What do all the Chronic Pain patients do about the chronic fatigue that the pain causes?

Sorry for making so many posts, I just have so many questions.

So ever since all my medical problems started including the chronic pain I am just constantly fatigued. I never feel like doing anything at all. Coffee doesn't help either. Are any of the chronic pain patients here treated for the fatigue by their PM doctor? What kinds of things would a PM doctor suggest to combat the fatigue?

I've been reading into this Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and it is amazing how much it sounds like me.

I am extremely fatigued/exhausted 24/7 even after waking up from sleeping 8 or more hours.

My wife is constantly complaining about my memory lol she can tell me about something and later than day or even just a couple hours later I have no clue what she is talking about.

If you know anything about my medical problems, then you would know that I have very severe gastrointestinal issues.

I have what my wife calls "brain farts" all the time LOL. Sometimes it is like I am in another world or more accurately, spacing out almost like my mind is on autopilot lol. Actually, foggy really is about the most perfect word I can think of to describe it. She gets frustrated because sometimes she has to yell at me to get my attention. I guess I could also describe it as though I feel like I could be in a dream at times...not like a severe detachment from reality, but sometimes I feel as though it could be possible that I am dreaming. It is kind of hard to explain the feeling.

Besides my social anxiety, I've always felt kind of awkward in social situations like my social ability is limited in some way from the norm. I come off as very shy but to be totally honest I'm just not good at making small-talk or whatever you would want to call it.


I can clearly remember that I had very little, if any, of these symptoms when I was prescribed Adderall for ADD during my teens and early 20's. Maybe my brain/body is just defective lol too bad there isn't warranty replacement coverage.

Hey Mark have you been diagnosed with or checked for Sleep Apnea? Un treated Sleep Apnea can cause you to have chronic fatigue and also it if famous for giving you that "Brain Fog condition" You don't have to be a middle age over weight male to have sleep apnea either! Actually you don't even have to snore to have it. Although snoring is often a classic symptom of it. Anyway if your constantly tired and are in a constant "brain fog" and if you also have such problems as nocturia? ( getting up constantly during the night to urinate or in other wards frequent trips to the bathroom) or possibly have frequent night sweats? or you frequently Wake up in the middle of a deep sleep gasping for air? plus a whole host of other symptoms to numerous to mention, then it is possible that you could have sleep apnea???? Allot of opioid pain medications can also cause central sleep apneas, along with certain neurological diseases and conditions, and also congestive heart failure and upper spinal cord and lower brain stem injury or damage.

Anyway after reading your post here, I was just curious if possibly sleep apnea could be causing your problems?? Might be something worth checking into???

White Beard

Markh,
I was Rxed ADHD drugs, specifically AdderallXR, to combat the fatigue. The adderall IR didn't work at all. As Mecy and Grace said, opiates can make ADHD more aggressive so consult a psych on that issuewhen you are looking for an Rx. Unfortunately, my ins. co. Cancelled coverage on the XR so I'm back in the same boat. . . Q

Backtolife, you right, Someone with ADHD doesn't realize how bad it is for them until they realize that it is not that way for others. Or until they are properly medicated.

The best thing for chronic pain is take as few narcotics as u can..including aderol for fatique...seriously? those speed u up and cause u to do things that will worsen your pain, so will most narcotic pain meds as well as the pain meds taking the edge off your pain so that you over do it and also cause yourself more pain later. I have been guilty of wanting to accomplish a task I know I shouldn't even attempt with my back condition, but I WANT to accomplish it, I WANT to feel productive and useful, so I take a pain pill, do the task, and pay for it dearly later. So, REST REST REST is the best solution for chronic pain and the fatique it causes. I know how hard that is when u were a productive person BEFORE, and how hard to accept that you are no longer that person, but it is the best solution.