We pretty much all know the behavioral ways to recover from or reduce the length of a crash or flare are pretty simple. Depending on how hard you've been hit they consist of things like cutting down activities (just say No!), reducing stimulation (turning off TV, music, turning lights down), getting to bed earlier, and reducing stress (meditation, visualization, stopping catastrophic thought patterns).
The question this resource asks is whether we can do better than just waiting out a crash? There are certainly no guidelines on how to do that but some ideas are out there. First check out suggestions on how to recover from a crash from Hip, a patient who has studied the disease extensively, then from a blog by a PhD, and finally from a survey taken from the ME/CFS/FM communities.
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From PEM Busters for Physical Exertion
- Creatine hydrochloride - 2 grams
- Citrulline - 1000 mg
- Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) - 5 grams
- CoQ10 - 800 mg
- Sodium bicarbonate - ¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams)
- Catalase - 600 mg (taken after exercise)
- D-ribose - (5 grams three times daily)
All the above should help reduce PEM from physical exertion. These supplements might be particularly efficacious at preventing PEM if taken an hour or so before doing some unavoidable physical exertion.
RATIONALE: PEM Busters Work in Part by Neutralizing Lactate or Reducing its Production
PEM Busters for Mental Exertion (eg: hectic social or professional events):
- Prednisone at a dose of 20 mg or so taken 4 hours before the event. Some ME/CFS patients have vouched this works very effectively and reliably (though others report ill effects from this corticosteroid drug). See this thread. But also see the warning in this post (which cautions against using prednisone for any extended period of time, and warns that the PEM protective effects do not work for the whole day, they seem to wear off after about 6 to 8 hours).
From Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Post-Exertional Malaise and ME/CFS by Lucy Duchene -for ME/CFS/FM patients with mitochondrial dysfunction
Recovery from prostration fatiguePostponing build-up of lactic acidosis
- Vitamin B-1 (thiamine) (100 mg twice a day)
- Vitamin B-2 (riboflavin) (100 mg)
- Biotin (5 mg twice a day)
- Time-release guaifenesin (600-800 mg) 82
Dr. Goldstein's "Resurrection Cocktail"
Dr. Goldstein's "Resurrection Cocktail" is a different kind of crash buster. It was an IV push that helped to get really sick patients - people who are essentially in a severe crash all the time - out of their beds. It was not a cure - just a temporary aid - but it did get them going for a time.Find out more about his "Resurrection Cocktail" and why he chose the ingredients he did.
- Ketamine
- IV ascorbate
- IV lidocaine
- IV thyrotropin- releasing hormone (which raises all biogenic amines plus acetylcholine)
- Nimotop
- Neurontin
Further details and associated research papers for each supplement are available on Cort Johnson's Blog Forum from where I copied this extract. Cort Johnson's research summaries and explanations are highly respected in the chronic illness community by patients, researchers, pharmaceutical and health supplement industries and doctors.... especially doctors who are also patients.
Unfortunately the only way to get the prescription and IV services described above is to go to an alternative medicine practitioner who is also a General Practitioner (Doctor) or an ME/CFS expert specialist. Mainstream medicine provides no treatment at all and the ME/CFS specialists are difficult to find unless you are able to travel overseas and attend a specialised clinic. A naturopath or osteopath may be able to service some of these recommendations. Lyme disease experts usually have a background in ME/CFS and fibromyalgia as well as tick-borne diseases. Good Luck and Happy New Year.
