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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffWhile there's no cure for familial Mediterranean fever, there is effective treatment. The most successful treatment for familial Mediterranean fever is a drug called colchicine.
Colchicine is a drug, usually taken as a pill, which reduces inflammation in your body. Some people might need to take just one dose a day, while others might require multiple doses to prevent attacks. People who are able to "predict" an impending attack are often able to stop those attacks before they start by taking colchicine. Taking colchicine after your symptoms appear, however, isn't effective.
Reducing the frequency and intensity
When you stick to your colchicine schedule, the drug will likely reduce the frequency and intensity of your symptoms. It also lowers your risk of complications, especially amyloidosis. Colchicine can cause side effects, such as pain, tingling or numbness in your hands or feet, or muscle weakness, especially in older men who are heavy drinkers or whose kidneys aren't functioning properly. However, colchicine therapy is generally considered safe, even when taken over the course of decades. If your symptoms are not controlled by colchicine, then interferon alpha, thalidomide, etanercept, infliximab or anakinra may be recommended.
In addition to colchicine therapy, you may find that the frequency and the severity of your symptoms lessen as you age or if you become pregnant. It's not certain why symptoms may improve at either of these times, but it may be related to changes in your immune system.
