My medication is ruining me. I take 15mg olanzapine, 1000mg Depakote and 225mg of venlafaxine. I am so tired. All of the time. I do my best to sleep enough (8 hours a night when I'm not being mental), I eat plenty of fruit and veg and I exercise, but I am still exhausted almost permanently. I don't know what to do. Reducing medication is not an option, as doing so has resulted in relapse in the past. Stopping meds is not an option for the same reason. Changing meds is not really possible, as it has taken a long time to find a combination that makes life manageable and me functional. I am functional, just so, so tired. Maybe it's a payoff I just have to accept. It's so hard when I've got things to do though and all I really want to be doing is going back to bed.
Any ideas? Empathy? Anything, really. Just needed a moan.
“Our defeats are softened and our victories are sweetened because we did it together.” - Toby Ziegler.
I know exactly what you mean. It's almost like a medication induced chronic fatigue. How long have you been on this mix of medication? If it's a relatively new combination then you might need to wait it out a few months to get used to the medication and build up strength. I've been on mine over 6 months and I still get exhausted if I overdo it even slightly. Maybe start small with light exercise so that it doesn't get so bad afterwards and then build it up very slowly?
*hugs* I hope you feel better soon.
Unfortunately I've been on this combination for over two years, so I don't think it'll wear off. I shouldn't complain, as it's kept me out of hospital and I'm even well enough to work part time. It's just, like you've said, the kind of chronic fatigue. I've mentioned it to my doctor and he basically told me to suck it up because he's seen me off meds/on the wrong ones and it's not pretty.
There are worse things, I know. It's tough going sometimes though, you know?
“Our defeats are softened and our victories are sweetened because we did it together.” - Toby Ziegler.
I'm on 450mg of clozapine and when i was taking baclofen with it i felt similar to how you do now, all i wanted to do was sleep. I haven't really got any advice bar trying to take the majority of the meds at night time. Sometimes I find it hard to read and end up falling asleep so before it gets to that stage I try and get up and walk about a bit. Does coffee help at all?
I hope that at some point you build up a bit of toleranace to the sedation. My psych recently introduced a low dose of aripiprazole to see if it helps with the weight issues/sedation, maybe that could be an option for you?
sticks and stones may break your bones but words can tear your heart out.
I know you're trying to get enough sleep, but are you also practicing good sleep hygiene? There are lots of leaflets online, or you can ask your pscyh for one.
Have you tried getting more sleep? I have found that on olanzapine that I only felt rested after 10-14hours sleep. If I only got 8-9 hours I'd feel sluggish all day.
Also vitamin b complex an help with energy levels x
The average,
well-adjusted adult
gets up at 7.30am feeling just plain terrible.
Call me Kate.
I have dyslexia so please excuse my poor spelling and sometimes poor understanding.
To be honest, the only thing I find works for me is fresh air (seriously, not meaning to be patronising or belittling) - I find it wakes me up. So I leave the house as soon as possible, and try to stay out. I find being indoors, sitting down makes me sleepy.
Try to avoid caffeine, I find that just gives me a fast heartbeat and anxiety, which makes the sleepiness even worse when it wears off.
PM me if you want a PDF copy of the ICD-10or the Mental Health Act 1983/2007. I ALSO HAVE THE DSM-V BOOK and am a pharmacology student.
I have a visual impairment / neurological problems so I need people to type in clear text and no funny fonts. Also excuse any typos, my vision blocks things out.
I have autism and have problems communicating, PMs included.
Just becasue I type well doesn't mean I speak well. I am only part time verbal.
I do have a good nighttime routine, so that's something. I walk a lot on my days off, so spend a lot of time outside. Vitamin B might help - I'll give it a go. I've tried sleeping various hours and it all ends with exhaustion.
I'm really struggling with this. I need to be awake. I'm so tempted to say screw the medication and keep my fingers crossed, but that's never ended well. I'm just so tired. I feel sluggish and slow and stupid. :(
“Our defeats are softened and our victories are sweetened because we did it together.” - Toby Ziegler.
I'm on 200mg trazodone, 30mg mirtazapine and 200mg carbamazepine and the tiredness I get is quite extreme.
I take my mirtazapine at 8pm and by 9pm I'm ready for bed so I take my trazodone and half my carbamazepine (the other half is the morning) and it puts me out for about 12 hours.
I find if I have less than 12 hours sleep then I feel quite drowsy the next day.
If you have problems with hangover effect and day time sedation then try taking your evening meds earlier, about 6 or 7pm, or if that would literally send you to sleep then try splitting the dose and having some at 7pm and some at 10pm.
Exercise and healthy eating are also good things.
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different…
you once called your brain a hard drive, well say hello to the virus.
I don't think so, Wellingtons. I've been out of mental health services for a while now because I've been so well. GP doesn't like dealing with psych meds because everything is so well balanced. I could ask for a review, but I don't know how likely that would be to happen.
That's a good idea, Sherlock. Thanks. The olanzapine I should be able to split, but might have a word with the pharmacist to make sure.
“Our defeats are softened and our victories are sweetened because we did it together.” - Toby Ziegler.
