painfull fatigue

[sarcasam]

What do people do about this almost painfully fatigue?..Its more debilitating than anything elese.

[young at heart]

FATIGUE IS VERY DIBILATING , IT CAN EFFECT EVERYTHING WE DO AND CREATE FATIGUE IN THE MUSCLES AND SO FORTH.

PROVIGIL HAS BEEN A BLESSING,BUT COSTLY, MY GP PUSHED AND MY INSURANCE COVERS IT.

I TAKE IT TWICE A DAY,8AM AND AT NOON.

EVEN WITH THE PROVIGIL,I'M STILL FATIGUED.TAKING A NAP,TRYING TO KEEP A REGULAR SCHEDULE --IF POSSIBLE DOES HELP.

PROVIGIL IS USUALLY PRESCRIBED FOR MS,BUT DRS. CAN GET AROUND THE INSURANCES USING IT OFF LABEL---CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE.

T-LYNN

[jp518]

Have you tried B12?  I don't know yet what all's going on with me, but I do have a B12 deficiency, and when I started taking B12 supplements per my pcp's advice, it upped my energy level greatly. I have heard that people with no deficiency take it with similar effects.  You might first ask your doctor if there's any reason not to try it , of course.

Hang in there.
Judy

[MostlyShell]

Hi,
My personal battle with fatigue has been awful too but with MS, I try to take heart in knowing that it will pass, at some point, even if only for a day or two.  I am ever so thankful for those days, like bliss!!!  I haven't been able to get my doc to give me anything yet.  I tried Provigil but doesn't work for me and since my ANS is messed up due to lesion, I can't get on anything like Kathy said that affects my heart rate.
I also try, like Kathy said, when I feel half decent, to pace myself.  Realize that I can't get everything done at once.  Although it would be soooo nice!
And I understand about the pain too.  It feels good to be able to move around, when the feet, back, hands, etc etc aren't hurting....
I think it's a fact of MS with fatigue/pain and we have to learn how to manage it in our own way, some way, as MS affects each of us differently.
Hugs to ya,
MostlyShell

[Fluffysmom]

I've tried to get lots of sleep, doesn't help, eating right, drinking lots of water, nope.

Pacing myself so that I don't get to the feel-like-I've-hit-a-brick-wall-head-on, lay me flat out fatigue helps a little.

The only thing I've found for me that helps a lot is Provigil, and my insurance won't cover it because I don't have a diagnosis.  I got a coupon from the company for a free 7-day supply, and the difference was amazing.

I ended up paying $$$ for 30 pills so I could get things accomplished and have a good time on vacation, and am working at getting help through a Patient Assistance Program or something like that.  It made that much difference for me.

I don't know if Provigil will work for you, but there are other medications that are prescribed for fatigue, when your doctor knows that nothing else is helping.  My PCP didn't want me to try Provigil for years, until my brain MRI with all the lesions, and no answers from my neurologists.

Now she's all for it, but can't get my insurance company to approve it without a diagnosis.  She offered to prescribe a medicine similare to one that gave me a resting heart rate of 150 several years ago, which I declined.  Having my heart pounding that fast and hard was not something I would ever want to repeat.

Long answer to a short question.  Good luck; I know just what kind of fatigue you're talking about.

Kathy