Allopurinol is used to treat gout, which occurs in joints. It is also helpful in curing certain types of kidney stones. When it comes to gout and treatment it requires dealing with the amount of uric acid in the body and its level. different patients have different levels of uric acids in their bodies. Some patients can have a high level of uric acid in their body due to the release of uric acid from the dying cancer cells, during receiving cancer chemotherapy.

The main use of this drug is to maintain the level of uric acid in the body as this acid is the main reason for the pain, swelling, and redness in the joints which ultimately gout.

How to use allopurinol

This medication is said to be taken orally, usually once daily or as directed by your doctor. 

Taking this medication after a meal is useful so that you will not get an upset stomach. It is said that if the dose is 300 milligrams or more than that for a day, you need to take several small doses to cover the amount for a day.

The best way is to drink a full glass of water, with the intake of every dose that takes at least 8 or more than 8 glasses in a day.

The dosages are completely based on your health conditions, what is suitable for your health, and most importantly listen to your doctor as they are the ones who are familiar with your health conditions.

If you take this drug consistently at the same time each day, you will benefit from it the most.

The treatment of gout is a long process and may take several weeks for the medicine to show its effect on the body. It is said that gout attacks during the phase of medication are very common for several months as in this process the medicine removes extra uric acid. This drug does not act as a  pain reliever .To get relief from the pain the best thing you can do is to continue to take your prescribed medicines for gout attacks such as colchicine, ibuprofen, and indomethacin.

Side effects of Allopurinol

There are several side effects that you can observe when you start consuming these medicines.

Many other things can occur, including nausea, diarrhoea, sleepiness, and more. If you have any of these side effects after taking your prescription drugs, it is best to visit a doctor.

In case of any serious side effects, like numbness, tingling of legs and arms, easy bleeding or bruising, unusual tiredness, any signs of kidney problems you observe for example change in the amount of urine, painful flow or bloody urination can be in this category, signs of liver problems like nausea, vomiting that is happening continuously, loss of appetite can also be a  symptom, yellowing eyes or skin, unusual weight loss, eye pain or problem in vision can also a side effect, consult to your doctor right away.

There is no history of any kind of serious allergic reactions to this particular medicine. But if it is noticed by you by any chance get medical help right away. You should also be concerned for symptoms like fever, swollen lymph nodes, rash, itching/swelling especially if it is in the face or your tongue, sometimes it can be in the throat too, severe dizziness, and trouble breathing. 

These are all the indications that you should not neglect at any cost, as avoiding these in this type of medication can lead to severe risk for your health, and excess of these marks can create trouble on a wide scale.

Precautions

It is better to inform your doctor or pharmacist to whoever you are referring to. Doctors are those who are well aware of your health conditions and it is important to tell them all the reasons or effects you are having on taking the medications or any kind of medical history.

This product may contain some inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems.

Those who have kidney or liver disease, have high blood pressure or hypertension, diabetes, or for some reason have an imbalanced or unusual diet such as fasting should tell their doctors.

It has been seen in some cases that this drug has some inactive ingredients which can cause drowsiness. Doctors ask you to limit alcoholic beverages, as alcohol may also decrease the effectiveness of this drug.

During pregnancy, this medication can create complications so it should be taken if it is much needed. Moreover, it will be better to discuss all the risks and benefits with the doctor you are consulting. This is because allopurinol passes into breast milk, so before breastfeeding, consult your doctor.

Some other uses for this medicine

Allopurinol is also sometimes used to treat other diseases other than gout. Such as it is every so often used as a cure for seizures, sometimes for the pain caused by disease in the pancreas. Moreover, it also works on some infections.

It is also sometimes used to improve survival after bypass surgery. Those who are treating their ulcers in internal organs reduce their relapses and prevent rejection of kidney transplants.

Storage and medication for this medication

Keep the medication safely out of children’s reach and in the container it came in. Store it away from excessive heat and moisture at room temperature. A drug take-back programme is the ideal approach to get rid of your medicines.

For children, this can be dangerous so it is important to keep all medications out of sight and reach of children. to protect them from any poison, as they can swallow pills, and eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers are not child-resistant, and young children can easily open or get them.