I feel for you. As a long time gout king I know what you are going through. Sticking with allopurinol is hard for the first two years because any attack is made worse by the drug. My advice is to stick with it until you are better and then stay on it for good. I held out for as long as I could before starting on it but I haven't got a clue as to why, I gave up sport, every time I tried to do something I would think about a gout attack and whether it would inconvenience me too much etc etc. Forget all the herbal stuff and get a consultant to get the prescription pad out. I did 400mg a day for a year, now on 300. Doc considering dropping me to 100 cos hardly any uric acid to be found in me at all (alright with me). Got a life now. Best of luck.