How it went
Did it last?
- 1 of 9 said the benefit wore off: the one who relapsed.
- 1 of 9 needed to keep doing it to stay well.
Read from what people wrote. A story that ends without a follow-up counts as lasting, so treat these as minimums.
| Outcome described | Accounts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Full recovery | 1 | 11% |
| Near-full | 1 | 11% |
| Substantial | 5 | 56% |
| Partial | 1 | 11% |
| Relapsed | 1 | 11% |
| No benefit | 0 | 0% |
Only 9 accounts. Treat these percentages as anecdotes, not rates.
By how ill people were
| Severity at worst | How it went | n | Recovered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate | 1 | 100% | |
| Severe | 2 | 0% | |
| Very severe | 1 | 0% |
5 accounts don’t say how ill the person was.
Who published these accounts
Right-hand number: share describing a full or near-full recovery. Pages that sell something, and advocacy sites, tend to publish only the successes.
How often it comes up
Posts that mention Stimulants (methylphenidate, amphetamines), per 1,000 posts each year. Hover a point for the count.
Show as a table
| Year | Posts mentioning it | All posts | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 0 | 184 | 0.0 |
| 2010 | 0 | 682 | 0.0 |
| 2011 | 2 | 704 | 2.8 |
| 2012 | 2 | 1,491 | 1.3 |
| 2013 | 1 | 1,708 | 0.6 |
| 2014 | 2 | 2,352 | 0.9 |
| 2015 | 20 | 2,158 | 9.3 |
| 2016 | 10 | 1,431 | 7.0 |
| 2017 | 2 | 3,110 | 0.6 |
| 2018 | 0 | 2,201 | 0.0 |
| 2019 | 2 | 1,075 | 1.9 |
| 2020 | 19 | 2,581 | 7.4 |
| 2021 | 4 | 1,867 | 2.1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1,166 | 0.9 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1,000 | 1.0 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1,237 | 0.8 |
| 2025 | 2 | 1,019 | 2.0 |
| 2026 (so far) | 1 | 840 | 1.2 |
Posts in the forum threads we archived, 26,806 in all, counted per year. A mention means the post names the treatment, not that the writer took it. These threads all contain a recovery story, so they show what those communities discussed, not everyone with ME/CFS or long COVID. All trends
All 9 accounts
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List of ME/CFS Recovery and Improvement Stories (page 14 discussion)
ixikd2025 credited a broad, kitchen-sink regimen spanning stimulant, mitochondrial, antihistamine/MCAS, and lifestyle interventions (meditation, running, acupuncture) for significant improvement. With so many concurrent changes, no single component could be…
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An ME/CFS Expert Helps a Long-COVID Patient Recover
A nineteen-year-old developed POTS and mast cell symptoms after a mild PCR-confirmed COVID infection, leaving him with a wellness score of 45 out of 100 and out of in-person classes for about fifteen months. Under Dr Peter Rowe at Johns Hopkins he was…
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The Remission Biome Project: Two ME/CFS Patients Begin a Gut Reset Effort to Regain Their Health
Bifidobacteria: a multi-strain probiotic blend of Bifidobacterium breve, B. bifidum, B. infantis and B. longum together with Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Saccharomyces boulardii, given as one part of a wider protocol that also included mold avoidance, B…
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Dextroamphetamine for Fatigue Reviews
Dexamphetamine (dextroamphetamine), exact dose not given, is credited by a reviewer who had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for ten years, including five years bedridden. They rate it 8/10 and call it an absolute game changer for their cognitive functioning, saying…
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Tried Stimulants, Seen notable improvement
Long-acting 20mg Ritalin is reported as ongoing help with concentration and fatigue, to the point this poster says he "can actually study with it." He's careful to call it "not a cure" even while saying it's "helping me immensely."
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Tried Stimulants, Seen notable improvement
Two months of daily Ritalin substantially lowered this poster's sensitivities and raised his PEM threshold at first, but he describes a severe subsequent relapse, attributing the initial gains to "squeezing every last bit out of this already overtaxed…
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Tried Stimulants, Seen notable improvement
Trying Ritalin and then Adderall XR 10mg, this poster reports cognition and concentration improved enough that "if I try I can do work," while fatigue itself stayed largely unchanged; he switched away from Adderall due to heart palpitations. Hedges that…
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Rambler's Mold Avoidance Experiments
After needing stimulants just to leave his moldy San Francisco house for four years, strict mold avoidance for about two weeks brought sleeping through the night, less brain fog, clearer vision, more morning energy and almost no tingling in his hands and…
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Improved (5yr)-sometimes dont notice it -now new baseline
After 5 years of severe illness with autonomic dysfunction, cognitive problems, sleep apnea and spinal compressions needing three surgeries, he combined a broad stack - Adderall, Celexa, omeprazole, dopamine- and adrenal-support supplements, B12, an…