Drug Interactions between Brontex and colchicine

GENERALLY AVOID: Coadministration with grapefruit juice may increase the serum concentrations of colchicine. Clinical toxicity including myopathy, neuropathy, multiorgan failure, and pancytopenia may occur. The proposed mechanism is inhibition of CYP450 3A4-mediated first-pass metabolism and P-glycoprotein efflux in the gut wall by certain compounds present in grapefruits. A published case report describes an eight-year-old patient with familial Mediterranean fever who developed acute clinical colchicine intoxication after ingesting approximately one liter of grapefruit juice per day for two months prior to hospital admission while being treated with colchicine 2 mg/day. Her condition progressed to circulatory shock and multiorgan failure, but she recovered with supportive therapy after 24 days in the hospital. In a study of 21 healthy volunteers, administration of 240 mL grapefruit juice twice a day for 4 days was found to have no significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of a single 0.6 mg dose of colchicine. However, significant interactions have been reported with other CYP450 3A4 inhibitors such as clarithromycin, diltiazem, erythromycin, ketoconazole, ritonavir, and verapamil.

MANAGEMENT: Patients treated with colchicine should be advised to avoid the consumption of grapefruit and grapefruit juice, and to contact their physician if they experience symptoms of colchicine toxicity such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, myalgia, asthenia, hyporeflexia, paresthesia, and numbness.

GENERALLY AVOID: Ethanol may potentiate the central nervous system (CNS) depressant effects of opioid analgesics. Concomitant use may result in additive CNS depression and impairment of judgment, thinking, and psychomotor skills. In more severe cases, hypotension, respiratory depression, profound sedation, coma, or even death may occur.

MANAGEMENT: Concomitant use of opioid analgesics with ethanol should be avoided.