Imagine feeling like a truck ran over you, not at the end of a long workday, not after coming back from an adventurous hike, not even after a rowdy day playing with your kids, but soon after getting up out of bed. This sort of exhaustion plagues many people with multiple sclerosis. It feels like having legs and arms made of cement, hindering you from performing even small tasks. This symptom can fluctuate throughout the day, leaving a person uncertain as to how much energy they will have. If the fatigue is caused by the disease, there are tricks to conserve energy, as well as medication to relieve it. If the problem stems from depression, therapy and antidepressants can also help.
A theory behind disease-producing fatigue is that it takes a lot more energy to send messages along damaged nerves than normal ones. Others theorize that fatigue is idiopathic, or of unknown origin. Either way, it can be remedied. Physical therapy, assistive devices (occupational therapy), or housing modifications can all greatly restore or conserve energy. There are also medications such as Amantadine, Provigil, and Prozac. Tricks that don't involve therapy or medication include exercise, prioritizing tasks, asking for help, pacing yourself, and one of the simplest ideas: taking a nap.
When depression causes fatigue, it can be equally hard to get things done. Depression is very common with multiple sclerosis, or any other chronic, neurological illness. The uncertainty of the disease's course, the stress of day-to-day symptoms, and the increasing disability can put anyone in a funk, making it difficult to have much energy. People who have been diagnosed with a chronic, possibly debilitating illness often need to have counseling or group therapy in order to control depression. Support groups also work. There are also various antidepressant medications, such as Prozac or Paxil, which can alleviate depression and fatigue.
Fatigue can be unbearable, but with the right approach and the knowledge of where it stems from, people with multiple sclerosis can increase their energy and their quality of life.
Reference: Nat'l MS Society
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