I am on a nice mix of sleepy meds - gabapentin, amitrip, pain meds ... before my TN happened I had the same thing then kind of got over it and got a few months of not feeling exhausted and now there's the TN meds plus the pain (generally low-mid intensity pain, not the high intensity I get off meds) and I am back to being exhausted again. Even if I get a good night's sleep (which is a hard thing anyway with preschoolers) I feel awful, can't wake up in the morning unless I have coffee (sometimes I have to lie on the couch and I sometimes fall asleep while the kids watch morning TV) and it hits me again in the afternoon. Then in the evening I finally get over it and I have to take my amitrip and wait for it to kick in and then go to sleep. It seems like a nasty cycle ...
What have people done to reduce the sleepy effects of their medication? Any routine changes that helped? Take anything that helps offset it?
Forgot to add --- when I was trying HARD to focus to research on MVD - and trying to stay awake because of depression and the meds -- my neuro prescribed the smallest dose of Ritalin for me
He said that many of his patients on anti-seizure meds used it to get through the fatigue! I did get alot of research done!
But of course it was a short term fix that I reallly needed
I take B12, the sublingual ones (actually tastes nice too) :) Plus multivitamins, magnesium, cramp bark ... you name it :)
That's interesting about the ritalin. Isn't it funny how it has opposite effects in people without ADD and people who do have ADD. I doubt my doctor would even go there he's so scared of anything you may get addicted too (which pees me off no end).
It's just disheartening to think that I am going to be on these drugs probably forever and yet have to deal with stuff like fatigue all the time. It's one side effect that has stayed with me even as my body adjusted to the drug (at least the really annoying ones went though!).
There is another medication called Provigil, that I beleive is non-addictive (don't quote me on that). It is prescribed for people with Narcolepsy. Myself, I stick with coffee! Love the stuff! Google Provigil and see if maybe it fits your needs, and talk to your doctor.
When I was on antidepressants (for a very short time), I was tired all the time. What really helped me was fresh juices of vegetables with a drop of flaxeed oil, but I probably had vitamin deficiency and you seem to be taking lots of vitamins already. I would still try juicing if I were you though, vitamins and enzymes in the liquid form are supposed to be a lot more effective than in the pill / solid form. I'd especially recommend juices based on celery because celery has a high content of magnesium and B vitamins and is used as a folk remedy for chronic pain of any sort. I also like turmeric tea with lemon and honey, it tastes lovely and gives me the kick. Apart from that regular sleep helps me - I know it's hard to get that one at times. In the past, I would drink coffee to fight off the fatigue, but now I'm a bit cautions as it seems to make my pain worse. I've only just started taking anti-seizure medication and feel more tired already:( I've started acupuncture very recently, so I may ask the doctor if acupuncture can help with exhaustion too.
When I was on antidepressants (for a very short time), I was tired all the time. What really helped me was fresh juices of vegetables with a drop of flaxeed oil, but I probably had vitamin deficiency and you seem to be taking lots of vitamins already. I would still try juicing if I were you though, vitamins and enzymes in the liquid form are supposed to be a lot more effective than in the pill / solid form. I'd especially recommend juices based on celery because celery has a high content of magnesium and B vitamins and is used as a folk remedy for chronic pain of any sort. I also like turmeric tea with lemon and honey, it tastes lovely and gives me the kick. Apart from that regular sleep helps me - I know it's hard to get that one at times. In the past, I would drink coffee to fight off the fatigue, but now I'm a bit cautions as it seems to make my pain worse. I've only just started taking anti-seizure medication and feel more tired already:( I've started acupuncture very recently, so I may ask the doctor if acupuncture can help with exhaustion too.
I've been on provigil and it was excellent for the fatigue. I had no side effects except being awake and NEVER got jittery. The only problem I had was I had to stop it every three days so I could sleep. It's not addictive and does not give you highs nor does it give you excitement of caffiene or other stimulants.
Catherine said:
There is another medication called Provigil, that I beleive is non-addictive (don't quote me on that). It is prescribed for people with Narcolepsy. Myself, I stick with coffee! Love the stuff! Google Provigil and see if maybe it fits your needs, and talk to your doctor.
B-12 sublingual is excellent for feeling better if you have a low but normal B-12. My neurologist diagnosed me first with pernicious anemia (b-12 deficiency). I am on shots now but the sublingual is the best for the average person. It's also one of those vitamins that you can take a lot of and won't be a problem. My current neurologist told me that she would want me to take it if I wasn't already getting shots. I'm not typical though, I NEED the shots because my body can not absorb B-12 through food. But the sublingual works great. Why B-12? Because it's responsible for keeping the myelin in your body in working order. So the thought is that it might help to keep the myelin sheath that is touching the nerve in better health and repair it so the blood vessel in the brain can't touch the actual nerve. FYI I do have residual damage from having pernicious anemia and have slight neuropathy in my feet. I can't feel cold in my toes because the damage to the myelin was permanent in my case. She says it's slight and nothing to worry about. but that is why B12 IS important and it can't hurt.
B-12 sublingual is excellent for feeling better if you have a low but normal B-12. My neurologist diagnosed me first with pernicious anemia (b-12 deficiency). I am on shots now but the sublingual is the best for the average person. It's also one of those vitamins that you can take a lot of and won't be a problem. My current neurologist told me that she would want me to take it if I wasn't already getting shots. I'm not typical though, I NEED the shots because my body can not absorb B-12 through food. But the sublingual works great. Why B-12? Because it's responsible for keeping the myelin in your body in working order. So the thought is that it might help to keep the myelin sheath that is touching the nerve in better health and repair it so the blood vessel in the brain can't touch the actual nerve. FYI I do have residual damage from having pernicious anemia and have slight neuropathy in my feet. I can't feel cold in my toes because the damage to the myelin was permanent in my case. She says it's slight and nothing to worry about. but that is why B12 IS important and it can't hurt.
I take B12, the sublingual ones (actually tastes nice too) :) Plus multivitamins, magnesium, cramp bark ... you name it :)
That's interesting about the ritalin. Isn't it funny how it has opposite effects in people without ADD and people who do have ADD. I doubt my doctor would even go there he's so scared of anything you may get addicted too (which pees me off no end).
It's just disheartening to think that I am going to be on these drugs probably forever and yet have to deal with stuff like fatigue all the time. It's one side effect that has stayed with me even as my body adjusted to the drug (at least the really annoying ones went though!).
I'm new to the site....hope I do this right. I used to be on 1800 mg of Gaba daily (600mg 3x/day). I found that I did much better when I took my meds with protien, not just carbs. If I took them on an empty stomach or just a bowl of cereal they kicked my butt. However, if I did eggs or a tofu shake--any kind of protien--the effect was more mild. And no skipping meals or the fatigue was worse.