What is the drug colchicine used for?
About colchicine Colchicine is a medicine for treating inflammation and pain. It can be used to: treat flare-ups (attacks) of gout. prevent increased flare-ups of gout when you first start on a medicine like allopurinol – taken to manage your condition long term.
What are the side effects of colchicine?
Diarrhea, nausea, cramping, abdominal pain, and vomiting may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly.
Is colchicine a steroid?
Colchicine is an anti-inflammatory, immuno modulating agent, which could potentially have a beneficial effect in the treatment of asthma as well as act as a steroid-sparing agent. Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of colchicine as an oral corticosteroid sparing agent for in the treatment of chronic asthma.
Is colchicine a painkiller?
Colchicine is not a pain reliever and cannot be used to treat pain that is not caused by gout or FMF. Colchicine is in a class of medications called anti-gout agents. It works by stopping the natural processes that cause swelling and other symptoms of gout and FMF.
Is colchicine bad for kidneys?
Colchicine is excreted renally and can accumulate to toxic levels in renal impairment. Colchicine is not contraindicated, but dose adjustment and close monitoring is suggested. Signs of toxicity include leukopenia, elevation of aspartate aminotransferase, and neuropathy.
Can you take colchicine everyday?
For prophylaxis of gout flares, the recommended dosage of colchicine capsules is 0.6 mg once or twice daily. The maximum dose is 1.2 mg per day. Colchicine capsules are administered orally, without regard to meals.
Is colchicine hard on your kidneys?
Colchicine is excreted renally and can accumulate to toxic levels in renal impairment.
Is there an alternative to colchicine?
ColciGel® is a first line agent in the treatment of acute gout flares and an alternative to oral colchicine in those patients who experience either adverse drug effects (ADRs) or who do not achieve suitable symptom relief.
Is colchicine still on the market?
How are Colcrys and colchicine available? Colcrys and colchicine are available as a scored tablet. Colchicine is also now available as a capsule. However, only the tablet may be automatically substituted for brand-name Colcrys at the pharmacy.
Can I take colchicine everyday?
Adults—0.6 milligram (mg) 1 or 2 times a day. Your doctor may increase your dose as needed and tolerated. However, the dose is usually not more than 1.2 mg per day. Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
Is colchicine bad for the heart?
Colchicine did not clearly increase the risk of total harms but colchicine increased the risk for gastrointestinal intolerance, which was typically described as mild and short-lived. We found no clear effects on strokes, heart failure, emergency hospitalisations or unplanned invasive cardiac treatments.
When to stop taking colchicine?
Stop taking this medicine as soon as the pain is relieved or at the first sign of nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, or diarrhea. Also, stop taking colchicine when you have taken the largest amount that your doctor ordered for each attack, even if the pain is not relieved or none of these side effects occurs.
Does colchicine interact with other medications?
Other cardiovascular medications that have the potential to interact with colchicine include: amiodarone, dronedarone, digoxin, ranolazine, and warfarin.
When to take colchicine?
When colchicine is used to prevent gout attacks or to treat FMF , it is usually taken once or twice a day. When colchicine ( Colcrys ) is used to relieve the pain of a gout attack, one dose is usually taken at the first sign of pain and a second, smaller dose is usually taken one hour later.
What you should know about colchicine?
Colchicine is a medicine that is used to relieve the symptoms of gout. It is thought to work by blocking how our immune system responds to the presence of urate crystals in synovial fluid (the fluid between our joints). Colchicine may also reduce the effect of other inflammatory substances.