 OCTOBER 8 • 2020 | 37

for Chronic
Fatigue Sufferers

Psychiatrist pens book that suggests ADHD medications.

ELIZABETH KATZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Health

M

any people pre-coronavirus 
pandemic were used to going at 
a nonstop pace, bustling to and 
from work and/or school, getting involved 
in religious and social activities as well as 
jumping the daily hurdles that life inevita-
bly throws a person’
s way.
Some people, however, have a very diffi-
cult time dealing with every-
day stress, often finding it chal-
lenging to get out of bed. Not 
only do they live with unre-
lenting fatigue not ameliorated 
by 10-12 hours of sleep, they 
feel emotionally overwhelmed 
and deal with brain fog. They 
also may have physical pain that could be 
linked to fibromyalgia, temporomandibular 
joint dysfunction (TMJ) and migraine. 
Joel L. Young, M.D., founder and direc-
tor of the Rochester Center for Behavioral 
Medicine, who has done studies in Myalgic 
Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue 
Syndrome (ME/CFS), has a message for 
these individuals:
“To patients with ME/CFS, I know you’
re 
out there, and I know you need help,
” he 
said. “We get how much you suffer. You 
deserve better than what you’
ve gotten.
”
Young, who has conducted research into 
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for approxi-
mately 30 years, has recently published a 
book titled Understanding and Treating 
Chronic Fatigue: A Practical Guide for 
Patients and Practitioners. The book was 
published by Praeger Press and sells for 
$39. It is available in hardcover and in elec-
tronic book format on Amazon and from 
Praeger.

Young, a member of Temple Israel, said 
the term Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was 
established in the 1990s and is considered 
an “orphan disease” since no medical spe-
cialties have claimed ownership in treating 
the condition. People of any age can devel-
op CFS, although the age range is typically 
people in their 30s to 50s. Women are more 
commonly diagnosed with the syndrome 
than men.
“Often patients with ME/CFS feel a bit 
abandoned or diminished or marginal-
ized,
” he said. “Here’
s where I get involved. 
I’
ve been interested in ADHD and have 
been the principal investigator in over 100 
clinical trials. I recognize that some of the 
medicines that we use to treat ADHD spe-
cifically addressed many of the symptoms 
of ME/CFS.
”

LINK TO ADHD?
Young has developed the hypothesis that 
many of the people who have symptoms of 
ME/CFS may have what could be consid-
ered “
ADHD inattentive type” as they get 
older. Essentially, their ADHD symptoms 
have manifested themselves as fatigue, he 
said.
Building on that concept, Young 
obtained independent funding and pub-
lished a study in 2012 in the journal 
Psychiatry Research about the effects of 
LDX (lisdexamphentamine) — also known 
commercially as Vyvanse — on those with 
ME/CFS. Vyvanse has been approved 
by the FDA to treat ADHD as well as 
binge-eating disorder, although not specifi-
cally for ME/CFS. 
“We found that patients with ME/CFS 

who were treated with LDX have far less 
fatigue and pain than those treated with 
placebo,
” he said. “That was published in 
the academic journal. The book was a way 
of connecting more to patients with their 
problem. I hope my book will spur more 
studies. Good ideas have to be met with 
skepticism, and they have to be replicated 
… with multi-site studies.
”
Young said he will also open a new clin-
ical trial sometime in the fall, hopefully 
recruiting 50 patients to test the efficacy 
of the drug Sunosi (solriamfetol), which is 
prescribed for excessive daytime sleepiness 
Joel L. 
Young, M.D
continued on page 38

New Hope

