Talk therapy may be a better option than medication to treat MS fatigue if there are no underlying sleep issues. Key Takeaways
Cognitive behavioral therapy and the mild stimulant modafinil both reduce fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis by about the same amount, finds a new study.
Combining talk therapy and medication isn’t better than using either intervention on its own.
More than 60 percent of people with MS reported meaningful reductions in fatigue with cognitive behavioral therapy or modafinil.
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) can relieve fatigue just as well with talk therapy as they can with medication, a new study suggests.
Up to 90 percent of people with multiple sclerosis experience fatigue at some point, and nearly half of them describe fatigue as their most debilitating symptom, according to the study authors.
The scientists focused on three interventions: cognitive behavioral therapy, the drug modafinil, and a combination of both.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy designed to help people recognize negative thoughts and respond to them differently. Modafinil (Provigil) is a mild stimulant that’s often used by people with narcolepsy, sleep apnea, or sleep disorders caused by shift work.
Researchers asked the 336 study participants to rate their fatigue levels before they started treatment, and again 12 weeks later. By the end of the 12-week study period, participants experienced similar — and clinically meaningful — reductions in fatigue with both CBT delivered over the phone, modafinil taken once or twice a day, and a combination, according to findings published in The Lancet Neurology .“Fatigue is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms of multiple sclerosis, yet there is still uncertainty about how available treatments should be used or how medication-based treatments compare to behavioral treatments in the real world,” lead study author Tiffany Braley, MD , an associate professor of neurology at the Michigan Neuroscience Institute and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, said in a statement.“This research offers new evidence to show that both CBT and modafinil are comparably effective for MS fatigue, which could shape treatment approaches to one of the most […]
Talk Therapy and Medication Both Reduce Multiple Sclerosis Fatigue
