Scientists Find a Better Way To Treat Gout

Gout Swollen Feet

The authors of the study believe that a drug called benzbromarone may be an improved way to treat gout.

Should doctors rethink the standard gout treatment?

Gout is caused by the accumulation of urate crystals in the joints, and xanthine oxidase inhibitors such as febuxostat are a staple treatment to help lower blood urate levels in afflicted people. However, a new clinical trial reported in Arthritis & Rheumatology suggests that benzbromarone, a less popular medication, may be better in low dosages.

In the prospective single-center, open-labeled trial, 196 men with gout and poor uric acid excretion were randomized to receive either low-dose benzbromarone (LDBen) or low-dose febuxostat (LDFeb) for 12 weeks.

Compared to the LDFeb group, more individuals in the LDBen group met the blood urate objective of 6 mg/dL (32% vs 61%). There was no major difference in side effects across the groups.

“The results suggest that low dosing of benzbromarone may warrant stronger consideration as a safe and effective therapy to achieve serum urate target in gout,” the authors wrote.

Reference: “Superiority of low-dose benzbromarone to low-dose febuxostat in a prospective, randomized comparative effectiveness trial in gout patients with renal uric acid underexcretion” by Fei Yan MD, Xiaomei Xue MD, Jie Lu MD, Nicola Dalbeth MD, Han Qi MS, Qing Yu MS, Can Wang MD, Mingshu Sun MD, Lingling Cui Ph.D., Zhen Liu Ph.D., Yuwei He Ph.D., Xuan Yuan MD, Ying Chen MD, Xiaoyu Cheng MD, Lidan Ma MD, Hailong Li Ph.D., Aichang Ji Ph.D., Shuhui Hu MS, Zijing Ran MS, Robert Terkeltaub Ph.D. and Changgui Li MD, 7 July 2022, Arthritis & Rheumatology.
DOI: 10.1002/art.42266

78 Comments on "Scientists Find a Better Way To Treat Gout"

  1. Charles G. Shaver | August 4, 2022 at 8:59 am | Reply

    As a senior lay American male first diagnosed with mostly asymptomatic gout in 1981 I know that a lot of cases of painful, crippling gout and pseudogout could be easily prevented. Simply put, the current gout pandemic is consistent with all of the other chronic disease pandemics, including depression, obesity, mass shootings and suicides to name a few, since the widespread use of added ‘cultured free’ MSG as an alleged ‘flavor enhancer’ beginning in 1980. New drugs to treat gout may be beneficial to some, short-term, but long-term we need purer, safer food products for all.

    • I agree. People have to be taught what foods increase uric acid and those that increase oxalic acid, as well as the need to keep well hydrated. I’m surprised that nothing was mentioned about allopurinol, a long time standby to decrease uric acid production. There are also meds to alkalinize the urine to decrease change of kidney stones.

  2. Not available in the USA.

  3. I had gout and then I tried Apple cider vinegar caplets or gummies that I bought at Costco. Just had my blood work done and my uric acid is in brick acid is in the normal range.

  4. There is no money in tge cure, always “sick maintenance”.

  5. I used to get gout so bad I was basically crippled for up to 2 weeks each flare up. I take the tart cherry pills from the Vitamin Shoppe. I haven’t had a single flare up in almost 25 years

  6. Drink Tart cherry juice. Works just as well and you’re not taking another pill!!!

  7. Charles Alexander | August 8, 2022 at 10:30 am | Reply

    Benzbromarone is not approved for use in the USA.

  8. As a long sufferer of gout I found plenty of water and tart cherry juice has worked wond r s for me no flare ups in over 6 years stay off medication if at possible .

  9. No, MSG does not cause gout and depression…

    • Charles G. Shaver | August 8, 2022 at 12:10 pm | Reply

      John, I never had a high serum level of uric acid until age thirty-seven after the FDA approved the expanded use of added MSG in 1980. It took almost thirty years but to my surprise, then, along with standard serum testing for calcium being unreliable, long-term chronic subclinical non-IgE-mediated allergy reactions aggravated with added MSG resulted in a serious calcium deficiency by 2009, which included a temporary lack of ambition, insomnia, bad moods and short term memory problems, as well as chronic fatigue, muscle weakness and lack of stamina. Statistically, added ‘cultured free’ (as opposed to ‘natural protein bound’) MSG can be deadly dangerous. And, calcium and magnesium are known to be ‘natural tranquilizers,’ with added MSG causing the body to deny and/or rob the bones, nerves and teeth of calcium to try to maintain the blood at an optimal pH; slightly alkaline. I’m still living it but don’t take my word for any of this; investigate it, thoroughly. Check out the epidemics of depression and postpartum depression back to 1980.

  10. It’s not available in the US as a treatment option.

  11. Robert Mazzella | August 8, 2022 at 12:23 pm | Reply

    It used to be the case that only rich people had gout—now, it seems, anyone and everyone can get it.

  12. Tart Cherry antitoxin juice or tart cherry OTC capsules from CVS are much less expensive and work 2x faster because you won’t need a Dr’s visit

  13. Bill Richards | August 8, 2022 at 1:00 pm | Reply

    Dexamethasone works everytime for gout attacks. It is cheap simple and it works within a couple of hours.

  14. Uric acid. Not urate.

  15. My son’s gout Dr told us about this drug. Question is; where or how can we get it? My son is only 27, and was diagnosed when he was 19. We have tried everything. Even took him to Mayo for treatment. He has tophi throughout his body. It’s heartbreaking. Please help if you can, so that our son might be helped. Thank you

  16. No mention of Allopurinol?

  17. I got goat back in 1905. Worst fever ever. Doctor had to gimme cow to revesrse the bowels. Be safes my higs

  18. 90% of gout cases from my experience can be cured with proper hydration. Often it’s folks who don’t take en enough pure water to allow the uric acid to be absorbed. No study, just years of seeing it. Cut out a diet soda and replace it with two glasses of water. Amazing the difference.

  19. Harry HillJR. | August 8, 2022 at 4:10 pm | Reply

    Best thing to use is tart cherry juice from the health store.Buy a bottle and drink it straight in a couple days. Gout will be gone.

  20. His gout foot looks better than the normal one lol

  21. Thomas C mccleary | August 8, 2022 at 4:39 pm | Reply

    For a guy that has gad gout three or four times, and of course I am no doctor, common denominator is always alcohol. Add that with red meats and turkey, I seem to get gout during the holidays. I’ve learned my lesson! Stop the alcohol consumption unless you’re eating shellfish day in and day out you should be fine with no more symptoms. High purine foods along with alcohol is a big no no!

  22. Your an idiot to think gout is comparable too suicide

  23. I’ve taken Naproxen when I feel gout attack. It has helped tremendously.

  24. Marcus Aurelius | August 8, 2022 at 5:49 pm | Reply

    More drugs to enslave us to big pharma. Eat healthy; go natural!

  25. As a gout sufferer along with my brother and son, we have not had attacks as long as we take a quality tart cherry supplement. Tart cherry juice works well too but the supplements don’t add more sugar to the diet. There are federal studies that back it up.

  26. Adrian Witteman. | August 8, 2022 at 7:08 pm | Reply

    Drinking baking soda water works for me…don’t know why…it just works!

  27. Jewell Rollen | August 8, 2022 at 7:13 pm | Reply

    Colchacine….cures and treats gout

  28. I stopped having gout symptoms when I began using fresh lemon juice daily with water or iced tea. Maybe it was the added water but maybe the lemon juice. I average a half a lemon daily and I’ve not had gout in over 2 years. When I reduce my lemon intake I can feel the beginnings of stiffness in my foot which goes away when I get back on schedule. Give it a try!

  29. Meredith McCain | August 8, 2022 at 10:52 pm | Reply

    I have been prescribed Allopurinol for gout for years right here in the USA.

  30. Colchicine 0.6 Is the ONLY life changing medicine for gout and it sucks most doctors don’t even know what it is. I swear by this! My husband has gout and our son was born with it.

  31. Allopurinol is the one for me I’m a heavy set fellow and with a proper diet I haven’t had a flare up for quiet some time I also cut out alcohol in my life so I don’t eat steaks and red meats every day and when I do have a flare up I take coltrazine that really helps, tart cherry juice never worked for me in a flare up even when I drank the whole thing. For me a flare up in my feet feels like my foot is in a fire and your smashing it with a sledge hammer it’s very painful I cannot walk. Sleep. I can do nothing but ride it out. I hope this helps.

  32. dr peter glidden cured my gout with urtica urens. gone forever

  33. Just found out my Mom has Hout I feel so bad for her she cant walk or stand on her feet Im praying she gets some relief Wish I had the funds to acquiped her house for her health needs Praying I hit the lottery.

  34. John F Bramfeld | August 9, 2022 at 7:52 am | Reply

    It’s odd all the people who have cured themselves of gout but can’t hit the proper keys to spell it.

  35. If i do a shot of apple cider vinegar daily, or drink a little pure black cherry juice, i never get it. Once i stop that, it comes raging back. Proper hydration is important as well.

  36. My gout attacks started out of nowhere at age 25-6. I didn’t know what gout was other than an “old people disease” that you hear about in documentaries about kings and unflattering movie characters. I was running 3 miles a day and kept my weight around 180-190 lbs, but my body stopped breaking down uric acid as efficiently as it should.
    I was already drinking two liters of water per day, minimum. I tried cherry juice, baking soda, apple cider vinegar mixed with water (tasted so bad that I ALMOST preferred having gout over drinking the vinegar-almost). Nothing helped. I was having severe attacks at least once every 3 months, including several trips to the emergency room to have my knee drained because I couldn’t bend or put weight on it at all.
    I’ve been prescribed colchicine and allopurinol. I even spent several months taking those evil steroids…daily.
    Over time, I had several tophi removed from ears, elbows and knees.
    Fast forward 30 years…I was finally prescribed Uloric (febuxostat). I wanted to punch my doctor yet hug him at the same time. The hug? Because the drug worked. Immediately! The attacks went from several per year to zero per year. The punch? Because this drug had been available for several years before it was prescribed, yet he waited until now to prescribe it??
    I completely understand why people don’t want to take pharmaceuticals. I’m right there with you. And I I’m certainly NOT interested in touting big pharma-or any other facet of the U.S. healthcare system. It’s great if the natural remedies work for you. I wish they worked for me. Taking the drug was a quality of life decision for me. No more limping around the office with people asking me what happened. No more thinking “okay I haven’t had an attack in 3 weeks, it’s probably going to happen when an important client is in town or whenever I have any upcoming events that someone says are too important to miss.” No more ruined vacations.
    I don’t regret the pharmaceutical decision at all. So do what’s best for you. If the lifestyle changes and natural remedies don’t help, maybe you could talk to your doctor about febuxostat or this new option, when available.
    People get gout for different reasons and there’s tons of good information on the causes in the above comments. But when you’re in so much pain from a sheet touching your foot-or even the breeze from the ceiling fan, you don’t care about what caused the attack, you just want to know how to fix it!!!
    (Sorry…. I never dreamed I would spew the longest comment re: this article but I know how miserable life can be with chronic gout.)

  37. The BEST way to treat diseases like this would be to stay far away from the things that cause it & keep high quality (Not Expensive) things in your diet.

    I have a family member that suffers bad with it, always complaining in pain & just broken down.

    When the suggestion of changing the diet is brought up that’s never the issue. The ignorance of people is so sad in the age of information.

    You can learn & do so much to improve overall health in the matter of minuets still people keep their old traditions in tact & wonder why there’s pain & suffering. DONT PLAY YOURSELF! PAY YOURSELF with an health overhaul…

    💪🏽🤎

  38. A couple forks of raw saurekraut every morning sets the stage for good digestive processes to occurr that takes care of uric acid.

  39. If you suffer from gout, ask your Doc about probenicid. Started taking it a year ago, and my uric acid is below 3 for the first time in almost 30 years. I take it in conjunction with uloric.

  40. Pascual Rodriguez | August 9, 2022 at 1:20 pm | Reply

    I have extremely bad gout to where my feet, ankles,knee,elbows, wrists,hands have tophi build up and now it’s the kidneys so I understand exactly what your all feeling and experiencing God Bless I’m still alive.

  41. aple cidar venigar werks wel but my pc speling getz worzst

  42. I had gout for 14yrs and i take aleeve and that helps me plus I do my celery juicing

  43. I had gout for 14yrs and i take aleeve and that helps me plus I do my celery juicing really recommend that

  44. I drink black cherry juice and it takes care of my gout I drink 3 to 4 ounces twice a week for a month and pain and swelling goes down right away

  45. David Baltzer | August 9, 2022 at 8:10 pm | Reply

    I find that cherries in any form do the trick very quickly and completely.

  46. Great. Another study a middle-age white men. Because nobody else matters who gets sick. Perfect.

  47. Oh just like the “ black life’s matter “ huh VEE…

  48. Nowhere did they racially profile the study group, just a gender so they could have a baseline for comparison. Since the scientists and drs.didn’t racially profile, maybe you shouldn’t, either.

  49. Ronnie Bullard | August 11, 2022 at 1:25 am | Reply

    The only thing that works for me and so far every person I suggested this miracle cure too is BROCCOLI big bowl of BROCCOLI. in 4hrs throbbing pain from swelling stops. By the next morning u should have very little discomfort..medication did nothing for me other than prolong the suffering an huge dent in my wallet..recommend trying it unless you are allergic to BROCCOLI.(DISCLAIMER)I AM NOT A DOCTOR!!!.I just use to suffer from gout but not anymore

  50. My father in law had gout and drinking a bottle of Monavie helped him get rid of it for 5 months. It must have been all the fruit acids but acai berry juice is the main ingredient

  51. Hi, I have tried to find the best way to relieve gout, since it is one of the most painful diseases, my Dad suffered from it for 5 years and the cris of pain were horrible, after trying so much and finding relief we gave ourselves She realizes that nutrition is very important, I found some natural pills, their name is GOUT OUT and combined with URIC ACID it is the perfect combination, helping people with this problem is always on my mind because I saw the pain that my Dad was in and you are pills helped him a lot, he didn’t have a pain crisis again and he didn’t have any more inflammation, I hope it helps you and if you need more information let me know, have a good day! God bless and heal you

  52. There’s no mention of allopurinol because it is a cheap generic that’s been around for decades, is safe to use and it works.

  53. I used to take viox back in the day til they took it off the market because it was killing people. But let me tell you this, in 1 minute or less u could feel it breaking the crystals up.

  54. Arnold Feltersnatch | August 12, 2022 at 4:41 am | Reply

    I also have suffered from Low IQ, obesity, chronic restless leg syndrome amount other unwanted reactions to MSG since around 1980. Those tempting yet painful buffets are what seems to be the trigger. All solid evidence in science knows this. Absolutely not fake news. Try European mountain lion urine on your cold salsa to get instant relief. It really has helped me.

  55. I had gout found that Indomethacin was excellent for pain. I later found out that in my case & other family members, Not taking medications that contain HCTZ (hydrochlorthiazide) was the cause of the Gout flare ups. I hope this info is helpful 🙂

  56. Colchicine use over an extended period of time can cause MDS type 2, and eventually can cause leukemia. My mother died from it. Stay away from colchicine at all costs!!

  57. Stress triggered my gout flare ups. When I quit driving big diesel trucks I quit getting gout.

  58. Allopurinol takes care of my gout

  59. Cherry juice was effective on my gout but I found that celery seed is even better. I take it as a preventative measure. It also has an added benefit of lowering blood pressure.

  60. Hi! My husband got gout and daily pills are allopurinol and for the gout attack colchine ! That condition is so painful he can’t walk ! He drink cran- cherry juice all they when he got the attack and is good for that and he drink 2 colchine pills / in my opinion this is the worst condition that I never see in my life ! Just follow the diet don’t eat red meats ,turkey,seafood,and don’t drink alcohol if you wanna stay away from gout attack ! Good luck

    • Charles G. Shaver | August 14, 2022 at 10:17 am | Reply

      Mary, may I suggest you and/or your husband read my two comments above? Additionally, I’m adding now that the worst cases of gout or pseudogout I’ve had through the years involved FDA approved man-made propylene glycol (PG; does not exist in nature) in combination with cocoa/chocolate, which I tested allergic to in late 1981. Reading all of the comments may provide you with some additional non-allergy-related useful information.

  61. I’m a firm believer in tart cherry capsules. I was first diagnosed in the ’90’s, treatment from the doctor was allopurinol and anti inflammatory drugs. After 8 months of not any improvement I found that a little cherry juice a day kept the gout away. Well as you could imagine the sweet tart juice gets hard to swallow after a while. The cherry capsules work just the same. In the last 2 decades I’ve had maybe a dozen mild flair ups. To be completely honest I have also changed my diet. I keep my red meats to once in a while, mostly chicken and pork. I am still able to have beer, wine and liquor regularly. Please give nature a chance and research and try for yourself.

  62. Gout is easily cured, and the medical profession and big pharma don’t want anyone to know how easy it is.

    I had both gout and high cholesterol at 36. I started researching and realized that both uric acid and cholesterol are governed by the liver. More research revealed that the liver’s role is to filter the blood and bind toxins to dietary fiber for excretion. I talked to my doctor and he told me that there was no correlation.

    I began a regimen of double doses of both soluble (Benefiber) and insoluble fiber (Metamucil) powder to supplement my diet, as well as increased the vegetables and fruits in my diet by a little bit. The gout and high cholesterol just went away. Ensuring hydration is also important. Tart cherry juice is high in fiber, that’s why it seem to work for some.

    The increase in gout is mirrored by the decline in fiber consumption. The body needs more than were giving it. Provide your liver the raw materials ot needs to keep your blood clean and you wont have to worry about uric acid or gout.

    • Charles G. Shaver | August 15, 2022 at 1:50 pm | Reply

      Thanks for the input, B. Sounds very authoritative, thorough and a little contradictory from what I’ve found online during the last twelve years of fairly intense lay investigations, including very recently, and worth a try; Benefiber and Metamucil now on a new shopping list. Curious how old you are now and if you had any known food allergies/sensitivities which improved and/or resolved along with your gout and high cholesterol?

      • Charles G. Shaver | August 17, 2022 at 9:03 am | Reply

        A little extra research revealed allergy warnings for both Benefiber and Metamucil, and aspartame, artificial flavoring and food coloring as some of the ingredients; not things I want to add to my liver’s burden. I wouldn’t recommend either for frequent or continuous use. With no serious problems with regularity or liver enzymes, myself, I think I’ll just stick to partially avoiding known allergens (including dairy, MSG and soy, minimally), taking probiotics for better digestion (especially of dairy) and trying to keep my minerals well balanced, after learning the hard way that too much calcium carbonate can cause a serious phosphorus deficiency.

  63. I have had chronic gout for decades. I have been prescribed everything from indomethacin to colchicine all with mixed results and bad side effects. Recently my state legalized thc delta 9 edibles. I swear it’s the best thing I’ve ever had for pain and inflammation. I’m no doctor, just saying what works for me.

  64. I’ve had gout for several years and pretty much self treatment until I was diagnosed with RA. My drs used expensive drugs….shots in stomach and infusion. When I said no more and I asked about a change in diet…..I was shunned. Drs want their patients to be ignorant. today most people can research remedies. I have tried ACV, CBD OILS, HERBS, Cherry juice, diets…you name it. Some work,some don’t. You have the options to try what is best for you, don’t let drs push you into something. Each of us are different, we’re not robots,what works for one, might not work for you. I wish you all the best as I continue to pray and look forward to the day I am pain free. Take care and God bless you all.

  65. There are 2 forms of Gout(not to be confused with GOITER-the “rich man’s disease” caused by a reaction to iodine in shellfish.) 1 form is regular acute/reg.chronic is a form of arthritis caused by the kidneys due to elevation of purine levels by poor diet/alcohol consumption easily controlled by diet usually avoiding red meats & gravies made from meat drippings(fat); avoiding ALL alcoholic/restricting caffeinated beverages with regular excerise drinking water to flush the kidney’s while avoiding(much as possible)dieuretics. And finding a medicinal treatment that works for your metabolism genetic makeup. 2 is chronic hereditary gout that is a nightmare to treat!! It took me years, several Drs, & a LOT OF RESEARCH to finally find the right combination of diet, alcohol abstinence since 2000, & medication. Allopurinol (100 mgs 2x’s a day). Some of the newer meds can actually bring on severe attacks. In women it’s relatively rare. My gout is hereditary & has haunted me since I was very young; reaching a full head of steam with SEVERE attacks in my early 30’s. Attacks make you feel like your joints are on FIRE!! Then making your feet feel like blocks of wood. 4 to 5 times a year I was forced to the ER for shots of demerol & a shot of steroids so powerful they only allow you 4 injections a year. I’m suffering a moderate attack in both of my feet as I type this. There is no cure for gout only management. Most common attacks present in the ball of the big toe to the other joints in the foot to the knees but can spread as hjgh up as the shoulder. I have no cartiledge with severe bone loss in my knees. I feel for anyone who has gout it’s painful & strikes without warning. Most drs refused to acknowledge gout as a real disease until the last 25 yrs. Purine crystals look like a tiny pink sea urchine that lodge in the joints & grind at them over time. Remember 3 d’s of treatment are Doctors, Diet, & Dillegence. Good luck & GOD BLESS to all who suffer from this hell

    • Charles G. Shaver | August 16, 2022 at 9:41 am | Reply

      Tim, your type 2 gout sounds to me like a family history of chronic subclinical non-IgE-mediated food (minimally) allergies, aggravated by FDA approved excitotixic neurotoxic ‘cultured free’ MSG to make them worse through extension and/or intensification, since 1980. And, fructose is known to raise the serum level of uric acid ‘unregulated.’ Check mine (and other’s comments for something that may work better for you. Good luck.

  66. For me, finding new ways to manage my mental stress has been success. The crushing stress breakouts ultimately rewarded me with gout. I don’t allow myself to harbor stress and blow up as I once did. Try it out. Diet caution is good. Exercise (especially lower extremeties)is just as good. Stress management is best.

  67. Daniel F Walsh | August 16, 2022 at 6:20 pm | Reply

    I’ve had great success treating my gout outbreaks by at onset ingesting a combination of fresh cherries(if in season), organic black cherry juice,
    Freeze dried cherries and by applying ice to the area, usually my toes, feet or arch. I pop an Advil and within 24-36 hours I’m as good as new!
    I try to stay away from scallops, mushrooms and asparagus!
    I usually get advance notice that an attack is imment!

  68. I found getting my gut and sequence with probiotics and staying away from sugar. Hit obliterated my flare ups . was skeptic but I’m now a believer. keep sugar out of my life and I can still drink beer. Corona light anyways

  69. Sublimnal Phish | August 17, 2022 at 4:57 pm | Reply

    Traditional medicine needs to change. They know how to use many frequencies that can treat medical illnesses. They know how to and what frequency it takes to make diseases , they know how to use them to treat them also. This can be an easy cheap less harmful treatments for any and all sickness. So we need to stop the barbaric abuse of the citizens and use a well model and end the sick model medical greed trap

  70. My mother takes allpurinol n gets it from her dr.
    We live in Louisiana
    Hope this helps

  71. Do your gout flares originate during sleep? That’s because the oxygen deprivation of sleep apnea (frequent cessation of breathing for many seconds at at time during sleep) is a direct cause for gout, leading to: much more uric acid produced in the oxygen-starved cells; reduction of kidney function; and less solubility in the blood. Diet and medication are contributing factors, but sleep apnea is the provides the tipping point. All the life-threatening diseases associated with gout are actually consequences of long-term unresolved sleep apnea. Drugs prescribed for gout won’t prevent these diseases, but overcoming sleep apnea early enough will prevent them. Some of them are reversible just by overcoming the sleep apnea. If you just rely on diet and medication to relieve your gout, you are at great risk for a shortened lifespan with poor quality. Sleep apnea is readily treatable. More information is on Youtube as Gout is an Early Warning of Sleep Apnea.

  72. I put a slice of garlec on my big toe…cover the foot with sock and BINGO my gout pain is gone. Anybody else know this ?

Leave a Reply to Daniel F Walsh Cancel reply

Email address is optional. If provided, your email will not be published or shared.