Patient/caregiver was educated upon how to take allopurinol as follows:

1. Take this medication as ordered by your physician. This medication can induce some nausea and vomiting, when taken on empty stomach. Taking the medication with some food or snack can help avoid these unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms.
2. Take the tablet as a whole. If you have difficulty swallowing the whole tablet, allopurinol tablet could be crushed and the powder be taken mixed with some food or water.
3. Observe compliance with recommendations for a low-purine diet. Compliance with low-purine diet can reduce production of uric acid in the body and thus complement the therapeutic benefit of allopurinol intake.
4. Observe compliance with recommendation on fluid intake. Compliance with atleast 2.5 liters of water/fluid intake every day can help eliminate uric acid from the body and prevent deposition of uric acid crystals in the body tissues, thus complementing therapeutic benefit of allopurinol intake. If you are placed on any fluid limitations, consult your doctor for any further suggestions.
5. Observe compliance with recommendation on other pain medication intake, if you are prescribed medications such as, ibuprofen and naproxen, for better control of acute pain and inflammation. Compliance with pain medication intake can complement overall therapeutic benefit of allopurinol intake.
6. Avoid drinking alcohol, especially beer, with allopurinol. Beer has high purine content, which increases risk for high amounts of uric acid production and deposition in the body tissues, thus predisposing to gout and uric acid stone formation. Also, alcohol intake can significantly increase the frequency of urination, forming more dilute urine and thus increasing uric acid deposition in the body.
7. Avoid drinking excessive caffeinated drinks and soft drinks rich in sugar, as they can act as bladder irritants and significantly increase the frequency of urination, forming more dilute urine, thus increasing uric acid deposition in the body tissues and predisposing to gout and uric acid stone formation.
8. Take the medication dose at the same time, every day, as ordered, to avoid forgetting the intake of medication.
9. Maintain strict compliance with intake of the medication as ordered, with regards to dosage and frequency, to derive the benefit of the medication.
10. Do not change the dose on this medication without consulting your doctor.
11. If allopurinol is prescribed for control of gout, it may take about 2 – 3 months and may be even more, before the attacks of gout are controlled. So, do not discontinue taking the medication without your physician’s consult, as you failed to see the desired result immediately after taking the medication.
12. Your physician could change the dose of allopurinol, based on the relief obtained from symptoms of gout or side-effects developed. So, maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments, to have your doctor updated. Be accommodative to changes in the plan of care, until you show an optimum response.
13. Continue taking allopurinol as ordered, for the prescribed length of time, even if your symptoms of gouty arthritis/renal stones are under control. Discontinuing the medication abruptly, without physician recommendation, can lead to recurrence of the symptoms.