Any of you tired & sleepy most of the time?

Floss, I tire very easily and many times I will have days where I need to sleep, sleep and more sleep.

One of the problems that 'we' seem to be guilty of that adds to the tiredness is that on a good day, we push and push to get as much done as we possibly can and then we pay for it for about another week in pain and or in bed.

I am just as guilty as the next person!  Yesterday I had to get out of the house.  My youngest DD and I went to do errands and were gone about 5 hours.  I came home and sat downstairs before going up to my room and within those few minutes, I became so still I could barely move.  When i stood up, I was all bent over and could have cried at the pain in my feet and legs.

I noticed that the list of medications you take could be adding to the tiredness and the many hours of sleep.  I do not know how often you take the oxycodone or the phenegran, but if I were to take those, I would have to kiss the day or night goodbye.  My oldest DD takes skelaxin for back injuries from wrecks she has been in and when she takes those, some days she will be okay and others, she will sleep the day away.

Have you had a sleep study done?  I have noticed a pattern among many of the people with fibro.  Many of us seem to need CPAPS for apnea.

Hi Anne-
  I just got fibro 3-4 months ago and BAD! I also got depression with it and the fatigue was crippling. My Dr. started me on Zoloft and after 2 weeks I began to notice a difference. The severe fatigue has lifted and I do have some fatigue yet but I'm starting to function.
 

I don't take naps unless its to put my head back on the couch and rest for 20 minutes. I go to bed and get up around the same time everday.
 

I only take Tylenol Extra Strength 4,000 mg. for pain and Darvocet if it gets real bad. I can take Lyrica thats prescribed but have not started that yet. Can you ask your Dr. about maybe switching meds around a little bit? Maybe one of them could be causing the sleepiness?
I think I am going to be one of them that has more pain and less fatigue. I don't know which is worse. GamJill

I am sorry to hear that we all seem to have this fatigue to some degree. I do push myself when I feel well, and sometimes won't sleep at all that day or that night - it is like I feel so good and I am just wired. I have tried to pace myself and I admitt sometimes I do pretty good and other times I just blow it. As far as the pain meds, I have built up a tolerance to that as far as the sleepiness I have been on narcotics so long. The phenergan I don't take everyday, but I have been on it for over 4 years regularly, so that doesn't put me to sleep either. My doctor is quite aware of these problems and says it is just part of my chronic conditions and feels very bad that I have to go through this, especially being so young. He has also seen me in some of my very worst times and has had to send me to the ER numerous times and I always had dilaudid, phenergan, toredol among other things; the last time I was there I had to have 6 mg of dilaudid, before it even touched my pain for ibs. Anyway, I have been on heavy doses of narcotics for long periods of time when I was hospitalized numerous times in short periods.
The thing is, even if I don't take the oxycodone and the phenergan, I may still do this and I may not get sleepy, like I said and just be wired.
I just hate having these chronic conditions, I just absolutely hate it. At times I feel like I have a pretty good handle on it emotionally and have accepted it and other times I feel so worthless, like dead weight around my own house.
Basically, I just wondered if I were alone in the amount of fatigue I have. Thanks for your replies.

Fatigue is my main problem too. I can handle the pain. I take adderall for the fatigue and it is a Godsend. It keeps me awake and gives me energy. I honestly think that everybody with fibromyalgia should be able to take it.

Talk to your doctor about something for energy. There are others besides like adderall as Marlee mentioned, there is provigil. Also ritalin helps. There is no sense of being so fatigued all the time, so see what your doctor says.

Best wishes and good luck,
Hugs, Karen

Try taking a xanax with it Marlee, or have you already tried that? I know that you want energy so bad. Have you ever tried Ginseng? Or Bee pollen, actually the Royal Jelly is even stronger than the bee pollen. That is a couple natural energy producers that I know of.

I wish that you could find somehting to help you.

Luv and hugs, Karen

Ann and All,
Have your doctor run a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test. Low TSH levels are common with Fibro and most of us are low on thyroid and need to supplement. I still have fatigue as a fibro factor, but I no longer feel like I'm dragging my feet through wet cement.

Hi Floss,

I was told by my sleep specialist that people with FMS have weird sleep patterns. They have alpha and delta waves when they sleep. The delta waves are only supposed to be there when you are awake. Therefore, when you sleep, you feel like you are awake, and when you do awake you feel like you have not slept. You have to decrease the amount of delta waves when you sleep to feel less fatigued when you are awake. Different people have success with different sleep meds, or unlike myself, have found nothing that helps me sleep as far as meds. I have to use things like very warm showers before bed or making sure I do not have a list of things that need to be done to think about. The Lyrica that some people have had success with sleeping does not help me. You may have to try the hit a miss with meds until you find one that works, or find your own sleep routine to help you sleep. My sleep dr told me that I just had to do what my body wanted, which meant sleep when it wanted and be awake when it wanted. I have managed to go from that to some sort of routine that goes along with my husbands, but not always. Best of luck finding a solution. There is one out there somewhere.

2tmoose

Fatigue is definitely my main problem too. The pain isn't constant. and when i get it it's usually pretty mild. the flare ups don't happen often.. (thank God!) *knock on wood* hehe


but yes.. i'm tired almost always.. and i'm a hyper person.. so, i find myself tiring easily because i use up my energy quickly.

plus.. my job is very physically demanding and it consumes me. i know my job isn't probably the best for someone with FMS.. but i couldn't imagine not being there. i like being there. and i like being active.

Just wanted to say I can have days in a row where every 5 mins my head drops to my chest and I doze for 5 mins and it repeats all day and for several days then it goes for a few days and it doesnt depend on my nightly sleep so I think its a combination of the meds we all take plus it is a symptom of fibro as well. I was forced to buy neck brace because my head kept dropping and hitting chest.to all out there who doze while sitting in couch   get a neck brace  its fabulous,  you gt to doze without hurting your neck.

What about Adderal and Zoloft? I heard that the adderal is great for energy too.
The Zoloft kills your drive and maybe the adderal would help curb that?
Carolyn