’s not something that I plan to take.
Ginger: Ginger is not only a flavorful ingredient for cooking, it also provides many health benefits like anti-inflammatory properties, heart health and cancer prevention. Although it won’t provide immediate relief for gout flare ups, I would recommend you consume it for it’s overall health benefits. In my opinion, the healthier you are overall, the less chances of you getting a gout flare up.
Turmeric: Turmeric is a known anti-inflammatory agent that “can help lower blood urate levels and increase the excretion of uric acid when you urinate.” Like ginger and the other natural remedies listed here, turmeric won’t provide immediate gout attack relief, but it can help you overall health and prevent future attacks due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Other remedies/supplements: On Amazon, I purchased a couple of supplements that people were using to treat gout flare up symptoms. There are many products there that claim to help with gout. There were too many products to weed through, but I did end up trying these two: Tart Cherry Extract Capsules with Celery Seed and Turmeric and Uric Acid Control by Life Extension. Did it provide immediate relief for my gout flare ups? I’d say for minor to mid level flare ups, you may notice an improvement. For full-blown flare ups, you may not even notice a difference because I think these supplements work gradually. They’re not medicine. I bought both of them because they’re made with natural ingredients and had good reviews on Amazon. You may consider taking these supplements prior to a meal if you plan on eating foods on the high purine list.
Worth trying out:
- NutriGout Uric Acid Cleanse Supplement w/Turmeric, Celery Seed, Bromelain, Milk Thistle, Dandelion and Chanca Piedra
- Nutriana Advanced Uric Acid Control – Tart Cherry with Turmeric and Celery Seed Extract
- Life Extension Uric Acid Control – Ayuric Terminalia Bellerica Fruit Extract Supplement
In conclusion, none of the natural/home remedies I tried provided any quick relief for gout flare ups. I can say for certain that the most effective treatment thus far has been prescription drugs – specifically Colchicine. In my earlier flare ups, it would be cleared up within 1 to 2 days with Colchicine. Now it seems to take longer to clear up – around 3 to 4 days. I’m wondering if the drug becomes less effective the more you take it.