ME/CFS
Severe → much betterIll 5 years before improving or writingNeeds ongoing treatment
Nearly bedbound with ME/CFS, now much better on fluoxetine and metoprolol
- Condition
- ME/CFS
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 5 years
- Last post
- Sep 2026
In their words
- At worst: Severe
to the point where I was almost bed bound
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
compared to a year ago, I'm a completely different person (in a good way). ... I still have bad days and am still dealing with a lot of pain overall
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I got COVID back in 2020.. I was the first one in my office.
Read from 71 of their posts and comments; links to the 31 this page draws on
Summary
Valley 45001 caught COVID in July 2020 and spent five years with POTS, sinus tachycardia, chronic chest and shoulder pain, gut problems and fatigue. A severe infection in July 2025 left him nearly bedbound with insomnia, brain fog and depression. He credits 10 mg fluoxetine, taken with metoprolol, with cutting his resting heart rate 25-30 bpm and easing symptoms; by late 2026 he felt much better than a year earlier, though pain and bad days continued.
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What they tried
Also tried
Metoprolol· HelpedIbuprofen· Helped · wore offmelatonin gummy· Helpedlow impact walks· Helpedgetting out of bed when awake at night· Helpedroll-on (Icy-hot)· Helpedpatches (Salonpas)· Helpedhumidifier· Helpedjournaling· HelpedGabapentin· No changestretches· No changered light therapy· No change72 hour water fast· No changeepidural· No changephysical therapy· No changeSertraline· WorsePropranolol· Worsemultivitamin gummy· Not saidcutting down caffeine· Not saidmuscle relaxer· Not said
Their words about each treatment
- Metoprolol · Helped
I've been on Metoprolol (25mg) for years ... even if it gets me from averaging 99 down to 93, something is better than nothing
In context ↗ - Sertraline · Worse
I've tried Sertraline twice over the past few years and both times had awful experiences.
In context ↗ - Ibuprofen · Helped
Sometimes I take ibuprofen and things abate.
In context ↗ - multivitamin gummy · Not said
I didn't do a thing different except taking a multivitamin gummy vs the pill I had been taking
In context ↗ - Propranolol · Worse
Both meds made me terribly fatigued, GI issues, irritable, ect.
In context ↗ - quitting alcohol · Helped
I also quit drinking months ago and felt better for it.
In context ↗ - melatonin gummy · Helped
taking one melatonin gummy before bed has really let me get deeper sleep overnight and taken the edge off the drowsiness
In context ↗ - Gabapentin · No change
I was prescribed 900mg of gabapentin - barely touches the pain.
In context ↗ - cutting down caffeine · Not said
I'm currently working on caffeine, down to just a 10oz cup of coffee a day (most days)
In context ↗ - low impact walks · Helped
going for low impact walks does seem to be a little helpful to me. They certainly don't make me crash or anything
In context ↗ - getting out of bed when awake at night · Helped
If I woke and remained awake for more than a few minutes in bed, I got out of bed, went somewhere else (living room) and sat on a chair and read a book for awhile.
In context ↗ - roll-on (Icy-hot) · Helped
If I get the combination right, I can have hours of pain free life but it always ALWAYS comes back.
In context ↗ - muscle relaxer · Not said
Other times I have to take something stronger, like a muscle relaxer or Gabapentin.
In context ↗ - stretches · No change
I've tried stretches, different products, red light therapy.. nothing puts a dent.
In context ↗ - 72 hour water fast · No change
I just did a 72 hour water fast with my wife this week.
In context ↗ - epidural · No change
I've had persistent left sided chest, shoulder and neck pain for years now. Nothing touches it, including an epidural, physical therapy, meds
In context ↗ - Fluoxetine (Prozac) · Helped a lot
committing to an SSRI (fluoxetine) was genuinely the turning point for me with LC
In context ↗ - physical therapy · No change
Nothing touches it, including an epidural, physical therapy, meds
In context ↗ - humidifier · Helped
have you tried adding a humidifier in your room? Massively improved my dryness
In context ↗ - therapy · Helped
I realized I needed to talk to a therapist and be open to medication and honestly it has helped me quite a bit.
In context ↗ - journaling · Helped
I started journaling. ... It was keeping my anxiety about everything down because I could see progress or regression
In context ↗
Approaches: CBT & mindset · SSRIs · Diet
Their path
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
| When | What happened | Where they were |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | COVID-19 infection, deathly ill with fever and heart rate in the 120sI was running a fever and feeling deathly illIn context ↗ | Severe |
| July 2025 | biggest crash in five years; nearly bedbound with insomnia, brain fog and depressionI was devastatingly sick this July and August, to the point where I was almost bed boundIn context ↗ | Severe |
| September 2025 | clawed back bit by bit with more food and rest, went for a jogin three months, I went from a 0/10 to like a 6/10In context ↗ | Moderate |
| October 2025 | small crash after a jog and lifting weightsI had a small crash the next day or two but I don't think it was anything especially noteworthy.In context ↗ | Moderate |
| November 2025 | about 50% better, back at work and active with his childrenafter about 6 weeks of slow by steady progress, I'd say I'm 50% better than where I wasIn context ↗ | Mild |
| December 2025 | fluoxetine added to metoprolol; resting heart rate fell to 60-75my resting HR is 60-75 at my desk **EVERY DAY** since I started taking itIn context ↗ | Mild |
| September 2026 | a completely different person than a year before, though bad days and pain continuecompared to a year ago, I'm a completely different person (in a good way)In context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol), Propranolol (Inderal)“Both meds made me terribly fatigued, GI issues, irritable, ect.” In context ↗ Side effects
- “They seem to really wreck me the following day.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Sertraline (Zoloft)“Sertraline, which was just insane side effects” In context ↗ Side effects
- Sertraline (Zoloft), Fluoxetine (Prozac)“I tried an SSRI and had insane side effects, including tremors, disassociation and ideations I could barely suppress.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Sertraline (Zoloft), Fluoxetine (Prozac)“ideations I could barely suppress” In context ↗ Suicidal thoughts or attempt
- “I think I was experimenting with meds anyway and that made the acute infection worse.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol)“I take metoprolol and find it gives me urinary urgency all day long.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Fluoxetine (Prozac)“I had the opposite - fatigue. seems to be leveling off after almost a month now” In context ↗ Side effects
- Fluoxetine (Prozac)“After a terrible first few weeks of side effects, my body adjusted to the med” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Brain fogFlu-like symptomsGut problemsHeart symptoms & palpitationsMuscle weaknessPOTS & dysautonomiaPain & fibromyalgiaPost-exertional malaiseSleep problemsTemperature regulation
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
I just took the garbage out and blew the leaves in the driveway and I'm crashed on the couch.
In context ↗ - Brain fog
I never suffered from brain fog or memory issues (nothing substantial anyway) until this summer.
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
I was diagnosed with POTS (which is probably legit)
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
I had an insomnia streak over the summer.
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
I have had persistent, consistent physical *pain* throughout my long-haul journey.
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
my heart rate was now in the 90s basically all the time unless I was asleep
In context ↗ - Muscle weakness
couldn't even get out of a chair of off the floor for a few weeks
In context ↗ - Flu-like symptoms
I FEEL sick very often
In context ↗ - Temperature regulation
I get the chest pain, cold sweats everything like you
In context ↗ - Gut problems
For basically the entirety of those 5 years, I have suffered GI issues
In context ↗
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