Sleep, healthy food choices and regular physical activity can all help increase energy. But sometimes you need that little extra boost.
Numerous herbal supplements may help increase energy and focus, such as ginseng, ashwagandha, cordyceps, coQ10, and gotu kola. Before taking any herbs or supplements for energy purposes, always consult your healthcare provider first as they can check vitamin levels as well as screen for conditions that could contribute to fatigue.
Stimulants
Stimulants are drugs designed to enhance brain-body communication, giving users a boost of wakefulness, alertness and energy. Stimulants come from natural and man-made sources alike – from popular over-the-counter products like caffeine to illicit ones like cocaine, methamphetamine or amphetamines – though most stimulants should only be taken according to doctor-recommended doses; misuse may prove dangerous or addictive.
Most people are familiar with caffeine as an over-the-counter stimulant found in coffee, tea, soft drinks and some chocolate products. Although caffeine has its benefits, too much use may result in insomnia or anxiety. Prescription stimulants like Adderall (methylphenidate) and Ritalin may help treat Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), improving concentration and focus; however many misuse these medications by taking larger doses than prescribed or using them nonmedically.
Illicit drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine can be extremely dangerous and addictive, acting by stimulating dopamine release to bring on feelings of euphoria and exhilaration in your brain. Furthermore, these illicit substances increase your heart rate and blood pressure which raises your risk for heart attack or stroke.
Students and athletes often abuse non-medical stimulant drugs in order to enhance their performance, leading them down a dangerous path of addiction and potentially leading to health issues such as cardiovascular issues. Users typically abuse them by either snorting or injecting the drugs for faster results than by swallowing, which increases the chance of overdose. As stimulants can be misused to assist weight loss or increase energy and euphoria levels, leading to long-term health concerns; it’s therefore vitally important that only prescribed medication be taken as directed by your physician. Stimulant abuse can quickly lead to addiction, whether the drug of choice is legal like Adderall or illegal like methamphetamine or cocaine. Long-term usage may also cause physical and psychological dependency; therefore it’s crucial that those struggling seek professional assistance as soon as they detect an issue.
Medications for chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also referred to as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and previously CFS/ME or ME/CFS, is an illness characterized by severe and disabling fatigue that doesn’t improve with rest, often in conjunction with symptoms such as muscle pain, cognitive dysfunction or “brain fog,” unrefreshing sleep, mild exertion exacerbating symptoms – symptoms which often persist for years or decades.
Doctors can diagnose CFS by conducting an in-person exam and blood tests to ascertain an underlying cause. Patients suffering from CFS often also have another medical condition such as heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, obstructive sleep apnea or digestive problems that should be identified and treated as this can often help alleviate fatigue symptoms.
Medication can be one of the best treatments for CFS. Doctors typically prescribe stimulants used to treat ADHD to increase energy levels and boost performance; however, stimulants can make symptoms worse if taken in excess. People living with CFS must use stimulants sparingly or else risk overdoing it and suffering the consequences when their energy drops dramatically after overexertion and then an inevitable crash occurs.
Other medications for CFS include antidepressants, pain relievers and sleep aids. Antiviral and immunosuppressant drugs have also been tried as potential solutions, but results have been mixed. Cognitive behavioral therapy combined with graded exercise therapy appears to be most promising as an approach.
CFS patients typically lead busy lives juggling work, family, and personal responsibilities. Stress and poor sleeping habits may contribute to their condition; doctors can recommend managing both of these elements and increasing physical activity levels as a form of therapy to combat anxiety and stress. They might even suggest deep breathing techniques or yoga classes as ways of relieving tension and tension.
Some doctors use adaptive pacing therapy as an approach to treating chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). This therapy involves teaching patients how to pace activities according to their energy reserves, rather than overexerting themselves physically. While patient groups have complained that such approaches make the illness appear psychological, experts disagreed and found pharmacological solutions may provide relief from CFS symptoms.
Muscle relaxants
Medication to relieve pain and relax muscles are frequently recommended to people living with ME/CFS by healthcare providers. These can include over-the-counter pain relievers like Ibuprofen (Motrin and Advil) or naproxen (Aleve), as well as prescription muscle relaxants if OTC medications fail. If those don’t work effectively enough for pain management, your physician may prescribe stronger muscle relaxants in order to control it more effectively.
Skeletal muscle relaxants are typically sedating medications that can lead to dizziness and light sensitivity, with anticholinergic side effects as a possible consequence. Used primarily to treat spasticity – disruption of movement patterns where specific muscles contract even at rest – they’re prescribed primarily to treat spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease).
Carisoprodol, chlorzoxazone, baclofen, methocarbamol and cyclobenzaprine are some of the more widely prescribed skeletal muscle relaxants. They can be taken either orally in tablets, extended-release capsules or suspension forms; starting doses typically increase over several weeks for best results. Physical therapy often accompanies these medicines to effectively manage severe muscle spasms, stiffness and pain caused by musculoskeletal conditions.
These medications may either be depolarizing or nondepolarizing depending on how they interact with acetylcholine receptors in motor neurons. Depolarizing agents inhibit muscle contraction by mimicking acetylcholine’s action while nondepolarizing drugs enhance GABA production by the body itself.
Healthcare providers typically prescribe antispasmodic skeletal muscle relaxants to ease low back pain, as well as treat cervical dystonia – a condition in which neck muscles involuntarily contract and cause the head to tilt forward or backward. Also used as second-line therapy, they’re frequently recommended as second-line solutions to treat spasticity in those suffering from spinal cord injuries and amyotrophic lateral striated muscle disease, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. However, these treatments should not be the primary form of therapy for this condition, since they do not help to stop progression of symptoms or improve outcomes like physical and occupational therapies can. Due to antispastic medications’ adverse side effects – namely drowsiness and dizziness – they are rarely used without further assistance such as general anesthesia for endotracheal intubation and to facilitate muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation.
Vitamins and supplements
if a doctor determines that a person has a vitamin deficiency contributing to fatigue, taking supplements may help him feel more energetic. For example, they could prescribe iron or CoQ10 for treating anemia and give him/her extra vitamins B, C and E supplements for wound healing and energy production. Ashwagandha may also improve energy levels – though some research indicates this herb interferes with thyroid hormone and testosterone levels and may not be suitable for people who are hormone-sensitive prostate cancer patients.
An extra boost of energy may be available through taking methylcobalamin for those suffering from anemia or who can’t absorb other forms of B-12 in their diet, although those without any deficiencies can still reap these same benefits by taking regular vitamins B, C and E supplements. Always consult a healthcare provider before giving children any energy supplements as this could pose significant risks.
Energy drinks and “energy shots” boast of providing an array of vitamins, minerals and amino acids that may increase alertness. Unfortunately, however, their safety remains uncertain without regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; to help make an informed decision when purchasing one such product consumers can check for the USP seal which indicates it has been verified by an independent laboratory and contains exactly as stated on its label.
