It is not generally advised for prescription drugs when treating hyperuricaemia as these drugs are generally used when there is an attack on the kidney stones. The following are four common drugs that are used to keep gout symptoms under control.

1. Allopurinol – This inhibits uric acid synthesis and has been associated with eruptions of the skin and blood vessels as well as toxins in the liver. Renal function tests and overall complete blood counts of the patient should always be done before giving the patient Allopurinol.

2. Colchicine This drug is used to alleviate gout attacks. But this drug has side effects which can be very serious and in some cases can cause death if the dose is too high. Many stomach problems can occur when taking this drug such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and cramping. Some of the more serious side effects of the drug are problems occurring in the marrow of the bone, inflammation of the muscle, and anemia. If a patient has kidney function problems than Colchicine is generally not used or the doses are adjusted accordingly.

3. Indomethacin – This drug is an anti inflammatory drug which is not steroid based. Indomethacin is the drug that is used the most when the onset of gout attacks occurs. This drug also has a very high toxicity but by measuring the doses correctly the drug is a one that is very successful in the short term.

4. Prednisone – Prednisone is a drug that is becoming more widely used these days to treat gout. Prednisone is an immunosuppressive drug that is needed in some cases and is sometimes associated with long term side effects such as bone loss, cataracts, a weakening of the immune system, as well as others. Osteoporosis is a serious side effect that can occur with bone loss. The general side effects are longer healing and longer time fighting infections throughout the body with weakening of the immune system, retention of sodium, acne, night sweats, muscle and bone problems, and higher blood sugar.

As you can see from the above, although drugs will help to alleviate gout symptoms they are not without there side effects. If you are interested in avoiding or limiting the use of such drugs then there are natural ways to treat this condition.

High levels of uric acid in the blood can bring about gout so it is advantageous to try to limit the food intake if it is high in purine. Alcohol should definitely be cut out completely or at least limited as it is very high in uric acids, especially during a flare-up.

One way to help avoid getting gout is to flush out your system by trying to drink at least two to three liters of fluids every day. By drinking lots of fluids you can aid in diluting the uric acids that can bring about gout.

Try to moderate your protein intake such as fish, meat, and poultry. There are other foods rich in proteins which are low in purines such as dairy products and are lower in fat as well, like eggs and even tofu. Try to limit the amount of fat that you eat by choosing meats that are leaner and meats and foods that are prepared with less oil.

By following a diet that takes into account these suggestions it will aid your body in keeping uric acid levels low. If you can keep your gout under control through natural methods it means you can avoid the nasty side effects that come with the gout drugs mentioned above.

Please bear in mind that you should always consult a physician prior to making any dietary changes and you should never stop taking any prescribed medication without gaining physician approval first.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states its purpose in the following mission statement:

“The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. The FDA is also responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medicines and foods more effective, safer, and more affordable; and helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to improve their health.”

In 2005 the FDA provided a public draft guidance document to the pharmaceutical industry on the development of drugs to treat acne vulgaris, or acne. The draft guidance document contains the FDA’s current thinking on the development of acne drugs and the methods that should be used.

Some of the guidance document information is summarized below. At the time of this writing the FDA document had not been finalized.

Types of Acne Lesions

The two major types of acne lesions are classified as non-inflammatory and inflammatory. Non-inflammatory acne lesions are more commonly known as whiteheads and blackheads. Inflammatory acne lesions include papules and pustules and are more deeply seated in the skin than the non-inflammatory lesions.

How Acne Severity Is Rated

Currently there is no standardized method for rating the severity of acne outbreaks. Several methods have been proposed, but each has its difficulties. A sample scale for rating acne severity is summarized below, from least to most severe:

0 Clear skin with no inflammatory or non-inflammatory lesions

1 Almost clear; rare non-inflammatory lesions with no more than one small inflammatory lesion

2 Mild severity; greater than Grade 1; some non-inflammatory lesions with no more than a few inflammatory lesions (papules/pustules only, no nodular lesions)

3 Moderate severity; greater than Grade 2; up to many non-inflammatory lesions and may have some inflammatory lesions, but no more than one small nodular lesion

4* Severe; greater than Grade 3; up to many non-inflammatory and inflammatory lesions, but no more than a few nodular lesions

(* worsening beyond Grade 4 is possible).

Acne Drug Treatment Study Groups

Acne drug test groups should be large enough to be statistically significant so that any claims of success and safety can be supported. Test patients are usually recruited during their most severe acne breakouts.

Acne drug trials are recommended to be randomized, blinded, multicenter trials, and other requirements will also apply. A control or placebo group should be utilized.

Furthermore, those doing testing should recruit test populations that are representative of the age, race, gender, and geographic location of acne patients in the United States.

Determining The Success Of Acne Drug Treatments

Acne severity is rated at the beginning and end of every test. Photographic evidence and/or lesion counts may also be taken. It is proposed to measure the success of acne medications as either a success or a failure, based on one of these two methods of measuring success:

1. Success meaning a rating of clear skin or almost clear (severity rating 0 or 1) within the test period; or

2. Success meaning an improvement of 2 severity grades within the test period. Under this definition, a successful test subject would have a severity improvement from 4 to 2 within the test period, as an example.

The Final Decision On New Acne Drugs

Several phases of testing are recommended for proposed acne drugs. Studies must be designed to account for effects such as test dropouts. Rigorous data analysis must be performed in conformance with FDA regulations. Only acne drug test data that has been validated and undergone quality assurance testing should be submitted to the FDA for approval.

Only through a rigorous and tightly-controlled testing and analysis procedure, followed by FDA approval, can new acne drugs be made available to the public.

The resource link below contains free information on the best ways to utilize FDA-approved prescription and over the counter acne drugs and treatments.

Source: Guidance for Industry, Acne Vulgaris: Developing Drugs for Treatment, DRAFT GUIDANCE, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), September 2005, Clinical/Medical.