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Suggest Treatment For Gout Flare Up On Left Elbow

Posted on Wed, 26 Nov 2014

Question: I have a history of gout. I usually get it on my big toe. If it's bad they give a cortisone injection and then prescribe me indomethacin for 10 days. I have a gout flare up on my left elbow and because I'm having total hip replacement Tuesday morning what do I do? I can't take any anti-inflammatory drugs by mouth due to the surgery which can cause blood complications. Should I go to the hospital emergency room for a cortisone shot or is there another way. It's hard trying to bend the elbow. I'm gonna need all the strength in my arms because to my understanding after hip replacement the next day they get you up to walk to avoid blood clots. Please get back to me.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Sudhir Kumar (57 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Avoid cortisone shot before surgery (THR)

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for your query.

I'm Dr. Sudhir Kumar,

After going through your query I concluded that you have acute gout and you want to avoid antiinflamatory drugs due to its interfere with surgical bleeding. You can take analgesic such as tramadol which does not has effect on platelet aggregation as it is opioid analgesic. You want to go to emergency for a cortisone shot. I think you should avoid cortisone shot before surgery because it decreases your immunity to infection. You can discuss with your treating Doctor about it.

Hope I have answered your query.
If you have any further questions I will be happy to help.

Wishing you good health.
Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Sudhir Kumar (39 minutes later)

Is tramadol over the counter that I can get in the pharmacy.
Also how many milligrams.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Sudhir Kumar (48 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
OTC-ACETAMINOPHEN-500MG three times a day.

Detailed Answer:
HI XXXXXXX
Welcome back,

After your query and follow up query I want to say that tramadol is not available over the counter. Its usual dose is 50mg three times a day. You have to prescribed it from your doctor. Another drug which has no blood complications like tramadol is Acetaminophen. Its usual dose is 500mg three times a day after meals. It is available over the counter. Common OTC brands of Acetaminophen are TYLENOL and paracetamol . It is effective in pain relief in gout. You can discuss with your Doctor about it.

Hope I have answered your query.
If you have any clarification then I will be happy to help you.If you have no clarification then you can close the query and rate the answer.

Wishing you good health.
Take care.

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T