How do you cope with the fatigue?

[hippie4lyfe]

I am weaning off of the pred and the fatigue is killing me, I have been disabled from doing anything for the past 2 weeks

What do you all do to cope with fatigue?

I have been trying everything (energy drinks, multi-vitamins with iron, lots of fresh fruits and veggies) yet im still so exhausted.

 

[katiesue1506]

Its possible that you are anemic. You may want to check that (via a simple CBC blood test) if you are then they will suggest you take a Vitamin C supplement and 325 mg of ferrous sulfate (iron supplement that can be found at Wal-mart, just ask the pharmacist and they'll give you the bottle). Vitaminc C facilitates the absorption of Iron. If they see that you are very anemic (below 8) you will be recommended for an iron infusion. One other thing you can do is make sure you are getting your B vitamins. There are liquid B vitamins out there that all you have to do is place a few drops under the tongue to take. You can also go and get B vitamins through an injection to help with energy.

The last thing you can do, yourself, is to make sure you are getting enough uninterrupted sleep. Naps are always good too. Cool, dark, and VERY quite places are the best places to get deep sleep. Unless you are the type who has to have background noise, a fan will help with that. For some reason I found that drinking orange juice helps me feel peppier... probably the Vitamin C again, so if you can tolerate it you may try that.

Those energy drinks are usually bad because although they help for a minute, they are overloaded with sugar. This sugar overload can cause a big crash in energy and leave you feeling worse off than you would have been sans the drink. If you are anemic, the multi-vitamins you are taking probably don't have enough iron in them to do much for you. I'm on 361% DV of Iron right now for anemia and the normal iron multi I take has only 50% DV.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[AgB621]

Withdrawal fatigue is the worst. I would call your doctor, he/she may want to taper you off more slowly. In my experience with withdrawal fatigue, the most you can really do is just wait it out. Listening to your body and resting when you feel like you need may help. If you can manage some exercise, that could help too, but I wouldn't do anything too strenuous, especially if you're having joint or muscle pain as part of your withdrawal.

 

[geri]

Hi all,

I have been suffering really bad with tiredness, aches and pains, feeling really down and just feeling down right crap!!!. for the past few weeks i don't know how kept standing, the dizzy spells were really bad and i felt that i was going to pass out. I went to see my GI last week, i had been on 2.5 mg of pred. He said that i was suffering from severe steroid withdrawal and he increased the pred to 7.5mg and to ring him in 3 weeks and let him know how i'm getting on. You would be amazed the difference he extra pred has helped, energy levels have increased thank god...
I also have an underarm rash, GP said he didn't know what i was , told GI he said he thinks it is tinea, a fungal rash, might have to see a dermatologist.

Geri

 

[sibelius]

I had a lot of fatigue for several months before I was on prednisone -- I don't know if it was a natural side-effect of Crohns or if it was a different med I was on. My poor professors.... I used to almost fall asleep every afternoon in my favorite class, around 3:00, and towards the end of the semester I finally told the prof why. Needless to say he was very understanding. I actually overslept one morning and missed an exam! And another afternoon, when I took a "45 minute nap" between classes, I actually ended up taking a 2-hour nap, missing a presentation that I was supposed to do, and then was an hour late for work because I had to eat dinner after I woke up.

Not sure I can really give you advice, other than wait it out which is basically what I did, and listen to all of the others here who have great advice -- but I can certainly empathize and hope for the best for you!

 

[Guest]

i've never been through tapering down of pred, so i can't really advise on that, but i do empathise with the fatigue. mine comes & goes, sometimes a lot worse and debilitating than others.. just a thought here - Katiesue mentioned the B vitamins. during the past 2 weeks my energy levels have been zilch, and i've had rotten aches in all my joints.. then 2 days ago i realised i was late with my 3-monthly B12 injection, so had it done yesterday. am just beginning to perk up a little now. worth bearing in mind.

 

[AgB621]

Are you guys getting B-12 shots because of the pred or is it just meant to help the fatigue? Cuz I've never tried B-12 shots, though I take tons of vitamins (they are actually used as a mood stabilizer for my bipolar disorder, I take 19 multi-vitamins a day) so a vitamin deficiency hasn't ever occurred to me as part of a contributing factor in my fatigue, but god it has been so bad lately! I get awful pain and weakness in my joints, especially my knees, I'm so sleepy and exhausted I feel like I can hardly move. I've tried a lot of things, but B-12 shots isn't one of them. Is it something I should look into? (I would check my multi to see exactly how much B-12 I'm getting but...it's all the way in the next room )

 

[Guest]

i have B12 injections purely because i've had the section of intestine which absorbs it, removed. that's one reason people don't absorb this essential vitamin. another is disease or malfunction in that area.. so depending on where your Crohns is, it is possible that you're not absorbing it fully from your diet. multivits are great, i am a big fan of them myself, but possibly, if your B12 level is down, you need it via injection. your gp or practice nurse can get this measured for you, its just a simple blood test.

 

[Isla]

B-12 shots won't help me I was born with an anemia type of blood disorder and there is no cure or treatment for it. Luckily I got the mid-range of the disease, as those with full blown Thalassemia do not make it past their childhood or teenage years most of the time. Yikes! So anytime I bleed I am not happy about it, I am anemic enough as it is.

 

[Guest]

yikes indeed, Isla!!

so, what happens? do you have to intake high levels of iron & keep them topped up regularly?

 

[Isla]

Can't take iron either.. it is bad for us. It is akin to sickle cell anemia, in that our blood cells are deformed but not in a sickle shape. Iron cannot bond correctly to the deformed cells and so there is free-floating iron, too much of this free floating iron can make you sick. And because of the deformation it lowers my hemoglobin. So I am anemic and can't take anything for it

Luckily I have not had to have a transfusion yet (though I have denied it a couple times heheh). In the 8's my doctor hospitalizes me and in the 7's is absolutely no denying a transfusion - lowest I have ever gotten so far is 8.1 and even then they wanted to give me one. This usually only occurs during times of severe illness or, pregnancy - which was when mine dropped. One of my idiot OBs told me to start eating a lot of total cereal - she tried to argue with me that Thalassemia Intermediates could still eat a lot of iron. Needless to say I never went to her again and I wouldn't let her deliver my baby. Hahahha.

 

[allie]

Well I cope with it by ignoring western medicine and getting acupuncture.…Take Care!!!

 

[Colt]

I'm not on any drugs currently other than darvocet and some over the counter stuff, (I can resume doctor visits after 6 years on August 11th. Woohoo!) but I certainly do have fatigue. I thought I was dealing with it and getting through work by using large quantities of caffeine. Apparently not though. Today towards the end of my shift after finishing my energy drink preparation for the morning rush I had to run to the bathroom and spewed an alarming amount of blood. Enough to turn the water solid red with nothing but gas and bright red blood. I'm very sure it's due in large part to the caffeine too since I seem to be getting extra sick consistently after dosing up on the caffeine.

So... I'm going to have to find something else to take away the fatigue for 3 hours a day and do it in a hurry.

 

[AgB621]

Colt, that sounds awful! Let me know if you find something better to deal with the fatigue, I'm still looking...Personally, I cannot take any stimulant whatsoever, I am extremely sensitive to them. I can't even have anything decaf, it HAS to be caffeine free. The last time I accidentally had a cup of what turned out to be non-caffeine free tea, I felt jittery for 2 hours, and then my entire body started aching and I got exhausted and I felt like I was coming down for literally 3 days. It was a Monday and I think I ended up even going home from school a day early that week...

So, I have found absolutely nothing which gives me relief from the fatigue even a little bit for the past 11 years. Even stimulants, when I've tried them, made me feel even more tired at the same time that I felt sort of hyper-awake. It was a very odd feeling, I really didn't like it...