Curley, I think you asked the million dollar question that all of us are looking for the answer to. If someone could figure out how to relieve the fatigue we all suffer, life would be much easier.
I'm not sure what meds you are on but a couple of things come to mind. First of all, even if you sleep a lot, you may not be getting the quality of sleep you need. There are some meds that you can take at night that will get your body to those deep restorative sleep cycles. I recently started taking a low dose of amitriptyline at night and that has helped improve the quality of my sleep. Some docs will try a low dose of SSRI antidepressants to see if that helps with fatigue. Another med out there is Provigil that was originally given to people who had narcolepsy (I think), but now it's given for all kinds of reasons, but primarily to decrease fatigue. I've never tried Provigil and have heard mixed reviews from people here who have tried it.
You could talk to your doc about
all of these options and also see if he/she has any ideas for you. I'm sorry you are going through this and believe me when I say I can really relate to what you are going through.
Hang in there and take care
Diagnosis: UCTD (lupus) 2006; Raynauds 2006; Sjogren's 2006; lupus symptoms began 2003; CFS 1991; Mono 1985
Meds: Plaquenil 400mg; Prednisone 5-10mg; Tramadol 100mg 3-4x daily; Amitriptyline 25mg; Neurontin 200mg; Prevacid; Steriod Cream and Mouth Rinse for tongue and mouth ulcers; Hydrocodone 5/500 prn for severe pain; Restasis eye drops
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