How to take colchicine for acute gout?

Uric acid is commonly found in urine. However, a marked increase in uric acid in your bloodstream may cause conditions like gout. This is an inflammatory condition; it is known affect your joints. Hyperuricemia – excessive uric acid – is considered as one of the triggers. The likely reasons for incidence of gout include genetics, type of diet among other things. Colchicine is one of the widely prescribed drugs for the treatment of gout. But, do you know how to take colchicine for acute gout? It is worth your while to have more inputs.

Crystals of uric acid accumulate in tendons as well as joints. Onset of gout is a direct outcome of a build-up of these crystals.  If you drink beer regularly or eat foods rich in purines, you tend to see a spike in uric acid. Pain shows up in a rapid manner, and may reach highest level in 11 hours’ time. Gout is known to affect nearly 1.5% of grown-up people.

Caregivers prescribe drugs such as glucocorticoids, NSAIDs to treat this condition.Intake of vitamin C supplements is also effective in preventing gout. Your caregiver may recommend a few changes to your daily diet. In order to treat the symptoms of acute gout, meds like colchicine are used.

How to take colchicine for acute gout?

This medication is prescribed for the treatment of conditions like Behcet’s disease as well as gout. The former shows up as sores (quite painful) on mucus of your oral parts, eyes and a few other parts. Gout is a form of arthritis, marked by swelling of your joints.

Colchicine is given to people who are allergic to NSAIDs like ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen. It is a vital thing to tell your doctor if you cannot tolerate NSAIDs well. Colchicine is an alternative when you have hypersensitivity to NSAIDs.

At lower dosage forms – of 1 mg – colchicine is tolerated well. Its key chemicals are known to manage the signs of gout. However, at higher dosages, colchicine may cause adverse reactions; these include vomiting, being nauseated or discharge of loose stools. Hence, high doses of this med are to be avoided.

When signs of gout appear, colchicine is taken through oral route. You can take these doses either before or after food. If signs get worse, more doses are administered. There is clinical evidence for daily intake of colchicine (at doses of 0.6 mg twice per day) along with allopurinol can bring down the quantum of uric acid.

How long to take colchicine for acute gout?

Usual dosage is 500 micrograms of colchicine thrice within 24 hours. Maximum level of dosing must never exceed 2.5 mg in the first day of treatment. Total dosing must not exceed 4 mg within 72 hours. Ensure that you are not taking any more doses of this med for at least 4 succeeding days. If you have taken an intravenous form of colchicine, never administer another dose (either as an injection or a pill) for 8 succeeding days.
In essence, not more than 6 mg of dosing is taken during the medication plan. Intervals between doses are important to avoid toxicity due to an overdose. In this light, it is a key thing to note that you must start the medication within 30 hours of sensing signs of gout.

Colchicine takes nearly 22 hours’ time to start functioning. Owing to this delayed action, other alternatives are preferred by caregiving professionals / pharmacist.

Last but not least, colchicine needs to be taken as per your caregiver’s instructions. Intake of added doses may lead to near-fatal side effects. If you wish to know more about how to take colchicine for acute gout, it is highly recommended to talk to your treating doctor. It is a safer thing to collect all needful inputs prior to commencing your treatment plan for acute gout.

Disclaimer

Information provided here are only of supplementary nature. Information shared here does not substitute a qualified doctor’s advice. This website is not suggesting intake of this drug as safe or appropriate. Hence it is advised to talk to your doctor before consuming this med or any other drug.