How it went
Did it last?
- 10 of 52 said the benefit wore off (including the 4 who relapsed).
- 4 of 52 needed to keep up a treatment to stay well.
Read from what people wrote. A story that ends without a follow-up counts as lasting, so treat these as minimums.
| Outcome described | Accounts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Full recovery | 13 | 25% |
| Near-full | 6 | 12% |
| Substantial | 11 | 21% |
| Partial | 13 | 25% |
| Relapsed | 4 | 8% |
| No benefit | 5 | 10% |
By how ill people were
| Severity at worst | How it went | n | Recovered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mild | 1 | 0% | |
| Moderate | 11 | 64% | |
| Severe | 18 | 39% | |
| Very severe | 6 | 50% |
16 accounts don’t say how ill the person was.
Who published these accounts
Right-hand number: share describing a full or near-full recovery. Pages that sell something, and advocacy sites, tend to publish only the successes.
What people with sleep problems tried
- TreatmentHow it wentRecoveredFaded
- CPAP and sleep apnoea treatment7 accounts
29% 14%
- Brain retraining programs (DNRS, Gupta, ANS Rewire, Primal Trust)7 accounts
43% 14%
- Meditation, yoga, breathwork7 accounts
57% 29%
- SSRIs and antidepressants6 accounts
33% 33%
- Pacing and the energy envelope5 accounts
60% 20%
- Benzodiazepines and Klonopin4 accounts
25% 50%
- Low-dose naltrexone4 accounts
25% 25%
- B12 injections and methylation4 accounts
0% 0%
- Elimination and ketogenic diets4 accounts
25% 25%
- Doxycycline and other antibiotics3 accounts
67% 33%
- Lightning Process3 accounts
100% 0%
Within the accounts on this page. Grey numbers rest on fewer than 10 accounts.
All 52 accounts
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Dysautonomia and unrefreshing sleep disappearing immediately after nasal application of dexamethasone
Lalique reports that a steroid/antibiotic combination nasal spray dramatically improved her dysautonomia markers within days - lower resting heart rate, disappearing stress readings and full "body battery" recharge on her Garmin, and refreshing sleep for the…
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178: The Unexpected "Secret" Behind My ME/CFS and Insomnia Recovery - Simona Irwin
Credits brain retraining. Simona had ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Comorbid insomnia.
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Stuart Porter's Recovery Story
Used the ANS Rewire program alongside a paid one-on-one recovery program with two CFS coaches, then built his own RESTAND framework after studying 300+ other recovery stories over 600+ hours; he was also prescribed GTN (glyceryl trinitrate) by his doctor. He…
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JAK1 inhibitor Rinvoq quickly returns severely ill ME/CFS patient to health - Parts I and II
Took Rinvoq (upadacitinib) for two months without stating a dose, and describes it as not an easy drug to take. The gains were concentrated in the autonomic nervous system: orthostatic intolerance normalised with no further blood pressure drop or pre-syncope…
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Clinical trials explore how Low-Dose Naltrexone could help people with Long COVID
Kate Herbert, a nurse with Emerge Australia, first tried low-dose naltrexone at 1.5mg daily but stopped after two weeks due to insomnia, nightmares and anxiety, then restarted at a much lower 0.25mg daily, which she has continued taking. The article does not…
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Martin's Paradoxical Temporary ME/CFS Remission Story
Martin became ill after EBV reactivation, Lyme disease and food poisoning, and was bedbound for the last three of his ten years of illness with severe post-exertional malaise. Lyrica, benzodiazepines, tianeptine, quetiapine, rapamycin and methylprednisolone…
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Jennifer's Story
Jennifer followed an anti-inflammatory diet based on Andrew Weil and Patrick Holford's principles, alongside regular massage therapy, acupuncture, deep relaxation and meditation practices, and a custom-designed graded walk-training program, after early…
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Bromelain+NAC are really helpful to me
Took 600mg NAC plus 1000mg bromelain (1200 GDU) twice daily on an empty stomach for pre-COVID-onset ME/CFS, for 12 days before stopping due to insomnia. By day 5 reported "more energy, less brainfog, less joint pain and just felt better overall," and notes…
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List of ME/CFS recovery and improvement stories
Treated with Kampo herbal medicine after developing ME/CFS following a SARS-CoV-2 infection, with no formula, dose or duration recorded. The patient is described as having recovered after treatment, with nothing said about how long the recovery held. Readers…
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James's ME/CFS, Insomnia and Anxiety Success Story
Credits brain retraining. James had ME/CFS and reports a substantial improvement. Comorbid insomnia and anxiety noted.
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The Nicotine Patch: Long COVID, ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia (Patient 4)
This fourth case-series patient used a 7.5 mg/24h nicotine patch daily for fatigue, sleep disturbance and mood swings. Her mood swings resolved by day five, sleep returned to normal, and fatigue disappeared by day six. She remained in good health at…
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Robyn Dale
Robyn's treatment combined short courses of propranolol, zopiclone and diazepam early on with medium-term amitriptyline for insomnia, mood and muscle spasms, alongside daily walking, yoga, meditation and graded activity. She crashed severely in December 2021…
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Chrissy Zmijewski
This page names no specific program, drug, dose, or therapy for her personally; it is a short video-introduction page that frames her recovery within the site's general mind-body approach and points readers to a fuller account on an external blog. She is…
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Robyn Dale
Robyn was prescribed short-term propranolol for heart arrhythmia and palpitations, at doses that were increased despite her objections, short-term zopiclone and diazepam to help her rest, and medium-term amitriptyline for insomnia, mood, and to stop cluster…
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Abilify plus LDN returns retired clinical psychologist to 80% health for two months
Marvin, a retired clinical psychologist, took low-dose Abilify (0.5 mg) combined with low-dose naltrexone (2.5 mg) from a compounding pharmacy after 11 years of fatigue, post-exertional malaise, cognitive problems, and unrefreshing sleep. The combination…
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Metabolic Trap//Who got worse on l-tryptophan?
L-tryptophan made Wishful's ME symptoms worse, by her own account on a forum thread comparing reactions to tryptophan and 5-HTP. Dose, illness duration and severity were not given. She contrasted this with 5-HTP, which she found about as effective as…
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Some Patients Are Reporting Recovery from Long COVID (Sherri)
Sherri Klipowicz used a plant-heavy, low-gluten, low-dairy diet, restorative yoga, magnesium and glutathione supplements, and ozone therapy, and worked with an insomnia specialist to fix her sleep. She had been sick with Long COVID since March 2020, and…
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REMISSION! (suspected enterovirus, Dr. Chia treating)
Under Dr. Chia's care for suspected enterovirus, .jm. built up to running 40 miles/week by an April 2021 update (up from an initial "REMISSION!" post 18 months earlier), with insomnia and Raynaud's resolved, while tapering oxymatrine down to a maintenance…
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At last, there was somebody who understood. This is why I was on the phone, crying because of the kindness of these strangers
Recovered following a self-owned graded activity plan designed with Hans Petter Fundingsrud, head of department at University Hospital of North Norway (UNN) in Tromso, after the family was connected to him via former footballer Arild Berg and a Swedish…
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Illustrated Remission, Energy & End of Insomnia - Returned to Running
Built a daily regimen of iron supplements twice a day, a green drink with apple cider vinegar, vitamin D at 10,000 IU, grass-fed beef liver tablets, 30 minutes of daily meditation and nightly yoga, later adding a reverse-osmosis water filter. Had been…
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James's CFS, Insomnia and Anxiety Story
Credits brain retraining. James had severe ME/CFS and is described as fully recovered. Dutch; had suicidal ideation, improved within 3 weeks.
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No magic was involved, no pills or medical stuff. Just my inner power and the power of my brain
Recovered through the Lightning Process, a brain-retraining course she took in London on the first available date after finding it online. She had been ill for about a year from September 2015, seeing immunologists, neurologists and cardiologists who…
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Rituxan Number Three, Some Improvement, Still Early to Tell
Previously bed- and wheelchair-bound with complex neuroimmune disease, EDS, PID, NK-cell deficiency and MCAS, she had two Rituximab infusions in November 2018 and a third by March 2019. By the 3-month mark she reported clearly improved muscle strength and…
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Luckily I am stubborn, and so I decided to disprove the idea that you just have to live with this diagnosis
Benedicte Viggen Fintland attended Vikersund Kurbad rehabilitation centre and then, from November 2015, Dr Bjarte Stubhaug's stress-management programme at what became Klinikk for Stressmedisin in Fitjar, after being rejected by Catosenteret for being too…
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The key was realising that my illness and relapses had all happened during times when I didn't have any work to do, usually after a period of stress
Recovered without any named clinic or formal programme, through self-directed changes — leaving a stressful job, moving out of London, moving in with his girlfriend and building his own projects — after doctors diagnosed post-viral fatigue and later…
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I want to recover – but how?
Took a three-day Lightning Process course around January 2018, about a year after falling ill, following two ME/CFS diagnoses from a doctor who offered no treatment beyond suggesting a health retreat, and after declining a hospital ME clinic appointment for…
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Your experiences with grape seed extract.
Grape seed extract, dose and duration not stated; how long ill and severity are also not given. He reported that it caused terrible insomnia. He wanted to keep taking it for its allergy benefits but could not tolerate the sleep disruption. He discontinued…
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L-carnitine is working for me.
A very small dose of L-acetyl carnitine, about 1/6 of a capsule, "helped quite significantly and straight away," but triggered insomnia and excitotoxicity-type side effects that required adding GABA support to manage -- a real but complicated partial gain.
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Mestinon + Famvir - whoa!
After a severe EBV flare in February 2017 that made cardiac symptoms - low blood pressure, low heart rate, shortness of breath, "heart palpitations like mad" - much worse on top of 5 years of CFS, started Famvir (titrated up to 500mg twice daily), added…
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New sleep medication belsomra
Belsomra (suvorexant): a single 20mg dose taken together with Lyrica for sleep. He has ME/CFS with chronic insomnia. He felt groggy after nearly two hours but still could not fall asleep, eventually taking a separate Z-drug at 1:30am to get to sleep, and…
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Oxymatrine: What to expect with fatigue and how long? (And my on-going journey, info and questions.)
Titrated oxymatrine up to one pill twice daily over 5-6 months, for ME/CFS that had left her housebound on constant bedrest and functioning at "about 35-40%." After an initial worsening (cold sweats, fever, vomiting), reports going "from functioning at about…
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Objective CPET improvement & remission on ketogenic diet
Twenty-one years into ME/CFS and on a slow decline, this poster switched to a strict ketogenic diet in October 2016 and six months later reports reactive hypoglycemia, disabling migraines and insomnia resolved, and he can sit upright all day without…
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Did MitoQ Mend Us? A Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) CoQ10 Trial
MitoQ caused severe insomnia in this ME/CFS patient (diagnosed at OMI) after a single 10mg dose, and moderate-to-severe insomnia again when a lower 5mg dose was tried separately. No fatigue or functional benefit is reported from either trial. The person…
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Nutritional Genomics and My Complete Recovery
Supplemented B12 and folate to saturation levels for severe, ME-related insomnia that she calls chronic and debilitating since becoming ill. Illness duration is not detailed. Describes the result as bliss, being able to fall asleep easily, stay asleep, and…
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Preventing Sleep Apnea Therapy was Miracle Cure for Me
After roughly 15 years of brain fog, mold sensitivity, daytime sleepiness and exhaustion she attributed to self-diagnosed ME, Mary Jane Reyes began using Provent, an adhesive nasal-valve device for sleep apnea. Within a few nights of use she reports "all of…
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Emotional Healing Key for Fibromyalgia Patient
Beth was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1987 and was mostly bedbound for close to a decade with severe fatigue, back pain, migraines and insomnia. She pursued Bach Flower Remedies, a candida diet, chiropractic, massage and Reiki alongside addressing…
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Maureen's gradual onset - and her gradual recovery
Maureen developed ME/CFS at 35, waking one day unable to get out of bed with profound exhaustion, followed by recurring exhaustion, rashes, painful joints, constant colds and insomnia. She used Dr Teitelbaum's integrated protocol of diet, vitamins, herbs and…
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Louise Finds One Thing That Turns Life Around
Louise, who had a prior history of anxiety and depression, developed post-viral fatigue after stress-induced poor sleep escalated into flu-like symptoms, severe muscle and joint pain and a sore throat that left her unable to work. Amitriptyline, rest,…
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Adrienne Delwho's Pathway to Remission
Adrienne, a former full-time TV news producer, developed full-blown fibromyalgia in 2006 that knocked her down hard. Over about four years she pursued endometrial ablation, acupuncture, a range of targeted supplements and a CPAP machine for newly diagnosed…
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Sleep Cycle Inversion (Awake At Night, Sleeping During Day): A Simple Technique Fixed This For Me
For years of severe middle-of-the-night insomnia, built an evening stack of 3mg sublingual Natrol melatonin, 500mg niacin with dinner (300mg more if woken at night), 100mg 5-HTP, 100mg L-theanine, magnesium glycinate, a calcium tablet, Seriphos for cortisol,…
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Ten Years of healing: No more congestive heart failure, FMS, CFS and minus 100 pounds
After roughly a decade disabled to the point of managing only 8 minutes of rebounding exercise a day, she followed the Deadlock Quartet methylation protocol and reported "doing so well." A year later, in a separate thread, she described "massive…
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Ten Years of healing: No more congestive heart failure, FMS, CFS and minus 100 pounds
After 13+ years of CFS that left her unable to walk well, she added transdermal cyanocobalamin spray and methylcobalamin/methylfolate to her regimen and reported "the first time in over 13 years that my energy has really come back," with markedly improved…
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Has anyone recovered from CFS from a C-Pap machine?
After about 8 months of adjusting CPAP settings and trying different masks for sleep apnea, she reports a modest "1 or 2 point" gain on her CFS severity scale and better morning recovery even after a bad night - "I didn't feel like a truck run over me." She…
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Simple diet restriction seems to be a successful treatment for sleep disturbance
After 5 years of illness, restricted eating to two meals a day with nothing after 6pm, combined with a gluten-, lactose-, whey- and casein-free bland diet on distilled water only. He says it "makes an incredible difference" for his sleep disturbance, calling…
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Improved (5yr)-sometimes dont notice it -now new baseline
After 5 years of severe illness with autonomic dysfunction, cognitive problems, sleep apnea and spinal compressions needing three surgeries, he combined a broad stack - Adderall, Celexa, omeprazole, dopamine- and adrenal-support supplements, B12, an…
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Sleep, what finally helped
After years of poor sleep with ME, found that a couple of ounces of Immunepro whey protein in water plus Osteo-Strontium Complex powder before bed lets him fall asleep and stay asleep longer than before. Presents it as an ongoing solution that has kept…
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Just passed six months on the Gupta programme
He followed the Gupta Programme (amygdala retraining) for four of a planned six months, doing daily meditation and the "Stop-Stop-Stop" technique alongside an acting class and other activities. He describes his ME/CFS as relatively mild, following a period…
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Cistus incanus
Cistus Incanus, taken as a tea/supplement, is described by a poster as incredibly effective, with serious improvement noticed within 7 to 9 days; illness duration and severity beforehand are not stated. They single it out as the only treatment that helped…
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Antihistamines for sleep
Used Benadryl (diphenhydramine) regularly for years as one layer of a multi-drug sleep regimen alongside chlorpheniramine, Dramamine, doxylamine and Atarax, for chronic insomnia with ME/CFS affecting both falling and staying asleep. He says he "swore by" it…
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New sleep medication belsomra
Belsomra (suvorexant): 15mg taken every other night, alternated with 100mg trazodone, after finding a full 20mg dose caused more next-day sedation. She had long-term insomnia associated with her ME/CFS before trying it. At the lower every-other-night dose…
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Gcmaf-reactions and side effects
Started GcMAF at 1/4 dose IV, then switched to subcutaneous; developed intense lower-back burning/pain about 5-6 days after the first injection, plus sore throat and new light sensitivity. Stopped after 7 injections when insomnia developed, and slept…
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Chronic Fatigue Survivor's Blog
Credits pacing, brain retraining and sleep apnea tx. Graham had ME/CFS and reports a partial improvement. Sydney blogger since 2009; now frames CFS as undiagnosed sleep apnea.