Fatigue and sleepiness with no other symptoms - General Health Message Board

ShaggyMia · 12-30-2008, 04:08 PM

Hi all. I am in excellent health except for nearly-constant sleepiness and fatigue. I have felt this way for several years and have grown increasingly frustrated. I am in my late 30s with no children. I am happily married and get regular checkups. My only health problem is not really a problem at all - allergies. For the last two months I have been getting allergy shots (I am allergic to a dozen different types of pollen). We have lived in a newly-built house for only the last year and a half, and my symptoms haven't gotten worse in that time.

I have undergone a battery of tests to try to determine what, if anything, I might have. These tests have ruled out:

Vitamin deficiency
Anemia
Heart or lung abnormality
Sleep apnea
Diabetes

I exercise often (3-5 days a week), both cardio and resistance training. I eat well (almost never eat fast food and cook a great deal from scratch and eat almost no red meat), and have recently (several days ago) stopped drinking diet soda. I would drink 3-5 diet sodas a day just to try to keep myself awake. I wonder if they were making it worse, because the artificial sweetener is not good for anyone. I am maybe 20 pounds overweight (perhaps less).

I had severe depression four years ago, and I am not depressed now (only frustrated that I cannot get much accomplished because I am so tired). I was on an antidepressant for a year, and I feel like I need to fit myself for a tinfoil hat when I write this, but I swear I started to feel this fatigue after I went off the meds.

I've tried different sleeping schedules, including going to bed early, getting up early, etc. I went to bed the other night at 1:00 am and got up at 2 in the afternoon. When I finally woke up, I felt as if I hadn't slept at all. While that is not typical, it worries me that I could sleep so much and it doesn't seem to make a bit of difference.

The two possibilities I might have left are 1) a thyroid problem, or 2) something neurological, related to any possible changes after quitting antidepressant meds.

I read a little on the thyroid boards here, and they seem to have much worse symptoms than me, but I will go to a doctor and get the specific blood test done.

Any thoughts other ideas?

Thanks in advance.

resolution09 · 12-30-2008, 07:59 PM

Tin foil hat. Made me smile.

Make a second one for me. Of course, none of what you say applies to me except the fatigue. I really need to get things checked out but just haven't had time. I suspect some of my issues are depression but...and here I am finally getting to the point....a big part of mine I'll bet is hormones.

Even though you are only in your 30's still it is something to check. Always a possibility even if you age isn't appropriate. And if the hormones are on their way down, it bring on fatigue.

I used to be very high energy. I have always had trouble sleeping at night but still had no problem with fatigue in the day. What irritates me now is that I still have trouble sleeping even with this fatigue. It's not a fun way to live. I know things could be a lot worse but that's actually a little bit of the concern, knowing that "much worse" could be brewing right now. So my new year's resolution is to get some tests done in the first quarter of the year. I don't know how you are doing it without the diet soda. If I didn't have my morning cups of coffee, I'd probably never get out of bed.

vh90453 · 12-31-2008, 10:53 PM

I think having your thyroid checked is a good idea. Don't be put off by your lack of symptoms, some people don't get any. Have you put on weight since the fatigue started? Weight gain and fatigue are symptoms of an underactive thyroid. There are many symptoms that are very subtle,you may not even notice them. All the best.

nscrbug · 01-01-2009, 12:50 PM

Ok...nobody touched on this yet, but...what about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? I honestly don't know much about it, except that it is a REAL condition (I've actually thought that I might be afflicted with it)...so perhaps mention it to your doctor. For what it's worth...you're not alone. I experience constant fatigue and sleepiness, too. And I am already being treated for hypothyroidism. I've been on synthetic thyroid hormone for the last 5 years. At first, it helped immensely with the fatigue and tiredness...but not so much lately. Most of the time, I feel like I could fall asleep standing up...just give me a wall to lean on, and I could be out in no time. The real sleep that I do get, is more of a "restless" sleep. I never seem to be well-rested after a night's sleep. I always feel like I could sleep for another 3-4 hours...but work and life sort of get in the way of doing that. I even take a 1 - 2 hour nap on most days (before I go to work)...and it still doesn't help. I'm nodding off at my desk about halfway into my shift. I have an appointment in February to see an endocrinologist for further testing, so hopefully that will provide some answers for me.

Anyways...I hope you find some answers soon. Definitely get your thyroid checked out, just to rule anything out. But I would also inquire about CFS, the next time you see your doc.