Gout can cause significant pain.
The pain tends to be in the toes, especially the big toe, feet, ankles, and even the knees.
Although gout is a form of arthritis, it is different from rheumatoid arthritis because the pain of gout comes in sharp at times, then goes away.
With RA, the pain is constant.
Doctors discovered that certain things will trigger a painful episode of gout.
Some of those things may surprise you because they are common around the house and in most people’s consumption habits.
What Causes Gout Pain?
The next question is what triggers these sharp gout pains? Can those be eliminated?
The various triggers have been identified by doctors and that helps many patients reduce attacks.
All the triggers are things that cause uric acid to rise in the blood. Uric acid is what causes gout.
Here are three triggers that set up an episode of gout by raising uric acid.
1. Aspirin
Those who take aspirin for pain should go with acetaminophen or ibuprofen instead.
Those who take low-dose aspirin as part of a heart health regimen should try to reduce the risk of gout in other ways like cutting back on certain foods instead of cutting out the aspirin.
2. Diuretics
These are great at reducing blood pressure but also block uric acid from exiting the kidneys.
Try switching to a different blood pressure drug or ask your doctor to combine diuretics with a medication that slows uric acid production like febuxostat and allopurinol.
3. Dehydration
Believe it or not, not drinking enough water can cause gout pain.
Dehydration allows uric acid to concentrate in the blood rather than diluting it.
You should drink around eight cups of water daily if you have gout.
Conclusion
Living with gout is a daily process of learning how to lower uric acid.
Finding all the things you can do differently takes some research but results in less pain.
