The first thing you need to know about treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome is that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach for it. And it’s primarily dependent on each individual’s specific symptoms and how each responds to various therapies.
More importantly, doctors will significantly be guided by the way an individual describes his or her symptoms during consultations. With that said, you must work with a reputable chronic fatigue syndrome treatment specialist in Salt Lake City to develop your treatment plan.
Treatment Options Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
The most common treatment strategies for addressing chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms include the following medications and lifestyle changes:
- Pain Relievers – For individuals who have frequent joint pain, severe headaches and other kinds of pain that can’t be alleviated with other treatments, doctors recommend pain relievers.
- Stimulants – These can be used for increasing alertness during the day. Some individuals may also need amphetamines.
- Anticonvulsants – Some CFS patients can benefit from taking medications used to prevent seizures even they don’t experience seizures.
- Benzodiazepines and antidepressants – While not everyone who suffers from CFS is depressed, certain antidepressants have been found to help relieve sleep issues, pain and fatigue.
- Thyroid Medications – These can complement some chronic fatigue treatments in individuals who have borderline thyroid hormone levels, especially if they’re not responding well to their current treatment plan.
- Certain lifestyle changes – Doctors recommend that CFS patients slow down, sleep more and reduce physical and mental stress. They should likewise learn how to conserve their energy for crucial tasks at work and home and to prioritize regulating their energy levels.
- Working out regularly – Ideally with help from an experienced physical therapist or personal trainer, you should start an exercise regimen that’s safe for your current physical level. Do note though that if you continuously feel worse after exercising, you may need to tweak your current program to suit your physical level.
Alternative Therapies to Consider
You have probably heard or read about herbal supplementation and vitamin therapy that can help relieve symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. It is, however, essential to note that the following alternative therapies are the only ones that have been found to work:
- S-Adenosyl Methionine or SAM-E – twice-daily dosage of 200mg to 400mg.
- Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide or NADH – twice-daily 5gm dosage.
- Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 – thrice-daily 100mg dosage.
Plenty of people with CFS also try valerian root, magnesium and Aloe Vera supplements, as well as acupuncture. Although there’s no real evidence to support that they work for CFS, they don’t really pose any dangers.
A Warning on Treatment Options
There’s no standardized approach for treating chronic fatigue syndrome. This means that you will most likely encounter ads that claim to have all the answers to treat your symptoms. Conversely, some people might meet doctors who won’t believe your symptoms.
With this in mind, you need to be extremely careful when choosing a doctor you can trust. Communicate your symptoms and be open about any treatment options that you’re interested in trying.