Yes and probably here.
I began taking MSM for allergies shortly after I developed ME/CFS and years before I realized that I had it. I do not have much pain. That is one reason I do not agree with the theory that ME/CFS and FMS are different forms of the same thing. I do have some gut issues, but less than quite a few of the people here seem to have.
There was a time period when I was not able to get MSM. It was over a decade ago, so my memory is a little fuzzy on the details. I think the pain got worse at that time. I was not surprised since MSM is a general anti-inflammatory. It is also used for muscle, tendon, and/or ligament problems. As I recall, when I was able to get MSM again, the allergies and the pain got better, which was what I was expecting.
I dont think I even had gut issues in the early years of ME/CFS. I think that all started with a severe respiratory infection that required 2 rounds of antibiotics, which created a relapse infection that required 2 rounds of sulfa, which left me with a yeast infection that was impervious to 4 diflucan treatments. Needless to say, at the end of that my gut was a mess. I think the illness occurred not too long after I went off MSM, so it is not really possible to say what effect going off the MSM had on my gut. I do not recall any great improvement in my gut when I was able to get MSM again. I was not associating MSM with my gut or paying particular attention to any connection between them. That does not mean that I would not have recovered more slowly without it.
MSM is generally very harmless in a variety of species. I was surprised to see two people here who had a problem with it. That makes me wonder if there is something particular to ME/CFS patients that causes a problem with MSM.
The last I knew, makers of MSM were prohibited from making any health claims beyond that it is a source of sulfur. In actuality, it is primarily used for its anti-inflammatory properties. You might ask your doc more specifically why she is recommending it. If she is CFS-literate, I am assuming that she has had good results with it in other ME/CFS patients. You might ask her if that is so.
I first learned about MSM from a veterinarian. He had me give my horse a loading dose, then reduce to a maintenance dose. I have never seen that recommended for humans, but if you take it, you might want to ask your doc about it. (Unfortunately, I was usually able to get better medical care for my horses than for myself, so have more confidence in veterinarians that physicians.) When the MSM is active in your system, you will likely see an improvement in your hair and nails. That is a result of the sulfur.
P.S. Adreno, do you have or have you had horses? Sulphur is a horse, sulfur is a mineral.
And the doc was raving about it. Just goes to show, you can't just blindly follow their advice.
