I’m going to be giving you a few hints and tips about how to overcome fatigue from medication. Some are pretty simple. Others will involve lifestyle changes.
If you’re suffering from fatigue due to a medication you’re taking then you’re part of the unlucky few. Yes, unfortunately, some people are more prone to tiredness when taking certain medications. Doctors aren’t sure why this is, so they prescribe meds to patients unsure of the kind of side effects, if any, they’ll be facing. To cover themselves legally, pharmaceutical companies usually place warnings on the box or in the pamphlet that comes with the drugs. They’ll write things like 1 in 10,000 will experience this, or 1 in 100 will experience that. And, now you find out that you’re that one person, that one unlucky person.
Help Is At Hand
You don’t have to grin and bear it. Your lot in life, for the time being, is not necessarily to soldier on in the face of adversity until you’re done with your medication. But overall, you should be able to, with a few adjustments, relieve some if not all of that tiredness from your meds.
The Quick Fix
For around about half of all patients, the solution of how to overcome fatigue from medication is amazingly simple. You just go to your doctor, tell him or her about your constant tiredness and they’ll adjust your dosage accordingly. Drugs can be very powerful so often just slightly less can make all the difference in the world to your lack of energy.
The Other Quick Fix
Often patients are taking more than one medication and if both have constant tiredness as a side effect then you should go back to your doctor. Explain about your lack of energy and provide examples about how your tiredness affects your day to day life. Remember your doctor has considered all the options and decided that this particular cocktail of medications will best treat whatever condition or disease you have. So, these examples will serve to persuade him or her that perhaps another combination of drugs is best. They’ll give you another prescriptions for different meds and you hopefully won’t be as tired and sleepy all the time.
I’ve Tried These But My Tiredness Is Still There
Ok, well don’t worry. There are other ways in which you can learn how to overcome fatigue from medication. These involve sticking to the medication you’re already on but at the same time, making some lifestyle changes that’ll stop fatigue and stop tiredness.
Sleep Schedule
The average person requires 7-8 hours of sleep. Now, this doesn’t mean 7-8 hours after you got in bed and started to read your book, you woke up. We’re talking straight sleep. During this time you’ll hopefully reach NREM3 sleep for around about three hours. This is the deepest stage of sleep and the only one where you’re actually getting rest. Getting a good 7-8 hours should alleviate some of your tiredness and it could be a way of how to overcome fatigue from medication while not altering your meds.
If More Sleep Hasn’t Worked.
Then you need to make lifestyle changes conducive to better quality sleep and increased energy
Alcohol
This is a short -term stimulant but in the long-term like over the course of a few hours, it’ll add to your tiredness. And, since Alcohol increases brain activity and heart rate, it won’t necessarily help with your sleep quality.
Coffee
The go-to drug when you need a boost but it severely dehydrates you and dehydration causes tiredness. It’s also an even bigger stimulant than Alcohol so it’ll keep you up at night.
Go For A Walk
Go for a walk when you need a boost. If you’re feeling tired and sleepy all the time and you’ve got a serious lack of energy then a walk around the block will wake you up. It’ll improve your circulation. stretch your joints and it’ll improve your alertness. The best and most rewarding way of how to overcome fatigue from medication is physical activity.
Eat Healthy and Eat Regularly
Your body is going to need constant fuel. This is both to help you overcome your fatigue from medication and the general fatigue you may be feeling because of your condition. So eat at regular intervals and make sure your food is full of energy increasing properties like Iron, Calcium, Vitamin B, Protein and Sugar. Not too much Sugar because Sugar can also be damaging to the body; but enough to fuel your body. I’m talking about foods like Green Vegetables, Beef, Chicken, Oatmeal Bars, Wholemeal Bread, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Milk and Citrus Fruits.
Final Thoughts
Many of you will either be able to lower your dosage, or alter your medications as a way of how to overcome fatigue from medication. Others will need to carry on with their prescribed drugs while making lifestyle changes to improve their lack of energy. These lifestyle changes include practices conducive to quality sleep and energy production. Eat right, avoid Coffee and Alcohol, go for walks when you’re constantly tired and sleep 7-8 Hours. Hopefully by implementing some of these ideas you’ll see your fatigue lessen. Thank you for reading.
References:
https://www.zocdoc.com/answers/4770/how-can-one-treat-fatigue-from-medication