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Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of, and finding treatments for, complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.
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I know several people who have had cognitive while going through depression or a stressful time. It helped a few, and didn't help a few others, in terms of looking at their lives through the opposite end of the telescope. My sister found it beneficial. So it's worth a shot, as long as no one tries to tell you that they are addressing your ME/CFS, rather than your coping skills.
Yungas,
Don't know where you live, buy the CBT they push in Britain more than in the US (though they definitely have it here in the US too), is what i call 'evil' CBT. This is what they used in the big PACE study. The whole focus of it is to tell you you don't have a physical disease and the reason you feel bad is that you're not exercising enough and then you have to do graded exercise where they keep racheting up the exercise, which will of course make your ME worse.
Regular CBT that they used for other diseases is fine- they help you not beat yourself up because you can't do as much as you used to; tell you to rest a lot etc. Make sure you are getting the latter.
btw- there is a treatments section on the forum. this kind of post should go there.
good luck!
Amitriptyline could help if your serotonin and/or norepinephrine levels are low. But high glutamate is more likely to be behind our troubles sleeping.
Lyrica (pregabalin) might be more useful, since it transforms glutamate into GABA, both by directly reducing glutamate levels and by producing the substance that opposes glutamate.
Rivotril/Klonopin (clonazepam), can be used in a low dose to enhance the effects of GABA, in opposing glutamate.
There's also over the counter supplements that act in similar ways, but doctors that think you have a complicated and unusual depression are probably less interested in those
Yes, I've tried it a couple of times in the NHS under different hospitals. The therapists learnt a fair bit about ME off me.
Thanks Bob!
I found one therapist very open to education but the next had unhelpful beliefs
The NHS owes me big time for all that training.