GoutPal Interactive

Do you guys use colchicine daily as a preventative, for minor pains, or just for acute attacks?

Background – I was bedridden for about two weeks starting a month ago.  When I was able to hobble to a doc I got six days of prednisone (medrol – 24mg day 1, 20mg day 2, etc.)  When that was done the gout came back pretty bad and I went to another doc and got 15 days of prednisone starting at 40mg per day for 3 days.  That really fixed things, but now that I'm down to 10mg/day and 5 mg starting tomorrow, the pain is coming back.  Not real bad, but a cane helps when walking.

BTW started 100mg allopurinol two days ago.  My UA readings have been 7.7 – 6.1 the entire time, according to my home test meter, which I don't completely trust.

They told me not to mix prednisone and ibuprofen, so I'm left with colchicine.  I have some here but I've never taken it.

The prescription says: “take 1 or 2 (0.6 mg) tablets by mouth every 2 hours until pain stops or nausea, vomiting, diarrhea occurs.”  The pain is bearable at this point, and I'd rather suffer it than the above side effects.

Should I start colchicine?  Can small doses relieve pain without producing the side effects?  What do you experienced colchicine users think?

Hello Foot, Your story is about the same as mine but my attacks lasted longer. I was up and down on Prednisone for months finally got off it about 3 weeks ago. I've been taking one 0.6 Colchicine twice a day for about 40 days. My Rhumatologist put me on them as a preventative. I've been going to the bathroom 2 to 4 times a day since I started them. That was the only side effect I have had from them. But then about 3 days ago I noticed a couple of  white spots on my fingers about the size of a pinhead. When I scrached them the skin would peel back. Now I have several on my fingers. There not raw or sore it's like dead skin peeling off. I hope it has nothing to do with the Colchicine or the Allopurinol I'm taking. I've been on Allop. since the 22nd of May so I would think I would have had a reaction to it sooner than this. I'm going to see my MD. tomorrow about a some ear pain so I'll ask him about it then. I'll let you know what he says. LIMPY

esabogal said:

…

Meter:

1. Good: I have a Kernel SUA meter and I've tested it against lab values two times. Difference was around 4%.

2. Bad: On other occasions I've taken two consecutive tests with high differences. Small blood samples tend to give high errors.

  More than an exact instrument I use it to see the SUA tendency.

Can you guess where did I start to take Allopurinol?

Esabogal, may I suggest you dump the 14 spike since it is clearly out of range.

Yes, “small blood samples tend to give high errors“, regardles which test equipment one uses.

MyFootHurts said:

Do you guys use colchicine daily as a preventative, for minor pains, or just for acute attacks?

I use it two ways: WHen I awaken and my footfall is painful on the bunion joint or anywhere on my foot, I will wait a half hour. If after walking aroung the pain is still there I willl pop 2. That almost always ends the “twinge.” If it does not I will take 2 more in an hour. I haven't had a major attack from Hell in about 15 years. But then after being crippled and bedridden with 9 days of blinding pain I tried the OLD route: 2 to start and then one an hour until pain relief. I took a total of 22 pills in 21 hours and started shitting my BRAINS out…perhpas 50 dumps in 2 hours? Forty-five minutes after the diarrhea started the pain miraculaously stopped completely, never to recur. I had no instruction on the upper limit but found out later 16 was considered the MAX-MAX. Now, probably 10-15 colchicine get me through a year. I have never used colchicine prophylactically nor have I ever needed the super-dose again.

Background – I was bedridden for about two weeks starting a month ago.  When I was able to hobble to a doc I got six days of prednisone (medrol – 24mg day 1, 20mg day 2, etc.)  When that was done the gout came back pretty bad and I went to another doc and got 15 days of prednisone starting at 40mg per day for 3 days.  That really fixed things, but now that I'm down to 10mg/day and 5 mg starting tomorrow, the pain is coming back.  Not real bad, but a cane helps when walking.

Prednisone seems to ease the pain and decrease the inflammation but it does NOT seem to stop an attack in it's tracks like high dose colchicne (and by high dose I am talking only 8 milligrams, 16 pills…a smidge really!) I don't think I would ever consider MIXING prednisolone/prednisone and colchicine.

BTW started 100mg allopurinol two days ago.  My UA readings have been 7.7 – 6.1 the entire time, according to my home test meter, which I don't completely trust.

I DESPISE a treatment plan that begins with 100 mg. It is an ineffectual dose more apt to cause more pain than cure it.

They told me not to mix prednisone and ibuprofen, so I'm left with colchicine.  I have some here but I've never taken it.

The prescription says: “take 1 or 2 (0.6 mg) tablets by mouth every 2 hours until pain stops or nausea, vomiting, diarrhea occurs.”  The pain is bearable at this point, and I'd rather suffer it than the above side effects.

I never got any nausea but diarrhea, oh yes…even with hust 4 pills. The diarrhea of colchicine is fast and furious but it is over quickly.

Should I start colchicine?  Can small doses relieve pain without producing the side effects?  What do you experienced colchicine users think?

Alas, small doses provide small pain relief. For BIG pain, you need BIG doses. I think colchine is the absolute best pain reliever for gout and doctors who are afraid to use it are sadists. It is better than steroids, NSAIDS , and at least as good as strong narcotics. IMHO!