How do you cope with daytime fatigue ?
Hey everyone
I’m keen to hear from the community about fatigue and how it impacts your day-to-day. I’m 36 (F), have a good job and own a side business, but both are draining. I wfh and have done for years. I have bipolar 1 and have been on a combo of sertraline and lithium for 10 years. My mood has largely been stable since starting the medications, but the tiredness they seem to cause is brutal. I don’t know if it’s the bipolar or the meds, and I have tried changing time I take them as well as focusing on diet, exercise, stress etc etc. but I can’t seem to find a way around the fatigue.
the meds impact my health in a number of ways (including thyroid issue) and I’m at a point where I don’t know what the fatigue is related to. I’ve lost track of what’s impacting what. I nap every day for an hour because I get so intensely tired in the afternoon that I can’t function. Some days I need a number of hours to mentally tap out if I’ve got a lot of stuff on. It’s not that I’m physically tired , but my brain feels like it’s about to explode and needs a ‘reboot’.
I end up feeling like I’m lazy and I have no idea if I should be able to fight the fatigue or not. I have a busy life but I feel like the fatigue is holding me back. Doctors haven’t been particularly useful on this topic.
Has anyone else experienced this intense fatigue and do you know if it’s related to the meds or the disorder ?
Thank you very much for taking the time to read