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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by kook on August 17, 2005, at 2:59:30
I know this isn’t really to do with medication but I’m hoping someone here has experienced the same sort of thing and can shed some light on what’s going on.
Everyday around midday, sometimes sooner, sometimes later, it suddenly hits me like a tonne of bricks. I get hit by a sudden onset of extreme tiredness that takes every bit of will power I have to stay awake. My vision goes blurry, my body goes weak, my brain shudders and switches off and I almost need to physically hold my eye lids open to keep them from closing. It generally lasts for around two hours and hits me around midday. If I was at home I would curl up in a ball on the floor and sleep but unfortunately I’m always at work when it happens and I’m operating heavy machinery and putting lives at risk. It’s torture trying to stay awake when every atom in your body is trying to switch off. I’m sleeping well of a night, I have a good diet and I exercise reguraly. I’m on 10mg of lexapro for depression and have been for about a year.
Has anyone experienced this and can anyone give me any ideas of what may be happening??? Any response will be greatly appreciated.
Mark
Posted by Meri-Tuuli on August 17, 2005, at 6:51:46
In reply to sudden onset of extreme tiredness, posted by kook on August 17, 2005, at 2:59:30
Hello Kook.
Well I was on celexa/cipramail which is closely related to lexapro/escitalopram, and it made feel really tired all the time. My tiredness came on later in the day usually around 4/5. I would come home from work and sleep for around 2 hours. Unfortuately I don't really know what to sugguest - I switched meds because of it. I suppose something like Provigil/Modafinil might help? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provigil
Take care
Meri-Tuuli
Posted by med_empowered on August 17, 2005, at 7:48:09
In reply to sudden onset of extreme tiredness, posted by kook on August 17, 2005, at 2:59:30
hey! I've had little "fits of lethargy" like that before. If you're not already taking a multivitamin, try that and see if it helps any. The only thing that jumped to my mind was that Celexa has been linked to some cases of abnormally low blood-soduim levels. When this happens, you can get lethargic and perform poorly at any task you need to complete. Since Lexapro is so closely related to Celexa, it might be possible that Lexapro could do this as well...the only way to know for sure would be to do a blood-test. Luckily, the same blood test used to test for sodium can test for cholesterol levels, liver function, and blood sugar all in one sample (how efficient). When I did mine, I found out that even months after stopping my celexa and trileptal combo (trileptal can the sodium-lowering thing as well), by sodium levels were still slightly below normal.
Posted by Phillipa on August 17, 2005, at 20:16:25
In reply to Re: sudden onset of extreme tiredness, posted by med_empowered on August 17, 2005, at 7:48:09
My sodium is always a little low. I wonder why? Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by fatigued on August 18, 2005, at 9:47:16
In reply to sudden onset of extreme tiredness, posted by kook on August 17, 2005, at 2:59:30
I know absolutely what you mean. Mine was caused by OSA or obstuctive sleep apnea. Snoring is a warning signal. I wear a damn mask every nite attached to a bi-pap machine, but it REALLY helped. My fatigued was resolved by getting off of lipitor. It caused weakness and extreme fatigue. I might die of a heart attack, but at least I'll be alert when it happens. :) The other thing you might consider is changing the time of day you take your AD. I feel sleepy about four hours after taking celexa or lexapro, but nothing like what you are describing. Please get help if possible from an MD as this can be disabling and dangerous. All my best!
Roger
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