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AHFS Consumer Medication Information [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; 2000-2011.

AHFS Consumer Medication Information.

Sulfinpyrazone(sul fin peer' a zone)

Last reviewed: February 1, 2009.

Why is this medication prescribed?

Sulfinpyrazone is used to treat gouty arthritis. It works by lowering the amount of uric acid in your blood, preventing gout attacks. The drug helps prevent attacks but will not treat an attack once it has started.

This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

How should this medicine be used?

Sulfinpyrazone comes as a tablet and capsule to take by mouth. Sulfinpyrazone usually is taken twice a day. Take with food or milk. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take sulfinpyrazone exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

Sulfinpyrazone helps control gout but does not cure it. Continue to take sulfinpyrazone even if you feel well. Do not stop taking sulfinpyrazone without talking to your doctor.

Other uses for this medicine

Sulfinpyrazone may be used after a heart attack. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this drug for your condition.

What special precautions should I follow?

Before taking sulfinpyrazone,

  • tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to sulfinpyrazone or any other drugs.

  • tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin), acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin or products that contain aspirin, cholestyramine (Questran), diuretics ('water pills'), niacin (Nicobid, Slo-Niacin), theophylline (Theo-Dur), tolbutamide (Orinase), verapamil (Calan, Isoptin), and vitamins.

  • tell your doctor if you have or have ever had peptic ulcer disease, kidney disease, or any blood disease.

  • tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking sulfinpyrazone, call your doctor.

  • if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking sulfinpyrazone.

  • you should know that this drug may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this drug affects you.

  • remember that alcohol can add to the drowsiness caused by this drug. Also, alcohol may increase the amount of uric acid in your blood. Do not drink alcohol while taking sulfinpyrazone before checking with your doctor.

What special dietary instructions should I follow?

Sulfinpyrazone helps your body get rid of uric acid through your urine. This process may cause kidney stones. To help prevent kidney stones, be sure to drink 10 to 12 glasses (8 ounces [240 milliliters] each) of fluid each day or drink enough water to keep your urine a light yellow color.

What should I do if I forget a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one.

What side effects can this medication cause?

Sulfinpyrazone may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

  • nausea

  • vomiting

  • loss of appetite

  • joint pain, redness, or swelling

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

  • difficulty breathing

  • tightness in the chest

  • skin rash

  • unusual bruising or bleeding

  • fever

  • sore throat

  • mouth sores

  • swollen or painful glands

  • painful urination

  • change in the amount of urine

  • lower back or side pain

  • blood in urine or stool

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online [at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch] or by phone [1-800-332-1088].

What storage conditions are needed for this medicine?

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom). Throw away any medication that is outdated or no longer needed. Talk to your pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication.

In case of emergency/overdose

In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.

What other information should I know?

Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order certain lab tests to check your response to sulfinpyrazone.

Do not let anyone else take your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.

It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.

This report on medications is for your information only, and is not considered individual patient advice. Because of the changing nature of drug information, please consult your physician or pharmacist about specific clinical use.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. represents that the information provided hereunder was formulated with a reasonable standard of care, and in conformity with professional standards in the field. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. makes no representations or warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, any implied warranty of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to such information and specifically disclaims all such warranties. Users are advised that decisions regarding drug therapy are complex medical decisions requiring the independent, informed decision of an appropriate health care professional, and the information is provided for informational purposes only. The entire monograph for a drug should be reviewed for a thorough understanding of the drug's actions, uses and side effects. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. does not endorse or recommend the use of any drug. The information is not a substitute for medical care.

AHFS® Consumer Medication Information. © Copyright, 2011. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc., 7272 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland. All Rights Reserved. Duplication for commercial use must be authorized by ASHP.

The following brand names are from RxNorm, a standardized nomenclature for clinical drugs produced by the National Library of Medicine:

Brand names

  • Anturane

What works?

  • Medical adjuvant treatment to increase the patency of arteriovenous fistulae and grafts used for renal dialysis Medical adjuvant treatment to increase the patency of arteriovenous fistulae and grafts used for renal dialysis
    People with advanced kidney disease (end‐stage renal disease) need dialysis to perform kidney functions. In haemodialysis, blood is filtered through a machine. To allow a large enough passage for blood to flow between the person and the machine, an artery and a vein can be surgically joined (to form an arteriovenous fistula) or an artificial graft (a substitute for a vein) is used to join the artery to the vein. These access points might last for years but can become blocked or infected. The review of trials found that anti‐clotting drugs (anti‐platelet drugs like aspirin) can keep these dialysis access points clear, at least in the short term. The review authors found ten randomised controlled trials of anti‐platelet drugs such as ticlodipine, aspirin, dipyridimole and clopidogrel or anti‐thrombotic and other drug treatment used to prevent blockages in the artery and vein access points for dialysis. Three trials of aspirin that involved a total of 173 participants gave an overall result favouring treatment. The follow‐up time and the dosage of aspirin (325 mg/once daily; 500 mg/once daily; and 160 mg/once daily) were different in each of the trials. In three trials with a total 312 participants, ticlopidine (250 mg/twice daily) improved patency at one month compared with placebo (OR for loss of patency 0.47, range 0.26 to 0.85). Single trials involving from 16 to 36 participants compared dipyridimole, fish oil (4 g/daily), clopidogrel (75 mg/once daily) or sulfinpyrazone (a uricosuric drug) with placebo. Although the results favoured treatment the trials were small and single trials are insufficient to recommend use. One trial compared low dose warfarin with placebo. A total of 107 patients were followed for 37 months before the trial was terminated early because of major bleeding events in the treatment group. Some of the trials were from the 1970s and 80s. Most had a short follow‐up period so that any benefits in the longer term are not clear. Information given on complications of the treatments was limited.
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    Testing Treatments is a lively look at modern clinical research, and how everyone can get involved in using and improving research for better health care.

Conditions of interest

  • Gout
    Gout is a kind of arthritis that occurs when uric acid builds up in blood and causes joint inflammation.
  • Arthritis
    Arthritis is inflammation of one or more joints. A joint is the area where two bones meet. There are over 100 different types of arthritis.

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