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Colchicine Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of colchicine include diarrhoea, off label use, and nausea, based on 29,934 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 6.8% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Colchicine side effects

Percentages show how often each reaction appears relative to total reports for colchicine.

1
Diarrhoea8.0%2,386
2
Off Label Use7.5%2,255
3
Drug Ineffective6.8%2,042
4
Nausea5.8%1,740
5
Fatigue5.4%1,609
6
Acute Kidney Injury5.1%1,531
7
Arthralgia4.4%1,316
8
Dyspnoea4.3%1,282
9
Headache4.2%1,249
10
Gout3.7%1,119
11
Pain3.6%1,091
12
Vomiting3.6%1,071
13
Toxicity To Various Agents3.5%1,061
14
Rash3.2%969
15
Drug Interaction3.1%928

These are voluntary reports and do not establish that colchicine caused these reactions.

Report severity

78.4%Serious23,464 reports
42.5%Hospitalizations12,722 reports
12.2%Fatal3,637 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Colchicine drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside colchicine. Drugs flagged as a suspected cause appear in the first column. Drugs taken at the same time but not suspected appear in the second.

Also suspected

1
Allopurinol4.3%1,283
2
Adalimumab4.3%1,278
3
Methotrexate4.0%1,209
4
Ibuprofen3.4%1,015
5
Prednisone3.4%1,010
6
Lenalidomide3.3%987
7
Etanercept3.1%934
8
Pantoprazole-sodium3.0%910
9
Infliximab3.0%895
10
Omeprazole2.9%871
11
Cyclosporine2.7%796
12
Rituximab2.6%789
13
Esomeprazole2.6%780
14
Hydroxychloroquine-sulfate2.6%765
15
Furosemide2.5%738

Taken alongside

1
Allopurinol21.0%6,291
2
Furosemide16.6%4,969
3
Aspirin16.4%4,923
4
Acetaminophen15.1%4,522
5
Prednisone14.0%4,205
6
Atorvastatin-calcium11.1%3,330
7
Ergocalciferol11.0%3,306
8
Amlodipine11.0%3,282
9
Metoprolol10.9%3,273
10
Omeprazole10.5%3,147
11
Levothyroxine-sodium10.3%3,089
12
Albuterol8.5%2,552
13
Lisinopril8.3%2,487
14
Gabapentin8.1%2,418
15
Pantoprazole-sodium7.9%2,374

Co-occurrence in adverse event reports does not establish a drug interaction. Patients often take multiple medications, and these lists reflect prescribing patterns rather than causal relationships. Consult a healthcare provider about potential drug interactions.

Who reports colchicine side effects

38.9% of colchicine adverse event reports involve female patients and 52.7% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 49%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female38.9%
Male52.7%
Unknown8.4%

Age group

< 20.5%
2–112.0%
12–172.2%
18–6449.3%
65+46.1%

What is colchicine used for

Conditions and purposes for which patients were taking colchicine when the adverse event was reported.

Abdominal PainAccidental ExposureAccidental Exposure To ProductAccidental Exposure To Product By ChildAccidental PoisoningAcquired Epidermolysis BullosaAcute Coronary SyndromeAcute Disseminated EncephalomyelitisAcute Febrile Neutrophilic DermatosisAcute Kidney InjuryAcute Myeloid LeukaemiaAcute Myocardial InfarctionAdverse EventAlanine Aminotransferase IncreasedAllergy Prophylaxis

Showing 15 of 704 indications

Colchicine brand names and reporting trend

Colchicine is sold under the brand name Probenecid And Colchicine.

Brand names

Probenecid And Colchicine28,473

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

An upward trend reflects increased FAERS reporting overall, not necessarily increased risk.

Taking colchicine with another medication?

Ask OpenClaim about your specific drug combination. Get a sourced report using FDA data, drug labels, and medical literature.