Anti-Viral Treatment Leads to Improvement in Chronic Fatigue/SEID
Chronic fatigue syndrome, or Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease (SEID), as it is now known, is characterized by extreme fatigue that cannot be explained by any underlying illness. Doctors have long disagreed over how it should be treated, particularly about whether or not exercise should be encouraged. A new small study of adolescents suggests that anti-viral medications can reduce fatigue.
The 2014 article by Theodore A. Henderson in Advanced Mind Body Medicine reports that among 15 adolescents who reported chronic fatigue symptoms, 1000 mg/day of the antiviral valacyclovir (trade name Valtrex) led to improvement in 86% of the patients by 3 months, and 92% of the patients by 5 months. One patient dropped out due to nausea. Symptoms of fatigue, exertion-induced malaise, excessive sleep, napping, unrefreshing sleep, headaches, cognitive symptoms, and emotional symptoms all improved after treatment with the antiviral. Several previous studies have also shown positive effects of antiviral treatments in patients with chronic fatigue.
