ME/CFS
Moderate → no benefit
ME/CFS fatigue and brain fog, still no better after Adderall, modafinil and Lexapro change
- Condition
- ME/CFS
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill for
- Not stated
- Last post
- Feb 2025
In their words
- Condition: ME/CFS
The fatigue just keeps getting worse.
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I can barely get up the stairs and I only feel comfortable laying flat now
In context ↗ - Now: No benefit
Still fatigued, but the depression has dissipated.
In context ↗ - Began after: nothing they could name
The fatigue just keeps getting worse.
In context ↗
Read from 6 of their posts and comments; links to the 5 this page draws on
Summary
Cardinal 16581, a US Reddit user, described worsening fatigue with brain fog, constant tingling, dizziness, low blood pressure and headaches, spending most of their life sleeping and barely able to climb stairs. Adderall and modafinil did not help. Lowering their long-term Lexapro dose for two months brought depression without easing fatigue; going back to the full dose lifted the depression but the fatigue remained.
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What they tried
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- lexapro · Helped
I started taking the full dose again yesterday and I feel better. Still fatigued, but the depression has dissipated.
In context ↗ - adderall · No change
the meds aren’t working
In context ↗ - modafinil · No change
modafinil (currently trying a test run, just increased to 200mg) isn’t working
In context ↗ - temazapam · Helped
I also take temazapam at night because it’s the only thing that makes me stay asleep at night (it works about half the time)
In context ↗ - birth control pills · Not said
I was on birth control pills for the longest time and in my early thirties I was having menopausal symptoms.
In context ↗
Their path
How ill they were on the ME/CFS severity scale, estimated from what they describe at each point, in the order they describe; they don’t give enough times to place each step. Hover or tap a point. 1 step says too little to place on the scale and is only in the table. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | fatigue gradually worseningThe fatigue just keeps getting worse.In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| December 2024 | depression after lowering Lexapro dosealthough now that I have reduced it I think it's making me depressedIn context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2025-02-03 | back to full Lexapro dose, depression gone but still fatiguedI started taking the full dose again yesterday and I feel better. Still fatigued, but the depression has dissipated.In context ↗ | Moderate | Escitalopram (Lexapro) |
Symptoms mentioned
Anxiety & low moodBrain fogHeadaches & migraineNeuropathy & tinglingPOTS & dysautonomiaSleep problems
Their words about their symptoms
- Brain fog
Now it’s all brain fog, unfocused, forgetfulness.
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
I spend most of my life sleeping or trying to sleep.
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
my blood pressure is usually low. 80/54
In context ↗ - Neuropathy & tingling
I have tingling in my body constantly
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
always had headaches
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
although now that I have reduced it I think it’s making me depressed
In context ↗