Severe Fatigue in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Dopaminergic Therapy With Modafinil or Vitamin Therapy With Thiamine

Abstract

We found Moulton et al's¹ illustrative case series of 10 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and chronic fatigue, all presenting with depression, particularly interesting. ¹ Among the patients, 8 previously had undergone treatment with multiple psychotropic medications, and 2 had active IBD as indicated by increased fecal calprotectin levels. Remarkably, all 10 patients responded positively to open-label treatment with modafinil, a central nervous system stimulant that blocks dopamine reuptake transport, which resulted in an impressive improvement in their fatigue symptoms. At baseline, the self-reported mean fatigue score was 16, measured on the IBD Fatigue Assessment Scale (IBD-FAS), which ranges up to 20, and with levels higher than 11 indicating severe fatigue. After 6 months of modafinil treatment, the mean fatigue score was 6.7.¹.