“Chronic fatigue syndrome”

“Good morning, Doctor Icarus!

I'm 32, married and have no children. Whenever I have some time available, I like to read your posts and recently I read one about CONTEST (http://icaro.med.br/concurseiro/). My situation is as follows: I'm preparing for a competition and I follow all the recommendations on your site; I take care of my diet, rest, walk and everything else. However, my routine is quite intense, as I'm an Electronic Engineering student at night and work on Industrial Automation projects during the day. This has made a lot of demands on my thinking, causing a certain amount of fatigue. I was looking for something that could optimize my mental activity. I've read a few articles, went to a neurologist and told him about my situation. I underwent tests and nothing abnormal was found, but I was disappointed when the doctor prescribed an antidepressant, even though I reported intense tiredness and fatigue (the doctor said I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). With my routine of studying for the exam, I thought I'd look for another doctor, but I don't have time because I'm involved in a project with a tight deadline and I often work up to 12 hours a day on top of my studies. I thought about taking some medication like Ritalin on my own, but I'm not a fan of self-medication and prefer to seek advice. I know it's not possible to make a diagnosis over the internet, but if possible I'd like some advice on which medical specialty to look for. Which doctor or specialty could help me? Thank you for your attention and I look forward to hearing from you if possible.

Att,

XXX

PS - I'm an examiner, not an adventurer!

ANSWER:

Hello, XXX,

I can't really diagnose or treat over the internet, but allow me to make a few comments about your case:

1 - How are your lifestyle habits? All of them. I recommend reading the article at http://icaro.med.br/a-base-de-tudo/ and assess which of these habits need to be improved, as they are fundamental for anyone seeking to recover and maintain health with well-being and quality of life. In other words, except in urgent/emergency situations, it is life habits that first need to be improved in order for anyone to have, maintain or recover true health. Often, all it takes is for one of the 11 habits to be inadequate for the patient to be unable to get better from a symptom or illness.

2 - I don't think there's a specific “specialty” that's ideal for your case until you've had a full assessment, including a detailed anamnesis and comprehensive examinations. For this reason, I would initially recommend a consultation with a doctor with a more “holistic” or “integrative” approach, i.e. one who analyzes and treats your body as a whole. This professional can be from any “specialty”, the difference being the way the doctor approaches the treatment.

3 - Have you read this material? The title may seem unrelated to your question or situation, but once you've read it, you'll understand why it's relevant: https://icaro.med.br/antienvelhecimento/

Cheers and I hope I've helped!

Icarus