Can colchicine cause nerve damage?

Asked by: Kathy Martinez

Colchicine has been in use for therapeutic purposes for many years. It can, however, cause subacute onset muscle and peripheral nerve toxicity in patients with chronic renal failure. In this report we describe 6 patients who developed neuromyopathy after the administration of colchicine.

Can medication give you nerve damage?

Neuropathy is injury to the peripheral nerves. These are nerves that are not in the brain or spinal cord. Neuropathy secondary to drugs is a loss of sensation or movement in a part of the body due to nerve damage from taking a certain medicine or combination of medicines.

Can colchicine cause numbness?

Stop taking this medication and get medical help right away if any of these very serious side effects occur: unusual bleeding/bruising, severe diarrhea or vomiting, muscle weakness or pain, numbness/tingling in your fingers or toes, pale or gray color of the lips/tongue/palms of hands, signs of infection (such as fever …

What are the side effects of colchicine?

Side Effects

• Black, tarry stools.
• blood in the urine or stools.
• burning, “crawling”, or tingling feeling in the skin.
• difficulty with breathing when exercising.
• fever with or without chills.
• large, hive-like swellings on the face, eyelids, mouth, lips, or tongue.
• muscle weakness.
• numbness in the fingers or toes (usually mild)

Does colchicine cause muscle loss?

Both colchicine and statin therapy may be associated with myopathy, which usually occurs after several months of therapy. The concomitant use, however, of colchicine and statin has been associated with the rapid onset of muscle weakness.

Can neuropathy nerve damage be reversed?

While you can’t reverse the damage from neuropathy, there are ways to help manage the condition, including: lowering your blood sugar. treating nerve pain. regularly checking your feet to make sure they are free of injury, wounds, or infection.

Can nerve damage be repaired?

Sometimes a section of a nerve is cut completely or damaged beyond repair. Your surgeon can remove the damaged section and reconnect healthy nerve ends (nerve repair) or implant a piece of nerve from another part of your body (nerve graft). These procedures can help your nerves regrow.

Why was colchicine taken off the market?

However, Colcrys (colchicine, Takeda Pharmaceuticals) — the first FDA-regulated product — entered the market in 2009 at $5 per pill and received exclusivity to treat gout for 3 years. This caused the other unapproved formulation of colchicine to be ordered off the market.

What happens when you stop taking colchicine?

If you are taking colchicine to prevent gout attacks, and you are also taking another medicine to reduce the amount of uric acid in your body, you probably will be able to stop taking colchicine after a while. However, if you stop taking it too soon, your attacks may return or get worse.

What happens if you take too much colchicine?

Symptoms of taking too much colchicine can include: feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting) stomach ache. bloody diarrhoea.

Is colchicine a high risk medication?

Colchicine is a plant-based alkaloid, extracted from Colchicum autumnale (autumn crocus, meadow saffron) and Gloriosa superba (glory lily) used to treat gout and some other inflammatory conditions. It is considered a high-risk medicine because it is associated with significant toxicity when not used correctly.

Is it OK to take colchicine every day?

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.
About colchicine.

What drugs should not be taken with colchicine?

Colchicine should not be used with clarithromycin or erythromycin, and given the potential for fatal outcomes, it would be prudent to avoid all PGP inhibitors with colchicine (Table).

Does colchicine lower immune system?

In contrast to the biological agents used in the midst of cytokine storm, colchicine is not immunosuppressive, is not known to increase risk of infection, and is inexpensive.

Which is better colchicine or allopurinol?

Zyloprim (allopurinol) works well to prevent gout attacks and is cheaper than some alternatives, but it takes a few weeks to start working. Prevents and treats gout. Colcrys (colchicine) is a second-choice treatment for gout attacks. Be careful how much you use since it can cause problems with your blood.

Can colchicine damage kidneys?

Renal failure due to colchicine intoxication is due to various factors such as depletion of volume/hypotension, rhabdomyolysis and multiorgan failure. In this case, the hypovolemia was probably the fundamental cause of the acute renal insufficiency as demonstrated by the quick recovery after administering fluids.

Can colchicine damage your liver?

Introduction. Colchicine is a plant alkaloid that is widely used for treatment of gout. Colchicine has not been associated with acute liver injury or liver test abnormalities except with serious overdoses.

Can colchicine cause joint pain?

Brand name: Mitigare.

This drug is also used to treat familial Mediterranean fever. This condition can cause inflammation (pain and swelling) in the joints, lungs, or abdomen (stomach area).

Can colchicine cause eye problems?

Colchicine greatly increased axial length, equatorial diameter, eye weight, and myopic refractive error, while reducing corneal curvature.

Can colchicine cause hair loss?

Colchicine (Colcrys), which doctors use to treat gout, can also sometimes cause the loss of hairs in the growing stage.

Does colchicine lower white blood cells?

Colchicine can temporarily lower the number of white blood cells in your blood, increasing the chance of getting an infection. It can also lower the number of platelets, which are necessary for proper blood clotting.

How long is colchicine in your system?

Colchicine preferentially binds three proteins: tubulin, cytochrome P3A4 (CYP3A4) and P-glycoprotein. The dissociation half-life of colchicine from tubulin is 20–40 hours, which primarily defines colchicine’s long clinical half-life.

Can colchicine cause leukopenia?

Common side effects of colchicine including diarrhea and gastrointestinal upset are mild and self-limited, however, severe reactions like leukopenia, aplastic anemia, confusion, azoospermia, alopecia, myopathy and chorea-like syndrome may occur.

Can colchicine cause thrombocytopenia?

Therapeutic doses of colchicine have reportedly correlated with myelosuppression, leukopenia, granulocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, pancytopenia, and aplastic anemia. Also, colchicine may worsen these types of blood dyscrasias.