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Gout - Management
Adverse effects
- There is a risk of precipitating acute attacks of gout for at least 6 months after starting febuxostat. People who experience acute attacks of gout after initiation of treatment, or during established treatment, should not stop taking febuxostat.
- The most commonly reported adverse effects in clinical trials of febuxostat have been mostly mild or moderate in severity. The most common adverse effects are liver abnormalities (see Prescribing febuxostat), diarrhoea, headache, nausea, and rash.
- When starting febuxostat, people should be cautious about driving or using machinery until they are reasonably certain that it does not adversely affect performance, as somnolence, dizziness, and paraesthesia have been reported.
[ABPI Medicines Compendium, 2010]
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