Fegout is a drug whose active ingredient is febuxostat, and is used to treat gout in adults who have not been successfully treated with or cannot take allopurinol (Aloprim, Zyloprim).
Gout is a type of arthritis in which uric acid, a substance found naturally in the body, builds up in the joints and causes sudden attacks of swelling, redness, pain, and heat in one or more joints.
Fegout belongs to a class of drugs called xanthine oxidase inhibitors.
This drug works by reducing the amount of uric acid made in the body.
Fegout is used to prevent gout attacks, but not to treat them when they occur.
What Will We Learn?
How To Use Fegout?
Fegout comes as a tablet to be taken by mouth.
It is usually taken once a day on an empty or full stomach unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
It is best to take this medicine at the same time each day.
Read the label instructions inside the medicine carefully and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain the part you do not understand.
Get the fegout exactly as instructed.
The usual dosage of Fegout is listed below, unless your doctor tells you otherwise:
Hyperuricemia treatment:
Usual adult dose: At first, 40 milligrams (mg) or 80 mg once a day. Your doctor may change the dose depending on the severity of your disease.
Usually, the dose of the drug is not more than 80 mg per day.
The usual dose for children: If this drug is to be used in children, the doctor will determine the dose and duration of use.
Do not take more or less or take more often than your doctor recommends as this can cause serious health problems.
If laboratory tests after using this medicine show that you still have too much uric acid in your blood, your doctor may increase your dose of Fegout after 2 weeks.
You should be patient as it may take several months for this medicine to start preventing acute attacks.
It may increase the number of gout attacks in the first few months of use of this medicine.
Within 6 months of treatment for gout, your doctor may prescribe another drug to prevent gout attacks, such as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) or colchicine (Colcyrs, Mitigare).
Continue to take Fegout even if you have just started taking this medicine and you still have gout attacks.
Fegout helps reduce gout pain and makes patients feel better, but it does not cure the disease.
Please do not stop using this medicine without talking to your doctor.
Other Uses Of Fegout
This drug may be prescribed by doctors for different purposes in some cases.
You can talk to your pharmacist or doctor for more information.
Things To Pay Attention
- Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to febuxostat, allopurinol or other drugs or any of the ingredients in Fegout tablets. It’s a good idea to ask your pharmacist for a list of ingredients in the medicine.
- Tell your doctor if you are taking mercaptopurine (Purinethol, Purixan) or azathioprine (Azasan, Imuran). If you are taking these drugs, your doctor will most likely tell you not to take Fegout.
- Tell your doctor and pharmacist about any prescription or nonprescription drugs, vitamins, nutritional supplements and herbal products you use. If there are any of these drugs, especially Theophylline (Elixophyllin, Theo-24, others) or cancer chemotherapy drugs, be sure to tell your doctor. If these drugs are used together, your doctor may monitor you closely or change the doses.
- If you have had an organ transplant, inform your doctor about this.
- If you have Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (an inherited disease that causes high levels of uric acid in the blood, joint pain and movement and behavior problems) or kidney or liver disease, seek advice from your doctor before using this medicine.
- If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or considering becoming pregnant, talk to your doctor before using Fegout. If you become pregnant while using this medicine, contact your doctor immediately.
What Should I Do If I Forget The Dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember, but if the next dose is near, skip the missed dose and continue with your normal dosing schedule.
Do not take a double dose to avoid side effects and serious health problems.
What Are The Side Effects Of Fegout?
Fegout can cause side effects, but these side effects do not appear in everyone.
The side effects listed below are possible side effects of Fegout and tell your doctor if any of these side effects are severe or do not go away:
Widespread:
- Nausea
- Joint pain
Rare and serious side effects:
- Rash
- Skin redness or pain
- Swelling of the eyes, lips, or mouth
- Peeling of skin
- Fever and other flu-like symptoms
- Swelling of the face
- Swelling of the lips, mouth, tongue or throat
- Yellow eyes or skin
- Dark urine
- Pain or discomfort in the right upper stomach area
This medicine may also cause side effects not listed above.
If you notice anything unusual in your body while using this medicine, contact your doctor immediately.
Overdose
If you think you’ve taken too much of the medicine, call the poison control helpline at 1-800-222-1222 without delay.
Other Drugs And Fegout
Some drugs interact with each other and can cause unwanted effects.
In some cases, even if the drugs interact with each other, your doctor may want you to use the two drugs in combination for the patient’s health.
In such cases, the doctor changes the dose of one or both of the two drugs you use.
Using Fegout with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you.
If you are going to use the medicine listed below with Fegout tablets at the same time, your doctor may change the dose and time of intake of the medicine to minimize the risk of side effects.
- Theophylline
Pregnancy And Breastfeeding
No scientific studies have been conducted to test the effect of febuxostat, the active ingredient in the drug, on pregnant women.
Therefore, the use of febuxostat on pregnant women is not recommended.
Scientific studies on animals have found that the active ingredient in this drug passes into breast milk, but no tests have been performed on breastfeeding women.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, always contact your doctor before using Fegout.
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