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ME/CFS Moderate → no benefitIll for 2.5 yearsNeeds ongoing treatment

Severe daily pain with ME/CFS limited work; still only 2.5–3 hours light work before PEM

Condition
ME/CFS
At worst
Moderate (mostly housebound)
Ill for
2.5 years
Last post
Oct 2026
In their words
  • At worst: ModerateBut since then my baseline dropped to moderate. In context ↗
  • Now: No benefitI'm in a rolling flare that I haven't been able to get out of. In context ↗
  • Began after: stress or burnoutThe pain of subluxing everytime I did something, cause oversensitisation of my CNS, which between the overwhelming pain and the stress of my job it broke me to the point of developing ME/CFS.
Read from 106 of their posts and comments; links to the 45 this page draws on

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Summary

A woman with highly suspected ME/CFS that began in 2024 after job stress and worsening hypermobility pain; daily severe pain limited her working. Amitriptyline reduced the pain, and she describes herself as mild-borderline-moderate with constant flares and PEM; she can manage only about 2.5–3 hours of very light work before PEM.

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What they tried

Their words about each treatment
  • Clonidine · Helped a lotSo I started on Clonidine, and the clonidine helped massively. In context ↗
  • Naproxen · No changenaproxen did squat and he had me on it for that entire time In context ↗
  • desloratadine · Helpedweirdly enough, desloratadine (an antihistamine aka over the counter allergy med) also seems to help knock down the PEM/fever feeling that I get In context ↗
  • Tylenol arthritis 650mg · HelpedThe only things I have found to help reduce my PEM symptoms is Tylenol arthritis 650mg. In context ↗
  • amitriptyline · Helped a lotthen the amitriptyline helped with that and cut me down to moderate 24/7 pain In context ↗
  • duloxetine · WorseI had one dose of it and I had to stop. It almost gave my serotonin syndrome. In context ↗
  • Dexedrine · HelpedI take stimulates and they honestly help me more than without. In context ↗
  • LDN · Helpedafter I talked to her I dropped it to 3mg and it has felt significantly better. It does shorten my crashes In context ↗
  • propranolol / beta blockers · Helped a lotI just got on some beta blockers as well to take as needed and boy do they make a huge difference. In context ↗
  • T3s (Tylenol 3) · HelpedI also have had great success with T3s though not as great. Mostly, they just knock down my symptoms by 2 levels In context ↗
  • an unnamed pain medication · Much worseI tried one, horrible, switched it and it changed my life. In context ↗
  • birth control (LoLo, then a current one) · HelpedMy first one was no period, it was heaven compared to how my cycle acted naturally. In context ↗
  • chiropractor · Helpedchiro once a month to get my ribs so they aren't basically suffocating me In context ↗
  • pacing with a 1-10 symptom scale · HelpedI've basically looked at my symptom progression, and as I track it, I know that once I see certain symptoms that I need to back off and pace better. In context ↗
  • staying active, walks and treadmill · Helpedif I don't do something active to keep my tolerance up, I end up getting PEM far worse In context ↗
  • vibration plate machine · Helpedthe thing that I've found that works the best even for the days when you just can't, a vibration plate machine In context ↗
  • hypermobility strengthening technique · Helpedtense your muscles before doing the thing to recreate the tension that those with hypermobility lack. So far, I've been doing that with the more strenuous day to day stuff and it actually seems to be working In context ↗
  • crash food protocol (fast carbs, fat, salt) · HelpedMy protocol for eating with crashes is fast carbs, then a fat and then something salty. In context ↗
  • salt · HelpedGood call on the salt! It definitely helps the orthostatic intolerance In context ↗
  • digestive enzymes · No changeI've tried digestive enzyme and they didn't help. In context ↗
  • supplements · WorseBeen trying to test supplements that people have seen benefit from but since my baseline dropped to moderate, it's like my body just, rejects them. In context ↗
  • liquid vitamin D with vitamin K · Helpedthe only time I have noticed vit d actually somewhat do anything for me is when I take it with the vit k and magnesium In context ↗
  • topical magnesium · HelpedFor me it also has to be liquid vit d and topical magnesium for me to notice anything at all. In context ↗
  • sumatriptan · Helpedthey're usually fixed with sumatriptan In context ↗
  • Visible and Chronic Insights · HelpedI use both Visible, as well as Chronic insights to track my crashes, symptoms, hrv and exertion In context ↗
  • radical rest · Not saidjust not doing anything with radical rest is not possible for me at the moment In context ↗
  • Systane eye gel drops and ointment · HelpedI use eye gel drops twice a day (regular drops don't do anything) an eye ointment at night before bed In context ↗
  • warm bath with bath salts · HelpedTried going into a warm bath with some bath salts that have reduced my PEM symptoms In context ↗
  • jujube dates with goji berries tea · HelpedI found a different tea that works wonders for me. It's a Chinese medicine In context ↗

Their path

Very severeSevereModerateMildNear normalRecoveredonset6 mo12 mo18 mo2 y

How ill they were on the ME/CFS severity scale, estimated from what they describe at each point, with time counted from when the illness began. Hover or tap a point. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.

Show as a table
WhenWhat happenedWhere they wereAfter
2024ME/CFS began with job stress and worsening hypermobility pain2024. I was under extreme stress from my job, and my hyper mobility started being detrimental to my health. In context ↗Mild
mid-2025pain medication cut daily severe pain, could live againFinally I managed to find a walk in nurse practitioner who gave me something for pain. Life changing. I can somewhat live again. In context ↗Mild
2025dropped from mild to moderate after the multi-day trip to a rheumatologistI had to take multiple days to drive there and that was when I ended up going from mild to moderate in that trip In context ↗Moderate
early 2026compressed four-day-a-week course crashed her to moderate-severe; had to drop the classI had to drop the course as it dropped me to moderate-severe from mild-moderate. In context ↗Moderate
spring 2026LDN made flares shorter and less severemostly my worsening of my PEM doesn't last as long, and it's not as severe In context ↗ModerateLow-dose naltrexone
2026-09-27higher stimulant dose made flares far more bearablemy flares are so so so much more bearable! In context ↗ModerateDexamfetamine (Dexedrine)
2026-10-14still moderate with rolling PEM; uses a hiking stick, walking a block hurtsmy knees constantly twist and hurt like heck if I'm walking even a block In context ↗Moderate

Adverse events

  • Symptom-tracking apps and wearables (Visible)“I actually can't do smart watches, not entirely sure why but they fuck with my system and some of my symptoms get worse.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
  • Duloxetine (Cymbalta)“I had one dose of it and I had to stop. It almost gave my serotonin syndrome.” In context ↗ Side effects
  • “everytime I'd take a b complex or anything with b6 my body would cause me to vomit it out” In context ↗ Gut side effects
  • “Also gotta be careful with capsules as certain capsules give me the same reaction.” In context ↗ Gut side effects
  • Dexamfetamine (Dexedrine)“I was originally put on one that just it never helped and made my moods unpredictable and I couldn't do any introspection at all.” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
  • “Same with pain meds. I tried one, horrible, switched it and it changed my life.” In context ↗ Side effects
  • Duloxetine (Cymbalta)“massive jaw clenching and full body tremours. For two days afterwards my body would not stop shaking.” In context ↗ Side effects
  • Low-dose naltrexone“At 4.5 I was getting severe headaches and horrifying nausea.” In context ↗ Side effects
  • “it's like my body just, rejects them. I get extremely nauseous and sometimes I even end up vomiting them up.” In context ↗ Gut side effects

Symptoms mentioned

Their words about their symptoms
  • Post-exertional malaiseI can't work more than 2.5 hours at an easy going desk job or I get hit with PEM. In context ↗
  • Brain fogBrain fog is normal for me, but when the episode hit this level it feels like it's about 10x worse. In context ↗
  • Pain & fibromyalgiaI'm in at minimum moderate pain 24/7, for almost three years. In context ↗
  • Headaches & migraineI do get a lot of migraines, they're usually fixed with sumatriptan In context ↗
  • Sleep problemsI've had sleep issues my entire life and I've never felt rested. In context ↗
  • Temperature regulationI get cold chills when my PEM gets bad In context ↗
  • Light & noise sensitivityI'm still really bad with light and sound for instance In context ↗
  • Muscle weaknessmy body starts becoming heavier and harder to move In context ↗
  • POTS & dysautonomiaI've noticed my heart rate spikes drastically In context ↗
  • Vision problemsObject disappear and reappear in my vision. In context ↗
  • Gut problemsI get a migraine, I get nauseous, my bowels get funky. In context ↗
  • Anxiety & low moodMe/CFS, HSD, Autism, ADHD, anxiety ect ect In context ↗
  • Flu-like symptomsIt feels like to me that I am sick with a terrible fever without having that fever. In context ↗
  • BreathlessnessI also have hypermobility and that makes my breathing feel restricted all day everyday In context ↗

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