Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Soooo tired..

Hi everyone,
It's been nearly 3 months since I got diagnosed and since I've been put on medication.. The pain is easing much more everyday (of course NSD is helping big time) but I'm fed up with the fatigue.. I feel so tired that I can lie on the couch and watch TV all day long !! (and by that I mean "all day long"!!!!)
See, I'm a dance teacher and I've been a hiper-active person all my life, I even slept 4-5 hours a day and got up before sunrise, and medicated and did yoga and all..
But now, I'm so tired to do all these things.. Sometimes I don't even get out of bed all day and hate myself at night thinking "one more day, without doing nothing but wasting precious time"
Everyday I'm reading tons of posts saying "I get tired so quickly" "I feel so tired if I stood up all day.." ...etc. But I'm tired although I don't do anything! I feel exhausted when I wake up in the morning, like I worked all night and didn't get any sleep !!
I'm on sulfasalazine and indocin now, maybe it's the medication... I can't go to my doc until 7th of sept because he's out of town..
Please help me out, does anone feel this way? Tired without doing anything? Always sleepy, and fatigue?

Thanks
Meric

I hope your doc can change your meds, if it's not a side effect of your meds, then the fatigue is a clear sign that your disease is out of control.

Rox

"I have seen the beginning and the end of our story.....the tale is crude and ill-conceived. We must rewrite the ending of it, you and I."
http://www.geocities.com/artisan1998.geo/index.html

Oh... That's no good news
But thanks anyway..

Meric

If you are not getting the proper sleep(REM) sleep which is what your body needs for revitalization then you will wake up tired like you never slept. If you are having pain all night it is hard to get any REM which would explain your fatigue. When I am in a flare, I feel just like you said, like I had worked all night. Having pain and tossing and turning is work. That is also why I always lose significant weight during a flare. Right now I am in a constant flare, so I am tired and skinny. You may want to check with your doc. about any new meds that will help with the inflammation and therefore take care of the pain.
Good luck.

Simone

Patients taking sulfasalazine and suffering malaise, (which can include lack of energy) should report it to their doc straightaway. Don't wait until your own is back in town, and perhaps it may be wise to stop taking it in the meantime.

...if they be strong or able to endure physic, yet it brings them to an ill habit, they make their bodies no better than apothecaries' shops; this and such-like infirmities must needs follow.

Hi Meric.

I too was suffering from fatique. I also suffer from insomnia. 2-4 hours of sleep was the norm for me until I was dxed with AS. My doctors asked if I wanted to try an antidepessant. I did and though it took several weeks to start working, I'm no longer suffering from fatique. Although I was sceptical at first I'm glad tried it. I'm feeling much better now and sleeping at night instead of during the day.

Take care,

Fred-Eye

I'm really only 18 years old. I have 35 years experience at being 18 years old.

I never felt fatigued with my AS until I started sulfasalazine. Within days, I was totally wiped out. My red blood count dropped to half almost overnight. Sulfasalazine can cause fatigue, and even bone marrow suppression in some people. You need to call a doctor about this ASAP.

Good luck, sometimes it takes a while to find the right med.

Hugs,

Cindy

I am only one; but still I am one.
I cannot do everything.
But still I can do something;
I will not refuse to do the something I can do.
Helen Keller

Dearest Meric - I do sympathize with your tiredness - I am often tired too. You might be in more pain at night than you realize and you simply aren't getting enough rest. I hope you get more real sleep soon. Thinking of you - McMom

I clearly remember those days......Fatigue to the max...even when I could get some good sleep....I dragged all day at work.....I used to be very hyper.... not unitl I reach the age of 45 and AS was full blown. I didn't take anything for it....even after getting on the meds....Indocin....Telectin.....etc......I was still tired....but I dragged my butt to work...I used to deliver the mail.....and some day it seem like I was out there for days...

I took some pains pills so I could get out there and deliver. When my doctor started me on Kineret shots... that's when i felt a relieve. like I got energy back... Then he switched me to Enbrel....and again the first few months I got the energy back......So all I can say is.....Its the AS that is causes your fatigue... and not until you find something that will help you will be like that for awhile..... Good Luck.




I'm a little pain on the "AS"..

I've been feeling the same way. Sometimes,(just like the back pain) it seems to just come out of nowhere. Other times, it only takes washing a few dishes or sweeping the floor and I'm completely exhausted. I'm not taking any medication at all now so I can't blame it on that, so...in my case, I think it's the AS. I was wondering myself, if the degree of fatigue I was experiencing was normal for AS. Another thing I noticed is the fatigue seemed to get worse since I stopped taking NSAIDs and pain killers. Hmmmm.

Chrissy