MEDICAL MATTERS
- Medical Matters features questions asked by Members of the ME Association on health-related topics.
- Dr Charles Shepherd and the ME Association's other advisers answer these questions by sharing their expert knowledge.
- Medical Matters is based on the popular ‘Ask the Doctor’ series in ME Essential magazine.
- It is a free resource that supplements the detailed information contained in the full range of literature that can be found in the website shop.
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Questions in the Category: Antibiotics
Treatments: Antibiotics
Please could you provide some guidance on the use of antibiotics if you have ME/CFS. I’ve read about people on internet discussion forums who have been prescribed antibiotics as a treatment. On the other hand, some people say that antibiotics are best avoided if you have ME/CFS.
Septicaemia (Sepsis)
Could you say something about sepsis and ME? A friend of mine who has ME has been seriously ill in hospital with sepsis but is now back home again. The doctors say that she is going to need a prolonged period of recovery from the effects of sepsis. This has also caused a significant relapse of her ME. Are people with ME more at risk from developing sepsis if they just have a minor injury or infection? And is there anything we should be doing to reduce the risk of developing sepsis?
Symptom: Tinnitus
For the past few months, I’ve been hearing strange hissing and clicking noises in my ears. Not surprisingly, this makes concentration and sleeping even more difficult than usual. My GP has diagnosed a condition called tinnitus. He says it’s quite common and there’s not much he can do to help because drug treatments aren’t normally very useful. I have heard that tinnitus is more common if you have ME. Is there anything you can suggest that may help?
Dr Charles Shepherd
Dr Shepherd has been Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association for more than 40 years. He is integral to the charity's activities and provides information and support based on his professional knowledge, personal experience as a doctor with ME/CFS, and the understanding gained from helping many thousands of people with the condition. He was a member of the comittee responsible for the 2021 NICE Clinical Guideline and is a recognised expert on ME/CFS in the UK. His knowledge extends to Post-Viral Fatigue Syndromes (PVFS), Myalgic Encephalopathy/Encephalomyelitis (ME), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) or Long Covid.
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Medical Matters is based on the popular ‘Ask the Doctor‘ series featured in the highly-regarded member’s magazine, ME Essential, and in the healthcare professional magazine, ME Medical. Both are produced by the ME Association and published as hard-copy magazines every 3 months and sent to members and healthcare professionals by post to home or business addresses.
If you are a Health Care Professional you can sign-up to receive ME Medical magazine (people with ME/CFS can also nominate their HCP by completing the sign-up form).