Battling Extreme Fatigue - What Works for You?

[bananana]

Hi guys, I haven't been on here in a while. I've been struggling with extreme fatigue lately and just wanted to ask if anyone here has tried anything that helps. I used to find caffeine helpful, but the fatigue has been so bad recently I've had to consume way more of it, which ends up keeping me up at night and making the problem worse the next day.

Its gotten to be so bad I can barely get out of bed, and when I do, its only so long before I have to lay down again. My neuro said that fatigue is actually the most common complaint among MS patients (which seems crazy, there's so much to complain about!). So I can't be the only one with this problem. Has anyone found anything that helps?
Thanks for sharing!

-b

[Scott1]

Hi Fatigue is the pits.

A simple explanation is here- http://www.thisisms.com/forum/regimens- ... 9-165.html

on 8th December post.

A simpler idea - get a good brand of coenzyme Q10. Start at a dose of 150mg and increase it by 150mg every second night. Keep stepping up each second night by 150mg till you get to around 600mg and stay there. There are a lot of other things to do but that might help. Any health food shop or pharmacy should stock them but don't buy a cheap brand if you can afford not to. For preference look for a practioner brand as the quality should be better.

Regards

[CureOrBust]

Hi guys, I haven't been on here in a while. I've been struggling with extreme fatigue lately and just wanted to ask if anyone here has tried anything that helps. I used to find caffeine helpful, but the fatigue has been so bad recently I've had to consume way more of it, which ends up keeping me up at night and making the problem worse the next day.

If the vitamins and supplements work, I would go for that. If not, medication wise, there is Provigil (ie Modafinil), which keeps you feeling awake.

I used to use caffeine for helping workout, but found if I took it after midday, sleep would be a problem. I found that Ritalin has a very short half life (about 4hrs from memory) So I found I could take some (5mg originally, now 10mg) around 6pm and still manage to go to sleep not too long after 10pm. Now, the only problem is that I have built a resistance to the medication, but I do not feel upping the dose anymore would be a good idea; as I think it would just get higher and higher over time, and it is known to be addictive. Currently I am at 2 x 5mg. Make sure to get the non-sustained release if you want the energy boost for a short time like exercising, but maybe a larger sustained release may be better for your needs.

[DougL]

Modafinil which keeps you feeling awake.

my wife says she couldn't function without it

[am65]

Did you try with Vitamin D? I'm not sure if it is related, but since I take it regularly I have less fatigue.

[bananana]

Thanks for all the info everyone.

Did you try with Vitamin D? I'm not sure if it is related, but since I take it regularly I have less fatigue.

Yes I take Vit D. I'm taking 5000 IU daily right now. I was taking less (2000 IU every other day or so) and had my Vit D levels checked last month. My neuro said I came out on the low side (for MS patients) and she recommended I up the dosage and take it every day. Its hard to tell if the D makes any difference at all. I may possibly be feeling worse now than I was before, but who knows. I've been dealing with fatigue issues for many years, and I'm not sure when exactly it got to be THIS bad.

If anyone has any other fatigue busting hints/strategies to share, I'm all ears!

[ElliotB]

What other supplements are you taking? What kind of diet are you following? Do you exercise regularly?

[jimmylegs]

i too am interested in the details re the rest of your supplement regimen, b. if the 5000IU vit D3 is not adequately balanced with interacting minerals you could be driving down levels of things needed for energy.

personally if i experience fatigue the first thing i look at is hydration, then i have a look at whether my iron status or magnesium status could be affected by recent day to day choices.

if your d3 was low when taking 2000IU per day, you could expect that your mag status was also probably low. upping d3 without investigating the potential magnesium issue won't resolve that problem. rather, higher daily d3 could further reducing an already low mag level, and absolutely contribute to fatigue.

[bananana]

What other supplements are you taking? What kind of diet are you following? Do you exercise regularly?

I try to ride a bike several times a week for exercise. Sometimes its difficult because I'm so exhausted, but I just have to force myself to do it... then I usually have to lay down and rest for a while when I finish. As far as supplements go, Vit D is the only one I'm currently taking. I used to take every supplement known to man until I choked on one of those giant horse-pills. Now I try to get all my nutrition from food. I eat a healthy diet, I don't think it has a specific name or anything. Nothing fried, no pork, minimal sweets, mostly fresh fruits and veggies, a lot of seafood, limited dairy, occasional red meat. I drink a lot of water as well.

I had very thorough bloodwork done when I saw the neuro last. Everything looked good with the exception of the "low" D levels (admittedly I had been trying to wean myself off the D supplements as well and spend more time in the sun instead. Clearly that didn't have the desired effect so now I'm back to taking D supplements daily). My iron levels were good, but I don't think they checked the magnesium.

Interestingly enough, I asked the neuro what is causing my fatigue when I went in last month. She said it is not known exactly, though she suspected it might have something to do with all the scarring in my brain. She said maybe the signals have to take a longer and more roundabout path to get to where they're going, thus spending more energy and leaving me depleted.

[jimmylegs]

ok good info - if you are not already doing so, you would want to go for minimum 300-400mg magnesium intake per day when not adding supplemental vit D3. it would be wise to aim higher if you can, while adding the extra daily 5000IU dose of D3. it would likely be helpful to have a pumpkin seed snack when you take the D3, and then spread the rest of your mag - rich food intake out across the rest of the day.

in case you don't already have these in the daily routine, or for new readers, here are some high test mag foods with approx amounts of magnesium per serving:

1c cooked spinach (boiled 1 min) = ~150mg
1c cooked swiss chard (boiled 3 min) = ~150mg

0.25c pumpkin or squash seeds = ~200mg
0.25c cashews = ~100mg

1c cooked quinoa ~120mg
1c black beans = ~120 mg
1c brown rice = ~80mg

4oz mackerel = ~100mg

1 30g square dark chocolate = ~100mg

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tnam ... #foodchart
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/artic ... nesium.php

you may already know that organic choices can be expected have better nutrient density, including a healthier magnesium to phosphorus ratio.

i don't know how you feel about baths, but given that you're avoiding pills, a nice magnesium soak could help as well:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_chloride
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_sulfate

hope that helps

[1eye]

modafinil works for me. Some pilots use it to stay awake. That is the only effect, on me. If taken too late in the day, sleep will not come, possibly until morning. It will not intoxicate, but sleeplessness can do that if you're not careful.

[a669142]

Amantadine works well for me.
Ask your Neuro for a Rx.

[THX1138]

I have found magnesium very helpful. Mg intake needs to be done properly for real results. I and others have found Mg to really boost energy - a good and natural energy, not an amped-up, drugged-up energy. Interestingly, Mg also is effective for anxiety. Once again, it gives a natural, non-drugged effect. With continued Mg intake, the effects become more or less permanent, unlike drugs which require at least daily doses to have any effect. I would say that the magnesium chloride foot soaks have been the most effective for me. There is much about magnesium on this site.

I have also found proper hydration to be essential for fatigue relief and prevention. A good amount about proper hydration can also be found here at TiMS.

THX1138

[ElliotB]

To me, the best strategy is to prevent extreme fatigue from happening, through diet, exercise and supplements.

I recommend you exercise every day. Walking is a good starting point. I spend 3-4 hours daily doing some form of exercise (not all at once, not always the same type of exercises). Nothing takes priority over my daily exercise. I never miss.

With regard to diet, make sure any seafood you eat is wild caught, not farm raised. With regard to red meat, 100% grass fed meat is probably as healthy or healthier than wild caught seafood, so make sure any meat you consume is 100% grass fed.

With regard to supplements, there are many, many more supplements you could be taking (and in my opinion should be taking) in addition to D3. As a starting point, a good multi-vitamin, Omega 3 / an EFA (essential fatty acids)

I strongly recommend you read the Wahls Protocol book by Dr. Terry Wahls. It may point you in the right direction and help you battle extreme fatigue.

I have only had one occurrence of extreme fatigue and attribute my success of not having another over the past 1 1/2 years and to be doing reasonably well overall to a proactive approach.

[bananana]

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. I'm going to try the natural approach first (magnesium rich foods, baths). I'll keep you posted on how it goes