Question for those successfully treated for fatigue . . .

[jumpinjiminy]

What do you take or do that clears it up? I need to ask for something to help me with this. I can't take it anymore and want my life back.

[Redwings]

Hi jj:
Before you even start, it's important to remember that what works for one person doesn't work for another. If you're lucky, you'll find the "magic pill" pretty quickly. More realistic is that you might have to go through two or three or more meds before you find one that works, and maybe only after some adjustment.

I did well on Provigil. It seems to work well for about half the people who try it. Other folks do well on Nuvigil. Amandatine also seems to work for about half the people who try it. Other people have to try ADD meds like Ritalin. Still others do well on OTC supplements alpha lipoic acid and acetyl l-carnitine.

Bottom line: there are several options available. Try not to get discouraged if the first one or two aren't successful. Keep going until you find what works for you.

[Shashi]

I tried amantadine and Provigil, but neither worked very well for me. (And Provigil gave me really bad chest pain!)

Then I started taking 1000 mg of acety L-carnitine and 200 mg of alpha lipoic acid every morning back in Sept. 2009. It worked wonders for me, and basically gave me my life back.

However, I'm in a really bad flare right now, and it's not working as well. (Or else it's working really well and the fatigue I am having could be a lot worse. I'm not sure which.) I think maybe tomorrow I'll try to double my dose of acetyl L-carnitine, as 2,000 mg daily is the dosage used in the university studies for treating MS fatigue.

I hope you get some relief soon. That fatigue is horrible!! Right now, I'm so exhausted I can barely move! And all I did was work 8 1/2 hours today! (I normally just work 4 1/2 hours a night.)

Hugs,

Lisa

[jumpinjiminy]

Thank you both.

I may call the neuro and see if he can prescribe me something for it. I've been reduced to working two hours or less per day since this last flare, except on those rare better days which come maybe once every two weeks. This is completely unacceptable. It's been going on for more than two months now. My regular doc has tried Cymbalta and Vitamin D, but hasn't suggested anything else at this point. Neither one of them are helping much right now.

It might be worth trying the ALA combo again after the surgery too. It's just sitting in the cabinet. I've been afraid to take it because I had a flare the last time I started it. That and I haven't read up on how it affects people with thyroid conditions.

[Goliath]

I currently take the Carnitine/ALA combo described by Shashi (thanks to her), along with Low Dose Naltrexone. I am not fatigue free 100% of the time, but I am sure a lot better than I used to be.

[ThymeHBF]

Nothing will get rid of it completely, but I am on Provigil and it helps me

[bluemanda]

This helps me...

When my neuro asked if I was taking anything new I said I was taking 300 mg of the alpha lipoic acid (all I could find) and 1000 mg of the acetyl l-carnitine.

He said that was fine but he did recommend that I tak 2,ooo mg by taking the 1000 mg twice a day.

It works for me, but I have to remember to take it.

OF course if I didn't have to work 50hrs a week that might help.

[jumpinjiminy]

Wow. I dream of a 50 hour work week. It's been a very long time since I've been able to pull off a 30 hour work week. I just adapted my life around the fatigue because the docs kept telling me it was stress. Back then, I could see it. Not anymore.

[knuckle]

I take Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) and have no fatigue. I've had MS for 20 years, have taken Providgil, Amantadine, I know exactly what MS-fatigue feels like.

LDN boosts your endorphins 2-300% the day after you take it and the result is you have no fatigue.

It's like going out for a brisk walk. Exercise generates endorphins. Ever need to take a nap after a brisk walk?

The endorphin production lasts about 18 hours, and then you take your LDN again before bed, it does it's job, and you wake-up ready to go. It's pretty amazing.

[Shashi]

How do you get LDN? Is it prescription or if not, where do you buy it?

Right now, my wonderful ALA/ALC is not helping much at all. I'm so exhausted I can barely move. I think I need a boost of something else. Maybe LDN would help.

[happy23]

LDN

I'm interested to know the same....is LDN prescription only?