Gout What a Pain the Foot - My big toe to be specific

[kittyboy]

For any of you who have suffered through gout it a quite painful.

I recently had an attack and had to wait 5 days to see my GP. He scripted me Prednisone, Colchicine, and Allupurinol.

The prednisone and colchicine are palliative and the allupurinol is a prophylaxis.

Short question for my next trip to thailand - are these drugs available over the counter? And if so at what cost.

I really do not need medical advice about not taking drugs without seeing my GP..etc.

Just curious about availability and price.

[bobsaigon2]

If you'll Google each one followed by "in thailand" you'll probably find they are all available OTC, but you'll probably not find any prices for them in Thailand.

[FarangRuMak]

I get gout occasionally.
Cholchicine is the old reliable.
It disperses those crystals in joints and starts giving relief immediately.
After 1 day don't ever get too far from a toilet. Take 1 every 6 hours for a few days only.
Only 30 baht per card otc.
Allupurinol is a preventative for chronic gout. Stops the build up in the first place.
Must be taken daily I think.
You probably need a prescription.
Sometimes an anti-inflammatory will work.
I'm not an expert; just an occasional victim.

[kittyboy]

I get gout occasionally.
Cholchicine is the old reliable.
It disperses those crystals in joints and starts giving relief immediately.
After 1 day don't ever get too far from a toilet. Take 1 every 6 hours for a few days only.
Only 30 baht per card otc.
Allupurinol is a preventative for chronic gout. Stops the build up in the first place.
Must be taken daily I think.
You probably need a prescription.
Sometimes an anti-inflammatory will work.
I'm not an expert; just an occasional victim.
My understanding is the colchicine acts as an anti inflammatory - basically a type of NSAID or non steroidal anti inflammatory drug. I don't think it breaks up or disperses the uric acid crystals. The recommended dosage is not standard. Some websites recommend .6 every 6 hours and other recommend 1 .6 tablet then an hour later 2 .6 tablets. and then monitor and repeat every 24 hours.

[Smiles]

For all those who have never experienced gout, this diagram below certainly cuts to the chase . . . in a nutshell.
Ive never had gout, but I can immediately see that it could easily be extremely debilitating. I have a rather minor arthritis in my right shoulder but its quite under control ... though unfortunately there's no more golfing for me.
But an out-of-control untreated gout I'm sure will sooner or later effect ones overall mobility.

Good luck Kittyboy!

https://image.ibb.co/ekHa0b/gout_illustration_s1.jpg

[2lz2p]

I previously had gout, and yes it is VERY painful and I was treated at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya by an orthopedist - given medication for pain and to treat the cause - crystals from high level of uric acid. A few months later, while being treated in the Internal Medicine Clinic at BHP for an infection, I "felt" a new bout coming on and asked that doctor to check my Uric Acid levels - they were high. He prescribed two medications and said I needed to take daily from now on to prevent another attack. That was a 3 or 4 years ago and I have not experienced any repeat of the gout.

The two medicines are: Puride 100mg(Allopurinol) and Colcitex 0.6mg (Colchicine). I get mine at BHP with 10% discount [I know, even with discount, more expensive than a pharmacy, but my health insurance reimburses me 85% if from a Hospital Facility and 75% if from a pharmacy]. At BHP with 10% discount, the price for 30 tabs of Colcitex is 351 baht and for 30 tabs of Puride it is 270 baht. They are available at pharmacies and probably do not require a prescription as is the case with many medicines here in Thailand that require a prescription in USA. Fascino pharmacy will probably have at a much lower price.

[Phred]

Gout is hereditary for me. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. It feels like getting hit on the big toe with a board with a nail stuck in it and the nail remaining embedded in the toe after the board is retracted. It can leave you hobbling for days. My mother had to crawl to the bathroom after one really bad attack.

My first gout attack was in my mid-late 40’s. I immediately got a prescription for Allopurinol (I get it in Asia under the name Tonsaric but still submarked Allopurinol), which has no big side effects. Since then I have taken it faithfully daily and get regular uric acid tests (you want to be consistently under 7.0) I avoid seafood and beer (well, as much as I can, hard to avoid Chang in Thailand but drink more red wine now) or anything high in purines. A decade later I haven’t had another attack (knock on wood).

Good luck kittyboy.

[Up2U]

I have been taking Allopurinol (Allopin here in Thailand) for 15 years to control uric acid levels and kidney stones. I have not had a kidney stone ever since I started this regimen. I buy Allopin OTC and it is not expensive.

[Manforallseasons]

When reading the OP's post I thought for a moment this was Gaybutton's board.

[Patanawet]

No knowledge about the specific drugs you mention but most medications are available (no prescription needed) at the pharmacy on Rama 4 --CHULA BESAJ -- a short walk from Dusit Thani Hotel on Rama 4.
Prices always cheaper than normal pharmacies.
Make sure you get the right shop as there are several pharmacies in that strip of Rama 4.
Their phone no. is 02 235 3133-4 mobile 085 522 5959
LINEID: chulabhesaj
Open mon-sat 8:30 am -8:00 pm
Tip for any pharmacist write the names of your medicines on paper or photograph on your mobile.

[scottish-guy]

...write the names of your medicines on paper...

As opposed to vellum, and with a quill

[bobsaigon2]

SG: You imply that people no longer use vellum? Fortunately I have several large sheets of it in reserve, probably enough for my remaining days. Quills are a bit difficult to obtain. Have to see if Amazon stocks them.

[arsenal]

This thread reminds me of the conversation between Norman Stanly Fletcher and the prison doctor.

Do you suffer from any illness?
Bad feet.
Have you paid a recent visit to a doctor or a hospital?
Only with my bad feet.
Are you now or have you at any time been a practicing homosexual?
What with these feet.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ronnie%20barker%20bad%20feet&pbjreload=10

[joe552]

Wan't only his feet would have put me off. But his cell mate, the late Richard Beckinsale (?) was kind of ok, for a jailbird.

[Patanawet]

Wan't only his feet would have put me off. But his cell mate, the late Richard Beckinsale (?) was kind of ok, for a jailbird.

I see it's just been remade. I can't imagine it's anywhere as good as the original --- so I won't be watching.

[scottish-guy]

.....his cell mate, the late Richard Beckinsale was kind of ok, for a jailbird...

Sharing a cell with a corpse would put most people off - clearly Joe is made of strong stuff

:D

[joe552]

SG, you don't know the half of it. And I agree about the new version - I won't be watching it either.

Gout sounds like a really painful condition, but it seems there are effective treatments, so that's good.

[bobsaigon2]

SG: You imply that people no longer use vellum? Fortunately I have several large sheets of it in reserve, probably enough for my remaining days. Quills are a bit difficult to obtain. Have to see if Amazon stocks them.

We can all relax. Amazon stocks both quill pens and vellum.

[scottish-guy]

Bob you could be on to a winner.

You may not be fully aware of all the anachronistic little eccentricities of UK constitutional niceties but every new session of Parliament starts with The Queen's Speech (nothing to do with stammering :p)

This year poor old Lizzie was unable to deliver her speech on time and the whole Parliamentary process was in limbo for about a fortnight.

The official reason for this: a lack of vellum on which to write her speech! Clearly Buckingham Palace officials either don't use Anazon or their's was of inferior quality

So you see, providing yours is of top quality as I'm sure it is, you could be sitting on a goldmine - and I don't mean your (no doubt) firm and pert little bubble butt

[a447]

Bob, you are definitely on a winner!

Just imagine it - Bobsaigon, purveyor of fine vellum, by appointment to Her Majesty the Queen.

Surely a knighthood would be in the offing, too.

Sir Bobsaigon.

Hmmm....had a certain ring to it.

[bobsaigon2]

I would gladly accept the knighthood, with appropriate humility, whether for my firm and pert little bubble butt, or for providing Buckingham Palace which much needed vellum.

(An American cannot accept a knighthood. Sad to say, I could never be known as Sir Bob since I am not a British citizen. I would, however, be able to append a KBE or CBE to my name.)

Does one have to kneel when one is knighted? Might need help standing up again.

[dinagam]

Just a simple curtsey will do for members of this board and bona fide visitors. :-)

[joe552]

Sir Bob Geldof and Sir Terry Wogan are just two examples of people who've been given honorary knighthoods. So your nationality shouldn't pose a problem.

By the way, to which Queen is one referring to? There seem to be so many about!

[scottish-guy]

My understanding is that as an "honorary" knight from outwith the Commonwealth, Bob Geldof has no actual entitlement to the title of "Sir" -merely the post-nominal KBE.

Further, on at least two occasions he has declared he will hand his knighthood back in protest (over Brexit in 2016 and separated fathers in 2011) - but predictably he never has

Terry Wogan KBE on the other hand became a British Citizen before receiving his knighthood and as such was indeed entitled to be called "Sir"


Might be wrong tho - but I think I'm right :))

[joe552]

Sounds plausible, SG. I wasn't aware Terry Wogan had taken British citizenship, though it makes sense, give he lived most of his life there.