Colchicine is a medicine used to relieve gout attacks. In case of overdose, the side effects of this treatment can have fatal consequences, according to National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM). As a result, she established new recommendations and a new dosing schedule.
Side effects of taking colchicine
Prescribed for gout attacks, Behçet’s disease, colchicine (Colchimax® and Colchicine Opocalcium®) is a very sensitive drug and “variations in concentration in the body can be the cause of toxic effects. However, to date there is no specific antidote, ”explains the Agency.
“This is a drug with a narrow therapeutic margin, which means that the difference between the therapeutic dose and the toxic dose is small.”
The early symptoms of colchicine poisoning are abdominal pain, profuse diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
To avoid overdose, the Agency reassessed the dosages. The maximum dose of colchicine per dose is 1 mg and the doses should be divided over the day. The daily dosages must be decreasing: 3 mg at most on the first day, 2 mg the following two days, then 1 mg from the 4th day.
“It is therefore recommended that healthcare professionals comply with this new dosage regimen as well as the indications in the Marketing Authorization, for which the benefit / risk ratio has been assessed,” the press release concludes. The ANSM also recalls the importance of respecting the contraindications, in particular in subjects with severe or insufficient renal insufficiency. hepatic severe, and drug interactions of this drug (pristinamycin and macrolides in particular).
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