What is colchicine used to treat?
What is colchicine used to treat?
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.
Is colchicine an anti inflammatory drug?
Abstract. Colchicine is an ancient medication that is currently approved for the treatment of gout and FMF. However, colchicine has a wide range of anti-inflammatory activities, and studies indicate that it may be beneficial in a variety of other conditions.
What kind of plant is colchicine made from?
Colchicine (kol’ chi seen) is an ancient medication that has been used for the treatment of gout for centuries. Colchicine is a plant alkaloid derived from several members of the lily family, including meadow saffron or autumn crocus (originally found in the district of Colchis and called colchicum).
What kind of pain can colchicine be used for?
Colchicine is also used to treat familial Mediterranean fever (FMF; an inborn condition that causes episodes of fever, pain, and swelling of the stomach area, lungs, and joints) in adults and children 4 years of age and older. Colchicine is not a pain reliever and cannot be used to treat pain that is not caused by gout or FMF.
When was colchicine first used in the UK?
Colchicine. Colchicine, in the form of the autumn crocus, has been used as early as 1500 BC to treat joint swelling. It was approved for medical use in the United States in 1961. It is avaliable as a generic medication in the United Kingdom where a month supply costs the NHS about 7.27 £ as of 2019.
What are the side effects of colchicine in adults?
Colchicine affects the way the body responds to uric acid crystals, which reduces swelling and pain. The Colcrys brand of colchicine is FDA-approved to treat or prevent gout in adults, and to treat a genetic condition called Familial Mediterranean Fever in adults and children who are at least 4 years old.
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.
How often can I take colchicine?
Colchicine is taken to ease the pain of a gout attack. Take one tablet 2-4 times a day until the pain eases, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. Do not take more than 12 tablets during any one attack.
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.