Currently, there are a very limited number of medications used for MS fatigue, including Provigil (modafinil) and Symmetrel (amantadine). Personally, I have tried Provigil and it really did not give me any good results, although some claim that it is a miracle drug for them. I get excited about anything that could possibly be a weapon in my often losing battle against fatigue, but I have my reservations about aspirin.
Main Concept
In this crossover study, a daily dose of 1,300 mg of aspirin was tested against a placebo in 30 patients. The effects were evaluated using the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), which is a self-reported measure of fatigue using interviews with patients about fatigue levels and impact of fatigue on daily activities.People taking the aspirin scored significantly better on the MFIS than those on placebo. The mechanism for aspirin in reducing fatigue is unknown.
According to Dr. Wingerchuk, one of the lead investigators, the results of aspirin treatment for fatigue were similar to those achieved by Symmetrel, which is about 40% effective in relieving MS fatigue in some studies. (Results for Symmetrel’s effectiveness vary in different studies, but it is currently widely-prescribed for MS-related fatigue.)
Weaknesses of Study
Critics of the study complain that the data did not isolate the effects of aspirin on fatigue, as the measures used relied solely on self-reports, which combined fatigue experience with other symptoms of MS.My Bottom Line
It would be great if a larger study was conducted that showed that aspirin could help relieve fatigue in people with MS, as it has many things going for it, including the fact that it costs next to nothing and is available virtually everywhere.However, despite the fact that no adverse events (side effects) were reported in this study, aspirin can be dangerous at the doses that are mentioned in this study, which is 1,300 mg (for the sake of reference, a standard baby aspirin is 81 mg). 1,300 mg of aspirin taken for any length of time could cause serious gastrointestinal bleeding in some people. In fact, a 1986 report on aspirin therapy studies reported that many people on aspirin therapy develop damage to the stomach lining, which can lead to bleeding or to chronic gastric ulcers. There is some evidence that enteric-coated aspirin can greatly reduce or eliminate this danger. However, I’ll confess – I am supposed to be on aspirin therapy (for other reasons) and I have not yet found an aspirin, coated or not, that doesn’t cause stomach pain. You can guess how well my aspirin therapy regimen is going.
Just a Reminder: Please remember- the mission of every article that reports study findings is to provide information and keep people with MS updated on recent events in the world of MS research. NEVER try any of the things that the researchers are reporting on until there is more research, and concrete recommendations from your doctors. I'll keep saying this to remind us all - these are experiments, not recommendations.
Sources:
Wingerchuk DM, Benarroch EE, O'Brien PC, Keegan BM, Lucchinetti CF, Noseworthy JH, Weinshenker BG, Rodriguez M. A randomized controlled crossover trial of aspirin for fatigue in multiple sclerosis. Neurology. 2005 Apr 12;64(7):1267-9.
Graham DY, Smith JL. Aspirin and the stomach. Ann Intern Med. 1986 Mar;104(3):390-8.
Dammann HG, Burkhardt F, Wolf N. Enteric coating of aspirin significantly decreases gastroduodenal mucosal lesions. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 1999 Aug;13(8):1109-14.
