 |
| FAQ/Help |
| Calendar |
| Search |
|
#1
Apr 14, 2014, 08:27 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I don't know exactly where to put this, so this is the closest forum I could think of.
I have found over the last several months possibly over a year I have becoming increasingly fatigued. I take Effexor 450 mg a day. It hasn't helped with my fatigue and I'm pretty sure one of the side effects is fatigue, but I only started taking Effexor towards the end of last year. I have a physical with my Pcp tomorrow and plan on asking him about it, possibly seeing if he can run some tests or something. I approached him about it early last year and after doing blood work he referred me to a sleep doctor (I don't really know what the technical name for that kind of doctor is). There was nothing wrong other then having a mild case of sleep apnea. I seriously believe that something is going on that has nothing to do with my medications. Something is off. And I'm tired of being tired ALL the time. I don't want to go to the doctor and for him to tell me it's probably just side effects from the medications. I can't take much more of this. I just don't know how to approach this with my Pcp without him brushing it off or referring me to someone else. Any suggestions? Anyone been in a similar situation? |
|
#2
Apr 15, 2014, 08:39 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
could be a tyroid issue among other things..not just a side effect of meds.
__________________
Dx: Bipolar NOS BPD Chronic Pain related to Interstitial Cystitis, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Migraines, IBS and Chronic Pancreatitis Medication: Welbutrin xl 300mg Xanax .25mg 4x a day (take it prn though) trazadone 200mg lamictal 300mg aldactone 100mg linzess 145mg butrans 15mcg topimax 50mg |
|
#3
Apr 16, 2014, 08:01 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I have been on and off Effexor many times over the years and it has never caused fatigue. It is supposed to be activating. None of that means anything though because we are all so different.
450 mg is a really high dose. I get cognitive blunting at 225 mg.
__________________
The "paradox" is only a conflict between reality and your feeling of what reality "ought to be." -- Richard Feynman Major Depressive Disorder Anxiety Disorder with some paranoid delusions thrown in for fun. Recovering Alcoholic and Addict Possibly on low end of bi polar spectrum...trying to decide. Male, 50 Fetzima 80mg Lamictal 100mg Remeron 30mg for sleep Klonopin .5mg twice a day, cutting this back |
|
#4
Apr 16, 2014, 12:15 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Get blood work done, including TSH for thyroid issues. They may find something there.
|
|
#5
Apr 16, 2014, 12:57 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
They ultimately diagnosed me with idiopathic hypersomnia, which I was told is a medical term for "we have no idea, you do not fit into another category so we'll put you here". To treat this they put me on Ritalin. I was on Ritalin for 3 years, at points I was at a dose of 80mg daily, which I believe is the max. Just recently, in September 2013 I went off my antidepressant (Celexa) because of other medical issues (TMJ). Once I went off Celexa I was no longer tired!! I could stay up all day and did not need my Ritalin at all. I have not taken Celexa or Ritalin ever since and function just fine without any extreme fatigue. The doctors never mentioned my medicine as a possible cause, not even my sleep doctor. Instead they labeled me with a diagnosis that I didn't actually have to live with. It was a side effect of medicine, that is all. I tell you this because it is very possible it is the medicine. If they rule everything else out, I would suggest looking at the medicine as the culprit. It's also best practice to get off your anti-depressant for at least 2 weeks before doing a sleep study to rule the medicine out since most ADs affect serotonin which affects sleep (they never told me that until after it was done, $1000 out-of-pocket later). I can not say this is the case for you. Obviously we are all different and I was taking Celexa not Effexor but it's possible. I recently took Pristiq (similar to Effexor) and was tired on it as well... so it's hard to tell and drugs can have different affects on you as the years go by. Hope this helps.
__________________
Dx: MDD, GAD, Panic Disorder Rx: None, too many side effects. |
|
#6
Apr 16, 2014, 01:10 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Thanks for the responses. I saw my pcp yesterday and he is still gonna run my blood work see if anything comes up as this has been an ongoing issue. My fatigue is been constant throughout the medication changes. If anything the effexor at this point is making it worse. I've already done a sleep study and came back with mild sleep apnea and was tested for narcolepsy but that was negative. I'm kind of hoping they find something with my blood work because I can't keep feeling this way. I'm too young to feel this old.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk |
| Reply |
This is an old thread. You probably should not post your reply to it, as the original poster is unlikely to see it.|
|
My Support Forums is the online community that was originally begun as the Psych Central Forums in 2001. It now runs as an independent self-help support group community for mental health, personality, and psychological issues and is overseen by a group of dedicated, caring volunteers from around the world.
Linear Mode
