The best way to get rid of gout combines two strategies: fast treatment when a flare hits and a long-term plan to lower uric acid so flares stop happening. Gout is caused by uric acid crystals building up in your joints, and while you can’t cure it overnight, you can control it effectively enough that many people become completely flare-free.
Treat a Flare as Early as Possible
When a gout attack strikes, timing matters more than almost anything else. Treatment should ideally begin within 24 hours of the first symptoms, and starting within hours is even better. The sooner you act, the shorter and less intense the flare will be. Without treatment, a flare can last a week or longer. With prompt treatment, many people feel significant relief within a day or two.
The standard options for an acute flare are anti-inflammatory medications, low-dose colchicine (a drug specifically used for gout), or corticosteroids. Your doctor will choose based on your other health conditions, particularly kidney function and stomach sensitivity. If the flare is limited to one or two joints, a corticosteroid injection directly into the joint often provides relief within 24 hours. For people who get frequent flares, keeping medication on hand to take at the very first twinge can make a dramatic difference.
While you’re waiting for medication to work, icing the joint for 20 minutes at a time and elevating it can take the edge off. Staying hydrated helps your kidneys clear uric acid more efficiently.
Lower Your Uric Acid for Good
Stopping flares from coming back requires getting your blood uric acid level below 6 mg/dL and keeping it there. This is the threshold where existing crystals begin to dissolve and new ones stop forming. In a clinical trial using a structured treatment approach, 95% of patients hit this target, and they experienced 67% fewer flares compared with patients receiving standard care, where only 30% reached the goal.
The most common way to lower uric acid is with a daily medication that blocks the enzyme responsible for producing it. These drugs are typically started at a low dose and gradually increased until your uric acid reaches the target. Regular blood tests help your doctor find the right dose. Common side effects are mild and can include nausea, joint pain, rash, or changes in liver function tests, though most people tolerate these medications well.
For people with severe gout who haven’t responded to standard medications, or who can’t take them, there is an infusion-based treatment that works by breaking down uric acid directly in the bloodstream. This is reserved for cases where uric acid remains above 8 mg/dL despite other treatments, or where visible deposits of uric acid (called tophi) have formed under the skin.
Foods That Raise Your Risk
Certain foods are packed with purines, the compounds your body converts into uric acid. The biggest offenders are organ meats like liver, kidney, sweetbreads, and brains. Specific seafoods also rank high, including anchovies, sardines, shellfish, mussels, scallops, herring, and codfish. Cutting back on these can meaningfully reduce the uric acid your body produces.
One common worry you can let go of: vegetables high in purines, like asparagus, spinach, and green peas, have not been shown to increase gout risk. Studies consistently find that plant-based purines don’t trigger flares the way animal-based purines do, so there’s no reason to avoid these foods.
What You Drink Matters Just as Much
Alcohol is one of the strongest dietary triggers for gout, and beer is the worst offender because it contains purines on top of the alcohol itself. Alcohol raises uric acid in two ways: it increases production and slows your kidneys’ ability to flush it out. If you’re prone to flares, reducing or eliminating alcohol, especially beer, is one of the most impactful changes you can make.
Sugar-sweetened drinks are an underappreciated risk factor. A meta-analysis found that regular consumption of sugary beverages increased gout risk by 21%. High fructose intake carried an even stronger association, raising gout risk by 66%. Fructose is uniquely problematic because your body generates uric acid as a byproduct of metabolizing it. This means sodas, fruit punches, and other drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup are worth avoiding. Diet sodas, by contrast, showed no significant link to gout risk.
How Hydration Helps
Drinking enough water is a simple but effective way to support uric acid excretion through your kidneys. Gout patients are generally advised to drink 2,000 to 3,000 mL of water per day, which works out to roughly 8 to 12 cups. Spread your intake throughout the day rather than drinking large amounts at once. Water, herbal teas, and other non-sugary, non-alcoholic beverages all count.
The Role of Cherries
Tart cherries have more evidence behind them than any other food-based gout remedy. In a study of 633 gout patients, eating cherries or cherry extract over a two-day period reduced the risk of a gout attack by 35% compared with periods of no cherry intake. When cherry consumption was combined with standard uric acid-lowering medication, the risk dropped by 75%. Smaller studies have shown that eating about two servings of cherries can lower blood uric acid by roughly 14% within five hours.
Tart cherry juice appears to work through a combination of anti-inflammatory effects and modest uric acid reduction. It’s not a substitute for medication if you have frequent flares, but as a daily addition to your routine, the evidence is encouraging.
Weight Loss and Metabolic Health
Carrying extra weight increases uric acid production and makes it harder for your kidneys to clear it. Losing weight, even a moderate amount, lowers uric acid levels and reduces flare frequency. The key is to lose weight gradually. Crash diets and extreme calorie restriction can temporarily spike uric acid and actually trigger a flare. A steady, sustainable approach through balanced eating and regular activity gives you the benefit without the rebound risk.
Gout also clusters with other metabolic conditions like high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and kidney disease. Managing these conditions improves your overall uric acid balance and reduces the strain on your kidneys, which handle about two-thirds of uric acid excretion.
Why Long-Term Commitment Matters
One of the biggest mistakes people make with gout is treating it as an occasional problem. A flare ends, the pain goes away, and the medication gets set aside. But uric acid crystals are still sitting in your joints between attacks, silently growing. Each untreated interval makes the next flare more likely and potentially more damaging to the joint.
If your doctor starts you on uric acid-lowering medication, it typically needs to be taken daily and indefinitely. Stopping it allows uric acid to climb back up and crystals to reform. Many people also experience a temporary increase in flares during the first few months of treatment, which can feel discouraging. This happens because dissolving crystals can loosen and trigger inflammation. Your doctor may prescribe a low-dose anti-inflammatory during this adjustment period to smooth the transition. Pushing through this phase is worth it, because on the other side, most people reach a point where flares become rare or stop entirely.