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Journal of Pharmacology and PharmacotherapeuticsNOW IN
Article

Early Whole Bowel Irrigation to Treat Colchicine Overdose: A Brief Review of 30 Years of Decontamination Strategies

1★, 2, 2, 3, 1,4★ Corresponding author

  1. 1Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship (CIBS) Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
  2. 2Division of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
  3. 3Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
  4. 4Department of Pharmaceutical Services, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.

CORRESPONDENCE

Mujtaba Mahmud

Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship (CIBS) Center, Nashville, TN, USA.

mujtaba.mahmud@vumc.org

Received: 18-03-2025; Revised: 08-09-2025; Accepted: 05-11-2025.

Volume 17, Issue 4 · pp. 609–616 · 2026 · DOI: 10.1177/0976500X251409926

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ABSTRACT

A case of colchicine overdose of 27 mg, or 0.27 mg/kg (weight 99.8 kg), is reported to assess the potential symptoms seen with this type of toxicity and analyze a prospective treatment for successful outcomes. A 74-year-old man unintentionally ingested approximately 45 tablets of colchicine 0.6 mg, and he then presented to the hospital and received gastric lavage, activated charcoal, and whole bowel irrigation. The patient’s platelets rapidly dropped within 48 h, and he was continuously managed with supportive care and hematopoietic agents until stabilization. The patient experienced no further decline and was discharged from the hospital 15 days after ingestion. A 74-year-old male who presented with acute colchicine toxicity was successfully treated with gastric lavage, activated charcoal, and whole bowel irrigation. There have been no recorded cases of whole bowel irrigation used to treat colchicine overdose in the past 30 years.

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    Mahmud, M., Stier, M. T., Casey, J. D., Bruccoleri, R. E., & Stollings, J. L. (2026). Early Whole Bowel Irrigation to Treat Colchicine Overdose: A Brief Review of 30 Years of Decontamination Strategies. Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics, 17(4), 609–616. https://doi.org/10.1177/0976500X251409926