Brain fog (a.k.a. fibro fog, cognitive dysfunction) doesn't get enough respect and attention from the medical world, in my opinion. I know it's had a bigger impact on my ability to hold a traditional job and to write from home than any of my other symptoms have had. I can deal with pain -- heck, sometimes I write better when I'm really hurting because I have to focus more -- but I can't write through the fog!
This single symptom of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome can make people unable to keep a job, drive a car, cook for themselves, maintain relationships and more. And yet our doctors don't know how to treat it, our researchers don't seem all that interested in it, and it's hard to find much information on how to live with and possibly improve it.
In this blog, we've talked here and there about cognitive training, supplements that help, and other things, but it was scattered all over in a manner that's really not helpful to someone who lacks mental clarity! To make it easier, I've put it all together in an article for you:
There's also a Readers Respond opportunity attached to the article, so we can share our brain fog experiences.
Learn more or join the conversation!
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I know that caffeine is one of the supposedly seven deadly sins of CFIDS, but I find it is the only thing that can get me through a class. Granted it is a very short term solution, but the boost has been shown to help prevent alzheimers as well. Do you really think caffeine should be on that list with alcohol and tobacco? I don’t notice any real side effects, but I do if I have more than 3 servings in a day or have some after 7 or 8 oclock at night… and of course there are some coffees that will keep you up for days, but a can of soda a day seems to kind of do the trick.
I’m also trying carnatine and fish oil right now, and have eliminated the caffiene for a week now. So far it has been bad but we’ll see how it goes….
I NEED MY BRAIN!
If you can afford it, try Provogil (Modafinil). It helps me but I only take it rarely due to its cost. The worst side-effects for me are IBS-related. I can see where it might not work for many though. However, it is a cognitive enhancer which improves your working memory (I have tested this and it is true for me by an average of about 2 chunks of of data over my normal 8 chunk working memory — which is pretty cool to be honest). It also increases your ability to attend to a task and your reaction times. It has been used in the military for years now.
The brain fog seems worse on days where I wake up, fall back to sleep for a short time and then wake up again……like today!
My best friend who has fibro has talked about the fog but I hadn’t experienced it until recently when trying to shop for groceries. Suddenly my usual ability to plan meals in my head hit a brick wall, also became very exhausted. I think I brought home enough things to go together to make a meal(s) but I realized that as I was standing there befuddles and brain dead that I was experiencing the fog. I am newly diagnosed with FMS so I’m really just beginning to understand what is happening to me.
I do find it difficult to find my way around to discussions here. Not sure how to “fix” that. I’m sure glad I found this though.
Thank you for your posting on Fibromyalgia and CFS…
Although considered still relatively new to the medical world there are some advances and we conduct clinical studies here. Have any of you asked your physicians about being part of safe clinical study?
I recently have been diagnoised w/ Fibro and totally have brain fog. I just thought is was the medication, and it is worring my grown children. To change the subject I need help with how to answer people when I tell them what I am going through or they ask how I am. I get the two following responses that really irritate me…”oh fibro is just something doctors through out when they don’t know what you have” and the second is “you look just fine” I don’t tell them that once at home I am in tears.
Stacey Ive been crying for a year because of my prejudicial supervisor…she and her co-micromanager boss have systematically been writing me up at work for frivolous things. She just cant stand the accommodations like flex time that I have to have at work! Too bad for them.
I hate it when I am in a store or someplace where someone is waiting on me, and my mind goes blank! And I feel like a fool, cause I can know the word, but I can’t get it out of my mouth! Or, I am talking, and a word comes out that makes no sense in the conversation that I am having!
I restrict my sleep to 7 hours ,go to bed at the same time, get up as soon as the alarm goes off , have a shower has made a huge difference to my health. Im mentally sharper and have much more energy throughout the day
Not sleeping more than 7 hours helps me, too… a afternoon nap is awful and most the times not worth it!
The Fibro Fog really has destroyed my self-confidence insofar as I just felt unable to take on a job with responsibilities, and being a translator and a translation editor, the loss of being “quick, smart, witty, mentally ahead” was partly the loss of my old self.
My husband did not always understand in the beginning – i remember him asking, so you really rather clean the floors and the bathrooms than xyz…And i said and thought, yes, that is what at least i can still do or force myself to do…also less public in its mess-ups
Provigil helps, yes, it is stunning, with it i can remember 6 digit numbers….without I don’t trust myself with more than 2….
Trick for those with/when family around, they all are instructed to kind of say, well ” i don’t have to introduce you to Mary, you already know her…
wellbutrin helped somewhat – i guess all the dopamine or norepinephrine uptakers and downtakers…
I also take Provigil and it helps the brain fog tremendously. Wish it would be approved for that purpose so insurance would pay for it.
I have found taking 5mg Folic acid daily to be very helpful.Before I started taking it I was unable to read anything other than a magazine but am now able to read again. Also something like Brain gym, puzzles etc. I started to study Hebrew – New alphabet, written backwards! I think that using the brain in a different way helped. I do find however that when I concentrate for long periods my legs ache and when I walk too much my brain fogs.
I’m so glad this web site is here for all of us, my brain fog is really bad. I cannot hold down a job. It is terrible when you feel like the one who is holding back your family from having anything…. I’m either hurting or I feel half crazy. I also have Trigeminal Neuraliga, and the meds for it do not help. Hang in there everyone we’ll get through this.
I used to suffer really bad with this. The only thing I found that really helped was to avoid processed foods and fizzy drinks. Low Dose Naltrexone also helped a little bit, but diet was the main thing.
I was Diagnosed with fibromyalgia for over 12 years now. Im a LPN and decided to go back to school for my RN in the fall of 2008, but was kind of terrified because of the brain fog. I take a daily multivitamin with minerals, b complex, b12, fish oil, and ginkgo biloba. I believe this helps a lot.
I totalled my VW Bug due to brain fog – by running a red light that I thought was green. At the time, I didn’t know that I had fibromyalgia. It’s almost like a form of dyslexia. My doctor prescribed Adderall, which is extremely helpful as it enables me to stay focused during the 8-hour workday. I don’t know if it’s a good thing in the long run though. When it wears off, I’m exhausted.
There’s a newer, and more effective drug than Provigil for combating the effects of brain fog and sleepiness. (Also great for offsetting effects painrelieving narcotics.) Its called NUVIGIL. Just take once in early am. Expensive, but less expensive than Provigil. (I required two pills a day with it.) So the cost per pill is less, and less pills are needed for the desired effects. Its really good. Just not perfect. Ins. co. restrictions aren’t as stringent. Have your Dr. write a script indicating your acute diagnosis and run it up the flag pole. Try NUVIGIL to help you keep your brain more awake and alert. Helps me. I would be in bed 24 hrs a day / 7 days a week without it.