Help! My psychiatrist can't help me? (tiredness)?

Question

Tired... always feeling tired and energyless. Especially in the weekends I can sleep the whole two days.

The last time I visited my psychiatrist she said it was likely to be a combination of side effects from taking prozac and stress in my life. Since then I have had a blood test -and would be called if something was wrong -I haven't been called.

Does having normal blood values mean there's nothing more to do? I suggested getting a sleep test -that I may have sleep apnea. But she said that this was unlikely and mostly people with a thick neck have this.

Basically I am left feeling very tired and energyless. I have tried different medications: for years on paxil/seroxat and tried effexor too.

I guess if my doctor can't help me it's time now to accept being tired all the time?

(I notice also that I get really exhausted quickly from shorts amount of exercise ...like pufing after going up one flight of stairs.)

Answer 1

First, get the results of your blood test.
Then have your thyroid function evaluated by an endocrinologist. There is a "normal range" for TSH, but what is the best value for individuals may vary. You may be in the upper range of normal, when your peak functionality may be at the lower range.

Get a complete physical from your primary care doctor, including a referral for evaluation of sleep apnea. Many people who have this are unaware of it, and not all have "thick necks." Beware doctors who tell you that it is "unlikely" you have a certain condition, and refuse to evaluate you for the possibility!

Best of luck to you!

Answer 2

There is so much to consider, your age, your background, la de la de dah....but, if all these things are in good shape, have you been seen by a cardiologist? You would benefit from a treadmill test/EKG, ONLY at the direction of a cardiologist.

When you get a clean bill of health (which should make you feel a whole lot better in the first place) start looking at what you are putting into your bod. Check your diet, exercise, what has changed that brought on this condition, and or what can you do to get back your own power.

Maybe the Prozac isn't agreeing with you, look at the insert that comes with the med. and see what the side affects are..

Get yourself a good vitamin supplement; get the right amount of sleep for you and on the weekends, make yourself get up at the same time you would during the week, so your body keeps on the same sleep cycle. I know that when I walk right after work that I sleep better than I ever have when I go to sleep later in the evening.

Don't give up, don't be afraid, just keep your focus and seek your answers; remember what is right for someone else may not be the same for you, so don't think you have to accept any answers if they don't sit right with you.

Live outloud, life is too short to not live to the fullest with robust health if you have the choice. I wish you a happy ending/beginning.

Answer 3

I would recommend cutting back on the prozac and trying to exercise a little each day. Exercise boosts seratonin, which helps regulate sleep cycles. The extra exertion might help you get a deeper sleep, which means you will need to sleep less hours to feel rested.

You might also be eating the wrong things. Try a multivitamin, make sure you're getting enough "clean" foods every day. That means steamed or raw veggies, fruit, and protein that doesn't come from a restaurant (tends to have too much stuff in it to be good for you). Make sure you have enough water, cut out as much caffeine as you can - that will keep you from crashing any harder than you already are.

I would definitely recommend going to get a second opinion from another psychiatrist or even a regular doctor. You can ask your current psychiatrist to give you a referral if you need one, you are absolutely allowed to get a second opinion. It sounds like this doctor is giving up on you and you need to see someone who is interested in working with you to find out what's wrong.

Good luck to you

Answer 4

You have symptoms that don't necessarily correlate with depression or medication. You shouldn't be short of breath after one flight of stairs...period. You are right for being concerned. Please contact your primary care provider (family medicine or internist). These folks have more experience treating symptoms like yours. Don't get me wrong, your psychiatrist is an MD, too. But she doesn't have the same day-to-day experience treating the physical syptoms you are having. I'd need many, many more details to speculate what could be wrong. The easy (and correct) answer is to have your doctor evaluate you. Better safe than sorry. By the way, most antidepressants (SSRIs) don't make most people that tired.

Answer 5

Man, that's a hard one. My sister had that problem and no one knew what to do.

If you're on Prozac though try switching to Wellbutrin, it's an antidepressant AND a mild stimulant. It tends to keep people awake at night if they take it too late and such, so maybe *maaaybe* it might help you not feel so tired all the time.

Any stimulant for ADD will help with fatigue, they use Ritalin for example to treat MS-related fatique. However, they have this policy of not giving them to anyone who isn't seriously ill for fatigue because of the fact that they can be abused. But if you happen to have been diagnosed with ADD...

Answer 6

One of the side effects of depression is always being tired. You are taking some drugs, but obviously they aren't doing any good. I had to take drugs (different) ones for several years before the psychiatrist prescribed one that would work for me. I had some, but their effect wore off very quickly. Tell your psychiatrist that you want a different anti-depressant drug. Tell her that the ones she has you on is not doing any good. There are many, many drugs out there for depression. Just because your psychiatrist gets used to a few and they work for some people, they are obviously not working for you. The one that helped me tremendously was Clexia. I am not saying you should take that one, but you need a different one.

I am bipolar and have been since the early 80's. I have went thought several anti-depressants but some worked and then they quit and we would go one to another. Tell your psychiatrist that you know your body better than she, and you want something else to try. It takes guts, and you have to be firm, but what you got is ineffective.

God Bless You :)

Answer 7

Prozac made me drop dead tired. You could stop the Prozac to see if your fatigue improves and or add Wellbutrin which is another antidepressant which is a mild stimulant. Or just take Wellbutrin only. I have chronic pain and I took Welllbutrin to combat fatigue. It worked very well.

Two things you should get checked for though in your annual physical is to be tested for mild asthma and for them to do an exercise stress test on your heart, especially if you are short of breath a lot. Insist on it. A lot of times, depressed people's fatigue is ignored.

Answer 8

Here is what you need to do

get 9 Hours of sleep nightly
Take atleast 20 minute power naps a day
Keep a regular wake up schedule

and try not drinking and caffeine in the nights.


Check results in the next 5 days

Answer 9

My suggestion get rid of the psychiatrist you have now and get a new one! Sounds like severe depression if that psychiatrist wanted to help you then they would. Also you can always go to a medical doctor and see if they can do anything. Maybe pills arent what you need.

Answer 10

talk to the regular doctor, I have a form of sleep apnea that is more common in women, I don't have a thick neck, don't snore, and don't stop breathing........however my breathing gets so shallow that my oxygen levels drop very low all throughout the night and they I am gasping for air. sleep study showed that I had 78 incidents in a 4 hour period that disrupted my sleep.......there are several other conditions that can cause what you are going through, let your regular doctor be the judge of that.