Help fatigue anyone?

Hi

long story short cis 6 month ago, right leg took a fair hit it is still near useless other symptons but I can deal with them,

fatigue is ridiculous not worked in 6 month as job is too physical Roofer! Took the time off to repair but nothing really getting better. anytime I try to some work I fall apart for days it’s bloody terrible had my second mri this week but I’m really not interested I just want to fix my current condition.

Does anyone know of any medication I can buy or food anything I really need to get back to work starting to get skint I feel hopeless. Ask my doctor just told me take gabapentin for pain.

ive took some action by not eating meat anymore and taking vit d but it’s not doing anything for fatigue.

anything anyone? Even if I could work for a few hours and not fall apart for 2 days

Thanks

I think your roofing work days are over. Any physical work is impossible. I`m a Carpenter and I had to give up due to exhaustion just hammering in a panel pin. My worst symptom now is fatigue. I struggle to make the bed. What a joke. Find a desk job or similar.

Hi Geeman

​There are a few points I’d make here.

First, disease modifying drugs (DMDs) are licensed for CIS where the neurologist considers the person is likely to develop MS. So while many neurologists aren’t offering them, others are. In your position, I would be asking for DMDs. The reason is that even though you’re not diagnosed with MS, the chances are you could be. Obviously with your second MRI, you may find out that you are in fact now diagnosed with MS. So you will get a DMD in that case regardless.

The point to this is that future relapses will (assuming you have them) increase your likelihood of disability.

The second point is that you can get a drug specifically to act on fatigue. If you can persuade your neurologist when you see him/her, then ask for Modafinil. It is strictly speaking licensed only for narcolepsy, but neurologists did prescribe it off label for MS fatigue and it worked very well. Just lately it’s been harder to get a new prescription for it, but it’s worth asking. Explain how your fatigue is affecting you, particularly how it’s preventing you from working.

Failing that, there is another drug, Amantadine. It is reasonably easy to get this prescribed. It’s not as good as Modafinil, but it does work.

If you find that you can shake off some of the mental fatigue, you may be able to concentrate on getting yourself more physically able too.

Lastly, there are other drug therapies that may work better for nerve pain, some that perhaps will help you better than Gabapentin does at present. You could ask about Pregabalin. Have a look at Pain | MS Trust Towards the end there is some information related to drugs which are used for nerve pain. Many of the drugs used for nerve pain have the potential to increase fatigue. This includes Gabapentin. It also includes Pregabalin, but as I’m sure you realise, we all react in differing ways to the various drugs. So swapping one drug for another might help. It’s worth a try anyway.

Lastly, do you have any physiotherapy help? Perhaps there is some available which might help you to get back into a better physical state, maybe not where you were, but just feeling better in yourself.

I think that 6 months into a diagnosis of CIS, even if it is converted to a diagnosis of relapsing remitting MS is too soon to be saying that your days of physical work are over. It may be that Scudger is right and you’ll need to think about a change of career, but don’t write yourself off too easily. Try to make some other changes, just as you are with diet and vitamin supplements. (May people take Vitamin B12 too which is supposed to help with fatigue.)

Best of luck.

Sue

Hi, Thanks for the informative reply I will keep this as a reference. No I’ve not had any physio therapy think I’m going to need some as my foot and leg are a complete mess, plus it getting worse. After some consideration I think I will dmds as I still have symptons really don’t fancy another attack as such. I really don’t understand why the doctors wait till you do. It won’t be long now until my second mri results are in, so see what that says.

Thanks for your time.

I hope you are able to get some help and things improve

Thanks Abby.