Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsIndicationsMechanism of ActionDosagesSide EffectsConsiderations and Contraindications
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Indications
Mechanism of Action
Dosages
Side Effects
Considerations and Contraindications
Colchicine is a prescription medication available under the brand name Colcrys or in generic form. Colchicine is a preferred treatment for gouty arthritis and is derived from the dried seeds ofColchicum autumnale(also known as the autumn crocus or meadow saffron).
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Indications for Using Colchicine
The use ofC. autumnalealkaloids for thetreatment of goutdates back to 1810. The medicinal value of colchicum was reported back in the first century A.D. Colchicine can be used to manage conditions other thangout, including:
While colchicine has potent anti-inflammatory properties, its efficacy in treating pain other than gout is limited. Colchicine is not consideredanalgesic(pain-relieving) and does nothing to alter highuric acidlevels associated with gout.
Colchicine is only started in someone gout patients when they have two or more attacks per year. The starting dose is two tabs of 0.6 mg colchicine tabs daily; this continues while titrating uric acid-lowering therapy with Uloric or allopurinol. Colchicine with uric acid-lowering therapy is continued until uric acid is below 6.0. For acute flares coclchine may be increased to three tablets a day for a few days; if there is GI discomfort, the daily dose may be decreased to one tab daily.
The drug should be stopped if there is gastrointestinal discomfort or diarrhea.
Gout Prevention
Colchicine is also recommended for regular use between attacks for prophylactic (preventive) therapy.
In people who have less than one gout attack per year, the usual dose is 0.5 or 0.6 mg per day, three or four days a week. For those who have more than one attack per year, the usual dose is 0.5 or 0.6 mg daily. Severe cases may require two or three 0.5 mg or 0.6 mg tablets daily.
While colchicine is reserved for use in adults with acute gout flares, it can be used prophylactically in adolescents 16 and over. Its only approved use in children is for the treatment offamilial Mediterranean fever(FMF).
Adverse reactions can occur with colchicine use and it’s important for you to be aware of that potential.Bone marrowdepression, with aplastic anemia, with agranulocytosis, or with thrombocytopenia may occur in people receiving long-term therapy.
Other possible adverse reactions include:
Vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea areside effectsthat may occur with colchicine therapy, especially when the maximum doses are prescribed. To decrease side effects, colchicine may be taken with food.
Considerations and Contraindications for Taking Colchicine
Pregnant women must weigh the risks and benefits of colchicine use. Colchicine should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. Colchicine can arrest cell division, so it may be a significant risk to take the drug while pregnant. Caution should also be exercised when colchicine is administered to a woman who is nursing.
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Treating Gout
13 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Colchicine.Unverdi S, Inal S, Ceri M, et al.Is colchicine therapy effective in all patients with secondary amyloidosis?. Ren Fail. 2013;35(8):1071-4. doi:10.3109/0886022X.2013.811345Nair JR, Moots RJ.Behcet’s disease. Clin Med (Lond). 2017;17(1):71-77. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.17-1-71Silvers DN, Juhlin EA, Berczeller PH, Mcsorley J.Treatment of dermatitis herpetiformis with colchicine. Arch Dermatol.Sönmez HE, Batu ED, Özen S.Familial Mediterranean fever: current perspectives. J Inflamm Res. 2016;9:13-20. doi:10.2147/JIR.S91352Theodors A, Askari AD, Wieland RG.Colchicine in the treatment of Paget disease of bone: a new therapeutic approach. Clin Ther.Alabed S, Cabello JB, Irving GJ, Qintar M, Burls A.Colchicine for pericarditis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;(8):CD010652. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010652.pub2.Macmullan P, Mccarthy G.Treatment and management of pseudogout: insights for the clinician. Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2012;4(2):121-31. doi:10.1177/1759720X11432559Engel B, Just J, Bleckwenn M, Weckbecker K.Treatment Options for Gout. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2017;114(13):215-222. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2017.0215Sadiq NM, Robinson KJ, Terrell JM.Colchicine. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Altiparmak MR, Pamuk ON, Pamuk GE, Hamuryudan V, Ataman R, Serdengecti K.Colchicine neuromyopathy: a report of six cases. Clin Exp Rheumatol.Ding J, Shang X, Zhang Z, et al. FDA-approved medications that impair human spermatogenesis. Oncotarget. 2017;8(6):10714-10725. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.12956Indraratna PL, Virk S, Gurram D, Day RO.Use of colchicine in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2018;57(2):382-387. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kex353Additional ReadingColchicine. RxList. The Internet Drug Index.Kelley’s Textbook of Rheumatology. Elsevier. Ninth edition. Chapter 95: Clinical Features and Treatment of Gout - Colchicine.Colcrys.Colchicine. MedlinePlus.
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Colchicine.Unverdi S, Inal S, Ceri M, et al.Is colchicine therapy effective in all patients with secondary amyloidosis?. Ren Fail. 2013;35(8):1071-4. doi:10.3109/0886022X.2013.811345Nair JR, Moots RJ.Behcet’s disease. Clin Med (Lond). 2017;17(1):71-77. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.17-1-71Silvers DN, Juhlin EA, Berczeller PH, Mcsorley J.Treatment of dermatitis herpetiformis with colchicine. Arch Dermatol.Sönmez HE, Batu ED, Özen S.Familial Mediterranean fever: current perspectives. J Inflamm Res. 2016;9:13-20. doi:10.2147/JIR.S91352Theodors A, Askari AD, Wieland RG.Colchicine in the treatment of Paget disease of bone: a new therapeutic approach. Clin Ther.Alabed S, Cabello JB, Irving GJ, Qintar M, Burls A.Colchicine for pericarditis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;(8):CD010652. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010652.pub2.Macmullan P, Mccarthy G.Treatment and management of pseudogout: insights for the clinician. Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2012;4(2):121-31. doi:10.1177/1759720X11432559Engel B, Just J, Bleckwenn M, Weckbecker K.Treatment Options for Gout. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2017;114(13):215-222. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2017.0215Sadiq NM, Robinson KJ, Terrell JM.Colchicine. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Altiparmak MR, Pamuk ON, Pamuk GE, Hamuryudan V, Ataman R, Serdengecti K.Colchicine neuromyopathy: a report of six cases. Clin Exp Rheumatol.Ding J, Shang X, Zhang Z, et al. FDA-approved medications that impair human spermatogenesis. Oncotarget. 2017;8(6):10714-10725. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.12956Indraratna PL, Virk S, Gurram D, Day RO.Use of colchicine in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2018;57(2):382-387. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kex353Additional ReadingColchicine. RxList. The Internet Drug Index.Kelley’s Textbook of Rheumatology. Elsevier. Ninth edition. Chapter 95: Clinical Features and Treatment of Gout - Colchicine.Colcrys.Colchicine. MedlinePlus.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Colchicine.Unverdi S, Inal S, Ceri M, et al.Is colchicine therapy effective in all patients with secondary amyloidosis?. Ren Fail. 2013;35(8):1071-4. doi:10.3109/0886022X.2013.811345Nair JR, Moots RJ.Behcet’s disease. Clin Med (Lond). 2017;17(1):71-77. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.17-1-71Silvers DN, Juhlin EA, Berczeller PH, Mcsorley J.Treatment of dermatitis herpetiformis with colchicine. Arch Dermatol.Sönmez HE, Batu ED, Özen S.Familial Mediterranean fever: current perspectives. J Inflamm Res. 2016;9:13-20. doi:10.2147/JIR.S91352Theodors A, Askari AD, Wieland RG.Colchicine in the treatment of Paget disease of bone: a new therapeutic approach. Clin Ther.Alabed S, Cabello JB, Irving GJ, Qintar M, Burls A.Colchicine for pericarditis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;(8):CD010652. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010652.pub2.Macmullan P, Mccarthy G.Treatment and management of pseudogout: insights for the clinician. Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2012;4(2):121-31. doi:10.1177/1759720X11432559Engel B, Just J, Bleckwenn M, Weckbecker K.Treatment Options for Gout. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2017;114(13):215-222. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2017.0215Sadiq NM, Robinson KJ, Terrell JM.Colchicine. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Altiparmak MR, Pamuk ON, Pamuk GE, Hamuryudan V, Ataman R, Serdengecti K.Colchicine neuromyopathy: a report of six cases. Clin Exp Rheumatol.Ding J, Shang X, Zhang Z, et al. FDA-approved medications that impair human spermatogenesis. Oncotarget. 2017;8(6):10714-10725. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.12956Indraratna PL, Virk S, Gurram D, Day RO.Use of colchicine in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2018;57(2):382-387. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kex353
LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Colchicine.
Unverdi S, Inal S, Ceri M, et al.Is colchicine therapy effective in all patients with secondary amyloidosis?. Ren Fail. 2013;35(8):1071-4. doi:10.3109/0886022X.2013.811345
Nair JR, Moots RJ.Behcet’s disease. Clin Med (Lond). 2017;17(1):71-77. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.17-1-71
Silvers DN, Juhlin EA, Berczeller PH, Mcsorley J.Treatment of dermatitis herpetiformis with colchicine. Arch Dermatol.
Sönmez HE, Batu ED, Özen S.Familial Mediterranean fever: current perspectives. J Inflamm Res. 2016;9:13-20. doi:10.2147/JIR.S91352
Theodors A, Askari AD, Wieland RG.Colchicine in the treatment of Paget disease of bone: a new therapeutic approach. Clin Ther.
Alabed S, Cabello JB, Irving GJ, Qintar M, Burls A.Colchicine for pericarditis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;(8):CD010652. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010652.pub2.
Macmullan P, Mccarthy G.Treatment and management of pseudogout: insights for the clinician. Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2012;4(2):121-31. doi:10.1177/1759720X11432559
Engel B, Just J, Bleckwenn M, Weckbecker K.Treatment Options for Gout. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2017;114(13):215-222. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2017.0215
Sadiq NM, Robinson KJ, Terrell JM.Colchicine. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.
Altiparmak MR, Pamuk ON, Pamuk GE, Hamuryudan V, Ataman R, Serdengecti K.Colchicine neuromyopathy: a report of six cases. Clin Exp Rheumatol.
Ding J, Shang X, Zhang Z, et al. FDA-approved medications that impair human spermatogenesis. Oncotarget. 2017;8(6):10714-10725. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.12956
Indraratna PL, Virk S, Gurram D, Day RO.Use of colchicine in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2018;57(2):382-387. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kex353
Colchicine. RxList. The Internet Drug Index.Kelley’s Textbook of Rheumatology. Elsevier. Ninth edition. Chapter 95: Clinical Features and Treatment of Gout - Colchicine.Colcrys.Colchicine. MedlinePlus.
Colchicine. RxList. The Internet Drug Index.
Kelley’s Textbook of Rheumatology. Elsevier. Ninth edition. Chapter 95: Clinical Features and Treatment of Gout - Colchicine.
Colcrys.
Colchicine. MedlinePlus.
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