These may include: Stimulants, such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) or modafinil (Provigil) Antidepressants, such as fluoxetine (Prozac), citalopram (Celexa), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft) Sodium oxybate (Xyrem) is used to treat excessive daytime sleepiness associated with narcolepsy.
Drugs used to treat Fatigue
| Drug name | Rating | Rx/OTC |
|---|
| modafinil Off-label | 7.4 | Rx |
| Generic name: modafinil systemic Drug class: CNS stimulants For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information Off-label: Yes |
| methylphenidate Off-label | 6.8 | Rx |
If you stop the medication before 8 or 9 months is up, the symptoms of depression are more likely to come back. Current recommendations are to continue to take the antidepressant for at least six months after you start to feel better.
One of the simplest explanations is that it could be due to your body requiring more rest than the average person. However, it is also likely that your tiredness is due to the lack of quality sleep at night, rather than the quantity of it.
Chances are, your morning grogginess is just sleep inertia, which is a normal part of the waking process. Your brain typically doesn't instantly wake up after sleeping. It transitions gradually to a wakeful state. During this transition period, you may feel groggy or disoriented.
There are many possible causes for feeling chronically tired. It's important to rule out medical conditions first, as fatigue often accompanies illness. However, feeling overly tired may be related to what you eat and drink, how much activity you get or the way you manage stress.
It's pretty common for people to feel dead tired occasionally, despite following the general formula for sleep and exercise. The most common energy-zapping culprits are poor quality sleep, high stress, and a bad diet. Thankfully these are all mostly temporary, fixable problems.
The most common causes of excessive sleepiness are sleep deprivation and disorders like sleep apnea and insomnia. Depression and other psychiatric problems, certain medications, and medical conditions affecting the brain and body can cause daytime drowsiness as well.
The military method
- Relax your entire face, including the muscles inside your mouth.
- Drop your shoulders to release the tension and let your hands drop to the side of your body.
- Exhale, relaxing your chest.
- Relax your legs, thighs, and calves.
- Clear your mind for 10 seconds by imagining a relaxing scene.
What to do about: feeling sleepy during the daytime – drowsiness usually wears off 8 hours after a dose. Do not drive or use tools or machinery if you're feeling this way.
Stay Awake with these Quick and Healthy Foods
- Bananas. This potassium filled fruit is very popular, due largely to its year-round popularity and low price per pound.
- Oatmeal. Oatmeal is a great pairing with bananas and is a fantastic breakfast choice – one we have discussed the benefits of before.
- Green Tea.
- Gum.
- Almonds and Walnuts.
Continued
- Have a drink of water. Dehydration can leave you feeling drained and fatigued.
- Go nuts. Eat a handful of almonds or peanuts, which are high in magnesium and folate (folic acid).
- Grab a cinnamon stick. Some people say that just a whiff of this scented spice can reduce fatigue and make them feel more alert.
CaffeineWhether it's an energy drink, a spot of tea, or a good old-fashioned cup of coffee, this stuff is sure to help you stay awake. Caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant that increases wakefulness, attentiveness, the ability to focus, and overall energy levels.
8 tips to help you wake up faster
- Assess your health.
- Keep a drink on your bedside table.
- Place your alarm clock strategically.
- Get an alarm clock that lights up.
- Download this alarm app that will force you out of your bed.
- Don't drink caffeine or alcohol the night before.
- Try smelling salts.
- Train yourself.
If you're taking prescription antibiotics, you may feel tired and fatigued. This may be a symptom of the infection being treated by the antibiotics, or it may be a serious, but rare, side effect of the antibiotic. Learn more about how antibiotics may affect your body, and what you can do to counteract these effects.
Do not lie down immediately after taking medicine, to make sure the pills have gone through the esophagus into the stomach. Notify your healthcare provider if you experience painful swallowing or feel that the medicine is sticking in your throat.
These include Ativan, Valium, and Xanax, which are sometimes called by slang names like “candy” and “tranks.” Another type of prescription medicine that is sometimes misused is stimulants. They can “stimulate” you, or make you feel very awake or happy. These include the ADHD medicines Ritalin, Concerta, and Adderall.
Unrelated to the immune system, histamine is also produced in the brain, where it plays an important part in feeling awake. Antihistamines used to treat respiratory symptoms can get into the brain and interrupt this work, making you feel drowsy.
People who took beta blockers or ACE inhibitors benefited the most, with 69 and 65 percent reductions in risk. Blood pressure measurements were better among those taking their medication at night, with those participants achieving, on average, lower blood pressure while sleeping and better blood pressure control.
Food as Fuel: 10 Things to Eat on Tired Mornings
- Avocado. Avocados are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats that give our body energy that will last for hours.
- Watermelon. Even minor dehydration can cause you to wake up not feeling your best.
- Almonds.
- Kale.
- Bee pollen.
- Banana.
- Spinach.
- Dates.
If your allergies only appear sporadically – say when pollen count is high or you have that random encounter with your friend's cat – fast-acting antihistamines will be your best bet. These include medications like Benadryl (diphenhydramine), Claritin (loratidine), Allegra (fexofenadine), and Zyrtec (cetirizine).
Antihistamines, mainly used to treat symptoms of hay fever or other allergies, can induce drowsiness by working against a chemical produced by the central nervous system (histamine).
An unexpected increase in weight can be concerning for anyone. But it's an unfortunate side effect of many common medications. Insulin, blood pressure medications, antidepressants, and even migraine medications can all cause weight gain, and some may even worsen the health conditions they're trying to treat.
giving activated charcoal, which acts in the digestive tract to absorb the drug. inducing vomiting to remove the substance from the stomach. pumping the stomach to remove the substance from the stomach. giving intravenous fluids to help speed up the body's removal of the substance.
Prevention and management strategies:
- Increase water intake and fiber content of your diet (if appropriate)
- Exercise, if possible.
- If mild, talk to your doctor about taking laxatives such as docusate, sennosides, or psyllium.
- If severe and caused by opioids, talk to your doctor about methylnaltrexone or naloxegol.
Water, herbal teas, fruit juices and vegetable juices all can help remove drugs and other toxins from the system. Most people only need to take ibuprofen as needed but if you were put on a dosing schedule and you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember if there is time before your next dose.
Some side effects go away over time as your body gets used to a new drug, so your doctor may recommend you stick with your current plan for a little longer. In other cases, you may be able to lower your dose, try a different drug, or add another one, like an anti-nausea medicine, to your routine.
Results. The milk interferes with the absorption of various antibiotics such as tetracycline's (decreasing absorption) and few quinolones, propranolol, mercaptopurine (reduce bioavailability), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, digitalis, amiloride, omeprazole, spironolactone and ranitidine.
Unwanted or Unexpected Drug ReactionsSide effects, also known as adverse events, are unwanted or unexpected events or reactions to a drug. Side effects can vary from minor problems like a runny nose to life-threatening events, such as an increased risk of a heart attack.
And new side effects can turn up even in medications you've been taking for a long time, says Gary LeRoy, a family physician at East Dayton Health Center in Ohio. "Drug effects and their side effects can change over time," he says. "A tolerance or an intolerance can develop.
Side effects occur because the body is a very complex.It is difficult to make a drug that targets one part of the body but that doesn't affect other parts. Developing drugs is also complicated because no two people are exactly the same.
Adverse events are unintended pharmacologic effects that occur when a medication is administered correctly while a side effect is a secondary unwanted effect that occurs due to drug therapy. It is a common misconception that adverse events and side effects are the same thing.
