Use of stimulants for cfs

Something I recall from the mid 90's was when a women I met told me that she felt 'better' taking Amphetamines, she was in the process of getting a diagnosis and went to see my ME doctor, he told her that if she felt better on stimulants then he had questions regarding her diagnosis. In the end he did not give her an ME diagnosis and said that long term stimulants make ME symptoms worse.

 

So @Mij your doctor said if you fell better with stimulants than you dont have m.e.? If i dont understand it wrong, this makes no sense to me. Of course stimulants dont take away all symptoms but have impact on some. Of course if you take to much and push your body over the edge you will crash, but thats a symptom of me or not? Which diagnose did she get in the end?

 

Hi @Spun, he didn't feel she had ME based on her onset and history. But feeling 'better' on stimulants after being ill for 8 years most likely didn't fit his experience (20 years of seeing ME pts)? He sent her to see another specialist and I don't know if or what diagnosis he received (if any).

He didn't feel I had ME either and sent me to see a neurologist to r/o MS. I was diagnosed with 'atypical ME PVFS'. So his criteria was very specific.

 

Thank you for clarifying. Best regards

 

I was prescribed 50 mg of modafinil but I take this as a joke. I need to take at least 10 pills (1000 mg) to get me active. And it does work, however I don't know what the long term consequences will be. Addiction, withdrawal, crashing and so on. Besides, it will cost me cheaper to get amphetamines from a local dealer instead. Never tried ritalin. I have two more packs of modafinil and intend to stop it after that (though I'll miss it , I was able to play federball with it without crashing afterwords).

eta: Forgot to mention I take it together with high doses of diazepam and bromazepam, which may have a role in being active without crashing.

 

OK on the second thought modafinil doesn't help for my fatigue, neither boosts my energy. It clears my brain fog though, which is wonderful, and I "live in the moment", and become very concentrated and chatty. However, this happens only if I take a dose of about 600-800 mg, which is double of the maximum 400 mg dose. And it's very expensive. The recommended dose is 200 mg. I took 300 mg today and it's as if I have taken nothing - just wasted the pills. When I take high doses I suffer insomnia, but maybe that's because I take part of the pills at noon. Tomorrow morning I will try taking a whole 600 mg dose and see what happens.