There are many things that are accepted as “fact” to cause gout flares and attacks. Doctors will tell you, no drinking, no red meats, no asparagus, etc. But how do you know? And how much is too much?

Many people are unwilling to give up their treats and are trying new ways to reduce the occurrences of gout flares. Alcohol in particular seems to be a “vice” of many people. One article quoted a gout sufferer as saying “I will go completely vegetarian before I will give up my wine!” Drinking is an enjoyable social interaction, with billions of people worldwide enjoying booze, whether it is a glass of wine with dinner or having multiple drinks while out dancing.

The question is-are you willing to give all of that up? Many patients are saying no. a trick that has worked for many patients is- if you have alcohol…flush it out! That is, drink a huge amount of water to “rinse” out the uric acid before it has a chance to crystallize in your joints. This has the added benefit of reducing hangovers!

Most patients, who have had gout for many years, have stated that how much you can drink really depends on how good the rest of your diet is. For example, after eating steak, mashed potatoes and macaroni salad, having a couple of beers isn’t necessarily a good idea. But having a healthy salad with grilled chicken may work to allow you to have a glass or two of red wine. Many gout sufferers reported “experimenting” with their diet and alcohol consumption in order to determine which approach is best for them. Are you willing to risk having a gout flare in order to have a drink?

From our research, red wine seems to be the best tolerated of the alcohols. Many patients reported no reaction to having a glass of wine with dinner, or even a glass or two on special occasions. Beer on the other hand, seems to be the least tolerated. There may be many reasons for this. Beer tends to be drunk in multiples, whereas a glass of wine is slowly sipped and enjoyed.

Wine though, especially red wine, is quite acidic, and some gout sufferers are reporting that this is causing more flares than beer. All of these gout sufferers though, were taking allupurinol or buy Colcrys or buy Celebrex for their gout and inflammations. Be sure to talk to your doctor to determine which is right for you.

Author:

Julia Mulline is a medical writer based out of Vancouver, BC, Canada. She recommends Canada Drugs Online, a Canadian online pharmacy to buy Colcrys and buy Celebrex.