Gout relief?

[NeedSleepLA]

I've read some old posts here that mentioned a link between Gout and sleep apnea.
Anyone out there noticed any gout relief after being on XPAP therapy? If so, how long on therapy?

[Paul56]

I had not connected the two before but now that I read your post and think about my own situation... I have noticed I have not had the sudden pains related to a mild gout that I used to have.

It appears there may be a connection. I notice a Google search of "apnea gout" yields a lot of reading material.

[Muse-Inc]

Fewer gout flareups on a low-carb diet and/or increased vitamin C; apparently both are associated with lower levels of the acid responsible for gout. Lots of web info.

[Silver Pelt]

It's not xPAP, but pantethine is a very good way to control both chloresterol and gout. I found out by accident when I ran out of the pantethine supplement I use to knock 50 points off my triglycerides, and developed a sudden pain in my big toe a week later. Once I resumed the pantethine, the pain vanished in 2 days. See Pantethine/ Pantothenic Acid for a discussion, there are many hits with a google search.

[tgzlavistane]

I wonder if I have Gout? I have been having sharp pain in my ankle and elbow recently. I have an appointment with my Nephrologist on Friday. I sure hope this is not the start of another symptom of my Kidney problems. Maybe CPAP treatment is helping slow the on set of Gout. I read that an oxygen starved bloodstream from Sleep Apnea events can cause the breakdown of cells which forms Uric acid . I think I have been sleeping OK but I do not have a data capable machine so I have no hard evidence of Apnea events. Hopefully blood test on Friday will show my Uric acid is under control and the joint pain is just from getting older.

[jasminechichi]

I don't know if there is a connection with apnea and gout, but gout can occur in the ankles and elbows, although the most common in the great toe.

Gout was once called the illness of Kings, because eating of rich foods and drinking of rich wines in excess, and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to gout. If left untreated, gout can cause damage to the affected joint. Medication can control the symptoms. Also diet low in purines can help control. Avoiding seafood and beef, eating cheese and milk can help.

Usually Allopurinol is prescribed. I know it is painful. I have seen people crying over the pain. A simple blood test can diagnose.

[Raj]

Silver Pelt, what dosage of pantethine do you use? Most of the studies done so far used between 900 and 1200 mg, which would be pricey.

[DreamStalker]

Is that the same stuff in Royal Jelly bee pollen? ... I sort'a looked into that about a year ago and yes it is very pricey stuff, a bit too royal for me.

[Raj]

Swanson sells sixty pantethine pills for $9.98, but the dosage is only 300 mg.

[SleepyT]

OMG, just when I thought I had most all my sleep apnea questions/problems solved for a while...you guys bring up gout! THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I have been having mild symptoms of gout....and googled up menopause and gout...and figured it was an increasing sensitivity to the purines in beer (caused by menopause). I usually only drink a beer or two on the weekends...but have found lately I couldn't tolerate even that small amount anymore.

So..you're saying the pain in my joints (toes, ankles) could be associated with sleep apnea! What a revelation! Maybe after a few more months on CPAP.....I can go back to my occasional beer!!!!!

HOO-RAY!

Many thanks again for addressing this! I swear you guys are the best!

T.

[SleepyT]

I had not connected the two before but now that I read your post and think about my own situation... I have noticed I have not had the sudden pains related to a mild gout that I used to have.

Paul, this begs the question...how long have you been on CPAP?

T.

[timbalionguy]

Very interesting. I have gout, and looking back, I think it started to be a problem about the time my sleep apnea began to be an issue. (Gout also runs in our family.) Well-controlled now with allopurinol, but a low carb diet tends to make it worse (meat, especially red meat and organ meats are high in purines. (Purines are part of nucleic acid meatbolism.) A low carb diet is about the only diet that is really effective for me because it produces good results, makes me feel better, and I tend to be naturally carnivorous. Low fat, nearly vegetarian diets to me are unpalatable or very nearly so.

Some of the gout relief may be from weight loss, which usually helps gout more than anything else.

The panthiene connection is interesting. Panthiene is the biologically active form of panthothenic acid, which is also known as Vitamin B5. In the body, panthiene is converted into 'coenzyme A', which is an extremely important part of fat and energy metabolism.

I would love to see my xPAP therapy enable me to stop taking allopurinol. Although allopurinol is an inexpensive drug, and has few side effects, it would be better to not have to take it.

[SleepyT]

.... but a low carb diet tends to make it worse...

a low carb diet is about the only diet that is really effective for me because it produces good results, makes me feel better......

timba...which one did you mean to say....because i really want to correct this gout thing if possible. thanks.

[timbalionguy]

.... but a low carb diet tends to make it worse...

a low carb diet is about the only diet that is really effective for me because it produces good results, makes me feel better......

timba...which one did you mean to say....because i really want to correct this gout thing if possible. thanks.

I meant both statements. The low carb diet works really well for me (just chowed down a baked chicken for dinner!), but it does worsen the gout problem. Any metabolically active living tissue (like meat, and especially organ meats) contain high levels of purines. Your body breaks down the unneeded purines into uric acid, the crystals of which cause gout.

When I am not doing the low carb diet (too often the case this year!), but taking allopurinol, I rarely have gout-like symptoms. But when I am doing the low carb diet, I often will get soreness in my big toes, or occasionally, my left wrist. It has always cleared up by itself, especially if I cut back portion sizes a little for a day or two. Its a balancing act. Too little meat and I am hungry. Too much and the gout-like symptoms are experienced. Yet I find I have to eat good-sized (but not excessive) portions or I have problems staying regular. Unlike the times when my gout was bad, this pain is usually not severe enough to cause an issue.

The last really serious gout attack I had was in march of 2003. That one laid me up for two days, and I thought I was going to die. That was right at the time I was starting allopurinol, and that is a time you will often have an attack. I had a lot of problems with pain for several years after that, until it was discovered that the hydrochlorothiazide I was taking for blood pressure counteracted the allopurinol. My doctor was very disappointed because HCTZ worked really well for me. The way I see it is would rather have high blood pressure and be active, as compared to having controlled blood pressure and half a life gone.

I am hoping this low carb dieting 'streak' I have started lasts a long time. By best run of being an 'obligate carnivore' happened in the summer of 2007, and went for 3 1/2 months. I want to try really ahrd and work on getting my weight down. 30 or 40 pounds off would make a huge difference, and that is 3-5 months 'work'. CPAP so far has slowed how fast I gain weight when I don't 'eat like a cat', and the weight seems to come off quicker when I do.

The hardest part isn't staying faithful to the diet itself. It is avoiding 'social activities' that involve food.

[SleepyT]

Timba...thanks for clearing that up. I appreciate the info.