Using Medical Cannabis in the Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis)
In mid-November 2005, my previously robust health suddenly deteriorated for an unknown and unexpected reason. It began with episodes of dizziness and headaches that became increasingly frequent, interfering with my duties as a college instructor. I often had to excuse myself to the restroom to splash cold water on my face, or even visit the nurse’s office when these mysterious attacks left me unable to stand.
But that was just the beginning. Soon, new symptoms appeared daily. The dizziness intensified, with longer and more frequent episodes during which I nearly lost my sense of direction. Chronic pain set in, peaking during dizzy spells. A week later, my hands broke out in a rash, veins became prominent, and, most frighteningly, clumps of hair began to fall out. Eventually, the pain became constant and unbearable. I could barely move my muscles, making it difficult to chew food or even communicate. The physical discomfort was accompanied by mental struggles: the constant pain made it hard to think, let alone form complex sentences, and any sharp stimulus—bright light or loud noise—triggered new migraines and nausea. Within weeks, I was completely broken and demoralized, fearing I had an undiagnosed brain tumor. Those were the most terrifying and longest days of my life, unable to do anything independently due to pain and dizziness, and unable to sleep to escape the agony.
A Sudden and Severe Illness
My family quickly sought medical help, and I was hospitalized. Doctors ordered a battery of tests. In just a week, I saw a neurologist, endocrinologist, general practitioner, surgeon, three psychiatrists, and a team of ENT specialists. I underwent MRI and CT scans, and my blood was sent to labs nationwide. Yet, none of the specialists could agree on a diagnosis, suggesting everything from lupus and Lyme disease to inoperable brain tumors, mitochondrial dysfunction, and even multiple sclerosis. In desperation, I spent $250 on a dubious therapist who claimed my illness was due to “sulfur plugs” in my ears causing cranial pressure.
By the end of the month, all these diagnoses were ruled out. Finally, one specialist suggested a possible cause: “Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS),” he said, as if he barely believed in the disease himself. His treatment plan made it clear: “We don’t really know what this is, and there’s no proven, effective cure.”
According to the CDC, about 2.5 million people in the U.S. suffer from CFS, and globally, around 17 million. Despite its innocuous name, CFS is a serious, chronic illness that severely impairs physical and mental abilities in about 75% of cases. In 25%, it leaves patients functionally paralyzed due to constant pain and discomfort. Alarmingly, about 80% of Americans who meet the criteria for CFS have never been formally diagnosed. Most doctors dismiss it as a “somatic symptom disorder,” essentially calling it an “imaginary illness.” As a result, most patients receive only antidepressants, if anything at all.
“Today, the medical community, including the World Health Organization, formally recognizes CFS as a dangerous, chronic, and disabling disease,” says Dr. Robert Naviaux, head of the Center for Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease at UC San Diego. “It affects multiple biological systems, and symptoms can vary widely. Many doctors, even in advanced hospitals, are unaware of it due to its recent recognition and lack of diagnostic guidelines. Patients can spend years and thousands of dollars seeking a diagnosis.”
A Plethora of Medications, Chronic Depression, and Despair
Despite recognition by the WHO and research by the CDC and top universities, little progress has been made in understanding or treating CFS. Most doctors are unqualified to treat it, and those who try often use a mix of experimental drugs with strong side effects. One commonly used drug is Modafinil, prescribed for chronic fatigue and sleepiness, but it can cause rashes, psychosis, aggression, paranoia, and hallucinations. Another is Cymbalta, a painkiller and anti-inflammatory also used for depression, but it can cause nervousness, aggression, and even neurodegeneration. These drugs, like Modafinil and Vyvanse, are essentially amphetamine salts, explaining their stimulating and addictive properties.
This “recommended treatment,” combined with antidepressants and sleeping pills, did little to relieve my pain and discomfort—in fact, it seemed to make things worse. My health continued to decline, and after a few months on medical leave, I had to quit my university job. Many CFS patients face the same fate. Although doctors assured me the disease wasn’t fatal, my life became a sad existence. Whether due to the drugs’ psychoactive effects or not, I began to seriously consider death as an escape from my suffering.
Experimenting with Medical Cannabis for CFS
After exhausting my strength and finances on pharmaceutical treatments, I, like many others with CFS, turned to alternative therapies in desperation. I had already eliminated most foods from my diet, avoiding gluten, sugar, and animal proteins, and replaced them with liquid supplements. I regularly saw a massage therapist and even tried acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine. Nothing helped.
As a last resort, my family and I decided to try medical cannabis. Although I was skeptical and considered it a “drug,” I was willing to take any risk to relieve my pain and regain some mobility. Living in California, where medical cannabis had been legalized in the mid-90s, I obtained official permission to use it for chronic pain. Not knowing which strain or product to choose, I trusted the dispensary staff and bought a small amount of Purple Kush.
At home, I managed to roll a large joint despite pain in my face and throat, coughing heavily as I smoked. To my surprise, within minutes, I felt a long-forgotten sense of relaxation and calm. The constant pain vanished as if washed away by healing smoke. For the first time in months, I could think clearly, move my neck and limbs without pain, and even walk without losing my balance. That night, I slept soundly for the first time since my symptoms began. The next morning, I realized I had finally found something that could help me through this terrible period. I felt hope for recovery was real and attainable, despite all I had endured.
Using CBD in CFS Therapy
According to CFS specialist Dr. Nancy Klimas, common sleep aids and tranquilizers like Ambien, Valium, Restoril, and Klonopin can induce sleep, but without pain relief, sleep remains shallow and restless, doing little to alleviate fatigue. Chronic insomnia and lack of deep sleep are among the most serious symptoms of CFS, directly sabotaging the body’s ability to repair itself. Dr. Klimas notes that enabling deep sleep allows the body to resume necessary restorative processes, greatly improving physical and psychological well-being.
For me, THC became that “deep sleep aid.” After just a few days of using cannabis, I restored my normal sleep pattern, which significantly reduced my fatigue and pain, allowing me to move around the house and care for myself. After a week, my appetite returned, my pain lessened, and I could go for walks without help. I even began to regain weight.
Around this time, a friend told me about a special type of cannabis containing the cannabinoid CBD. In the mid-2000s, CBD was still relatively unknown, even among professional growers. Although high-CBD products weren’t widely available, my friend connected me with growers who provided flowers with a 2:1 CBD:THC ratio.
My first experiment with this product showed remarkable results: nearly all my symptoms eased, and those already improved by THC disappeared completely. After a few days of using CBD-rich cannabis, I almost fully recovered, both physically and mentally. The pain and fatigue faded, and my mind cleared enough to read and do paperwork again. By the end of the week, I even attended my daughter’s school play—something unimaginable just weeks earlier. Clearly, CBD was even more effective at controlling my symptoms than THC.
How Cannabinoids Interact with the Immune System
Why did cannabis work where so many pharmaceuticals failed or even harmed my health? Years after I began self-medicating, researchers finally found biological markers indicating the physiological origin of CFS and its ability to disrupt bodily systems.
A 2016 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that CFS patients experience dysfunction that puts some body systems into a state of “torpor”—a temporary slowing of biological functions in response to internal triggers. In CFS, this trigger is endogenous, suppressing movement, digestion, and energy systems.
Later, Dr. Mark Davis found that this unusual reaction is linked to abnormal T-cell activity, similar to what’s seen in some cancers and neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis. Overactive T-cells attack healthy tissues, causing pain, lethargy, and discomfort, essentially shutting down biological systems. A German study found increased antibodies in healthy tissues of patients with similar symptoms. In 2017, Drs. Davis and Jose Montoya confirmed a link between CFS and “cytokine storm”—a destructive autoimmune reaction causing chronic inflammation and pain.
“CFS was once considered a somatic or even imaginary disorder, but these findings confirm its physiological, specifically autoimmune, nature,” says Dr. Montoya. “Now, simple blood tests for elevated cytokines can confirm the diagnosis, even without visible inflammation.”
Immune System Overload
Ultimately, the lethargy and pain of CFS are caused by immune dysfunction, with T-cells attacking healthy tissues instead of pathogens. A 2015 study in Science Advances showed that CFS triggers a strong immune response without a clear irritant, leading to immune overload. This starts with pain and discomfort, eventually immobilizing the patient, and progresses to deep lethargy as the body reacts painfully to normal functions like movement or eating. Even after the initial trigger disappears, the immune system continues to release cytokines in response to normal bodily functions, causing ongoing inflammation and pain.
What causes this strange reaction in an otherwise healthy immune system? Is there a genetic component, or is it triggered by an environmental factor? Dr. Naviaux suggests the root may be an abnormal mitochondrial response to perceived cellular threats. “Mitochondria begin to see normal metabolic reactions as threats, triggering a chain reaction that slows nutrient absorption and leads to immune dysfunction, with the body attacking itself and causing inflammation. Digestion and cellular metabolism slow dramatically,” he explains.
Given the symptoms—inflammation, immune dysfunction, and metabolic problems—it’s no surprise that cannabinoids have a rapid and strong effect in regulating these issues. Even without considering practical experience, cannabinoids, both together and separately, are highly effective against such dysfunctions.
The Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Cannabinoids
Both CBD and THC have well-documented therapeutic effects in reducing inflammation of soft tissues, as confirmed by numerous studies and some clinical trials. For example, a 2010 study showed cannabinoids can modulate inflammatory responses and immune mechanisms by acting on various neural connections. Later research found similar effects in treating brain inflammation, explaining the neuroregenerative effects of cannabis in diseases like multiple sclerosis and its ability to protect brain tissue during strokes.
CBD also provides a strong tonic effect for CFS patients, as supported by various studies and widespread use in self-treatment of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Additionally, CBD has a powerful calming and sleep-inducing effect, helping patients achieve restorative sleep and recover from immune-related cellular damage. Notably, CBD’s effects are dose-dependent: high doses (160mg+ per day) are sedative, while lower doses (up to 50mg) act as nootropics, enhancing focus. THC has a more obvious sedative effect, especially at higher doses, but frequent use can lead to tolerance, reducing both psychoactive and therapeutic effects, including sleepiness. However, using THC in equal proportion with CBD or with a slight predominance of CBD can prevent tolerance and reduce intoxication effects.
Overall, cannabinoids are powerful neuromodulators, capable of regulating immune and nervous system responses and balancing all organ systems through the CB1 and CB2 receptor network of the endocannabinoid system. This system maintains the body’s natural balance (homeostasis), highlighting the effectiveness of phytocannabinoids in treating CFS and other autoimmune diseases.
Based on my experience, while cannabinoids haven’t completely cured the dysfunctions causing CFS, they have been extremely effective in restoring balance among my body’s biological systems. Using cannabis and various extracts allows me to maintain mobility and health, as if the illness never existed. Of course, this requires daily use of CBD extracts and tinctures, a healthy diet, and physical activity, but unlike pharmaceuticals, this treatment provides real relief from the most severe symptoms of CFS. In short, as with epilepsy or neurodegenerative diseases, cannabis cannabinoids supplement possible deficiencies in endogenous compounds or otherwise block dysfunction, allowing patients to fully enjoy life instead of merely suffering.
That’s why I fully support the legalization and clinical testing of these compounds for therapeutic use. It’s possible that cannabinoids could have similar miraculous effects on other chronic physical and mental illnesses, or even become the key to developing real cures for biological disorders that ruin millions of lives.
Original Author: Melissa Misuraca