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Because some of colchicine's side effects can be very serious, you should discuss with your doctor the good that this medicine can do as well as the risks of using it. Make sure you understand exactly how you are to use it, and follow the instructions carefully, to lessen the chance of unwanted effects.
This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.
Once a medicine has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although these uses are not included in product labeling, colchicine is used in certain patients with the following medical conditions:
* Amyloidosis
* Behçet's syndrome
* Calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (pseudogout)
* Cirrhosis of the liver
* Familial Mediterranean fever
* Pericarditis
* Sarcoid arthritis
If you are taking colchicine for any of these conditions, the following information may apply:
* For all of these conditions, colchicine is usually given regularly in small amounts to reduce inflammation (preventive treatment). This usually decreases the occurrence of severe attacks or other problems caused by inflammation.
* Colchicine is not a cure for these conditions. It will help prevent problems caused by inflammation only as long as you continue to take it.
* Some patients with calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (pseudogout) or familial Mediterranean fever may take larger amounts of colchicine only when an attack occurs, to relieve the attack.
For patients taking colchicine for familial Mediterranean fever:
* Preventive treatment with colchicine may be helping you even if it does not reduce the number of severe attacks. Colchicine helps prevent other serious problems, such as kidney disease, that can occur in people with this condition. Therefore, even if you think that the colchicine isn't working, do not stop taking it. Check with your doctor instead.
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