If sulfinpyrazone upsets your stomach, it may be taken with food. If this does not work, an antacid may be taken. If stomach upset (nausea, vomiting, or stomach pain) continues, check with your doctor.

In order for sulfinpyrazone to help you, it must be taken regularly as ordered by your doctor.

When you first begin taking sulfinpyrazone, the amount of uric acid in the kidneys is greatly increased. This may cause kidney stones in some people. To help prevent this, your doctor may want you to drink at least 10 to 12 full glasses (8 ounces each) of fluids each day, or to take another medicine to make your urine less acid. It is important that you follow your doctor's instructions very carefully.

For patients taking sulfinpyrazone for gout:

• After you begin to take sulfinpyrazone, gout attacks may continue to occur for a while. However, if you take this medicine regularly as directed by your doctor, the attacks will gradually become less frequent and less painful. After you have been taking sulfinpyrazone for several months, they may stop completely.
• Sulfinpyrazone helps to prevent gout attacks. It will not relieve an attack that has already started. Even if you take another medicine for gout attacks, continue to take this medicine also.

Dosing

The dose of sulfinpyrazone will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of sulfinpyrazone. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

• For treating gout or removing uric acid from the body:
  • Adults: The starting dose of sulfinpyrazone is usually 100 mg or 200 mg a day (one-half of a 100-mg tablet two times a day, one 100-mg tablet one or two times a day, or one 200-mg capsule or tablet once a day). Then, the dose is usually increased by 100 mg or 200 mg every few days, up to 800 mg a day. Starting with a low dose and increasing the dose gradually helps prevent kidney stones and other side effects. After a while, the dose may be changed again, depending on the amount of uric acid in your blood or urine.
  • Children: It is not likely that sulfinpyrazone will be needed to treat gout or remove uric acid from the body in children. However, if a child needs this medicine, the dose would have to be determined by the doctor.

Missed dose

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Storage

To store this medicine:

• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Do not store this medicine in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.
• Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For sulfinpyrazone, the following should be considered:

Allergies Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to sulfinpyrazone or to aspirin, oxyphenbutazone (e.g., Tandearil), or phenylbutazone (e.g., Butazolidin), or other anti-inflammatory analgesics (medicines used for pain and/or inflammation). Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy Sulfinpyrazone has not been reported to cause problems in humans.

Breast-feeding It is not known whether sulfinpyrazone passes into the breast milk.

Children Studies on this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of sulfinpyrazone in children with use in other age groups.

Older adults Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of sulfinpyrazone in the elderly with use in other age groups.

Other medicines Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking sulfinpyrazone, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Anticoagulants (blood thinners) or
• Carbenicillin by injection (e.g., Geopen) or
• Cefamandole (e.g., Mandol) or
• Cefoperazone (e.g., Cefobid) or
• Cefotetan (e.g., Cefotan) or
• Dipyridamole (e.g., Persantine) or
• Divalproex (e.g., Depakote) or
• Heparin (e.g., Panheprin) or
• Inflammation or pain medicine, except narcotics, or
• Moxalactam (e.g., Moxam) or
• Pentoxifylline (e.g., Trental) or
• Plicamycin (e.g., Mithracin) or
• Ticarcillin (e.g., Ticar) or
• Valproic acid (e.g., Depakene) Use of these medicines together with sulfinpyrazone may increase the chance of bleeding

• Antineoplastics (cancer medicine) The chance of serious side effects may be increased

• Aspirin or other salicylates, including bismuth subsalicylate (e.g., Pepto Bismol) These medicines may keep sulfinpyrazone from working properly in treating gout, depending on the amount of aspirin or other salicylate that you take and how often you take it. Taking sulfinpyrazone and aspirin together may also increase the chance of bleeding

• Nitrofurantoin (e.g., Furadantin) Sulfinpyrazone may keep nitrofurantoin from working properly

• Blood disease (or history of) or
• Cancer being treated by antineoplastics (cancer medicine) or radiation (x-rays) or
• Kidney stones (or history of) or other kidney disease or
• Stomach ulcer or other stomach or intestinal problems (or history of) The chance of serious side effects may be increased; also, sulfinpyrazone may not work properly for treating gout if some kinds of kidney disease are present