Although it was first recognized as effective for gout treatment in the 1700s, colchicine wasn’t evaluated in a clinical trial until 1987. In this study, the patients who received colchicine had better and faster pain relief than those who received placebo. All patients given colchicine, however, developed diarrhea, usually before relief of pain. This study had limitations: no patients received NSAIDs in the first 48 hours and the colchicine dose was very high. Ahern M, et al. "Does colchicine work? The results of the first controlled study in acute gout." Australian and New Zealand journal of medicine 17.3 (1987): 301-304. [PMID 3314832]