I have been taking allopurinol for 1 week. i now have a gout attack. can i take colchicine as well? i

Yes: You should never be started on Allopurinol alone as it commonly can precitpitate gout early in the treatment. Always take Colchicine 1 tab daily with it until your serum uric acid level is stable at 6 mg/dl or less. Hold Allopurinol during the acute attack and treat the attack either with Prednisone or nsaids. Colchicine is not my first choice for acute attacks.

Wrong order!: Taking Allopurinol during an attack will worsen and prolong it. My regimen is this: establish diagnosis. You can start an nsaid, inject the affected joint(s) with steroids, start colchicine, bid is adequate with the other meds. After three days start Allopurinol 100mg x 1wk, 200mg x 1wk, and then the full dose. The cochicine can be cut back to once daily.