For and against recovery whats your experience

Hi Georgia,

What herbs work for you? If be interested to know as I'm considering going down the antidepressant route.... A friend of mine who is a psychiatrist said sertraline would be good for me but I'm dubious.... If I can try herbs then I would rather go down the natural route to be honest!

I would not take antidepresants. M.E. is not a physchological illness. Though it does get you down if you have it, which is undertanding.

 

I've resisted for over 2 years and it's really bringing me down mentally which I'm sure it's effecting me physically. Docotor has suggested a very low dosage of sertraline to increase my mood / anxiety. I'm optimistic I was on the road to recovery and was working part time until I had a virus and then had the worse relapse I've every experienced. I think it terrified me so much that it's slowed down my recovery. Last thing I want to take after having such a crappy experience on them in my early 20's but I feel I've got to do something

There is short a lot of negativity around M.E/CFS and anti depressants and I can only speak from my own experience but I found when I was at my worst it hugely affected my mental health, so for me they really helped. I also had CBT and learnt to pace, this time last year I couldn't work or barely look after my son and was pretty much housebound. I am now off all medication, back at work full time and can exercise a moderate amount, not to the extent of 7 mile runs like I used to do but I can slowly plod out a 3 miler these days. I have to listen to my body carefully and still pace but I do now lead a fairly normal life again. I might add the A/Ds made me violently sick to begin with and I had to start on about 2mgs a day, and it took me nearly 8 weeks to be able to tolerate a full dose but I got there in the end. There is hope, but you really have to try to be able to decide for yourself - good luck x

Thank you for such an encouraging reply. I really do believe of my mental state was better (I just feel so down and tearful all the time) I would be stronger and be able to face it with a more positive outlook. Can I ask which antidepressants you were on? X

I was in a bad place mentally too, real rock bottom and some pretty dark thoughts at times. I was on Citalopram for approximately 6 - 7 months. Really helped my anxiety too x

.... So you understand what I'm going through... It really is a crippling illness on all levels and just strips you of everything that makes you 'you' I'm just so desperate to feel a sense of normality again. Ah citalapram is what I had before and it didn't agree with me. I'm going into it with a optimism although a little scared. Fingers crossed it all works out thank you again x

I so get how you feel, I often used to say to me therapist I just want to think and feel like me again. Generally, these days, provided I'm careful I more often or not do feel and think like me. I realise I am very lucky but you are still there too - you just have to find you again. Take care xx

I'm so pleased for you, sounds like life is good now. It gives me immense hope I'll get there too! Are you able drink alcohol? That's one thing my body just won't tolerate and I miss a few glasses of wine xx

I didn't drink for a year and introduced it very slowly. I can usually, but not always, tolerate a couple of glasses of wine but if I begin to feel even tipsy I will be ill as I'll can be the next few days, awful hangover and CFS symptoms. If I stay within my limits and stop before it makes me feel tipsy, then I know I have drunk it the next day but I'm not ill. There is hope, for all of us. How long have you been ill? xx

Oh ok. So gone are my days of a good night out with the girls and rolling in late

I was diagnosed in October 2014 bit had been pretty ill for a war prior to that. I did feel relatively well by Feb 2015 after being signed off and had complete rest but I didn't listen to my body and went straight back to long working hours and leading the life I used to and 'bam' I got a virus and was bed bound for months - it frightened me so much! I felt 100 times worse than I did before the diagnosis. I haven't had a drink since December 2014 because it made me feel awful every time I had a glass ans anxious. I would really like to see if I'm able to tolerate it again but maybe when I'm mentally strong again as I don't want to risk a further relapse xx

I do put a lot of the achievements I have made down to my CBT therapist. He taught me how to manage my lifestyle, anxiety and depression. I learnt do much, including that my fear of everything making me relapse, was also preventing me moving forwards. That's not to say he rushed me head long back into life but he taught me how to properly pace and manage my mental health at the same time. Have you had any CBT? I was on a 6 month programme through the NHS. I self referred and was assessed before being accepted, my doctor didn't refer me but they did tell me how to refer myself. Try to stay positive, I was quite well before I tried alcohol x

Hi Haylee,

St John's wort, Damiana and Ginseng help with energy as well as lifting my moods. And 5HTP helps with my serotonin levels.

Joanne could in be about wine sugars? If I ate a piece of cake I'd get so much more sick, but I can manage a few glasses of wine, but not red. I've been trying to work that out.

You could be right, Georgia. I only drink white or rose wine and occasionally Prosecco or Cava but I find I am much better off anything with fizz - all very hard to figure out. Also as I said to Hayley my reaction can vary week to week with the exact same drink, just another mystery of this illness I guess x

Thank you Georgia, I'm definitely going to have a look at those before the AD route

X

Cool, I never wanted to resort to the medical route so I found my own way and it's helping so I'm passing it on. 

It is very mysterious, that's why I'm glad we're talking about it. I find that filtered water helps a lot. I'm a bit forgetful in remembering to drink enough but when I do I feel better, how about you?

Well Georgia, the med route dont do a lot to help, for some maybe, so it is worth trying alternatives to suit, l did get some of the supplaments you suggested, valerian is vile tasting, but trying them all. l,m also not a good water drinker, but do keep a bottle of spring water at hand, often with added supplaments, the soluable ones at least.  l used to enjoy and g and t, drowned with ice and tonic, but bit wary now, due to gastric probs, but the occcassional indulgence as with choc, is needed.  Hope your doing ok.  

I was on Anti Depressants some years ago. They gave me more problems than I had in the first place. My Doc said don't worry we have lots of these they take six weeks to kick in. My last lot I didn't take and started to feel better after that> I have answered this on another discussion but I had a virus last Christmas from which I have not recovered. Or have I and am now too scared to give it a go. If you have rested since this time your legs are going  to be out of condition. The rest of your body is going to ache if you lift items. When you have a problem is it difficult to cope because of the fear of makings things worse. You may be confused but am I more confused. So I am going to give it a go, if you don't like where you are then try and change it what have we got to lose.

Good luck haylee

Thank goodness  we can communicate 

Thank you for your message.

I was thinking today that in these situations it's almost a shame we are all so very different because If we were the same then what works and fixes one person would work for all!

I'm still holding off taking the antidepressants and trying to push myself by doing more things but it's hard because of fear of undoing the work I've done to get where I am. It's almost like a 'stale mate' not getting any worse nor any better! (I'm convinced this is the cause of the low mood / mild anxiety and depression) I've come to the conclusion I personally have to push past the fear and do more if I'm going to see any further results! I may regret that decision but don't see how I can continue to progress if I don't try. Maybe then my mood will improve and if it doesn't and I relapse a little then I think I need to take the medication support and see if that helps...... Just thinking about all this makes me tired haha

Haylee X

Hi Hayley, when you say you're going to 'push yourself', that is a great attitude! However, it's always best to be kind to yourself and only push gently. Ie, keep an eye on the time spent active. If you can cope with an hour, just add 10 minutes for 3 to 4 days to see how it goes. You can expect to go back and forth; it's the nature of the illness. The trick is to NEVER GIVE UP. 

Hi Haylee,

What you have written sounds positive. What else can we do, find out where you fit. Today as I have written I have done more today than I have since the start of this thing. since cutting the grass I have washed two cars. No immediate problem. Had to fill in on line form, this is where I struggle. I have never had trouble like this before and to ask my wife for help was unknown. So if tomorrow the muscles  do not revolt I think I can say that bit is o.k. How I stop the brain blanking I don't know. I have no problem writing on this forum so is it practice. Maybe controlling the panic will help, I have nothing immediately needing doing so we will see when I am tested again 

Hi there,

I've been thinking about the herbal route too.

In particular, at the moment, I am wondering about "rosebay willow herb". Not sure if that is the right spelling!

Do you know anything about it by any chance?!

Would also be interested to hear what helped you out also.

Hope you're having a good day!