Late onset something
I am age 70 have had fibromyalgia 20 years last 12 months having multiple new symptoms following covid. Extreme periods of fatigue, crunchy leather feeing in bottom of feet, colon shut down for months at a time, had am mri of brain shows right trigeminal neuralgia and punctuate t2 hyperintensities with demylinazation and gliosis. Put on cybalta and tegratol. This helped my depression. Still feel weak and fatigued. Any help?
Hi,
!
First off, I am so sorry you are dealing with these new symptoms. I am glad the medications you are taking have helped with the depression; that's awesome! That said, tegratol can cause sleepiness, as can Cymbalta. Additionally, Cymbalta can cause low blood sodium, which can also cause fatigue and weakness. So, hopefully, your doctors are monitoring you for those possible side effects.
That said, I know MS and Fibro related fatigue and weakness feels VERY different from other types of fatigue and tiredness. And, not to muddy the waters even more, but if you suspect you may be experiencing any long covid effects, fatigue is a pretty common symptom of long term covid.
But, I know you were asking for help, not more theories as to what is causing your issues. As far as working with the fatigue, there are a couple of things you can do. Some community members have been prescribed Provigil, which can help with fatigue. But, using it for MS related fatigue is considered an off label use, so many insurance companies won't cover the cost. You can read a bit about it here -- https://multiplesclerosis.net/living-with-ms/perking-up-with-provigil.
Another tip is doing what you can to get better sleep (easier said than done, I know) and to also identify any triggers that exacerbate the fatigue (heat, stress, illness, etc). One of our patient leaders shared what he does to deal with his fatigue here -- https://multiplesclerosis.net/living-with-ms/tips-fighting-fatigue. One of our other patient leaders wrote about her struggles with fatigue (check out the member tips at the end of the article) here -- https://multiplesclerosis.net/living-with-ms/afternoon-fatigue-maze. Managing weakness is actually pretty tricky, as there is no one medication that helps with the weakness. Are you dealing with weakness in a specific area of the body or are you just feeling weak in general?
I do hope the links I provided are helpful and apologies for inundating you with information! I also help other community members can chime in with helpful suggestions.
Best, Erin, Team Member.
