Fatigue-Fatigue is a symptom family & friends don't really Comprehend

[johnniebear]

I'm sleeping great,  I use a Cpap.   Now I Only get up once a night to  go to the bathroom,  thats a great benefit of using the Cpap.


However a good  nights sleep doesn't relate to a reduction in fatigue,  some people think  your just being lazy.

When my the fatigue hits,  I would prefer not to deal with anyone,  just holding a conversation takes extra effort.


MSlogist returned my call on Monday, I can no longer  try to fight the fatigue on my own,  we agreed I would start on
Amantadine,   100mg in the morning & 100mg in the early afternoon . I start the med this Friday and I'll check in with the nurse in one week.


take care
JB

[Wobbly]

I've been having alot of fatigue for the past month or so, it's a horrible feeling, my sis asked me what it felt like.  Did I feel like I didn't want to do anything, or did I feel I wanted too but felt my body couldn't do it.  of course it's the second one.  

I am starting to understand why people get depressed, I'm not doing very well for the past few months and I'm getting tired of it all, I feel it's affecting my family and they deserve alot more then I can give, I can't even go for a walk without help or my wheelchair etc.   I hate it and really feel down about it.  Amantadine which I've taken for a few years doesn't seem to help anymore, so I'm stopping it for awhile and boy it's hard to stop.

but I will try it again and I see the MS clinic in May when I'll let them know how I'm doing.
take care and hang in there, I'll try too
wobbly

[rendean]

JB- I hope the med works for you and you can get some real sense of not feeling like that Mack truck just hit you!

GG-HOw interesting about the Acetyl L-Carnitine!  I do believe that is what my brother takes but in higher doses. I'll have to check.

Sleep tight!

Ren

[SarahL2491]

interesting, I take my baclofen at night, because that's when my spasms hit and it makes my insomnia worse!  doesn't give me any more energy tho!

[Guitar_grrrl]

My fatigue has been over the top, these last few weeks.  It tends to hit me at about 8:30 in the morning for an hour or two, and then again at about 2pm-5pm.  During those times, the thought of going into a store to get some groceries is just overwhelming.  The thought of running the vacuum cleaner is just too much.

Thankfully, the family "gets it".  Most of my co-workers don't, though a few do.

About 3 weeks ago, I quit my Acetyl L-Carnitine, because I just didn't think it was doing anything for me.  Boy, was I wrong!  Within a week, my fatigue was just debilitating!  I got back on it, and lo and behold, my fatigue improved to the way it was before I quit it.  Which is to say, it's grinding, but not completely debilitating.

Acetyl L-Carnitine was pitted against Amatadine in a 2004 Mayo study for effectiveness, and it beat out Amatadine.  
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14759641

My neuro says they're very similar in composition.  I take 1000 mg in the morning, and 1000 mg in the afternoon with my afternoon Baclofen.  I guess I'm glad I'm back on it, but my fatigue is still a big issue.  At least it's not as big as when I quit the stuff for a short while!

[SarahL2491]

keep us posted on how the amantadine works!

[summerluvr]

Fatigue is not the same as being "tired".  I think you need to use other words to describe it.  I'm partial to "i fell like I got hit by a bus".  exhaustion is good too, or totally drained.   I also describe it as like having the flu without the respiratory symptoms.  I don't have MS, have cancer, but fatigue is a part of my illness, and also a symptoms of the chemo etc.

[sllowe]

Hey JB,

Your so right - people who have not experienced true fatigue think it's comparible to being "tired." And, they couldn't be more completely different.
I hope the med helps you out.

[Sailorsong]

Oh how I can relate. The fatigue is one of the things that bothers me the most. Probably because I live alone and if I am too tired to do something it just doesn't get done. And like you said a good nights sleep doesn't mean you are any less fatigued the next day.

Lately I have been on a 2 day cycle for my fatigue. One day I will sleep about 10 hours at night and barely make it through the day and the next I will end up sleeping 18 hours of the day.

I do hope the new medication will help you with your fatigue.

Dennis

[HVAC]

I can totally relate. My husband finally gets it and some of my good friends. Others do not understand How I am raring to go and then all of the sudden I am done.

Alex