COLCHICINE

(KOL chi seen) Brand: Colcrys

What is the most significant information I must know about colchicine?

• Because colchicine was developed prior to federal regulations requiring FDA review of all marketed drug commodity, not all uses for colchicine have been authorized by the FDA. As of 2009, Colcrys is the only brand of colchicine that has been authorized by the FDA.

• You must not use this medicine if you are allergic to colchicine. Do not take colchicine if you have liver or kidney malady and are also taking any of the medications listed adown under "What another drugs can affect colchicine."

• Till taking colchicine, speak your doctor if you have liver or kidney malady, heart malady, a stomach ulcer, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's malady, intestinal bleeding, or any another severe gastrointestinal disorder.

• If you take colchicine over a long period of time, your blood may need to be tested on a regular basis. Do not miss any scheduled appointments.

• Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as muscle pain or weakness, numbness or tingly feeling in your fingers or toes, severe vomiting or diarrhea, light bruising or bleeding, feeling weak or weary, flu symptoms, blood in your urine, urinating smaller than normal or not at all, or a pale or gray appearance of your lips, tongue, or hands.

What is colchicine?

• 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 gout in adults, and to treat a genetic condition called Familial Mediterranean Fever in adults and children who are at least 4 years old.

• Generic forms of colchicine have been used to treat or prevent attacks of gout, or to treat symptoms of Behcets syndrome (such as swelling, redness, warmth, and pain).

• Colchicine is not a cure for gouty arthritis or Behcets syndrome, and it will not prevent these illness from progressing. Colchicine must not be used as a routine pain medicine for another conditions.

• Colchicine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medicine guide.

What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till taking colchicine?

• To create certain you can safely take colchicine, speak your doctor if you have any of these another conditions:

· liver disease;

· kidney disease;

· heart disease;

· a stomach ulcer or severe gastrointestinal disorder;

· ulcerative colitis;

· Crohn's malady; or

· intestinal bleeding or another disorder.

• FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether colchicine will harm an unborn child. Speak your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using this medication.

• It is not known whether colchicine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing child. Do not use this medicine without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How must I take colchicine?

• If your doctor has predesigned the Colcrys brand of colchicine, do not use any another type or brand of the medicine. Colcrys is the only brand of colchicine that has been authorized by the FDA. If you use a generic brand of colchicine, you may be using an unapproved doze of this medicine, which could be dangerous. Do not purchase colchicine on the Internet or from vendors external of the United States. Using this medicine improperly or without the advice of a doctor can result in serious side effects or death.

• Take exactly as predesigned by your doctor. Do not take in larger or less amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

• Colchicine can be taken with or without food.

• To treat a gout onslaught, for excellent results take colchicine at the first sign of the onslaught. The longer you wait to start taking the medicine, the smaller effective it may be.

• You may need to take a second lower doze of colchicine 1 hour after the first doze if you still have gout pain. Follow your doctor's instructions.

• Your doze will depend on the cause you are taking this medicine. Colchicine doses for gout and Mediterranean fever are different.

• If you use this medicine over a long period of time, your blood may need to be tested on a regular basis. Do not miss any scheduled appointments.

• Hold using colchicine as directed, even if you feel well. Speak your doctor if the medication seems to stop working as well in preventing gout attacks. Do not stop using colchicine without first talking to your doctor.

• Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and easy. Hold the bottle tightly closed when not in use.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Take the missed doze as soon as you remember. Skip the missed doze if it is nearly time for your following scheduled doze. Do not take extra medication to create up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

• Search abnormal medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. An overdose of colchicine can be fatal.

• Overdose symptoms may include diarrhea (may be bloody and severe), nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, heartburn, a burning feeling in your throat or stomach, muscle weakness, urinating smaller than normal, numbness or tingling, fainting, or seizure (convulsions).

What must I avoid while taking colchicine?

• Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with colchicine and lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit commodity with your doctor.

What are the possible side effects of colchicine?

• Get abnormal medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your person, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

· muscle pain or weakness;

· numbness or tingly feeling in your fingers or toes;

· pale or gray appearance of your lips, tongue, or hands;

· severe vomiting or diarrhea;

· light bruising or bleeding, feeling weak or tired;

· fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms;

· blood in your urine; or

· urinating smaller than normal or not at all.

• Smaller serious side effects may include:

· mild nausea or vomiting, stomach pain; or

· mild diarrhea.

• This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may message side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What another drugs will affect colchicine?

• Colchicine can interact with determined another drugs. A colchicine drug interaction can be fatal. Speak your doctor about all another medications you use, especially:

· conivaptan (Vaprisol);

· digoxin (Lanoxin, digitalis);

· imatinib (Gleevec);

· isoniazid (for treating tuberculosis);

· an antidepressant such as nefazodone;

· an antibiotic such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin, Pediazole), or telithromycin (Ketek);

· antifungal medicine such as itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), miconazole (Oravig), or voriconazole (Vfend);

· cholesterol-lowering medicines such as atorvastatin (Lipitor), fenofibrate (Antara, Lipofen, TriCor), fluvastatin (Lescol), gemfibrozil (Lopid), lovastatin (Mevacor, Altoprev, Advicor), pravastatin (Pravachol), simvastatin (Zocor, Simcor, Vytorin), and others;

· heart or blood pressure medicine such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), diltiazem (Cartia, Cardizem), felodipine (Plendil), nicardipine (Cardene), nifedipine (Nifedical, Procardia), quinidine (Quin-G), reserpine, verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan), and others;

· HIV or AIDS medicine such as atazanavir (Reyataz), darunavir (Prezista), delavirdine (Rescriptor), fosamprenavir (Lexiva), indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), saquinavir (Invirase), ritonavir (Kaletra, Norvir), tipranavir (Aptivus); or

· medicines used to prevent organ transplant rejection, such as cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune), sirolimus (Rapamune), or tacrolimus (Prograf).

• This list is not complete and there may be another drugs that can interact with colchicine. Speak your doctor about all your prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, minerals, herbal commodity, and drugs predesigned by another doctors. Do not start a new medicine without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about colchicine.

Remember, hold this and all another medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medicine only for the indication prescribed.

Disclaim: Each effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses external of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way must be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safety, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the help of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

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