I'm always so tired.

[John]

I feel like I'm always walking around in a haze. I have a great job, a great marriage, and a great life, yet the only thing I can concentrate on is how much I would like to be sleeping. It's very  frustrating. I was on Wellbutrin for some time (3 months), but it didn't seem to do much good. Did I stop to early? My Psychiatrist  says fatique is a symtom of depression. I am depressed only because of my fatique. I've been tired for 10 years and I'm only 29. How do I wake up and live??

[HFHS MD-JM]

John,

     Fatigue is only one symptom of depression and many medical problems can mimic this feature.  Please review depression in this forums archives for further discussion on other signs and symptoms.  If you have not already had a physical to rule out medical causes then it would be helpful to clarify the situation.  Thyroid disorders and anemias are common conditions associated with fatigue.
     Wellbutrin SR 150 mg twice daily for 4-6 weeks is a sufficient trial of this medication. Occasionally a partial improvement is noted necessitating titration to 200 mg twice daily.

Sincerely,

HFHS MD-JM

Keywords:  Fatigue, depression

[John- Follow up. Please help!]

Please Help. I forgot to mention that all of my bloodwork came back normal. I eat well and get plenty of exercise.  I can't take it anymore. I know this isn't normal.

[Betsy]

John,  Have you considered having your thyroid tested?  Do you have any other symptoms other than feeling tired?  Have you been through any kind of chemotherapy or radiation?  Are you anemic maybe?  I am a nurse that has had chemo and radiation.  I have been really tired lately, depressed with morose thoughts.  I also work in the psychiatric field.  I thought I was loosing my mind until I asked my physician to check my thyroid function.  As it turns out, my thyroid was not producing as it should.  This makes sense to me due to the radiation.  Needless to say, I am thrilled there is a physical cause that is treatable for my depression and fatigue.  Quite often there are physical causes  for depression.  I am one of the lucky ones that was able to figure out what was going on with my body, and to have a physician that was open enough to listen to me.  Good luck!!!

[John]

Betsy,

Thank you for your response. I had a full physical, and my thyroid is fine. In fact, my physician said I was in good health and she was quite perplexed. I have never had any radiation or chemotherepy. I do not understand this at all. I need some answers. I'm so sick of being tired.

[Erick]

John if you find an answer I would like to know myself.  I have been seeing a psychotrist for over a year about a few issues, but I am not locked into any type of depression, things for the most part have improved a great deal for me and he agrees.  I just recently had a full exam including blood work.  They tested glucose, thyroid, the whole nine yards and I also suffer horribly from a chronic fatigue.  No matter how much I sleep I am always exhausted.  To the point sometimes I can hardly function.  I know the haze you speak of.  I have to force myself to keep moving constantly in order to stay awake, if I sit for any period of time, like in a meeting, etc. I begin to fall asleep.  Even if I am just breifly sitting and speaking to someone at their desk.  On the weekends I seem to do nothing but sleep and yet never feel refreshed, ever.  I do not drink coffee, but during the day I do drink a lot of ginseng teas, etc.  But only in the early part of the day to try and keep me on an even keel.  Does someone have an idea what the problem is??  I read the article on here about chornic fatigue syndrome, could I have that?

[Missy]

I feel the same way.  I could sleep forever.  It is so frustrating.

[Wendy Daniels]

Dear John

I know exactly the feelings you are experiencing.  I live a happy and fulfilled life.  I have a great boyfriend who supports me, I work as a program administrator of learning support and special needs, which I love, and generally I live a very happy life.  In the past I felt very depressed, at one point I nearly slit my writsts.  Yet all through that I never felt as tired as I do now.  Some days it's a stuggle to get out of bed, for example it took me ten minutes to get downstairs the other day and that can't be right.  You said you feel in a haze, the way I describe it is as if my brain has been wraped in cotton wool and I can't find my way out.  I sleep at least a whole day each weekend and that just about gets me through the week.  I've just had four days off work because I couldn't function properly, I get headaches and feel I can't do anything as I can't think.  In the past I've had at least four blood tests for other reasons yet they have never shown anything abnormal.  I am beginning to wonder if I will ever get an explanation for my illness.  I'm due to see my Doctor this week and am hoping to get some answers.  Personally I feel that I may suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrom (syndrome).  It was mentioned to me by a friend and having done some research I've found that it can be triggered from a constant infection or changes in hormone levels, to mention but two areas.  I have experiecnced both of these and could have caused me to feel this way.  If I were you I would check out the possibility of CFS and check if your sympotms match.  Hope you can get through the day

Wendy

[rhonni]

Maybe you have a sleep disorder.  After many years of suffering the same symptoms, I was diagnosed last year as having Narcolepsy.  You can research that on the net to get more info on it.  It can be treated with medication.

[Follow up-john]

Thank you everyone for your support. I am going to start seeing my doctor again, and take all of this info w/me. I just want to wake up and live up to my potential.

Best regards,
John H.

[Mike Machuk]

Iam 43 years old and have not had a restful night's sleep in 3 years.  This year I was diagnosed with sleep apnea.  Treatment for this is available and can be remarkable in it's effect.  

Sleep apnea is not just a problem with overweight persons..  If you suffer from sleep deprivation discuss this with your doctor.  Treatment can change your life.

[Joanne]

Dear John,
As you can see, you are not alone.  What is going on with us?
I am 32yrs old have 2 children a happy marriage, am financially ok and I am BONE TIRED.  You know,  so tired you can feel it in your bones.  Making a bed or dinner or simply folding laundry is a major effort.  Bloodwork all normal, no thyroid prob's. not anemic.  JUST TIRED!  if you get any useful info could you let me know?  I just can't take it anymore.
thanks.  Joanne

[fitness trainer]

If a person feels tired each day it could be there cardiovascular system is running to slow : Try going for a run early in the morning , weight train , practice kungfu , or some type of aerobic activity after you finish your workout take a multivitamin -- REMEMBER DONT OVERTRAIN < AND DONT STRAIN WHEN YOU TRAIN>.

[Shaun]

john you said you had your thyroid checked and it turned out to be normal.  Do you know what test you had done?  Some tests are more accurate then others.  If you only had a TSH level tested this could misleading because you could have abnormal levels of t3 and t4.  What is normal?  many people respond to thyroid therepy when the medical community says they are within normal ranges.  Most doctors are satified to get patients within levels that are considered normal and do not like to try to work with the patients feelings.  They are hesitant to prescribe any hormonal medictions because of the delicate nature of the feed back loops involved. I suggest you talk with your doctor or request your findings to see exactly where you are on the scale.
Although findings are inconlusive on the issue of chronic fatigue syndrome many feel that sutle thyroid inbalances are at the root of the problem.  I would be even more suspicious of thyroid problems if you have sensitivity to cold, any heart palipatations, libido loss, carpal tunnel syndrome.  Fybromyalgia(chronic joint and muscle tenderness) is a symptom also loosly associated with hypothyroidism and is considered by some to be the same as chronic fatigue syndrome.  My personal feeling is that all of these conditions are somehow associated with and autoimmune disorder.  Another good test to get for thyroid problems is a thyroid antibody test which will tell you if your own body is destroying your thyroid.  Anyways I am blabbing here so to sum things up I personally dont think doctors are taking these considerations seriously and you maybe should see a more liberal doctor after all what do you have to loose beside your relationship with your bed?  see http://thyroid.about.com/healthlthyroid  


by the way these are just my personal experiences and I am by no means a doctor.

[RelicMelex]

I'm only 20, and way to young to have any sorts of issues. I just got a great new job, everyone here is awesome. I left my old job which had me moving around a lot more, and I'm even more tired. I know good and well I'm not depressed... Stress maybe, but for my age and the way my motabolism runs, I shouldn't be this tired. I can't sleep it off, like the rest of you.

When i was younger even about 14->16, I had a similar issue, and I thought it was because of the fact that I was up so many darn hours, and just doing school and everything with 2 a day practices.

My mother is a nurse, and a very good observer, she noticed this and was making suer i was taking vitamins. I hated it, and it hardly helped, but did a little. Then After about a month or so, she came home with something called SlowFE, and I'm thinking about giong back on it. It's a slow release IRON shelf pill. No I'm not anemic in any way, but my red blood cell count was just low enough to resemble what could be symptoms of sleep apnea because I couldn't get enough oxygen to my system.

Also I read a great suggestion, get up and force your self to go for a small run in the morning, even if you think "That'll just mean less sleep" Well we've figured out that sleep is not what yall need.

I suggest trying both, as well as I'm going to try myself...

Best Wishes
-Relic

[Njbuck]

I also have the same issue I agree with personal trainer .  Try providgel  for 6 months and get a gym membership .  That medication will boost you energy and wake u up . And the gym will increase your levels of energy.  Then after 6 months you should have energy memory . I used to do wash until those spelled passed .  P.S. sugar and carbs also play a role . There are 3 test to get s proper result . The drink and blood drawn 3 times in 3 hours , urine ,  and last eat 1 sandwich and 4 oz of apple juice .  Sounds like a sugar thing . Eat more fiber  4 times aday and with meals .