Hyperuricaemia

3 medicines

Hyperuricaemia is a raised level of uric acid in the blood that can trigger gout attacks and, over time, damage the kidneys and joints.

Benemid

Probenecid

500mg

Benemid is a painkillers medication containing Probenecid, available as 500mg tablets.

from $0.76 / tablet View

Uloric

Febuxostat

40/80mg

Uloric is a painkillers medication containing Febuxostat, available as 40/80mg tablets.

from $0.85 / tablet View

Zyloprim

Allopurinol

100/300mg

Zyloprim is a painkillers medication containing Allopurinol, available as 100/300mg tablets.

from $0.37 / tablet View

Key facts

  • Hyperuricaemia means the blood carries more uric acid than the kidneys can clear.
  • Most people have no symptoms for years, until urate crystals deposit in a joint, causing a gout attack, or in the kidneys, causing stones.
  • Common drivers include a diet high in purine-rich foods, dehydration, certain blood pressure medicines, and conditions such as chronic kidney disease.
  • Medicines that lower uric acid include allopurinol, febuxostat and probenecid, usually started at a low dose and increased gradually.

What drives uric acid too high

Uric acid is the end product of purine breakdown. When the body makes too much, or the kidneys excrete too little, levels climb. Common drivers include a diet heavy in high-purine foods such as organ meats, anchovies and beer, dehydration, certain blood pressure medicines, and underlying conditions such as chronic kidney disease or metabolic syndrome. A single acute gout flare, sudden, severe pain and swelling, most often in the big toe, is often the first sign that levels have been high for some time.

Bringing levels down with medicine

Treatment reduces uric acid steadily to below 360 µmol/L, or lower if tophi are present. Allopurinol is the most widely used first-line agent; it blocks xanthine oxidase, the enzyme that produces uric acid. Febuxostat is a more selective xanthine oxidase inhibitor used when allopurinol is not well tolerated. Probenecid takes a different route: it increases how much urate the kidneys excrete rather than reducing how much the body makes, which suits under-excreters with adequate kidney function. Any of these can briefly raise the risk of a gout flare when first started, so they are introduced at a low dose and increased gradually. Managing a flare itself sits within the broader painkillers category.

Lifestyle support

Staying well hydrated and cutting back on alcohol and purine-rich food supports whichever medicine is used, though diet alone rarely brings levels into the target range once hyperuricaemia is established.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist who knows your health history.