Uch

It's certainly not the recreational stuff that's going to do me in

The patient on tonight's "House" rerun came thisclose to partying with Drs. Thompson & Bethe from an accidental overdose of colchicine, a drug that is among the prescribed arsenal against my sole medical condition. Here's what it says verbatim on my script:

TAKE 2 TABLETS BY MOUTH AT FIRST SIGN OF ATTACK, THEN 1 TABLET THEREAFTER UNTIL RELIEF OR ONSET OF DIARRHEA

This is straight off WedMD:

Side Effects

80% of people who take colchicine in doses that are high enough to be effective develop stomach problems, such as cramping, nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting.

Common, mild side effects include:

Nausea.
Vomiting.
Diarrhea.
Serious side effects of colchicine include bone marrow problems and muscle inflammation. Colchicine is usually avoided or the dose adjusted in people who have reduced kidney function.

Thankfully I only have to take it to combat flare-ups (one every two or so years) and not prophylactically. That said, nothing I have ever ingested or inhaled (and I mean NOTHING) has ever made me feel as shitty (pun absolutely intended) as those tiny white pills. And to think I wasn't even aware that it could kill me too.

See, I always knew that Fox was educational...