Colchicine May Cause Significant Diarrhea - Med Ed 101

Home » Why Does Colchicine Cause Diarrhea » Colchicine May Cause Significant Diarrhea - Med Ed 101

Maybe your like

Colchicine May Cause Significant Diarrhea

88 year old gentleman was having a difficult time with management of gout.  He was on chronic allopurinol therapy and had to use frequent as needed NSAIDs for repeat flares.  Steroid bursts also had to be used at times to treat acute flares.  Remember that there are some medications that can contribute to gout symptoms by elevating uric acid (thiazide diuretics and niacin are a couple that come to mind).  This had been ruled out in this case.  Because of the repeated flares, the patient was placed on colchicine 0.6 mg twice daily.  After about a week of therapy, the patient was started on Imodium for loose stools.  Colchicine can cause very high rates of diarrhea/loose stools.  The diarrhea did not resolve, and Questran was added and improvement was noted.  I’m always an advocate for identifying those medications that cause side effects – and in this case, I’d like to explore other options to help manage the gout to avoid the colchicine.  Another consideration is if the dose could be reduced to try to minimize these side effects while still adequately treating the condition.  One last point (as there are times where treating side effects may be necessary if the team/patient deem appropriate) going back to our case:  It is critical to identify those medications that may not be effective and stop them!  In this case, was the Imodium effective?

3 Comments
  1. Luka Tehovnik Luka Tehovnik on May 12, 2014 at 2:59 am

    Imodium was obviously ineffective. Diarrhoea didn’t resolve and a different drug was used. Therefore, Imodium should’ve been discontinued.

    Reply
  2. Brendan Brendan on May 24, 2014 at 11:43 am

    Renal function? quite an elderly man, reduced kidney fn. may elevate colchicine levels and side effects

    Reply
  3. Yali Brennan Yali Brennan on September 21, 2018 at 3:29 pm

    I would also explore the non-pharm strategies- is pt well hydrated? minimize alcohol? reduce red meat? lost weight if overweight. Encourage those lifestyle changes will go a long way. Thank you!

    Reply

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment *

Name *

Email *

Website

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Submit Comment

Δ

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Written By Eric Christianson

May 11, 2014

Study Materials For Pharmacists

Free 18 Page PDF On The Most Notable Drug Interactions!

CLICK HERE, subscribe now, and get a free PDF on my TOP Drug Interactions in clinical practice!

Looking for something?

Search for:

Recent Posts

  • Top 5 Medications That Cause Tachycardia
  • Hydrochlorothiazide Versus Chlorthalidone – A Clinical Comparison
  • High Dose Antipsychotic Error
  • Fibrates – Practice Pearls and Test Prep
  • Oral Bisphosphonates – NAPLEX Test Prep and Practice Pearls

Categories

Categories Select Category Career Advice for Pharmacy Students, Residents and New Pharmacists Clinical Guideline Updates For Pharmacists Clinical Pharmacy News and New Drug Updates Drug Interaction Case Studies and Education For Pharmacists Educational Case Studies For Pharmacists Cardiovascular Case Studies Dermatology, ENT, Ophthalmology Case Studies Endocrine Case Studies Gastrointestinal Case Studies Hematology and Immunology Case Studies Infectious Disease and Oncology Case Studies Neurology, Pain, and Musculoskeletal Case Studies Pharmacogenomics and Pharmacokinetics Case Studies Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Case Studies Renal, Urology, and Electrolytes Case Studies Respiratory Case Studies Women’s and Men’s Health Case Studies Free Clinical Practice Quizzes and Videos For Pharmacists Long Term Care Consultant Pharmacist Education and Information Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls For Pharmacists Cardiovascular Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls Dermatology, ENT, Ophthalmology Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls Endocrine Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls Gastrointestinal Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls Hematology and Immunology Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls Infectious Disease and Oncology Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls Neurology, Pain, and Musculoskeletal Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls Pediatrics Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls Pharmacogenomics and Pharmacokinetics Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls Psychiatry and Addiction Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls Renal, Urology, and Electrolytes Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls Respiratory Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls Women’s and Men’s Health Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls Medication Errors Personal Stories From The Front Lines of Clinical Pharmacy Pharmacist Board Certification Information And Help BCACP Exam BCGP Exam BCMTMS Exam BCPP BCPS Exam MPJE NAPLEX Pharmacist Legislative Advocacy Pharmacy Technicians Polypharmacy Cases And The Prescribing Cascade Uncategorized Writing Medication Recommendations For Pharmacists

Explore Categories

Tag » Why Does Colchicine Cause Diarrhea