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: SSRI

Worried about weight loss

ME Essential Autumn 2024

I’ve read on the internet that one of the many symptoms of ME is weight loss. My weight has dropped from about 11 stone to just over 9.5 stone over the past six months. I have a reasonable appetite and eat a fairly normal diet. I don’t have any stomach or bowel problems. The fact that I’ve lost quite a bit of weight doesn’t really bother me but why does this occur in ME?

Treatment: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

ME Essential Summer 2021

My doctor has suggested that I might like to try using a drug called sertraline (trade name is Lustral). I know it’s normally used to treat depression but he says that it may be worth trying because ME can upset the levels of chemical transmitters in the brain and this drug can help to increase the level of one called serotonin. Is this drug safe? And is there any evidence that it can be used to treat ME?

Symptom: Vivid Dreams

ME Essential Summer 2021

Are vivid dreams a recognised symptom of ME? Like most people with ME I have unrefreshing sleep and sometimes wake up in the night. But I’ve recently been waking in the middle of the night with very clear memories of rather bizarre vivid dreams. Fortunately, nothing frightening has happened so far!

Treatment: Tryptophan

ME Essential Spring 2020

I’ve read that taking a tryptophan supplement is helpful for people with ME. Is this true? And are there any side-effects?

Treatment: 5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan)

ME Essential Winter 2019

An alternative health practitioner has recommended that I take a 5-HTP supplement for my muscle pain and headaches, but I’m very wary of upsetting my heart and nervous system – especially my heart rhythms which are all over the place at the moment. Is there any evidence that this supplement, which I had never even heard of, is both safe and effective for use in ME?

Treatment: Drugs and Weight Gain

ME Essential Spring 2018

Although taking a low dose amitriptyline has been very useful in reducing some of my pain and helping to correct my very erratic sleep pattern (frequent wakening during the night) I’ve put on a considerable amount of weight since taking this drug. My GP says that weight gain is a well recognised side-effect with this type of drug and that it can also occur with other drugs that are used for pain relief. I know from talking to other people with ME that weight gain can be a major problem with some drug treatments for ME. But why is this so? And are there any solutions?

Charles Shepherd

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