New Hope for Sufferers of CFS ME and Fibromyalgia

Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2009/01/17 - Updated: 2025/06/02
Publication Type: Literature / Review
Category Topic: Fibromyalgia - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates

Synopsis: This article presents an overview of Maija Haavisto's book, "Reviving the Broken Marionette: Treatments for CFS/ME and Fibromyalgia," which compiles over 250 medications and treatment options for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), fibromyalgia, and related conditions. Drawing on both published research and the clinical experience of numerous recognized experts, the book challenges the long-standing misconception that effective treatments for these illnesses do not exist. Haavisto, herself a patient, emphasizes that a wide range of medications - sometimes originally developed for unrelated conditions such as Alzheimer's, epilepsy, or hypertension - can alleviate diverse symptoms, from pain to fatigue and vertigo.

The information is particularly authoritative and valuable because it is grounded in both scientific literature and the lived experiences of patients and clinicians, offering hope and practical guidance for individuals, including seniors and people with disabilities, who often face skepticism or inadequate care for these debilitating syndromes. By advocating for a more personalized and open-minded approach to treatment, the article underscores the necessity for healthcare providers to consider unconventional but evidence-supported therapies, potentially improving quality of life for many who have been underserved by traditional protocols - Disabled World (DW).

Introduction

Maija Haavisto's new book "Reviving the Broken Marionette: Treatments for CFS/ME and Fibromyalgia" features over 250 medications that can be used to treat chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis, fibromyalgia and related conditions.

Main Content

There is finally good news for people with CFS/ME (chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis) and fibromyalgia. For years they have been told that there is no treatment, but in fact there are hundreds of medications that can help. Maija Haavisto's new book features over 250 of them, backed up both by research and the experience of dozens of high-profile CFS/ME and fibromyalgia experts. Every symptom from vertigo to abdominal pain is covered.

Maija Haavisto hopes that her book will instill hope in the sufferers and make doctors more open to non-traditional pharmaceutical approaches. Many patients are anxiously waiting for some miracle cures that the research will bring out, but the Finnish medical writer says there is already plenty that can be done for them.

"You have to abandon the old, simplistic idea that stimulants are for tiredness, antidepressants are for depression, blood pressure drugs are for hypertension, and so on," Haavisto says. "CFS/ME and fibromyalgia can be treated with e.g. Alzheimer's medications, antihistamines, steroid hormones and even some cancer drugs. A sleep aid may help pain and a painkiller can reduce fatigue. The first and so far only FDA-approved fibromyalgia drug Lyrica is in fact an anticonvulsant, an epilepsy drug. But doctors don't know that most anticonvulsants can be used to treat CFS/ME and fibromyalgia."

Haavisto has suffered from CFS/ME herself since 2000 and at one point it looked like she would end up in wheelchair.

She credits her improvement to a peculiar cocktail of pharmaceuticals - a medication used in drug and alcohol withdrawal, another one indicated for cerebral hemorrhage and a third one for cortical myoclonus, a combination she selected on her doctor's approval.

"It's unbelievable how little treatment most patients are given in this day and age. Many are told 'try not to think about your symptoms too much,' which isn't of much comfort to someone who is wheelchair-bound or in agonizing pain around the clock. Some patients unfortunately end up committing suicide because of hopelessness and despair." Haavisto dedicated her book to a woman who took her own life because she could no longer bear her intractable pain that had lasted for over a decade.

"Unlike most others, professional athletes who get CFS/ME and fibromyalgia tend to recover," Haavisto points out. "It could be that this is because they are more fit to begin with, but I think it also proves that appropriate treatment can do wonders. These people have excellent doctors who are aggressively trying new treatments, and they get better. It is hardly a coincidence."

Maija Haavisto's book "Reviving the Broken Marionette: Treatments for CFS/ME and Fibromyalgia" was launched world-wide on May 12th, a date that is celebrated as the international CFS/ME/fibromyalgia awareness day after Florence Nightingale's birthday. The nursing pioneer suffered for years from a fatiguing illness, which is now thought to have been CFS/ME or fibromyalgia.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Author Credentials: Ian is an Australian-born writer, editor, and advocate who currently resides in Montreal, Canada. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.