Tag: Pharmacological Treatments

A Guide In Coping With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

People who have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome are both blessed and cursed. For the most parts, they are relieved by an explanation regarding the sudden plunge in their health. However, they are also cursed by the fact that there is nothing much they can do about it because the cure for CFS is yet to be discovered. Nonetheless, there are medications, therapies and self-care techniques that a person can undergo which can help substantially in relieving the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. Here are some suggestions.

Handle your sickness and do not let it handle you Chronic disorders and illnesses often demand a lot from patients in order for them to control the symptoms. However, the best course of action is to always take the hand in controlling the disorder. If you have spent months or years suffering from this syndrome, it is likely that you have developed a sense of helpless and defeat against the disorder. But this must not be the case. Gain back control and know how to handle the disorder.

Look for simple but effective solutions Not all CFS treatment may work for you. This is because while there is a general clinical definition of the disorder, there are various levels of severity whereby it occurs. So if you think your prescribed medications are not doing you much good, pass and try to look elsewhere for symptoms relief. There is a host of treatment and therapies you can use which oftentimes go beyond conventional medicine.

Try to look for those. Consult herbalists and alternative medicine therapists and seek treatments that will help your disorder. Ask your doctor about supplements instead of antibiotics and pain relievers. Go to a psychologist and ask whether there are therapies you can undergo to facilitate better coping with your illness. Dont be limited by pharmacological treatments, experiment on various options and pick some that provide you the most benefits.

Take lessons from each day With chronic fatigue, you are lucky if you don’t feel sick for one day. So for the most parts, you can take note of your symptoms and your responses to treatments and therapies. It is important to keep a journal of your daily experience as this can help guide you on how to better manage your disorder.

Take charge of your healthcare Take an active role in facilitating the delivery of healthcare services for yourself. If what your doctor gives you does not work, find someone else. Dont be afraid to get second or third opinion from doctors who are expert in immune system dysfunction. If you dont respond well to conventional medicine, find other treatments.

Move your body For most patients, the idea of doing some physical activities is not only impossible but unthinkable. Nonetheless, recent studies have shown that minor physical activities pick up one’s energy and health so try undergoing exercise programs. Try graded exercise therapy, for example. According to recent studies, this therapy improves the physical energy and capacity of an individual with chronic fatigue syndrome.

While it is of course hard for the first few months, first few years even, it is always worth the effort. Eventually, with a little activity done each day, the body will regain the strength and vigor that once were available prior to the onset of chronic fatigue.

Chronic Fatigue Treatment Options

Patients of CFS or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome respond differently to various treatments. Some of them recover after drastic changes in lifestyle, some of them are more responsive to pharmacological treatments. Here are the most common treatment modalities to which CFS patients are subjected and to which most of them respond well.

Self-Care/Management Techniques
Some patients can facilitate self-care treatments. This can be done by monitoring the level and pacing of activities such that prolonged and extreme levels of exhaustion are prevented. This can also be done by preventing the urge to rest. Since CFS is not relieved through rest, regardless of the duration, health care professionals do not advise the patients to rest excessively. Some form of physical activity must be maintained. This is oftentimes recommended by the physician. When trying to manage the symptoms of the disorder by yourself, it is best to keep the pacing and the level of the activities under control. Otherwise, symptoms may occur at a more debilitating rate.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a psychological therapy that delivers relief of symptoms but not necessarily cure. This helps the patients understand their conditions and can therefore better guide them in forming their beliefs, perception and attitudes towards the syndrome. It is believed that through a more accurate depiction of the condition, the patient can better respond to the symptoms and they can cause lesser inhibition of the recurrence of their symptoms.

Graded Exercise Therapy
This therapy involves the introduction of incremental changes in the patients’ levels of activity. While concrete evidence are yet to be established, many experts believe that integration of activities is very important in managing the disease. Under this therapy then, the patient will have to monitor his own activities and exercises. As the therapy progresses, he moves to higher intensities until he gets back to the doing activities he normally participated in prior to the onset of the condition.

Pharmacological Treatments
Managements of the conditions through pharmacological treatments can involve the following medications:

Antidepressants are primarily used to manage mood swings and secondary depression. Low dosage antidepressants, on the other hand, are helpful in managing sleep disturbance and pain.

Autonomic nervous system stimulants are used to help improve concentration and short-term memory which are greatly affected by the disorder.

NSAIDs or Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs are prescribed to CFS patients to relieve them from muscle and joint pains.

Anxiolyticagents are used to target symptoms of anxiety.

CAM or Complementary and Alternative Medicine
The use of dietary supplements in managing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is central in alleviating the symptoms of CFS. According to some pilot studies, supplements of Carnitine, essential fatty acids, Magnesium and polynutrient supplements have shown strong indications of symptom reduction among patients.

Because the origins of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are not yet fully understood, treatment options are more directed to managing the symptoms and not really in curing the disorder. The main objective in producing relief from symptoms is to reinstate the conditions of the person as well as his well-being prior to the onset of the disorder.

As a result, majority of sufferers do not fully recover and even if they do, they recover gradually. For people who expect better and faster recovery, frustrations often ensue which for most of the cases, worsen the condition. It is therefore recommended to undergo a treatment at a very slow but well-managed pace.