Colchicine-induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Heart Transplant Patient with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Case Study

Authors

  • Ratchada Suwanarat Pharmacy Department, Siriraj Hospital
  • Wannida Jaisomkom Pharmacy Department, Siriraj Hospital

Keywords:

adverse drug reaction of colchicine, colchicine, drug interactions between tacrolimus and colchicine, heart transplant, peripheral neuropathy

Abstract

Colchicine is a drug with narrow therapeutic range. It is metabolized by the CYP3A4 enzyme. Thus, it should be used cautiously to avoid drug interactions and the dose should be adjusted in accordance with renal function. The most commonly side effects are diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. The side effects, rarely found but severe, include bone marrow suppression, myopathy, and peripheral neuropathy. This case study presents a 46-year-old Thai male patient with a post-heart transplant, gout, and chronic kidney disease. He received colchicine 1.2 mg/day, and two days later he felt numbness in both feet and had diarrhea. The dose was then reduced to 0.6 mg/day, but numbness was increased all the way to hips. He was diagnosed with neuropathy from colchicine. After stopping the drug, his symptoms were improved. It was analyzed that kidney disease and drug interactions between tacrolimus and colchicine were the important risk factors that led patient have a too high blood level of colchicine which caused the adverse reactions of colchicine. Therefore, pharmacists should have caution to use colchicine and recommend appropriate dosage adjustments, especially for organ transplant patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs who also have chronic kidney disease.

Author Biographies

Ratchada Suwanarat, Pharmacy Department, Siriraj Hospital

B.Sc (Pharm)

Wannida Jaisomkom, Pharmacy Department, Siriraj Hospital

Pharm.D., M.B.A.

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Published

2023-12-31

How to Cite

1.
Suwanarat R, Jaisomkom W. Colchicine-induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Heart Transplant Patient with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Case Study. Thai J Hosp Pharm [internet]. 2023 Dec. 31 [cited 2026 Jan. 2];33(3):308-19. available from: https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/TJHP/article/view/262249