[Margaret Pilkington]

Yes, allopurinol is usually the drug used to reduce the formation of crystals.
Foods to avoid are liver...and other offal, marmite, anything fermented with yeast(so beer is out but whisky is OK or at least that is what the physician Dr Lyons used to tell his patients)....game is off the menu too...seafood and oily fish should be avoided too.
Avoid mushrooms, beans and lentils,asparagus and cauliflower as these have higher levels of purines...the stuff that causes the crystals to form in the joint.
And Micheal is right Natural cherry juice(not Cherry B) does seem to have beneficial effects, though I am not sure if drinking this will alleviate your current pain....DtheP is also right about staying well hydrated.

You can take paracetamol and nurofen(or something like that) together because they have different modes of action....and the best way to take them is regularly...not wait until the pain gets severe.
Sometimes steroids are used to damp down the inflammation.