Hi,
I am diagnosing myself with CFS. I have had fatigue for over 5 years, have had a million tests and have not had 1, 100% positive diagnosis. I have fatigue that is not helped by sleep, it's more like a muscle fatigue. And, the less sleep I get the better I feel. On the weekends I am able to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday and those are the two days I feel the worst.
Here are the abnormal blood tests results I have had:
positive ana, speckled, 1:360 - has been positive for 4 years
positive anticardiolipin antibodies - has been positive twice
CBC - low RBC, low hemoglobin, low hematocrit, low RDW and high MPV - just tested in June - doctor said I had mild anemia and that my results do not explain the fatigue I am feeling.
I am taking plaquenil (400 mg) and dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) - only 10 mg. I was not prescribed this for chronic fatigue, but rather for a "possible" connective tissue disease. This has been my diagnosis for over 4 years. You would think in 4 years that the blood tests would start showing whether I really have a connective tissue disease or not. And, my only symptom is fatigue. I don't have any pain at all. I sometimes feel like it's hard to climb stairs because my muscles are sore, but it's not painful. And, if I walk for over 30 minutes, I will suffer for about 3-4 days because it makes my fatigue much worse. I used to be a runner before I got sick :(
Anyway, I have read that plaquenil and dexedrine are both medications used in CFS. Does anyone here take these medications? Is there any other prescribed medication that seems to work better? What can I take over the counter? I am going to start working on my diet because it's not that good right now....I'm not over weight, but I need to cut out drinking mt. dew and eating sweets...maybe that will help.