Gout is a disease that usually gives its sufferer an urge to haste. The pain is too extreme, so why wait for it to subside? Hence, gout sufferers are prone to reckless decisions, such as taking two medications at the same time. Sometimes, it helps. Sometimes however, it can either worsen the situation or do nothing at all!
This article aims to explain colgout and voltaren. Are there drug interactions? Will it be beneficial? Or maybe it will do more harm than good?
Colgout and Voltaren Together. . . 1+1=1?
There are currently no declared interaction between colgout and voltaren. But, taking them at the same time is a bit COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.
Short answer to the question “Can I take colgout and voltaren together?”
YES! You can take them together, but this is similar to having two drivers for the same steering wheel, or maybe saying that 1+1=1! Counterproductive.
To understand why, let us first discuss the mechanism of colgout and voltaren.
Colgout
Colgout is a brand name for Colchicine, a drug which falls under the category called mitotic inhibitor.
Supposed to be colgout, can take away the pain and inflammation. Fortunately, it can but it comes at an expensive cost.
Ever heard of the word mitosis? Mitosis is a very VITAL process in the body. Mitosis, or cell division, is the way in which cells reproduce. You grew an inch taller! Thanks to mitosis! You passed the night by drinking with peers? Surely the liver was quite damaged! But it was repaired. Thanks to mitosis!
Colgout impairs that vital process. It is a mitotic inhibitor, right? By doing this, it reduces the number of white blood cells to attack the gouty area. Hence, less pain and inflammation signals will be sent. The pain and inflammation will vanish in a matter of minutes! Furthermore, colchicine impairs the microtubules of the neutrophils, disabling them so they can not attack the uric acid crystals.
To understand why taking colgout and voltaren together is counterproductive, let us now move on to understanding voltaren.
Voltaren
Voltaren is a brand name for diclofenac under the category Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug or NSAID. As one can deduce from the title, it is used to relieve pain and inflammation similar to colchicine. However, its mechanism is very different.
Diclofenac removes pain and inflammation by removing your capability to feel them!
Pain and inflammation are your body’s alarm systems. If a foreign substance dare invade your body, your immune system fights back. The pain and inflammation exists to tell you that “Hey, something is down there! It is not supposed to be there”. It is a part of your survival mechanism.
To initiate the repulsion of foreign substance (along with the pain and inflammation), damaged cells releases arachidonic acid which is then converted by cox1 and cox2 (cyclooxygenase) enzymes to other substances that will send different signals such as raising your body temperature, inflammation and lowering your pain threshold causing pain. For arachidonic acid to be converted, it has to attach itself into the cyclooxygenase enzymes. There is only a specific spot in that enzyme for it to attach called active site. This is where voltaren comes in. It can react with the cox enzyme and attach itself in the active site so arachidonic acid will be converted. Voila! No more pain and inflammation.
Colgout and Voltaren
The point of the above explanation is colgout and voltaren affects the body in two different ways. Hence, their effect can stack. As colgout, lowers the effectiveness of the attacking WBC, voltaren removes the capability to feel pain and inflammation. However, is not twice the effect. The improvement you will feel with taking two at the same time is lower compared to taking two doses of the same drug (which can cause side effect). If the colgout has already removed the WBC which will send pain and inflammation signals, why impair the ability to receive that signal? To avoid the non-existent? It is like fighting in a war asking another soldier “Hey! Let us hold this rifle together to increase our accuracy and firepower!”
Worse, the side effects will surely stack. Both of them are not selective. You can not instruct cogout and voltaren “Hey! My gout is in the toe. Attack only the cox enzymes and WBC of the toes”. They will affect RANDOM targets. Hence, your entire immune system is affected. Take them both and you will be sickly for some time.
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