Colcichinne
I’m 36 & had various attacks over the years particularly achilles & knee.
I’m currently under attack on my knee & am taking colchicinne for the 1st time
the attack started 30 hours ago, initially i took two tiny 500mcg & am now taking
1 every 4 hours.
My knee is very stiff & sore but not a full blown attack, as i can walk very
slowly with pain.
2 questions
Is it the colchinne that has stoppped this being a full 100% no knee movement attack
what are the signs that its working.
All over this message board i’ve been reading about the horrific side effects of colcichine
Terrance Molock on June 12th, 2007
get on allopurinol and lose the colchicine.I (and manyexperts) feel that is too much colchcine now..The single dose is yes500mg..3 of these per day for 3 days is generally now considerred themaximum dose.It can be combined with indomethicine equally.The dosecan be tapered back after that.You shouldn’t really be walking/usingthe knee.The colchicne may have done it’s job and now you areconfused because the crystals may have irritated/scratched the jointlining.This plan is no good because if you keep walking on it usingit body will only send more white blood cells to theirritation..which in turn they may find more crystals fo fight withand so on.Get rid of the crystals.Allopurinol.Colchicine.ya there arethose in the medical proffession that WILL NOT! even prescribe it.Iknow people in the medical proffession that say NEVER EVER take thatSHT..plenty of people say that several lifetimes of allopurinol isWAY safer than ANY colchicine..I’dno..I have taken A LOT! of it..itwas the ONLY thing that worked for me.MOST people get upsetstomachs..TO PUT OT MILDLY!!!..some so bad on ANY that no more ofthat.There is still debate on how it actually works..if you abuse thestuff..take more than neccessary..IT WILL stop working..and NO!..more colchicine will not help.AGAIN it is not known why it stopsworking at some point.It does appear to be safe..from many expertsviewpoint when combined with allopurinol..as a maintenance dose..i/e2 per day for 6 months to a year and then 1 day for 1-2 years..THENNO MORE! UT ONLY when combined with allopurinol..pretty rare thatpeople get this colchicine as maintenance now days WITHOUTallopurinol.I don’t think my friend that you will get anysupport..especially out here on this board..for the takinofcolchicine..INSTEAD of allopurinol.I would be VERY surprised if therewas ANYONE that would say ..ya sure..forget the allopurinol just takethe colchicine..you’ld be hard pressed to even find anyone in themedical community to agree with that.IT IS/CAN!! BE A NECCESSARYEVIL!!take it when you HAVE TO..with the FULL INTENTION!! OF NOT!!!ever having to take it again.. I MIGHT even reccommend snake oil as oppossed to foolingaround..attacks..on off this stuff..
Sabina Shamel on June 14th, 2007
All of what Arnold has written is good advise if, and only if, youactually are suffering from gout.
An elevated uric acid level and terrible pain and swelling in yourknee is probably less than 25% likely to be gout. If the crystalshave not been identified then you do not know you actually have gout.Taking allopurinol will, absolutely, lower your uric acid level andculcchine will reduce inflamation, culcchinine will reduceinflamation from anything, including a sports injury.
If you were commenting about your big inflamed foot, particularly thejoint just behind the big toe, then I would not make this comment andfor those of us who have gout and know it from testing and from thepain there can be no, there is no, doubt about when we get a realattack. Walking on it is something we cannot even think about muchless do.
Pain in your joints, knees in particular, can be caused by a varietyof things, most likely torn cartelege, or, even more likely, acertelige that you tore 15 years ago that has finally worked itselflose and is now causing you problems.
Make sure you have real grout, as diagnosed by the optically activecrystals that form in the synovial fluid of your inflamed joint,before you decide that you have gout. Although culccine will relieveyour inflamation symptoms if you have a torn cartelage, it will donothing for helping your long term recovery. Make sure of the goutbefore going on to the next gout treatment step. Without adifinitive toe flare up, which you did not mention, I am skepticalthat you are suffering from gout.
Finally, the usual course of uric acid levels in people diagnosedwith gout is that during and just after their attack, their uriclevel is pegged at the top of the range but within normal. If youruric acid level is actually higher than say 7, like 8 or 9, it isatually very unlikely that you have gout. When your get a goutattack, your sodium urate level in your blood will actually fall tothe saturation level which is 7.
What I am saying is that high serum urate readings and a bad joint donot necessarily spell gout and if the pain is not manifest in yourtoe area, it is probably something else. It can be gout, but otherthings are more likely.
Jonas Laramore on June 14th, 2007
Walter,If all you have stated has some fact behind it, I find it hard tobelieve that I may not have gout. I have heard of pseudo gout andother ailments but what possibly could make the foot swell so much andonly be relieved by colchicine and allopurinol. I have never had goutin my toe it is always the ankle and inner foot area. On the otherhand I have never had the fluid sample done either (hear it’s quitepainful) but have been diagnosed with gout from 2 Rheumatologists and acouple other doctors. My uric acid was over 10 about a year ago anddropped to 9 something about 6-8 months later with some allopurinolthat I hardly took at the time. The attacks have reared themselvesalmost by the book; eating tuna fish, too much exercise(at the timemeant just being on my feet too long triggered it), inadequatehydration, etc.
With my increase in dosage of allopurinol AND the fact that I take itdaily like I’m supposed to, I have been gout pain/problem free for awhile now and eat all the so called “bad” or “high purine” foods andexercise my butt off including putting high strain on my ankle fromexercise that include walking, running, ice skating, and weightlifting. To compound this, I am doing this at what has typically beenthe worst time of year for me and many gout sufferers…winter.
In accordance with your post, it would seem that I would be in thelowest percentile of truly having gout; uric acid higher then 7 andpain not in the toe. I find this hard to believe but I’m not a closeminded individual. What I do know for sure is that if I don’t havegout, gout treatment sure works great.
Sabina Shamel on June 16th, 2007
Either all the facts were not there or I didn’t read them properly.Sorry…If you are taking allopurinol and the pain goes away, by all meanscontinue the treatment. I mis-read that you still had pain withallopurinol and that you were using culcchine to relieve the pain.
I am also recently on allopurinol, within the last 6 months and Ihave had what I term “occational” or small attacks that last for onlya day or so, always in a different part of my feet or ankle andalways gone in 4 days. Yhese atacks are very different from the truegout attack I used to get in my big toe area.
Since I have been on allopurinol I have not had a toe area attacheither. I didn’t realize you were already on allopurinol.
My theory for what is happening is that the areas where uric acid hadpiled up are now emptying themselves out and when they do, I get thepain.
A friend of mine who was on allopurinol for about two years began toget terrible muscle cramps in his calf and thigh areas and he has nowdiscontinued his allopurinol.
Terrance Molock on June 18th, 2007
If allopurinol fixes it..it’s gonna be gout.you your gout. and the andthemuchvarietyitselfactiverelievedogoutskepticalyourtojoint doyourother
Terrance Molock on June 19th, 2007
This one is a little tougher..gout in the knee..especially in theareas mentioned is rare.ESPECIALLY when the classic extremites havebeen missed. Colchicine is used as a test sometimes for gout..true it can workfor other things..but is REALLY only used for gout.In this case..andwith the amount taken..colchicine delivers a hammer blow to gout..itis gone..no stiffness.
RARE for gout with no crystals in aspiration with a needle.I haveread of it..sometmes the crystals are actually engulfed in a mixturecalled a phagocyte..or are actualy in the joint/lining.Then againthere have also been crystals and no gout..rare again.
I still think I’ld be tempted to take allopurinol..at least for awhile..long enough to determine whether it works.If you take it andthe uric acid level is lowerred AND the gout changes a bit..maybegoes away..it is almost 100% for sure gout.
Ya I gotta go along with the old toe area..too.
Sorry..I misread/interpreted the beginning too..ThanksWalter!..guess I just assume with gout that the person has had adefinitive diagnosis..