Chronic Fatigue and Supplements

The request was successful.

Dear National Institute for Health and Care Excellence,

I understand NICE does not recommend supplements generally with chronic fatigue but as I have a number of conditions and have problems absorbing them, its recommended I do. Do you have any information on the minerals/supplements/vitamins that might result/are under investigation or may be taken by patients?

Yours faithfully,

Spencer Gasson

NICE Mail, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Dear Spencer

 

Reference No: EH99967

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

 

Thank you for your FOI request, received at our office on 31 December 2018
in which you asked NICE for the following information:

 

any information on the minerals/supplements/vitamins that might result/are
under investigation or may be taken by patients with chronic fatigue
syndrome.

 

This request will now be considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act, subject
to the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third
party. In some circumstances we may be unable to achieve this deadline. If
this is likely you will be informed and given a revised time-scale at the
earliest opportunity.

 

There may be a fee payable for the retrieval, collation and provision of
the information you request. If this is the case you will be informed and
the 20 working day timescale will be suspended until we receive payment
from you. If you chose not to make a payment then your request will remain
unanswered.

 

Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to
another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest
possible way. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.

 

Kind regards

 

Helen.

 

 

 

Helen Finn

Communications Manager (Enquiries)

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Level 1A, City Tower | Piccadilly Plaza | Manchester | M1 4BT | United
Kingdom

Tel: 44 (0)300 323 0141 Fax: 44 (0)300 323 0149

Web: http://nice.org.uk

 

 

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NICE Mail, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Dear Spencer

 

Reference No: EH99967

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

 

Thank you for your FOI request, received at our office on 31 December 2018
in which you asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
(NICE) for the following information:

 

any information on the minerals/supplements/vitamins that might result/are
under investigation or may be taken by patients with chronic fatigue
syndrome.

 

Please find below our response to your request below. Additional
background information has also been included (provided outside the scope
of the FOI Act) in order to be helpful.

 

NICE does not hold information on minerals/supplements/vitamins that are
under investigation for chronic fatigue system.

 

NICE’s [1]current guideline makes the following recommendations on
complementary and supplementary therapies:

 

1.4.7 Complementary and supplementary therapies

1.4.7.1 There is insufficient evidence that complementary therapies are
effective treatments for CFS/ME and therefore their use is not
recommended. However, some people with CFS/ME choose to use some of these
therapies for symptom control, and find them helpful.

1.4.7.2 There is insufficient evidence for the use of supplements – such
as vitamin B[12], vitamin C, co‑enzyme Q10, magnesium, NADH (nicotinamide
adenine dinucleotide) or multivitamins and minerals – for people with
CFS/ME, and therefore they should not be prescribed for treating the
symptoms of the condition. However, some people with CFS/ME have reported
finding these helpful as a part of a self-management strategy for their
symptoms.

1.4.7.3 People with CFS/ME who are using supplements should be advised not
to exceed the safe levels recommended by the Food Standards
Agency^[[2]10].

1.4.7.4 Some people with CFS/ME need supplements because of a restricted
dietary intake or nutritional deficiencies. Healthcare professionals
should seek advice from a dietitian about any concerns.

 

And this recommendation for melatonin:

1.6.3.3 Melatonin may be considered for children and young people with
CFS/ME who have sleep difficulties, but only under specialist supervision
because it is not licensed in the UK.

 

The evidence behind these recommendations is contained in the full
guideline and supporting appendices. These documents are published on our
website so we consider this information to be exempt under Section 21 of
the FOI Act, as it is information that is readily available to the public.
However to be helpful, here is the link to the [3]evidence for this
guideline.

 

Additional background information

You may be interested to know that NICE is in the early stages of updating
its guideline on myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic
fatigue syndrome: diagnosis and management. You can follow the progress of
this update on the [4]in development page of the website.

 

I hope this response fully addresses your request but if you have any
questions about it, you are welcome to contact me on 0300 323 0141.

 

If you are unhappy with this response and want an internal review of how
we handled your request, you must write to us within 20 working days of
our response. Send your request to: Associate Director, Corporate Office,
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 10 Spring Gardens,
London SW1A 2BU or email: [5][email address]. When we receive your
request we will send you an acknowledgement within 5 working days.

 

The Associate Director, Corporate Office, will review your request and
send you a full reply within 20 working days. If you are dissatisfied with
the outcome of this review, you can apply directly to the Information
Commissioner for a decision at: The Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

 

Kind regards

 

Helen.

 

 

 

Helen Finn

Communications Manager (Enquiries)

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Level 1A, City Tower | Piccadilly Plaza | Manchester | M1 4BT | United
Kingdom

Tel: 44 (0)300 323 0141 Fax: 44 (0)300 323 0149

Web: [6]http://nice.org.uk

 

 

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