A Remedy For Gout

Colchicine is used to prevent or treat attacks of gout (also called gouty arthritis) and to prevent recurrent acute attacks

People with gout have too much uric acid in their blood and joints. An attack of gout occurs when uric acid causes inflammation (pain, redness, swelling, and heat) in a joint. Colchicine does not cure gout or take the place of other medicines that lower the amount of uric acid in the body. It prevents or relieves gout attacks by reducing inflammation

• Pseudogout
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Colchicine is not an analgesic, though it relieves pain in acute attacks of gout. It is not a uricosuric agent and will not prevent progression of gout to chronic gouty arthritis. It does have a prophylactic, suppressive effect that helps to reduce the incidence of acute attacks and to relieve the residual pain and mild discomfort that patients with gout occasionally feel.

However the exact mechanism of action of colchicine in gout is not completely known, but it involves

• a reduction in lactic acid production by leukocytes, which results in a decrease
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Colchicine is administered orally.

For Acute Gouty Arthritis - The usual Colchicine dose to relieve or abort an attack is 1 to 1.2 mg

The total amount of Colchicine needed to control pain and inflammation during an attack usually ranges from 4 to 8 mg. Articular pain and swelling typically abate within 12 hours and are usually gone in 24 to 48 hours, An interval of three days between Colchicine courses is advised in order to minimize the possibility of cumulative toxicity.

If corticotropin (ACTH)

Drink plenty of fluids (at least 3 quarts) every day.

Colchicine can be taken with milk. Avoid herbal teas that are promoted as beneficial for arthritis. Caffeine (coffee, tea, cola, chocolate) decreases the drugs effect. There is no interaction with alcohol. However, alcohol increases the risk of GI irritation and bleeding and also raises uric acid levels which could interfere with gout management.

An interaction generally means that one drug may increase or decrease the effect of another drug. Also, the more medications a person takes, the more likely there

Most important fact about Colchicine

• Notify your doctor if you experience a skin rash; a sore throat; a fever; unusual bleeding, bruising, tiredness, or weakness; or numbness or tingling. These symptoms could be early signs of a serious side effect.
• If you are taking Colchicine to treat an acute attack of gout, therapy should be stopped as soon as the pain is relieved, when the maximum amount of medicine has been taken, or at the first sign of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain.

Special precautions

Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with Colchicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.

• Rash
• Diarrhea
• Decreased production of blood cells by the bone marrow (bone marrow suppression)
• Bleeding from the stomach
• Damage to the liver
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