Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate For Gout

Gout suffers in the midst of a gout attack usually are willing to do just about anything to get relief from the intense pain. In most cases, physicians prescribe a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as indomethacin, or another drug called colchicine, to relieve the pain during an attack. Sometimes, if your gout attack pain goes beyond even the normal intensity, your doctor may use a steroid such as betamethasone sodium phosphate to give more effective relief. Your practitioner usually will not prescribe this kind of drug for long-term use.

Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate

Betamethasone sodium phosphate classifies as a steroid medication. Steroids work to keep substances in your body from inducing inflammation, Drugs.com indicates. Doctors often prescribe steroids of this nature to fight acute attacks of inflammation, such as those associated with asthma, injuries or arthritis. Steroids can cause damage to your body if you use them for a long time, so your doctor usually will not keep you on betamethasone sodium phosphate regularly for your gout.

Gout

Many of the foods you eat contain purines, especially meat and fish. Your body digests purines and leaves as a waste product uric acid. Along with other toxins, your kidneys flush out uric acid with urination. If you suffer from gout, however, it means your kidneys do not get rid of enough uric acid. This means the uric acid settles in your body, usually in your foot joints. As it sits there, it forms into sharp crystalline structures. When these jab into your joints, they cause inflammation and pain, the symptoms of a gout attack. If you suffer from this hereditary disease, your practitioner may put you on a long-term preventative such as allopurinol or febuxostat, MayoClinic.com notes. You also may take colchicine in low doses daily to prevent gout attacks. During an attack, you may use colchicine in a higher dose or an NSAID by prescription or sold over the counter. If you have an excessively painful gout attack or one that does not end in the usual five to 10 days, your doctor may order a steroid such as betamethasone sodium phosphate to give more immediate relief.

Side Effects

Betamethasone sodium phosphate has the potential to produce many serious side effects, Drugs.com relates. Among the most serious side effects associated with this drug are excessively high blood pressure and mental problems. Betamethasone sodium phosphate can send your blood pressure skyrocketing, producing such symptoms as shortness of breath, chest pain and heart rhythm fluctuations. The drug also can cause such mental problems as confusion, abnormal thought processes, sudden severe depression and even convulsions. Seek medical aid immediately if you get any signs of these side effects or if you perceive other problems that worry you.

Warnings

Steroids tend to decrease the effectiveness of your immune system, especially if you use them for a long time. If you already have some type of infection, even if it is a cold or the flu, explain the problem to your physician before you start taking betamethasone sodium phosphate. Your immune system may have a more difficult time fighting off infections while you take this steroid, which could make a minor infection more serious. Express any concerns you have related to your immune system and infection to your doctor.

Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate for Gout