by V. Kumar

Created on: August 09, 2008   Last Updated: September 18, 2008

There are certain options available for treating this condition, but before going in to their details, one needs to understand certain facets of Chronic fatigue syndrome.

IMPORTANT FACETS OF CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME & ITS TREATMENT

Chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS is a condition of persistent debilitating fatigue that results from uncertain causes and leads to severe deterioration in the quality of life apart from becoming an impediment in vocation and livelihood.

- There is no single cure for treating chronic fatigue syndrome. In other words there is no particular treatment option that could be considered a treatment of choice in all cases of CFS.

- What works for one person diagnosed with CFS may not work with another labelled with the same condition. Thus for every person diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, the patient and the doctor need to find the most effective treatment.

- Most of the time the treatment consists of more than one modality. For example, it may consist of medications, diet, exercise and certain precautions. It could be a mixture of prescription drugs and some forms of complimentary or alternative therapies. This may require a team of experts like physician, physiotherapist, dietician and others to work together for helping the person affected with this condition.

- Early initiation of treatment improves the chances of remission. Hence early diagnosis and identification of best treatment is a crucial step in managing chronic fatigue syndrome.

TREATMENT OPTIONS

The main options of treatment consist of medical treatment, counselling and psychotherapy, exercise under close supervision and alternative or complimentary treatments.

1. MEDICAL TREATMENT

The following treatments have been advocated as having possible benefits. None of them is likely to benefit all cases, but they are worth trying depending upon the profile and likely causes.

- Antidepressants in low doses improve the quality of sleep and stress and thereby help in some relief from fatigue.

- Autonomic nervous system stimulants like atomoxetine, amphetamines and methylphenidate (Ritalin) provide some relief and benefit to the symptoms.

- Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide or NADH has also been observed to bring some benefit to some persons suffering from CFS.

- Steroids and thyroid hormones have been shown to have some benefit in some cases.

- Immuno-modulation with medicines like intravenous immuno-gammaglobulin (IVIgG) have also been advocated, but results are still not consistently promising.

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