All drug medications have essential information which you need to know, study and remember so that when you start taking them, you’ll exactly what to do and ensure your rapid recovery. In this article we shall be discussing some of the most essential features of colchicine that we ought to know and keep in reserve for later use. Among others we shall consider pertinent information about drug prescriptions, usage, precautions, dosage, brand names and more. Read on for more details.

Brand and generic names

The generic name for this drug medication is colchicine. The brand names are Colcrys (tablet form) Mitigara (capsule form) and Gloperba (liquid form).

Why is prescription necessary for colchicine?

Sudden attacks of gout in adults, a severe pain that can take place in one or two joints, caused by unusually high levels of uric acid in the blood, are treated with colchicine.

Colchicine (Colcrys) is also used to lessen the pain of gout attacks when they actually take place. In addition the drug medication is also used for treating familial Mediterranean fever (FMF).

This is an inherited condition inherited from parents which the newly born child possesses from birth. The sickness usually manifests itself in adults and children 4 years old and over and causes pain, fever, swelling of the upper stomach area, joints and lungs.

Colchicine is not used as a treatment for relieving pain and should not be used to relieve pain that’s not caused by gout or FMF.

This drug medication is classified under a group of medications known as anti-gout agents and it works by terminating natural processes that cause swelling and other symptoms of gout and FMF.

The proper way for using colchicine

In this article we shall focus on the tablet form (Colcrys) and liquid from (Gloperba) of this drug medication, colchicine. Both of these versions of colchicine can be taken by mouth with or without food.

When colchicine in liquid form (Gloperba) is used for the prevention of gout attacks or as treatment for FMF, the normal practice is that of taking the prescribed dose once or twice per day.

When colchicine in tablet form (Colcrys) is used for relieving pain caused by the gout attack, a first dose is taken at the very first sign of a gout attack followed by another lesser dose an hour later.

Should you not experience any relief from this treatment or you experience another gout attack within several days of the first flare, you should talk to your doctor before taking more doses of the drug medication.

When you receive your prescribed medication you should carefully follow the instructions given on the prescription label. You should also ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain anything on it which you don’t understand.

Take your medication precisely as directed and abstain from taking more or less or more often than the amount and time which your doctor has directed you to do.

Measuring your dose

When you are measuring your prescribed dose, it’s important to make sure you use the right measuring device. Use an oral syringe as your measuring device.

You should avoid using an ordinary household spoon as it will not give you the right measurement.

If you take colchicine in tablet form (Colcrys) for treating FMF, your doctor may start your dose at a low level and gradually increase your dose as he/she sees fit. He may also decrease your dose if you experience any side effects.

If you experience a new outbreak of gout flare while you are taking your treatment against an existing gout attack, you should immediately call your doctor and tell him what is happening.

It’s possible that you doctor may tell you to take an extra dose of colchicine followed by another lesser dose one hour later. Remember though that if you do take these extra doses of this drug treatment, for treating another gout attack, you should avoid taking your next dose of colchicine.

You should wait until 12 hours have gone by since you took the extra doses.

It’s very important for you to know that colchicine can only prevent gout attacks and control FMF if you take the drug treatment. You shouldn’t stop taking colchicine without first telling your doctor.

Colchicine may be prescribed for other uses but you need to ask your doctor for more pertinent information on this subject.

What special precautions should I follow?

It’s essential that before you take colchicine you should:

  • inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to colchicine, other medications or any of the ingredients found in colchicine tablets or solution. You can ask your doctor or check the list of ingredients in colchicine in the medication guide.
  • tell your doctor or pharmacist what other prescribed and non-prescribed medications, vitamins, nutritional products or herbal supplements you are taking. You should mention any of the following:
    • antibiotics such as azithromycin, clarithromycin, erythromycin and telithromycin
    • antifungals such as fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole and posaconazole
    • aprepitant (Emend)
    • statins such as atorvastatin, fluvastatin, ovastatin, pravastatin and simvastatin
    • cyclosporine (GenGraf, Neoral, Sandimmune)
    • digoxin (Digitek, Lanoxin)
    • diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor, Tiazac and others)
    • fibrates such as bezafibrate, fenofibrate (Antara, Lipofen), and gemfiborzil (Lopid)
    • HIV or AIDS medications such as amprenavir, atazanavir, fosamprenavir, indinavir, nelfinavire, ritonavir and saquinavir
    • nefazodone
    • ranolazine
    • verapamil

Your doctor may have to change the dosage of your medications or monitor your condition to look out for side effects.

There are also many other medications that may interact with colchicine so make sure to tell your doctor and pharmacist the type of medications you are taking, including those that do not appear on the prescription list.

  • You should tell your doctor if you have or if you’ve ever had kidney or liver disease. It’s likely that your doctor may tell you not to take colchicine if you are also taking other medications or if you suffer from liver or kidney disease.
  • You must tell your doctor if you are pregnant or you are breastfeeding your child. Call your doctor if you do become pregnant while you are on colchicine.

Bottom line

There are many types of information available on the different kinds of drug medications such as colchicine. Only your doctor and pharmacist are fully qualified to use the available information for coming up with the best dosage that will effectively address your health condition. All you need to do is use the treatment as directed by your doctor or pharmacist so that your gout flares and familial Mediterranean fever may be successfully treated with the right amount of medicinal dose.