Ritalin Helps Beat Cancer Fatigue

(Please repost for jan to read. She MUST know this!)

Ritalin Helps Beat Cancer Fatigue
Mon Dec 15, 7:00 PM ET

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...cancer_fatigue

The drug methylphenidate -- more commonly known as Ritalin (news - web
sites), Concerta, Metadate, or Methylin -- can help cancer patients fight
off fatigue, according to researchers from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in
Houston. The best effect comes from taking small doses throughout the day,
they report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (Vol. 21, No. 23:
4439-4443).

Most patients with advanced cancer will experience fatigue, a symptom that
can destroy quality of life. Although the fatigue sometimes stems from
anemia and improves with increases in blood counts, most often there is no
specific cause and no ready treatment.

Methylphenidate is typically prescribed for ADHD, or attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder, but it has been used, with some success, to
treat cancer fatigue. In this study, the researchers wanted to better
document this success by measuring symptom improvement through the use of
specially designed questionnaires.

Patients Felt Better Physically and Emotionally

The researchers enrolled 30 patients with advanced cancer and fatigue; the
participants were given a one-week supply of 5-mg methylphenidate tablets
and told to take them as needed for fatigue. After 7 days they had the
option of stopping the medication or continuing for 3 more weeks. All the
patients reported that the drug helped and all chose to continue taking it.


The researchers also found other evidence that the drug was helping. At the
beginning of the study, the patients rated their fatigue on a 0-10 scale,
with 10 being the worst. The average was 7.2. After 28 days of
methylphenidate, their fatigue level had dropped to 4.4.


The patients also reported less depression and greater physical and
emotional well-being. When the researchers measured patient fatigue during
the day, they noted a drop from morning to evening as the effects of that
day's treatment took hold.

Side Effects Minor

Side effects weren't a big problem. Two patients reported restlessness. Two
others reported a loss of appetite, although most actually found their
appetites improved.


The authors acknowledge that bigger studies are needed to understand why
methylphenidate works, how long it remains effective, and how long it can
safely be taken. But they were encouraged by the clear-cut benefit of the
drug in improving both the fatigue and the quality of life of these
patients.