Common use

Colcrys is used as an oral drug in treatment of severe gout and familial Mediterranean fever. Colchicin as the main chemical substance helps to suppress inflammation evoked by gout. It is prescribed for treating acute flares of gout. Sometimes it can be prescribed to treat amyloidosis, pseudogout and scleroderma.



Dosage and direction

The recommended dosage of the medication is 1.2 mg usually followed by 0.6 mg one hour later. Preventive measures allow you to take 0.6 mg once or twice within day. The drug must be used by patients who are over 16 years old. The dosage should be defined by a doctor depending on your health condition, age etc. The amount of medication must be decreased should you experience some side effects.



Precautions

Patients of advanced age should take the tablets with special attention. Alcohol can reduce the effectiveness of the medications, thus you should refuse alcohol while treatment. Pregnant girls and breast-feeding mothers should use the tablets cautiously. Discuss all risks and benefits with your general practitioner. If you have experienced severe side effects you should stop taking the drug and refer to a specialist. If you are treated with Colcrys for a long period of time the blood must be regularly tested on a professional basis.



Contraindications

The use of this medication is prohibited if you are allergic to colchicines. Any liver or kidney diseases are considered to be the contraindications. Your doctor should know whether you have any heart diseases, chronic stomach ulcer or ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, constant intestinal bleeding or some other gastrointestinal disorders.



Possible side effect

Possible side effects include: severe nausea, persistent vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. These are the common negative influences. Colcrys can also provoke hair loss, weakness, nerve irritation, severe anemia, low white blood counts and low platelets. Muscle pain is also one of the widespread side influences of this drug. Consult your doctor at once if you have faced these negative side effects.



Drug interaction

Some drugs can reduce elimination of Colchicine substances from the organism and interact with them. The dosage must be decreased if this drug is prescribed with other medications reducing its elimination. Here are some substances which interact with the medicine under consideration: Reyataz, Biaxin, indinavir, Kaletra, Viracept, Sporanox, telithromycin, Norvir, Invirase, Agenerase, Cardizem, erythromycin, Emend, Diflucan, grapefruit juice, verapamil, Lexiva, cyclosporine and ranolazine.



Missed dose

If you have missed a dose, forget about it and resume your precise dosing. Never use a doubled dose which can sometimes lead to severe overdose.



Overdose

You should visit the nearest poison control centre or corresponding emergency room as soon as possible in any cases of overdose. Some symptoms of strong overdose can be similar to severe side effects. Refer to professional medical help at once suspecting overdose.



Storage

Colchicine should be placed in a safe place with temperature between 20 and 25 C. Keep the tablets in its package away from small children, moisture, constant heat and direct sunlight.



Disclaimer

We provide only general information about medications which does not cover all directions, possible drug integrations, or precautions. Information at the site cannot be used for self-treatment and self-diagnosis. Any specific instructions for a particular patient should be agreed with your health care adviser or doctor in charge of the case. We disclaim reliability of this information and mistakes it could contain. We are not responsible for any direct, indirect, special or other indirect damage as a result of any use of the information on this site and also for consequences of self-treatment.