ME/CFS
Moderate → no benefit
Moderate ME/CFS with dread and OCD rumination, now worse than ever
- Condition
- ME/CFS
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill for
- Not stated
- Last post
- Oct 2025
In their words
- Condition: ME/CFS
contributing to my CFS
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I’m only moderate, not completely bedridden
In context ↗ - Now: No benefit
Now I am worse than ever
In context ↗
Read from 14 of their posts and comments; links to the 12 this page draws on
Summary
An r/cfs user described moderate ME/CFS, not bedridden, with fragile mental health, existential dread and OCD rumination; sunlight and vitamin D pills were intolerable and worsened depression. Propranolol helped heart pounding and anxiety and trazodone was for sleep, while a low dose of Prozac helped generally; TRE eased anxiety, though meditation could also trigger symptoms. A mistake in April 2025 lowered their baseline, and in October 2025 it dropped again, leaving them worse than ever.
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What they tried
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Meditation · Helped
It has helped me recently, I’m not feeling as badly as I was when I posted this.
In context ↗ - Propranolol · Helped
Propranolol helps.
In context ↗ - vitamin D supplements · Worse
After about a week of supplementing, vitamin D, I experienced extreme tiredness and worsened depression.
In context ↗ - Raw ginger · Helped
Raw ginger seems to help me with this.
In context ↗ - Prozac · Helped
I’m on a low dose of Prozac and it helps.
In context ↗ - Trazodone · Not said
I also take Propranolol for anxiousness and Trazodone for sleep.
In context ↗ - TRE · Helped
I haven’t gotten much relief from physical symptoms but they have helped a ton with anxiety and panic over the years.
In context ↗ - hot towel · Helped
My inner thighs ache constantly and the only thing that seems to help so far is placing a hot towel against them.
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. 2 steps say too little to place on the scale and are only in the table. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-05 | first posts while ill: heart pounding, on propranolol, past restlessnessMy heart rate doesn’t necessarily get super high, but it pounds very hard. Propranolol helps.In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| 2024-07-16 | vitamin D supplements and extra sunlight brought extreme tiredness and worsened depressionAfter about a week of supplementing, vitamin D, I experienced extreme tiredness and worsened depression.In context ↗ | Not stated | Vitamin D and sun exposure |
| 2025-02-14 | mental health crisis with existential dread and OCD rumination; mother hospitalisedI’m only moderate, not completely bedridden, but living this way is severely impacting my already fragile mental health.In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2025-03-09 | feeling less bad after a simple meditation techniqueIt has helped me recently, I’m not feeling as badly as I was when I posted this.In context ↗ | Moderate | Meditation, yoga, breathwork |
| 2025-04-30 | baseline lowered after a mistake, after 16 months stableI was stable for 16 whole months at moderate level, and then one stupid mistake has made me worse.In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| September 2025 | doing very well before an unexplained baseline dropI was also doing very well before that.In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2025-10-03 | baseline dropped out of nowhere two weeks earlier; worse than everMy baseline lowered out of nowhere two weeks ago for seemingly no reason at all. I was also doing very well before that. Now I am worse than everIn context ↗ | Moderate |
Adverse events
- Propranolol (Inderal)“When I was first on it, I noticed that I became irritable easily, but this seems to have gone away over time.” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
- Vitamin D and sun exposure“I recently tried supplements, however, and was unable to tolerate them. After about a week of supplementing, vitamin D, I experienced extreme tiredness and worsened depression.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Meditation, yoga, breathwork“meditation is actually one of the things that triggers those symptoms, as weird as it sounds.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Anxiety & low moodHeart symptoms & palpitationsLight & noise sensitivityPain & fibromyalgiaSleep problems
Their words about their symptoms
- Heart symptoms & palpitations
My heart rate doesn’t necessarily get super high, but it pounds very hard.
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I’m getting horrible existential dread and my OCD rumination is out of control right now.
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
I also take Propranolol for anxiousness and Trazodone for sleep.
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
My inner thighs ache constantly and the only thing that seems to help so far is placing a hot towel against them.
In context ↗ - Light & noise sensitivity
I can’t tolerate much sunlight and consequently my vitamin D levels are very low.
In context ↗