What is CFS?
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which may also be known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is characterized by persistent or recurrent fatigue, diffuse musculoskeletal pain, sleep disturbances, and subjective cognitive impairment of 6 months duration or longer.
What is it like to have CFS?
| Common Symptoms | Patients' Latest Severity | My Current Severity |
|---|---|---|
|
||
| Exhaustion | None Mild Moderate Severe | |
| Memory problems | None Mild Moderate Severe | |
| Muscle pain | None Mild Moderate Severe | |
| Painful lymph nodes (glands) | None Mild Moderate Severe | |
| Sore throat (Pharyngitis) | None Mild Moderate Severe | |
| Unrefreshing or poor sleep | None Mild Moderate Severe |
What do patients take to treat CFS and its symptoms?
Commonly prescribed and frequently used treatments
| Treatment name | Efficacy | Overall rating of side effects | # of Evaluations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Pregabalin
(Lyrica)
|
61 | ||
|
Duloxetine
(Yentreve, Cymbalta)
|
47 | ||
|
Naltrexone
(Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN), ReVia)
|
14 | ||
|
Amphetamine-Dextroamphetamine
(Amphetamine-dextroamphetamine ER, D-Amphetamine Salt Combo, Amphetamine Salts, Adderall)
|
12 | ||
| 8 | |||
|
Gabapentin
(Gralise, DOM-Gabapentin, PMS-Gabatentin, APO-Gabapentin)
|
6 | ||
|
Tramadol
(Mabron, Tramium, Zydol SR, Ralivia)
|
5 | ||
|
Vitamin B12 Injection
(Medivitan)
|
4 | ||
| 2 | |||
|
Cyclobenzaprine
(APO-Cyclobenzaprine, Tensodox, PMS-Cyclobenzaprine, Fexmid)
|
1 | ||
|
Lidocaine Transdermal
(Lidoderm)
|
1 |
These charts show data from CFS patients' latest treatment evaluations
Who has CFS at PatientsLikeMe?
- 7,937 patients have this condition
- 127 New patients joined this month
- 811 say CFS is their primary condition
| <20 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60-69 | 70+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Age | ||||||
| Gender | |
| 93% | Females |
|---|---|
| 7% | Males |
| Age at first symptom | # of patients | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| 0-19 yrs | 389 | |
| 20-29 yrs | 612 | |
| 30-39 yrs | 699 | |
| 40-49 yrs | 541 | |
| 50-59 yrs | 187 | |
| 60-69 yrs | 25 | |
| 70+ yrs | 5 |
| Diagnosis status | # of patients | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosed | 3809 | |
| Not Officially Diagnosed | 3502 |
These charts show data from CFS patients who have completed their condition history