Colchicine as a potential anti-inflammatory and COVID-19 treatment

[Rufous McKinney]

This research seems really interesting and I'm wondering if the drug colchicine might be of further interest in treating aspects of ME. It has unique anti-inflammatory properties.

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/cjidmm/2020/8865954/

Conclusion:

"our results show for the first time that colchicine given to patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19-related symptoms may improve outcome and is associated with lower levels of inflammatory markers and faster normalization of these markers, including D-dimer, LDH, CRP, and ferritin. Our study suggests that colchicine might be an important addition to the armamentarium against COVID-19 and highlights the need for subsequent randomized and double-blinded control trials."

 

[roller]

i think good ole turmeric is another quite well working option.
strangely, good ole garlic you can bin (imo).

 

[Treeman]

I've been using it for a while, 0.5mcg a day. First thing I noticed was that my asthma improved. I view it as another item that helps me a little and with everything else they collectively have a notable impact.

 

[starlily88]

This research seems really interesting and I'm wondering if the drug colchicine might be of further interest in treating aspects of ME. It has unique anti-inflammatory properties.

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/cjidmm/2020/8865954/

Conclusion:

"our results show for the first time that colchicine given to patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19-related symptoms may improve outcome and is associated with lower levels of inflammatory markers and faster normalization of these markers, including D-dimer, LDH, CRP, and ferritin. Our study suggests that colchicine might be an important addition to the armamentarium against COVID-19 and highlights the need for subsequent randomized and double-blinded control trials."

I was not impressed with this study, because of course it was not a double blind trial, and there was not statistical proof that colchicine changed what outcomes they claim.
Colchicine - being "tested" for 42 days is not sufficient to see anything.
This is a drug which was used for gout - but only in short amount of times - I would have to look thru JAMA studies to see.

My dr put me on colchicine for a secondary purpose - I was stupid to not do research on it,
and way longer than anyone should be on it - I ended up in the ER - sent by my Internist - thinking it was my ME/CFS dehydration - I was so so sick.
I took colchicine for 1 year at low dose - and it did exactly what it does.

I had almost no white cells left. Put into ISOLATION - where drs only come in to room with white medical hazard suits on and space masks, had it's own ventilation.
Had a bone marrow biopsy - had to have this awful drug dripped in to me - that is given to Cancer patients.
Had horrible reaction - was catatonic for 24 hours - just rocked in a chair.

My cousin who is a Pathologist at Columbia Presbyterian was infuriated that my Dr put me onto this drug.
The oncologist at Hospital had called the CDC to report this - and to see why I was having this reaction.

My cousin told me ASAP - it's the colchicine OMG who gave you that?
So 42 days is probably OK - but you can't be on this drug for a year - you will just die, which I almost did

 

[starlily88]

This research seems really interesting and I'm wondering if the drug colchicine might be of further interest in treating aspects of ME. It has unique anti-inflammatory properties.

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/cjidmm/2020/8865954/

Conclusion:

"our results show for the first time that colchicine given to patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19-related symptoms may improve outcome and is associated with lower levels of inflammatory markers and faster normalization of these markers, including D-dimer, LDH, CRP, and ferritin. Our study suggests that colchicine might be an important addition to the armamentarium against COVID-19 and highlights the need for subsequent randomized and double-blinded control trials."

I was not impressed with this study, because of course it was not a double blind trial, and there was not statistical proof that colchicine changed what outcomes they claim.
This is a drug which was used for gout - is not supposed to be used for any length of time.

My dr put me on colchicine for a secondary purpose.
I ended up in the ER - thinking it was my ME/CFS dehydration - I was so so sick.
I took colchicine for 1 year at low dose.

I had almost no white cells left. Put into ISOLATION - where drs only come in to room with white medical hazard suits on and space masks, had it's own ventilation. It was a huge room, and I could not leave it, or be near any persons.

Had a bone marrow biopsy. The Oncologist told me that I might have leukemia now.
I got a shot of drug given to Cancer patients to make my body produce white cells.
If this didn't work, I would have died.
Had horrible reaction - was catatonic for 24 hours - just rocked in a chair.

My cousin who is a Pathologist at Columbia Presbyterian was infuriated that my Dr put me onto this drug.
The oncologist at Hospital had called the CDC to report this - and to see why I was having this reaction.

My cousin told me ASAP - it's the colchicine OMG who gave you that?
So 42 days is probably OK - but you can't be on this drug for a year - you will just die, which I almost did

 

[Treeman]

@starlily88 Sorry to hear your story, hope you're now past it. I was under the impression that 1 x 5mcg / day is safe long term. What dosage was you taking? Thanks.

 

[starlily88]

@starlily88 Sorry to hear your story, hope you're now past it. I was under the impression that 1 x 5mcg / day is safe long term. What dosage was you taking? Thanks.

I can't remember the dosage, see if I can find out.

When this happened to me this drug was used for GOUT. It was never to be used long term. It does lower one's white blood cells, and over time that increases. My cousin told me he was amazed that the head of Oncology had to call the CDC to see if any meds I was taking would cause this. He could not wrap his head around the fact that I was on colchicine and blood pressure med, and the Oncologist didn't have a clue.

He said "we learned this in the first year of med school" But all my cousins are well known researchers in cancer, brain pathology, etc - so what they tell me - when I ask them if this or that dr is giving me correct meds - it is horrifying to find out so few drs know what long term use of any meds does to any of their patients.

Even my internist gave me another med thinking it would help me - I ended up loosing 1/2 my hair, and only found out this was from drug he gave me - when his secretary told me it did the same to her.
You have to do your own research, ask an older dr who you really trust, or do a second opinion at a teaching hospital to get the correct answer.

 

[Treeman]

From what I found its also prescribed for familial Mediterranean fever. The usual dose is 1 tablet (500 micrograms), taken 2 to 4 times a day .https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/colchicine/ It could have been the combination of the the meds. Things they say to watch with this are:

Medicines that can affect your kidneys, your liver or your blood (check with your doctor if you're not sure)
clarithromycin or erythromycin (antibiotics used to treat infections)
ritonavir or atazanavir (antiviral medicines used to treat HIV infection)
ciclosporin (medicines for psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and after an organ transplant)
ketoconazole, itraconazole or voriconazole (antifungal medicines)
verapamil or diltiazem (medicines for the heart)
disulfram (medicine used to treat alcohol dependence)

 

[nyanko_the_sane]

This research seems really interesting and I'm wondering if the drug colchicine might be of further interest in treating aspects of ME. It has unique anti-inflammatory properties.

Yes, this was prescribed to me by the ME/CFS clinic at Stanford a few years ago. Not sure if they are still recommending it.

 

[Wishful]

The problem with antiinflammatories and immunosuppressants is that they might do severely nasty things to part of one of your immune systems, they might not affect whatever is abnormal in ME. I tried some cyclosporin, which is a strong immunosuppressant, to see if it affected my ME symptoms. Not even slightly, which makes sense now that I know that the problem seems to involve my glial cells rather than my immune system elsewhere in my body.

 

[junkcrap50]

This drug has been known to be potentially useful in COVID for a while, but only for the inflammatory stage of COVID (5-7 days after symptoms). And it's not supposed to be given for extended periods of time, just for accute infection period.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

it is horrifying to find out so few drs know what long term use of any meds does to any of their patients.

I agree.

It's almost more horrifying that they don't check the PDR to see if long-term use is advisable, or even useful ....

It would take less than 3 minutes. Go figure.....

 

[dahsar]

I was on colchicine for a month and it works. The side effects are not fun though.

 

[pattismith]

From what I found its also prescribed for familial Mediterranean fever. The usual dose is 1 tablet (500 micrograms), taken 2 to 4 times a day

other information on mayoclinic:

Colchicine may be used in 2 ways. Most people take small amounts of it regularly for a long time (months or even years) to prevent severe attacks or other problems caused by inflammation. Other people take large amounts of colchicine during a short period of time (several hours) only when the medicine is needed to relieve an attack that is occurring. The chance of serious side effects is much lower with the first (preventive) kind of treatment.

Because some of colchicine's side effects can be very serious, you should discuss with your doctor about the benefits as well as the risks of using this medicine

I just did a short low dose Colchicine (0.25 mg per day x a few days).

I was a little better but I had a bad reaction when I associated Colchicine + valacyclovir.
Probably because Colchicine is a PGP inhibitor, so that other drugs can accumulate in brain.

Colchicine is a known substrate for Pglycoprotein (PGP), a transmembrane protein that acts to eliminate drugs by expelling them into the bile, urine, and intestine and acting as a blood-brain barrier

A few ME patients reported used of Colchicine

colchicine reviews? | Phoenix Rising ME/CFS Forums

It seems that at less one ME doctor used to do Colchicine prescription (Dr Montoya)

Ponderings and speculations about purinergic signaling, in pursuit of a unified ME/CFS theory | Phoenix Rising ME/CFS Forums

 

[Sushi]

I just did a short low dose Colchicine (0.25 mg per day x a few days).

I was a little better but I had a bad reaction when I associated Colchicine + valacyclovir.
Probably because Colchicine is a PGP inhibitor, so that other drugs can accumulate in brain.

I just learned that I will be given Colchicine for a week before and two weeks after a cardiac ablation that is coming up. They are finding that it helps healing post ablation. Anyone have trouble with side-effects from it when taken only short-term like this?

 

[Rufous McKinney]

I just learned that I will be given Colchicine for a week before and two weeks after a cardiac ablation that is coming up. They are finding that it helps healing post ablation. Anyone have trouble with side-effects from it when taken only short-term like this?

I am here being reminded that I started this thread. Wow, thats impressive. I have zero recall of any of this, oh well.

 

[BrightCandle]

Steroids in general have a tonne of side effects, rapid weight gain but also anger and significant mental changes and a host of permanent damage ones. They are sort of a wonder drug they do all sorts of things but they are also really unpleasant in my experience.

 

[Violeta]

"When uric acid levels in the blood are too high, the uric acid may form hard crystals in your joints. Colchicine works by decreasing swelling and lessening the build up of uric acid crystals that cause pain in the affected joint(s."

Does this make you wonder if the problems are caused by uric acid? There is a book that I found not long after waking up one morning with pain in joints throughout my body. It's called "Uric Acid as a Factor in the Causation of Disease". It's from very early 1900, maybe 1904. On and off since reading that I discontinue foods with significant purines, but then I always go back to eating those foods.

I sincerely don't know if cutting out purines is the only way (besides medicine, of course) to get over problems caused by uric acid.

Colchicine also helps with this. "It is thought to work by decreasing your body's production of a certain protein (amyloid A) that builds up in people with familial Mediterranean fever." which I don't know anything about, but it is interesting.

Also I would like to add that there is a homeopathic colchicine available, which might not have the same bad side effects of the material dose drug.

http://www.homeoint.org/books/boericmm/c/colch.htm

 

[BrightCandle]

On and off since reading that I discontinue foods with significant purines, but then I always go back to eating those foods.

We used to think, up until about 2000, that high uric acid was a diet problem and then we found out that actually its mostly just genetic, its about 85% genetics. I have suffered with gout since I was 14 when I was a fit and healthy high exercise teen and the only way to actually control it is drugs, Allopurinol or Febuxostat. If uric acid is the cause of my condition then I should be getting better because I have been getting the proper drugs with a moderate to low uric acid level for years before my condition started. High uric acid turns up as joint swelling at some point and the vast majority of medical systems in the world treat it correctly (Only the USA, UK and Japan fail to do so all for different reasons).

 

[CSMLSM]

@Rufous McKinney

This-

I was not impressed with this study, because of course it was not a double blind trial, and there was not statistical proof that colchicine changed what outcomes they claim.
This is a drug which was used for gout - is not supposed to be used for any length of time.

My dr put me on colchicine for a secondary purpose.
I ended up in the ER - thinking it was my ME/CFS dehydration - I was so so sick.
I took colchicine for 1 year at low dose.

I had almost no white cells left. Put into ISOLATION - where drs only come in to room with white medical hazard suits on and space masks, had it's own ventilation. It was a huge room, and I could not leave it, or be near any persons.

Had a bone marrow biopsy. The Oncologist told me that I might have leukemia now.
I got a shot of drug given to Cancer patients to make my body produce white cells.
If this didn't work, I would have died.
Had horrible reaction - was catatonic for 24 hours - just rocked in a chair.

My cousin who is a Pathologist at Columbia Presbyterian was infuriated that my Dr put me onto this drug.
The oncologist at Hospital had called the CDC to report this - and to see why I was having this reaction.

My cousin told me ASAP - it's the colchicine OMG who gave you that?
So 42 days is probably OK - but you can't be on this drug for a year - you will just die, which I almost did