Tired?what helps?

[PinkTZ]

i've been bipolar for over three years now, and my symptoms have always been type two bipolar. The mania was easily treated, but the depression stays. Is it possible for my body to be depressed? Weird as it sounds, my body seems so tired but my mind's okay...and then other times my mind is exhausted...sad.... mostly exhausted. I'm almost finished earning my certificate and im heading back home soon... are there any suggestions as to maybe help me feel less tired?...is it normal for bodies to be "depressed?" (never happened when i was..."healthy")

[azalea82]

What medications are you currently taking?
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[FxGz]

both iladvocate and bulldozer's advice are def. worth following up with.

i get pretty bad seasonal depression during the winter months. my body feels heavy and alien to me, *****.

i combat the tiredness and fatigue by walking at least 20 minutes a day, eating smaller meals, and drinking a lot of water.

seems to work if i'm rigorous about it.

btw, i'm on lithium and prozac, a pretty good mix for me so far.

goodLuck!  

[monkeyc]

Yes on the depression.  Right now I am exhausted all the time and thinking is like glue.

Are you taking an Anti Depressant drug ?

[bernie40]

Have you had blood tests to determine whether or not the tiredness could be caused by other factors, such as anaemia or thyroid function?  If not then it is worth getting this done to be sure there isn't another reason for the tiredness rather than it being from the depression.

Fatigue is common amongst people who are depressed and can often be an indicator of depression - if your depression is getting worse or not getting better then maybe your current medication is not working as well as it might.  This would certainly be the next logical step after ruling out any other medical conditions.

It is also worth looking at your diet - boring I know!  However, diet also plays an important role and if you are not getting enough vitamins etc then this could also leave you feeling very tired.

[ILADVOCATE]

Some mood stabilizers are better on depresion than mania. The difficulty with adding an adjunct anti-depressent is it could make you manic. But an adjunct mood stabilizer could help. For more information look up "Depression Central" and here's a list of mood stabilizers that are available as medications but used experimentally off label:
http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/meds/moodstabilizers.htm
As I've posted before some studies indicate that when a person is depressed their body slows down as well but that research is not established but it would stand to reason as when a person is manic they are sped up (technically psychomoter agitation).
Regardless if you've tried all common mood stabilizers and your psychiatrist has run out of ideas, you might seek a referral to a mood disorders specialist who would be an expert.