small tip: keep it safely tucked away, out of sight, as the odd houseguest or teen can "find" it.

I changed my mind. If a stimulant can get you up, move around, break the weakness cycle due to the fatigue, go for it.
If it gets you going 100mph, go 100mph. The muscle & endurance you'll gain & keep (if you keep at it) is well worth it for sure.
Hoping to hear good news. If I could take something my body wouldn't adjust to with the thinking & performing speed medrol gives me, i'd take it till the day I die.

Good point about keeping it locked away, jprinz, but my DH and I are recluses down here in Key West; we live in an excruciatingly tiny place (like most people here!) and we don't entertain--and we never have guests!

We're too tired--and we also dearly love each other's company when he's not working, so I guess we're what you'd call loners! We don't like to share each other with other people.

We've been married ten years this week, and it's a "soul-mate" thing, so we're extremely happy this way--and lucky, too!

Thanks for your good wishes, Eddie! I haven't started it yet; I just couldn't drag my tired old bones to the pharmacy the last couple of days! There's the irony; I'm too tired to get to the pharmacy to get the prescription filled that will make me less tired!

Oh well--I'll definitely get it filled tomorrow and I'll let ya'll know! :winky:

I tried provigil and liked the energy it gave me but too many days in a row and I get vicious headaches. And it messes with my sleep.

I'm now trying Adderrall (regular release). I'm not a big fan. It gives me some energy but when it wears off I feel like I'm on a downer with general yucky blah feeling. Food does not seem interesting at all on Adderall! And I think it's giving me constipation.

Perhaps I should try time release Adderrall? Anyone tried both? Were the side effects different?

Wiz, how long did it take before the twitchiness/jumpiness calmed down?

I avoided any stimulant because I have high blood pressure though it is controlled with meds. My last neuro suggested Adderall XR in a low dose because I was complaining of lack of energy and fatigue and I had also gained over twenty pounds in two years. :eek:

So because of that, I agree to try it and I was surprised that it worked. It didn't curb my appetite either but helped me to get moving. I was fidgety and over stimulated at times for about two or three weeks and had to increase my blood pressure meds too. Now I don't know how I could function without it. My regular doctor said it's a tiny dose too at 10 mg once a day.

I did both of those too, not much help that I could notice. One thing I did notice though was it took some effort from my neuro and me to get the insurance company to approve the rx for provigil because of it's cost.

Some doctors may follow the path of least resistance in their choice of rx?

So basically Wiz, you just rode it out for 2-3 weeks and you feel like the twitchiness subsided? Were you afraid it wouldn't? Do you take it every day? I know some people who don't take it daily because they worry it will wear off over time or become addicted.

I hear ya on the weight gain problem. After *one* high dose of IV steroids last Oct (to allow me to delay Tysabri while I beat an infection) and then trying to switch to a new antidepressant called Vibryyd in Dec where I only lasted 3 weeks (and I think it was what I call a "fat" inducing AD)....I also seemed to have gained 20 lbs!!

It sucks when you can't zip your pants up anymore -- I'm forced to wear yoga pants all the time. :). I have a weird body where I can gain and lose large amounts of weight very quickly. ID rather just stay at the same weight consistently.

My plan is to cut out all sugar, alcohol, juice, and fried foods. That usually does the trick after awhile. But I think I need to go back to the gym!

I take it every day. I tried skipping one day a week but then I had one day of extreme tiredness and the next day was very tired too, trying to catch up from the fatigue. It hasn't lost its effectiveness with me so far. I'm not normal, but much less fatigued.

whatever i know Ritalin is generally prescribed for ADHD but i am not sure about the fatigue.

Hello shirley121 and welcome to NeuroTalk.

The majority of medications used to treat the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis are used "off label."

In the case of trying to treat MS fatigue stimulants are the main choice and that includes A.D.H.D. medications.

So yes, Ritalin, Adderall, and other ADHD medications are prescribed for fatigue.