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I am so tired

Posted , 9 users are following.

amkoffee
amkoffee

I know that PMR causes fatigue . But for the last couple of weeks I have never felt so physically tired in my life. I don't know if this is the PMR or if there's something else going on. I am on so many different drugs all treating all different kinds of maladies so it's impossible for me to even say that it's because of the medicine. I'm at 14 mg of prednisone right now because I had to go all the way back up again. And my pain is fairly well controlled . I also recently started having oxygen while I sleep (1 week) because I was not breathing deep enough during my sleep . But I would think that would make me feel better and so far it hasn't made me feel better at all. I do suffer from chronic pain in my lower back and I take opiates for that but I've been taking them for years so I know that it's not that that's making me so tired . Does this fatigue that comes with the PMR come and go or get worse sometimes and then get a better? I hope I get better soon because I just don't have the energy to do anything. Last night I took a shower and it just about killed me to do it. And I even have a stool to sit on in my shower.

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • karenjaninaz
    karenjaninaz amkoffee

    Posted

    If you are taking any benzodiazepines like Ativan, lorazepam, Valium, restoril etc. they will tire you out. They are not recommended for long term use because they do not work on pain fibers and lose their effectiveness over time. However they must be tapered to avoid rebound nervousness, sleeplessness or even seizures.

    Retired anesthetist.

    • amkoffee
      amkoffee karenjaninaz

      Posted

      Thank you for responding. I do take them. Well it was diazapam and just a few days ago I switched to lorazepam. But I don't take it every day. I only take it if I upset or can't sleep. And it's a very low dose. Do you think that could make a difference?

    • karenjaninaz
      karenjaninaz amkoffee

      Posted

      Definitely. There is also a higher risk of dementia with long term use. Maybe you might learn about this from the pharmacist or your own research. One diazepam (Valium) is not excreted totally from the body until the 4th day. Daily doses accumulate in the body fat and can cause depression.
    • amkoffee
      amkoffee karenjaninaz

      Posted

      Well I have not really used them a lot. And I guess it has been about a year that I've had them to use. I try not to take them as much as possible but lately I've had so much trouble sleeping that I've used them for that. But I just started the oxygen at night and it only been about 5 days that I've used the oxygen and when I have I've sleep thru the night. It sure seems counter productive for something to take for anxiety can cause depression. I will do some research. Thank you for the info.

  • maid_mariane
    maid_mariane amkoffee

    Posted

    I know once i got below 14mg now at 12mg the fatigue is hitting me. I laughed about the shower because just showering and drying off does me in.

    Ive read it gets worse until your adrenal glands kick in. I just hope.

  • Guest
    Guest amkoffee

    Posted

    Do you know, that opiates can make you sleepy too and also can depress breathing? Less oxygen, less vitality plus the "hangover" of the Benzodiazepine (Oxazepam, Diazepam,..).  Of course PMR could be responsible too.

    ?Better drink an herbal tea for the night and try to go outside during the day. Sunlight helps increasing your melatonin production and release for a good night sleep. Try to keep on moving for the blood circulation. 

    ?Do you know where the lower back pain comes from? 

    • amkoffee
      amkoffee Guest

      Posted

      Yes I do know about the sedative effect of opiates. But since I've been on them for 8 years I've become accustomed to the feeling and this fatigue is new. My eye are also red and puffy which I don't understand either. I look like I've been crying even when I haven't been. But I like your idea of sitting outside. We have a wonderful backyard and an in ground pool which is currently being worked on so I can't swim but I can just sit and enjoy watching the men work. LOL

  • stanley36717
    stanley36717 amkoffee

    Posted

    I'm on 4mg a day and most things are an effort. I recently had to increase it to 30 mg for a short time due to a neck problem and I had much more energy. 

  • EileenH
    EileenH amkoffee

    Posted

    You normally seem to need a high dose of pred to get an effect don't you? That could be a sign your body only absorbs about 50% of the pred you take - and that could mean that at 14mg you are actually getting only about 7mg - just the point where adrenal function has to start up again. 

    It may all be just little things but they all mount up - did you change to lorazepam since this started for example? Were any of the other medications changed about then or shortly before? Even a tablet coming from a different manufacturer. Make a list of what you have changed recently and see how it relates to the onset of the fatigue. 

    Are your eyes dry? Do they water a lot with runny tears in wind for example? Do they feel gritty? 

    But above all, how does it relate to the CPAP (I assume it is CPAP you are using):

    "Negative side effects of CPAP reported by new users include: nose irritation, nasal congestion, headaches, bloating and continued tiredness after starting treatment ("sleep debt"wink."

    Sleep debt can even result from having a long lie in that you aren't used to. 

    Are you using a face mask for the oxygen? Is it properly fitted? If it leaks it will affect your eyes.

    And when all that lot is ticked off - and if the "sleep debt" effect doesn't improve then you could ask your doctor if any of your current problems aren't being well-managed (thyroid or whatever for example) of there is a possiblilty you have developed something else.

    • amkoffee
      amkoffee EileenH

      Posted

      Thank you for replying Eileen. Actually I'm on oxygen so I have a tube with little things up my nostrils not a CPAP and I thought the larazapam would help me to sleep better and I did for the first few days. Not so much last night. But I think you may be on to something regarding my meds. I would love to just slowly get rid of them all but I can't think of one that I can eliminate. However I will look at what's been new and see what I can do about that. As for my eyes I've defiantly have dry eye syndrome and am being treated for it. Since I also have a dry mouth I believe I have Sjogren's syndrome. But my blood test was negative. however I know that you can have a false negative and I don't want to do the lip biopsy. After all I'm already treating the symptoms. In regards to the pred I didn't think that the pred made a difference with the fatigue. I thought it only helped with the inflammation and pain. And you are right, I do much better at the higher doses. I got down to 10 mg but was miserable at that level. I felt no pain the short time I was on 50 and 30 mg. Thank you, you've given me food for thought.

  • dea13
    dea13 amkoffee

    Posted

    Hi, sorry to hear you are so unwell. I also have days with very bad tiredness ... PMR or Tapering down from Preds, I think both contribute. I am on 15mg Preds now and tapering, and since I started I have days like you, just having a shower then getting dressed it hard, then I am spent for the day. Other days not so bad.

    What opiates  are you taking for your back pain?? curious as I also have chronis lower back pain.

    I hope you feel better soon : 

    • amkoffee
      amkoffee dea13

      Posted

      I take morphine ER 30 mg 2 times a day and for break through pain I take Oxytocin 10 mg as needed up to 4 per day. This is the same as Percocet only without the Tylenol
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