CDC Study of Medication Use Reveals 'Anti-Trend' in ME/CFS

[Cort]

This is what the CDC is spending their money on (yawn). It's not what I would spend my money on in this disease but it does reveal some interesting stuff.

• First - no surprise, here; ME/CFS patients take alot of medications and supplements - about 6 different ones on average (and many of these people are not seeing physicians).
  
• Second - many of the medications they're using are designed to tone down (not boost) activity in the body; check this out - CFS patients were significantly more likely to use anti-anxiety drugs, muscle relaxants, sedatives, anti-histamines, pain relievers and anti-acids (?)(from all that fried food in the South?) than the other groups. (They also used more anti-depressants but I don't know if they increase CNS activity or diminish it).

In any case this little study suggests to me that many people are trying to turn down an overactive system. They all seem to be trying to 'turn down' something; relax the muscles, relax the CNS, turn down the pain receptors....Interesting. I think that's interesting because that's what I'm trying to do much of the time - turn the system down so it can relax and build it self back up.

Use of medications among people with chronic fatigue syndrome and healthy persons: a population-based study of fatiguing illness in Georgia. Boneva RS, Lin JM, Maloney EM, Jones JF, Reeves WC.

RESULTS: More than 90% of persons with CFS used at least one drug or supplement within the preceding two weeks. Among users, people with CFS used an average of 5.8 drugs or supplements, compared to 4.1 by ISF and 3.7 by Well controls. Persons with CFS were significantly more likely to use antidepressants, sedatives, muscle relaxants, and anti-acids than either Well controls or the ISF group. In addition, persons with CFS were significantly more likely to use pain-relievers, anti-histamines and cold/sinus medications than were Well controls.

 

[Jody]

Cort,

It is interesting. And significant, I think.

When I was still pretty sick I would occasionally clue in the people around me, saying when I seem most quiet, that is probably when the worst of my symptoms are flaring. I might seem quiet, and still, but inside a ruckus was going on. Very noisy inside where I lived.

Tinnitis, parasthesia (sometimes known as "the body stone" ), fractured vision, thoughts also fractured and dancing in my head, not quite able to land and ... finish , a feeling akin to panic but not panic ...

What I wanted then (and I still get some of this every day just not as bad) I would have LOVED something to ... turn things down.

When I had my one and only Reiki treatment, the next day, I had internal ... quiet. The "chatter" in my nervous system was gone for 24 hrs. Then, it came back ...

 

[Cort]

An amazing story. Such an evocative description of what we go through as well. I like that 'a feeling akin to panic but not panic' because it's not a panic attack - it's very different; for me it's a feeling of overload - too much 'noise' in the system - whether it's caused by too much physical activity or other things.

 

[Jody]

Yeah, panic that's not panic. I've felt that many times.

It's not an emotion like fear. It's the physical manifestation of panic, for me. Whether there's anything going on or not.