Dear Dorothy,

Thank you for your question.

“It is my understanding that several years ago Guaifensesin was suggested by doctors for gout. It seems it would be safer than some of the drugs suggested these days and am wondering if you have information on its use and the protocol for helping with gout.”
Answer:
It has been documented that guaifenesin does have some uricosuric affect. However, it may have a very mild effect, and would probably require a very large dose to work as well as the traditional urate lowering agents such as allopurinal, and probenecid. It is also not fda approved to treat gout. Also, the dose it would require for human use would be much higher than the fda maximum dose limit for guaifenesin. However, there are several off-label uses for guaifenesin that you may want to look into.
Thank you
Dave Rubitsky, R.Ph