Pain Management

Colcrys

Colchicine

Colcrys is the brand name for colchicine 0.5mg tablets, used to treat gout flares and familial Mediterranean fever and sold here as generic colchicine.

All strengths and pack prices
Colcrys: price of every strength and pack size
Strength Pack Price
0.5mg 30 tablets $34.80
0.5mg 60 tablets $42.60
0.5mg 90 tablets $50.40
0.5mg 120 tablets $61.20
0.5mg 180 tablets $81.00
0.5mg 360 tablets $147.60
Category
Pain Management
Active ingredient
Colchicine
Route
Oral
Form
Tablet
Strengths
0.5mg

You will receive a quality generic equivalent, depending on stock.

Shipped in a discreet, unmarked envelope.

Details

Conditions
Gout · Familial Mediterranean fever
Therapeutic Class
Anti-inflammatory
Pharmacological Class
Microtubule inhibitor
Minor Side Effects
Nausea, Diarrhoea
Moderate Side Effects
Vomiting, Abdominal pain
Dosage Forms
Tablet
Administration Route
Oral
Originator
Takeda
Onset Time
12–24 hours
Storage Instructions
Store at room temperature out of reach of children.
Drug Interactions
Clarithromycin, Cyclosporine

What you will receive

Colcrys is the originator brand name, made by Takeda. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Colcrys.

  • The same active ingredient (Colchicine) at the same strength.
  • The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.

FAQ

Which Colcrys strengths and pack sizes can I order?

Colcrys comes as tablets in 0.5mg. You can order packs of 30, 60, 90, 120, 180 or 360 tablets. Larger packs cost less per tablet. The pack contains generic colchicine, not the original Colcrys.

What happens if my generic colchicine parcel goes missing in Hong Kong?

If your generic colchicine parcel does not arrive within the delivery window, or arrives damaged, it is sent again free. If that is not possible, the order is refunded. Every order ships in plain, unbranded packaging with nothing outside about the contents.

Does Colcrys have other names?

Colcrys is a brand name of colchicine, which is also sold as Colgout, Mitigare and Zycolchin. Here, colchicine can be bought online as generic Colcrys, and also as colchicine tablets. These are generics, not the original brand.

How long is colchicine taken for?

It depends on the job. To stop a flare, a few days until the joint has settled. To keep attacks away, months: the tablets go on for as long as new attacks are a threat, often while uric acid is being brought down by another medicine.

Can I drink alcohol with Colcrys?

Beer and spirits push uric acid up and are a well-known trigger for gout, so a night of drinking can undo what colchicine is doing for the joint. There is no direct clash between the two, but alcohol on top of colchicine can make stomach upset worse.

Can I take colchicine with simvastatin?

Statins such as simvastatin and atorvastatin add to colchicine's risk of muscle damage, which shows up as muscles that ache, feel tender or become weak. The risk is greater at higher colchicine doses and in anyone whose kidneys are not working well.

Is Colcrys the same as colchicine?

Colcrys is a brand name for colchicine, and the tablets contain 0.5mg of the same active ingredient as the plain Colchicine 0.5mg tablets. The strength and tablet form match; the difference is the name the medicine is sold under.

Does grapefruit affect colchicine?

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice slow the enzyme that clears colchicine, so levels can rise and side effects become more likely. Leaving grapefruit out of your diet on the days you take the tablets keeps things simple.

About Colcrys

What Colcrys tablets are for

Colcrys holds 0.5mg of colchicine, a medicine used for gout for centuries. A flare is the joint that turns hot, swollen and unbearably tender over a few hours, often at the base of the big toe. Colchicine is taken to cut an attack short, and it is also taken regularly to keep attacks from coming back, usually through the months while another medicine is working to bring uric acid down. It has a second, less common use: familial Mediterranean fever, an inherited condition that causes repeated bouts of fever with pain in the abdomen, chest or joints.

How it calms a flare

A gout attack begins when urate crystals, tiny needle-shaped deposits that form once uric acid in the blood climbs too high, lodge in a joint. White blood cells called neutrophils rush in, and they cause the heat and swelling. Colchicine attaches to tubulin, a protein cells use to build their internal framework, and without it the neutrophils cannot move into the joint in force. So it acts on the inflammation itself rather than as an everyday painkiller.

Starting it early

Colchicine does its best work in the first hours of a flare, so it pays to have the tablets in the house rather than wait and see. For an attack, the usual dose is 0.5mg two to four times a day until the pain settles; taken to prevent attacks, 0.5mg once or twice a day is typical. Swallow the tablet with water — food is fine either way, and a meal can make it gentler on the stomach. Taken long term, keeping to the same times each day makes it easier to remember.

Side effects worth knowing

Diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps are the usual complaints, and they are more likely at higher doses. Because colchicine is cleared slowly, severe diarrhoea or vomiting, or sudden muscle weakness, can mean too much is building up, which needs urgent treatment. Other effects include aching muscles, tingling or numbness in the fingers and toes, unusual bruising or bleeding, and hair thinning. Clarithromycin and similar antibiotics, the antifungals ketoconazole and itraconazole, and ciclosporin all raise colchicine levels; statins such as simvastatin add to the risk of muscle damage. Keep the tablets in their blister, somewhere cool and out of direct heat.

Colcrys or plain colchicine?

The same medicine is sold under its ingredient name as Colchicine 0.5mg tablets. Colcrys is the name this pack is sold under, and the ingredient and strength are the same.

Sources

  1. Colchicine 500 micrograms Tablets - Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) - (emc) | 6415 — UK Electronic Medicines Compendium (EMC)
  2. Gout: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment | Arthritis Foundation — Arthritis Foundation