There is no known cure for ME, although treatment may help to ease symptoms. You are likely to be referred to a specialist who will be able to offer you support and treatment.
Treatments that may be considered include the following. Painkillers may help if muscle or joint pains are troublesome symptoms.
Eating little and often may help any feeling of sickness nausea. Specific diets have not been shown to be beneficial. Depression can occur in people with ME - as it can in many other persistent chronic diseases such as heart or lung disease. Depression can make many symptoms worse. Antidepressants may be prescribed if depression develops.
Managing your sleep It is likely you will be given advice about your sleep. Any changes to your sleep pattern for example, having too little, or even too much, sleep may actually make your tiredness fatigue worse. This includes sleeping in the daytime, which should ideally be avoided. Any changes to your sleep pattern should be done gradually. Managing rest Setting aside times to rest rather than actual sleep is very beneficial. You should introduce rest periods into your daily routine.
These should ideally be limited to 30 minutes at a time and be a period of relaxation. Relaxation Relaxation can help to improve pain, sleep problems and any stress or anxiety you may have. There are various relaxation techniques such as guided visualisation or breathing techniques which you may find useful when they are built into your rest periods.
Pacing This means balancing periods of activity and rest and becoming aware of which activities demand most from you. You should aim to stop activities before you feel the impact so that you have enough energy in reserve.
Doing too much on a good day may make you feel the impact later. It can take time to change your usual activities but pacing is very important in managing your condition in the long term.
Diet It is very important that you have a well-balanced diet. You should try to avoid any foods and drinks to which you are sensitive.
Eating small, regular meals which contain some starchy foods is often beneficial. Other treatments Graded exercise therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence NICE guidelines, but may not be of any benefit or may even make symptoms worse. The NICE guidelines are currently being reviewed. Depending on the severity of illness, other support may be needed - for example, carers, nursing support, equipment and adaptations to the home to help overcome disability.
If you are employed, your doctor will be able to advise you about whether you should take time off work. And, if you take time off work, when you may be ready to go back to work. It may be that you need to work doing slightly different hours or even with different duties. If you have an occupational health department at work, they are likely to be involved with you also regarding work and going back to work if you take time off.
As there is only limited success with conventional treatments, it is understandable that people turn to complementary practitioners. Get in touch. Registered in England. Company Registration Number Our registration number is C All rights reserved.
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None of us at ME Research UK are medically qualified, and so we are not in a position to offer any specific advice or help on treatments. Skip to content. The main symptoms are: Intense fatigue and a feeling of being unwell post-exertional malaise that is not improved by rest, and can be worse after physical or mental effort; Pain in the muscles or joints; Problems in the stomach or intestine; Difficulty sleeping; and Memory or concentration problems cognitive dysfunction.
What is the cause? Post-exertional malaise after activity in which the worsening of symptoms: is often delayed in onset by hours or days is disproportionate to the activity has a prolonged recovery time that may last hours, days, weeks or longer.
Unrefreshing sleep or sleep disturbance or both , which may include: feeling exhausted, feeling flu-like and stiff on waking broken or shallow sleep, altered sleep pattern or hypersomnia. What treatments are available?
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Most Common Symptoms. Main Diagnostic Symptoms. Post-exertional malaise PEM - symptoms worsen after exertion. Reduction or impairment in ability to carry out normal daily activities, accompanied by Profound Fatigue.
Unrefreshing sleep. Cognitive Impairment. Orthostatic intolerance symptoms worsen when sitting or standing upright. Severe body pain and worsening headaches. Neurological or Cognitive Symptoms.
Brain Fog. Difficulty concentrating. Short-term memory issues. Ataxia and muscle weakness. Hypersensitivity to noise and light. Orthostatic intolerance. Irregular heartbeat. Increased heart rate on standing. Recurrent flu-like symptoms. Sweating, fever, chills and night sweats. New sensitivities to food, medication, chemicals.
Recurring sore throat. Joint pain without swelling or redness. Tender lymph nodes. Shortness of breath. Change in body weight. Temperature instability. Change in appetite. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains common Diagnostic Questions asked by your healthcare provider.
Included on the site are some thoughtful handouts to help you navigate the diagnostic process.
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