Colchicine is a medication used for the following purposes:
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Preventing Gout Attacks: Gout is a condition characterized by sudden, severe pain in one or more joints caused by abnormally high levels of uric acid in the blood. Colchicine is used to prevent gout attacks and relieve the pain of gout attacks when they occur.
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Treating Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF): This is an inherited inflammatory condition that causes episodes of fever, pain, and swelling of the stomach area, lungs, and joints. Colchicine is used to treat FMF in both adults and children 4 years of age and older.
Colchicine is in a class of medications called anti-gout agents and works by stopping the natural processes that cause swelling and other symptoms of gout and FMF.
How to Use Colchicine
- It comes as a tablet and solution to take by mouth with or without food.
- When used to prevent gout attacks or to treat FMF, it is usually taken once or twice a day.
- When 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.
Side Effects
- Common side effects include diarrhea, stomach cramps or pain.
- Serious side effects may include muscle pain or weakness, numbness or tingling in the fingers or toes.
- Colchicine may rarely cause serious muscle damage (rhabdomyolysis) and decrease sperm production in males.
Important Considerations
- Its important to stick to the prescribed dose as taking even a little bit more can be very serious.
- Avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice while taking colchicine as it can increase the amount of colchicine in your body.
- Drinking too much alcohol can increase the level of uric acid in your blood, which could make gout worse.
Colchicine is available on prescription and should be used only as directed by a healthcare professional.
