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    Sleepy all the time, fatigue?

    For the last two weeks I am sleepy a lot of the time during the day. At night I can barely stay awake past 7:30 and if I do go to sleep I still wake up every one to two hours all night.

    I don't think this is the fatigue people talk about, is it? If not, does this happen to anyone else? I am also down most of the time for some reason and can't snap out of it. My doctor and therapist say I am not depressed but it sure feels that way.

    #2
    I get that

    Originally posted by loopey View Post
    For the last two weeks I am sleepy a lot of the time during the day. At night I can barely stay awake past 7:30 and if I do go to sleep I still wake up every one to two hours all night.

    I don't think this is the fatigue people talk about, is it? If not, does this happen to anyone else? I am also down most of the time for some reason and can't snap out of it. My doctor and therapist say I am not depressed but it sure feels that way.
    This is the fatigue I complain about most. I would wake up after a full night's sleep feeling like I needed a nap, and yawn all day. Would sometimes turn in for the night at 6:30pm. On those nights I'd be awake at 3am, then on and off for a couple of hours.

    My neuro prescribed 20mg Adderall XR. I immediately felt better. Didn't start yawning until 7pm. Unfortunately I developed a tolerance to it after 4 months. So I am now on a higher, 30mg, dose. Was advised that I may have to take it twice a day at some point.

    The other fatigue hits me when I am overheated, walking a long time (for me), or doing yard work. Once this starts, I just feel myself getting weaker and weaker. I am frequently done for the day at 10am after having performed a few chores.

    Best wishes,
    Bill C.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by loopey View Post
      For the last two weeks I am sleepy a lot of the time during the day. At night I can barely stay awake past 7:30 and if I do go to sleep I still wake up every one to two hours all night.

      I don't think this is the fatigue people talk about, is it? If not, does this happen to anyone else? I am also down most of the time for some reason and can't snap out of it. My doctor and therapist say I am not depressed but it sure feels that way.
      Hi loopey

      There are several kinds of fatigue that occur in people with MS.

      It's understandable why you experience the sleepy kind, as you said that you are waking up every hour or so during the night.

      I don't have the sleepy kind of fatigue very often. But I do get the type of fatigue that occurs from expending considerable amounts of energy because of weakness in my arms and legs, due to the impaired nerve signals from MS.

      Also, I'm very heat sensitive and get extremely weak when overheated. But after I rest and cool down, I usually recover ok.

      This info from the National MS Society describes the types of fatigue:

      http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Sym...mptoms/Fatigue

      Take Care
      PPMS for 26 years (dx 1998)
      ~ Worrying will not take away tomorrow's troubles ~ But it will take away today's peace. ~

      Comment


        #4
        Hi loopey,

        We can experience various degrees of fatigue some fatigue hitting harder than other times. If you don't currently use anything for fatigue you might discuss medication options with your Dr.

        Another possibility might be a sleep disorder. Sleep disorders are not uncommon for those with MS and can be overlooked.
        Diagnosed 1984
        “Lightworkers aren’t here to avoid the darkness…they are here to transform the darkness through the illuminating power of love.” Muses from a mystic

        Comment


          #5
          You are absolutely correct

          Originally posted by SNOOPY View Post
          Hi loopey,

          We can experience various degrees of fatigue some fatigue hitting harder than other times. If you don't currently use anything for fatigue you might discuss medication options with your Dr.

          Another possibility might be a sleep disorder. Sleep disorders are not uncommon for those with MS and can be overlooked.
          Snoopy,

          You are absolutely correct. A sleep disorder should be considered.

          Before I popped off about Adderall, I should have shared some more of my circumstances.

          In my case, my PCP suspects is the cause of my sleepiness is lack of good sleep, and thinks I should have my CPAP adjusted. On the other hand, he didn't really know that being sleepy was a symptom of MS.

          When I was diagnosed with MS, I was already using a CPAP for over a year and I didn't feel sleepy during the day. I also stopped waking up with headaches after I started using it. Best thing about the machine was it stopped my snoring, so my DW could sleep better.

          The sleepy feeling came to me suddenly about 3 months after a relapse. When I discussed it with my neuro, he assigned it to MS (since I was already using the CPAP). Started using Amantadine, then switched to Adderall.

          I also discussed the sleepy feeling with my pulmonologist and told him how much better the Adderall made me feel. When he reviewed the records from the CPAP chip, he did not think an adjustment to the CPAP was required.

          As you correctly point out the OP should not rule anything out. We are all different.

          Best wishes,
          Bill C.

          Comment


            #6
            Hi loopey:

            Ditto from me on being checked for a sleep disorder.

            There are different kinds of fatigue, and for there to be different types of fatigue, there have to be differences between the types to distinguish them. There's a difference between "I'm so sleepy I have to go to bed really early" and "I'm wide awake, but I'm so dog tired I can't hold this hair dryer up next to my head for another second and I have to go sit down."

            For sleepy fatigue, the distinguishing features of sleepy need to be looked at. Waking up every one to two hours every night and not getting refreshing sleep is primarily a sleep issue, and is a problem all by itself, so all the signs point to the necessity of testing to find out why you keep waking up so often.

            In the short term, you might benefit from some kind of treatment for the resulting fatigue (or depression, or whatever the resulting issue is) so you can get through your days. But in the long run the cause of the sleep disturbance will have to be found so you'll know whether there's an intervention for it and whether the resulting fatigue and other issues can be prevented.

            So ditto on the importance of getting a sleep study. I hope you get this straightened out soon.

            Comment


              #7
              Adderall question

              Hello! I was sleepy all the time also, no strength or energy and could literally sleep 24/7. After years of asking for a solution I started taking adderall, which I also had to dose up on as it started to be less effective. I am on 2 30mg tabs one in a.m. and one in early afternoon to get me through day, but the effect is waning and I am back to being completely exhausted if I climb one flight of stairs.

              Am hoping maybe switching to nuvigil and maybe going back and forth might be a solution... is the benefit of yours continuing to wane?

              Thx, Alex

              Originally posted by jumangi View Post
              This is the fatigue I complain about most. I would wake up after a full night's sleep feeling like I needed a nap, and yawn all day. Would sometimes turn in for the night at 6:30pm. On those nights I'd be awake at 3am, then on and off for a couple of hours.

              My neuro prescribed 20mg Adderall XR. I immediately felt better. Didn't start yawning until 7pm. Unfortunately I developed a tolerance to it after 4 months. So I am now on a higher, 30mg, dose. Was advised that I may have to take it twice a day at some point.

              The other fatigue hits me when I am overheated, walking a long time (for me), or doing yard work. Once this starts, I just feel myself getting weaker and weaker. I am frequently done for the day at 10am after having performed a few chores.

              Best wishes,
              Bill C.

              Comment

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