FAQs

Gout is a painful form of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid. Gout is best known to many people because of its extremely painful attacks, which often occur without warning and can last from 3 to 10 days. If you have gout, you probably won't be surprised to learn that it's considered one of the most painful medical conditions—it's even been compared to the pain of childbirth and broken bones.

Gout is a chronic condition that's caused by high uric acid levels in your blood. The medical name for this buildup is hyperuricemia ('hi-per-'yuri-'seem-ee-uh). If you have gout, high uric acid can lead to more attacks. Over time, the excess uric acid can form crystals that deposit in the joints, causing inflammation. This inflammation leads to swelling, severe pain, tenderness, redness and warmth around the joint—which are all characteristics of a gout attack.
Learn about what causes gout in more detail.

Uric acid comes from substances called purines. As much as two thirds of uric acid is made naturally by your body. The remaining third comes from some of the things you eat and drink. Learn more about diet and purines.

Most people are able to rid their bodies of uric acid. But if your body produces too much uric acid and/or has a difficult time getting rid of uric acid, it builds up in your blood to higher-than-healthy levels. If you have gout, high uric acid can lead to more attacks.
Learn more about gout.

Gout may be best known for causing severe pain in the toe. In fact, most gout attacks (76%) do occur in the big toe. You may be surprised to learn that gout attacks can occur in other parts of the body as well. One survey of people with gout showed that attacks occurred in the:

• Big toe (76%)
• Ankle or foot (50%)
• Knee (32%)
• Finger (25%)
• Elbow (10%)
• Wrist (10%)
• More than one site (11%)

It is hard to say exactly what triggers an attack. They sometimes occur for no apparent reason. . .other times, something may seem to trigger the attack. Gout attacks may be triggered by alcohol, certain medicines, another illness, stressful events, or other factors.

Other known gout triggers include:

• Joint injury
• Eating too much of certain foods
• Infection
• Surgery
• Crash diets
• Rapid lowering of uric acid levels with uric acid-lowering medicines
• Some cancer treatments

Learn more about gout attacks.

Yes. If you have gout, high uric acid levels can lead to more attacks. To help reduce gout attacks, lower your uric acid. Keeping your uric acid level low (less than 6 mg/dL) is the goal for long-term management of gout.

There are 2 steps when it comes to treating gout; both are equally important…although for different reasons.

The first step is treating the symptoms to provide immediate pain relief for the gout attack. Nobody who's experienced a gout attack is likely to question the importance of pain relief. The second step is treating the root cause of gout—high uric acid levels. This means lowering uric acid levels to a healthy range (less than 6 mg/dL) and keeping them low in most patients over time. Over time, this can help control your gout symptoms.
Learn about treatment to lower uric acid levels.

In addition, to further help manage your gout, you should discuss a treatment plan with your healthcare professional, which may include:

• Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet, which is an important part of managing your overall health
• Having your uric acid level checked occasionally as directed by your healthcare professional

There's no denying that important steps like drinking plenty of nonalcoholic beverages (lots of water, less alcohol), exercising, maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting high purine foods are smart choices for people with gout.

However, diet changes alone will not typically be enough to get rid of the buildup of uric acid to help reduce gout attacks. In most cases, even the strictest low-purine diet has been shown to reduce uric acid levels by about 1 mg/dL—a good thing, for sure, but typically not enough to reach a healthy level (less than 6 mg/dL).
See how diet measures up.

This Website is just one resource for information about gout and gout treatment. You can also join GoutSmart™. GoutSmart provides education and information about gout and ULORIC.

This program is designed to help you:

• Take an active role in managing your gout
• Learn about the relationship between uric acid and gout
• Learn more about ULORIC, the first FDA-approved branded prescription medicine for lowering uric acid in adults with gout in more than 40 years
• Know what questions to ask and discuss with your healthcare professional

Living with gout? Sign up for our GoutSmart program now.

To further help manage your gout, you should discuss a treatment plan with your healthcare professional, which may include:

• Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet, which is an important part of managing your overall health
• Taking medicine to lower your uric acid level and reduce attacks
• Having your uric acid level checked occasionally as directed by your healthcare professional
• Remembering the importance of a low uric acid level (less than 6 mg/dL)

ULORIC is the first FDA-approved branded prescription medicine for lowering uric acid in adults with gout in more than 40 years! It's a prescription medicine called a xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitor that is used to lower blood uric acid levels, in adults with gout. It is not for the treatment of high uric acid in people without a history of gout.
Learn more about ULORIC.

Uric acid comes from substances called purines. Your body makes purines, and they also come from some things you eat and drink. ULORIC works in adults with gout by stopping the body from turning purines into uric acid. As a result, uric acid levels stay low in most patients over time. Research shows that keeping your uric acid level low over time will help control your gout symptoms.
Learn more.

Clinical studies on the treatment of gout found that ULORIC 40 mg was similar, and ULORIC 80 mg was significantly better at helping patients reach a healthy uric acid level (less than 6 mg/dL) compared with allopurinol.

Research has shown several key differences between ULORIC and allopurinol:

• Up to twice as many people reached a healthy uric acid level (less than 6 mg/dL) while taking ULORIC 80 mg compared with allopurinol.
• Unlike with allopurinol, patients with mild to moderate kidney problems do not have to change doses with ULORIC. Only a small number of patients with severe kidney problems were studied with ULORIC. If you have kidney problems, ask your healthcare professional about the differences between medicines used to lower uric acid levels.
• More patients with mild to moderate kidney problems reached a healthy uric acid level (less than 6 mg/dL) while taking ULORIC compared with allopurinol.

See how ULORIC fits into your treatment plan.

With ULORIC, you may have another treatment option to discuss with your healthcare professional. Some key points to keep in mind:

• Unlike with allopurinol, patients with mild to moderate kidney problems do not have to change doses with ULORIC. Only a small number of patients with severe kidney problems were studied with ULORIC. If you have kidney problems, ask your healthcare professional about the differences between medicines used to lower uric acid levels.
• More patients with mild to moderate kidney problems reached a healthy uric acid level (less than 6 mg/dL) while taking ULORIC compared with allopurinol.

Learn about Safety & Side Effects.

If you're beginning treatment with ULORIC, it's important that you follow your healthcare professional's instructions carefully. ULORIC is taken daily, with or without food, so you can make taking ULORIC part of your daily routine. ULORIC can be taken with antacids.

If you have gout and you begin taking any medication to lower uric acid levels, including ULORIC, crystals built up in your joints may begin to dissolve as your uric acid levels begin to decrease. This "shedding" of the crystals may lead to a gout flare. Do not stop taking ULORIC if you experience a flare. ULORIC is still working to lower your uric acid and you should keep taking it both during and between gout attacks. Talk to your healthcare professional in advance about other medicines to help prevent or manage flares during initial treatment.
Learn why staying on ULORIC is important for managing gout.

ULORIC may cause side effects in some people. The most common are:

• Liver problems
• Nausea
• Gout flares
• Joint pain
• Rash

Tell your healthcare professional if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all of the possible side effects of ULORIC. For more detailed information about side effects, ask your healthcare professional or pharmacist,
or click here for Prescribing Information.

Do not take ULORIC if you take:

• Azathioprine
• Mercaptopurine
• Theophylline

It is not known if ULORIC is safe and effective in children with gout under 18 years of age.

Before taking ULORIC, tell your healthcare professional about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

• Have liver or kidney problems
• Have a history of heart disease or stroke
• Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if ULORIC will harm your unborn baby. Talk with your healthcare professional if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
• Are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed. It is not known if ULORIC passes into your breast milk. You and your healthcare professional should decide if you should take ULORIC while breast-feeding.

Tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. ULORIC may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how ULORIC works. Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them, and show it to your healthcare professional and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

• Store ULORIC between 59ºF-86ºF (15ºC-30ºC).
• Keep ULORIC out of the light.
• Keep ULORIC and all medicines out of the reach of children.