How to Treat CFS

There are no specific ways to treat chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), although there is an increasing knowledge of methods that have achieved success for many CFS sufferers. CFS patients and their doctors often devise treatment plans based upon trial and error.

Instructions

Treat CFS

• 1

  Seek out supportive health care professionals. For a long time, a great many doctors viewed CFS with skepticism. Do not continue to see a doctor who minimizes your symptoms or tells you they are all in your head.

• 2

  Reduce stress. The onset of CFS and severe episodes of CFS are often associated with high levels of stress. Work to pinpoint events and feelings that induce stress and then eliminate or curtail those factors.

• 3

  Lighten your workload. People who suffer from CFS are often high achievers with multiple responsibilities. The symptoms of CFS may be lessened by letting go of some duties. In severe cases, you may have to curtail your work altogether.

• 4

  Treat the symptoms. CFS patients often find temporary relief by taking prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs directed at specific symptoms such as headaches, joint pain or fever.

• 5

  Develop an exercise program. While strenuous exercise can increase the symptoms of CFS, most patients find that consistent, moderate exercise often diminishes many CFS symptoms for at least a short while.

• 6

  Eat a nutritionally balanced diet. Vitamin B and iron may be especially helpful. Consult with your doctor before taking megadoses of any vitamin, since even the most benign vitamins can be toxic in unorthodox doses.

• 7

  Discuss taking antidepressants with your doctor. Antidepressant therapy for CFS patients must be carefully tailored so as not to increase a patient's fatigue. Drugs to improve the quality of sleep and reduce anxiety may also be part of a CFS treatment plan.

• 8

  Join a support group. CFS is still widely misunderstood by those who do not suffer from it. Being with others who have firsthand knowledge of CFS can provide emotional strength as well as opportunities for learning about successful therapies. The Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome Association of America Web site has a list of support groups across the country (see Resources below).

• 9

  Go with the flow of your disease. After an initial diagnosis, many CFS patients find that their symptoms ebb and flow. Periods of great pain and fatigue may be followed by long periods of fairly few symptoms. Adjust activity levels to your current state of well-being.