Dimexide for gout: principle of action, instructions for use, reviews of treatment

Composition and release form

Dimexide is prescribed to adults for the treatment of inflammatory diseases - bruises, gout, inflammatory edema, purulent wounds

The active ingredient of the drug is dimethyl sulfoxide. In addition, the composition includes the following components:

• sodium carmellose;
• propyl parahydroxybenzoate;
• methyl parahydroxybenzoate;
• purified water.

The product is available in three forms: ointment, gel and concentrate for preparing a solution. In the treatment of gout, in most cases it is the concentrate that is used, as it is used to prepare compresses for the joints. The concentrate is available in bottles of 50 or 100 ml.

How does the drug work for gout?

Dimexide has several types of therapeutic effects:

• painkillers;
• antiseptic;
• anti-inflammatory;
• thrombus-dissolving;
• antiallergic.

Dimexide is used as a compress for gout. The use of compresses gives good results in the treatment of joint diseases, but they are most effective in the initial stages of the development of the pathological process. Compresses allow you to stop the progression of the pathology, reduce the symptoms of manifestations, avoid exacerbations, and also transfer the disease into a stage of long-term remission.

Dimexide helps eliminate the inflammatory process and also has a pronounced analgesic effect. After the drug penetrates the skin, it increases their permeability to other drugs, which can be easily absorbed through the skin.

Dimexide solution for gout has a high degree of absorption. The drug is effective in treating not only gout, but also other diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The drug is convenient because it is easy to use at home.

Procedure

The sensor for physiotherapy is similar to that used for ultrasound diagnostics. The only difference will be that the conductor for ultrasound is not a gel, but an ointment based on hydrocortisone. The stages of the session are no different:

• disinfection of the skin area that will be affected;
• applying hydrocortisone ointment and distributing it evenly;
• exposure to ultrasound of a certain power within different frequencies.

This approach ensures rapid penetration of hydrocortisone into tissues. And alternating different frequencies gives good results in the long term, despite the short duration of the session. After completing the phonophoresis procedure with hydrocortisone, you should not remove the ointment from the body for another 2-3 hours. To obtain a positive effect, a course of 10–14 daily procedures is required. Please note that re-treatment is possible no earlier than after 3-5 months.

Mechanism of action

Transport of any drug through the skin is limited by its ability to penetrate the epidermis (top layer of skin) and dermis (deep layer). The easiest and surest route is through the sebaceous glands and hair follicles, so warming the skin before the procedure significantly increases the rate and percentage of drug transfer.

Warming up immediately after phonophoresis significantly increases the time of absorption of hydrocortisone by the body’s vascular system. Sensors and devices used in physical therapy have many modes of operation at different frequencies and intensities. When choosing a device, the doctor focuses on solving the main problem without damaging the skin. And only then, he sets the pace and frequency of the impact, taking into account the patient’s sensations and the characteristics of his body, excluding contraindications and pathologies.

Instructions for use for gout

Applying compresses to joints for a disease such as gout plays a significant role; they help relieve swelling, pain and inflammation

A gout compress with Dimexide is an effective remedy, but it must be used correctly. Before starting treatment, you should consult your doctor. Dimexide can be used as a separate component, as well as with the addition of other medications. Combining it with other drugs will help quickly achieve results in the treatment of arthritis caused by gout.

Dimexide in its pure form is diluted as follows: one tablespoon of concentrate must be thoroughly mixed with the same amount of water. Then you need to fold gauze or medical bandage in several layers and soak it in the resulting solution. Apply a compress to the affected area and secure it with plastic wrap. For insulation, you need to cover the top with a cloth. The compress should be left for 30-40 minutes. The average duration of treatment is 10-14 days.

To enhance the effect, it is recommended that after removing the compress, apply an ointment or gel intended for the treatment of joint pathologies. Such external agents include Dolgit or Chondroxide. The compress can be applied up to 2 times a day.

In the treatment of gouty pathology, a compress of Dimexide with the addition of Novocaine is often used. This mixture allows you to relieve pain in a short time, since Novocain enhances the analgesic effect of Dimexide. This compress is not recommended for regular use, but only during periods of acute attacks.

To prepare such a solution you will need 30 ml of Dimexide diluted with water and 50 ml of Novocaine. The substances are thoroughly mixed. After this, it is necessary to soak gauze or a medical bandage in the solution, apply it to the affected area and secure it with plastic film, and also wrap it with a warm cloth. This compress can be kept for no more than 60 minutes.

It is not recommended to do a compress for gout with Novocaine more than once a day. Novocaine relieves pain, but it does not help treat pathological processes in the joints.

Bunion on the big toe, gout on the foot. Treatment

What to do if you have a bump or a bone on your big toe ? Is it necessary to have surgery?

A bunion on the big toe, which many women develop over the years and gradually deforms the foot, is often mistakenly called gout.

For example, many older women say: “ Gout .”

In fact, gout, although it often affects the same big toes, has little to do with the bone growing on the foot - it is a completely different disease. First of all, gout is a metabolic disorder that occurs with severe inflammation of the joints. The pain is often so severe that, according to sufferers, it makes one “climb a wall.”

You can read more about classic gout here *

But the gradually growing bone that we are talking about here is called hallux valgus.

Another name for this disease is Arthrosis of the big toe .

If your bone is not yet too large, you can try to remove it with the help of therapeutic exercises, wearing special braces, and using therapeutic compresses.

Excellent therapeutic exercises for the big toe are given here: Exercises for bunion *

For compresses, dimexide , or bischofite , or medical bile are used . You need to buy these substances at the pharmacy.

I recommend starting with treatment with dimexide, and if it doesn’t help, move on to compresses with medical bile. Or with bischofite.

Socks with dimexide

Buy dimexide (liquid for compresses, in bottles). The drug can sometimes cause allergies, so before starting treatment it is necessary to test for sensitivity to it. To do this, apply dimexide with a cotton swab to the skin of the arm or shin and wait for about 1 hour.

If severe redness and itching appears, the medicine should not be used. If there is no reaction (a slight tingling feeling does not count), the drug can be used. If the test does not reveal the presence of an allergy to dimexide, we proceed to the procedure itself.

Voltaren - gel or Diclofenac - gel into the bone of the big toe .

Then take a tablespoon of cold boiled water and a tablespoon of dimexide, and mix them in a cup.

After this you will need a sterile bandage. We moisten the bandage with the prepared solution, and wrap it around the foot (over the sore bone) 3-4 times, put on a transparent (but not colored!) plastic bag on top, and socks on top of it.

We wear this sock for 20 minutes the first time, and for subsequent days - up to one hour (no longer!). The procedure is done daily, but only once a day. The course of treatment is 20 days.

Attention! Under no circumstances should the compress be kept for longer than 1 hour!!! This may cause burns! Attention! Do not mix dimexide with water in advance, for example, the night before. The next day, the prepared solution no longer has any therapeutic activity! That is, you need to prepare a fresh solution every time.

Contraindications to Dimexide: - severe liver damage; severe kidney damage; angina pectoris or myocardial infarction; severe atherosclerosis; various types of stroke; glaucoma or cataracts; coma; - children under 12 years of age; pregnancy; lactation period; - hypersensitivity to dimethyl sulfoxide or other components of the drug.

Compresses with medical bile on the thumb bone

Compresses with medical bile are made as follows: 4–6 layers of gauze (gauze pad) need to be soaked in bile and applied to the sore bone.

Then we take a roll of cling film and bandage the gauze with bile with this film. And in addition, we wrap the entire foot so that the bile does not leak. Additionally, you can put a transparent plastic bag on your foot and cotton socks on top of it.

These “socks with bile” should be worn for 2 to 4 hours.

If you tolerate the procedure well and you are not allergic to bile, then after the first 3-4 procedures such “socks with bile” can even be left on overnight.

The procedures are carried out every other day, the course of treatment is 20 procedures.

Attention! Remember that bile is very soiled and can easily ruin clothes or bedding if it leaks from under your socks!

Contraindications: Hypersensitivity to the components of Medical Bile, violation of the integrity of the skin in the areas where the drug is intended to be applied, skin diseases (including inflammatory diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, pustular diseases, erysipelas), acute diseases of the lymphatic system (lymphangitis and lymphadenitis).

With caution: Pregnancy, lactation, childhood.

Side effects: Possible irritation at the site of the compress, which goes away when the drug is discontinued. In this case, subsequent use of compresses is possible, but not earlier than after 15–40 days.

Important: medical bile should not be mixed with other medicinal substances.

Socks with bischofite

bischofite in liquid form. Most likely, bischofite will be sold under the label “bath liquid”, and it will be written that for baths it must be diluted with water. But you don’t need to dilute it for compresses!

At the same time, bischofite is often sold with herbal supplements - which one to buy does not matter. Buy any liquid bischofite.

We make a compress like this: soak a regular medical bandage generously in liquid bischofite and wrap the foot over the bone with this bandage. We put a transparent plastic bag on top of the foot, and woolen socks on top of the bag.

You need to take off this “sock” after 2–3 hours. But if you tolerate the procedure well, you can do it overnight. The course of treatment consists of 30 procedures performed daily.

Bishofite in gel form

Rub Bischofite gel into the bone and apply gauze (gauze cloth) on top. Then we take a roll of cling film and bandage the gauze to the leg with this film. We put a transparent plastic bag on top of the foot, and woolen socks on top of the bag.

You need to take off this “sock” after 2–3 hours. But if you tolerate the procedure well, you can do it overnight. The course of treatment consists of 30 procedures performed daily.

Orthopedic braces - thumb pads

Splints are not able to eliminate inflammation of the big toe bone, but they help straighten the sore toe and prevent it from deforming further.

Overlays for the metatarsal bone of the foot are available for night and day. They are made from different materials and have different prices. An orthopedist will help you choose an overlay (fixator).

If the deformation of the big toe bone has already gone too far, and neither compresses, nor fixatives, nor therapeutic exercises help you, then in this case, apparently, corrective surgery .

The author of the article is Dr. Evdokimenko©. Published 01/29/2018. Attention! When copying or reprinting materials, be sure to indicate the source! All articles, news and book chapters are protected by copyright P.V. Evdokimenko©

Contraindications and restrictions

Before starting to use Dimexide, you should carefully read the instructions for use, study contraindications, as well as possible side effects.

Compresses using this drug are considered a safe method of treatment, since they are intended only for external use.

It is not recommended to use Dimexide in the following cases:

• chronic heart failure;
• acute circulatory disorders in the brain;
• chronic renal failure;
• atherosclerosis;
• period of pregnancy and breastfeeding;
• children under 12 years of age;
• angina pectoris.

Treatment of gout with the use of Dimexide compresses is allowed only as prescribed by a doctor. When selecting a treatment regimen, it is necessary to take into account the general condition of the patient and his concomitant diseases.

During pregnancy and lactation, this drug can only be prescribed under the supervision of a physician. But as a rule, during pregnancy, preference is given to other medications. Old age is not a contraindication to treatment with Dimexide, but the patient must undergo treatment with extreme caution. Compliance with the instructions for use and all specialist recommendations will help avoid unwanted side effects of the medicine.

For any impairment of renal or cardiovascular function, the drug should be used with caution, not exceeding the recommended dosage.

Contraindications to the use of phonophoresis with hydrocortisone

• it is forbidden to carry out during pregnancy, because ultrasound and hormonal drugs have a negative effect on the formation of the fetus and the woman’s well-being in general;
• Oncological diseases at different stages, even during remission, are grounds for refusal to take a course of physiotherapy. This is based on excessive stimulation of cancer cells;
• cardiovascular diseases, including supraventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation are a contraindication to the use of phonophoresis;
• inflammation of the skin and mucous membranes at the sites of exposure to the device can provoke an exacerbation of diseases;

But the main contraindication in some cases remains hydrocortisone itself, which is a hormonal drug, with all the ensuing consequences and complications for patients. It is not recommended for children under two years of age, as well as for patients who have:

1. individual hypersensitivity to the components of the drug;
2. recent vaccination;
3. damage to the skin in the affected area;
4. bacterial and viral eye diseases;
5. dermatitis of various forms;
6. acne and blackheads.

Carefully:

• pregnancy and lactation;
• tuberculosis;
• diabetes;
• arterial hypertension;
• diverticulitis and osteoporosis;
• postoperative period in the acute phase;
• fungal diseases;
• acute endocarditis and nephritis;
• renal failure;
• tendency to form blood clots;
• herpetic fever;
• AIDS and HIV infection;
• myasthenia gravis.

In addition, the following adverse reactions to phonophoresis with hydrocortisone may be observed, even when performing the procedure at home:

1. Endocrine system - hyperglycemia, increasing the required dose of insulin, renal failure, obesity due to excess hormones, growth retardation.
2. Musculoskeletal system - osteoporosis, vertebral fractures, aseptic necrosis, arthropathy, steroid myopathy, arthralgia.
3. Gastrointestinal tract - intestinal perforation, bleeding in the stomach, ulcers, dyspepsia, pancreatitis.
4. Skin - wound healing worsens, allergic reactions appear and skin color changes.
5. Central nervous system and visual organs - mental disorders, intracranial pressure, glaucoma and cataracts.

Side effects

Side effects when using Dimexide are rare. In most cases, undesirable reactions appear when Dimexide is used together with other drugs, as this increases the likelihood of developing allergic reactions.

Possible adverse reactions include the following:

• redness at the site of application of the drug;
• an allergic reaction manifested by irritation, itching or rash;
• headaches and dizziness;
• worsening sleep;
• dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, manifested by nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

Side effects do not pose a serious danger to the human body. In most cases, they go away on their own after stopping the use of Dimexide and do not require additional treatment.

Price and analogues

Diclogen is used to treat joint diseases - rheumatoid arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis

Dimexide compresses for gout are a budget-friendly method of treatment, since the cost of the drug is on average 50 rubles. Analogues of the drug include the following drugs:

• capsicum tincture;
• Diclogen;
• Remisid;
• Finalgon;
• Vipratox;
• Flamidez;
• Formic alcohol.

Before replacing a drug with a similar one, it is recommended to consult a doctor, since contraindications and side effects differ for each drug. Self-medication can lead to unwanted reactions, as well as aggravation of the disease.