Medication is making me so tired

[adaptive1]

I called in sick to work today, I never call in sick and I feel guilty as I am not sick. I am however, exhausted. I'm taking zoloft at 100mg and seroquel at 100. I even stopped the seroquel for abit and I still could hardly get out of bed. And then I lie awake all night and I sleep better in the day.

I know I will have to tell my doctor and he my pull me off the medication and I'm torn. Not sure what's worse, being exhausted or being obsessed.

Maybe I could learn to manage without Meds?

 

[Andy]

Talk to your doctor adaptive. Maybe he would have some suggestions on taking your meds at a different time of the day or maybe even lowering the dose of the seroquel a bit so your not so tired.

Sorry your dealing with this, I know it can be frustrating when dealing with some side effects but there is always things that can be changed up a bit to help.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I don't think he will "pull you off meds" and I doubt that trying to go without meds at all is a good option for you right now.

There are several options available to you and your doctor though. Zoloft is used to treat depression, anxiety, and OCD. Seroquel is often added to help with OCD symptoms or insomnia.

The first thing is to try to figure out which one is making you so sleepy. Either Zoloft or Seroquel could be doing this but it's very common with Seroquel. Your doctor may want to cut back on your dose of Seroquel or discontinue it entirely, depending on your history with these medications. If the Zoloft is contributing to the drowsiness, that could be changed to Prozac which is also a good antidepressant and anti-obsessional but is known to be more energizing than Zoloft and other SSRIs.

Talk to your doctor about this. There are lots of things to try that will treat your symptoms without makiung you feel like a zombie. It often takes trial and error to find the best medication or combination for you.

 

[adaptive1]

Thank you so much those are good suggestions. I feel so guilty not being at work today.

 

[Retired]

I'm taking zoloft at 100mg and seroquel at 100.

Are you taking any other medications for sleep, or over the counter preparations for colds or congestion, or herbals like melatonin or others for sleep, anxiety etc?

 

[adaptive1]

No I am only taking what my doctor prescribed. Even the nights I do sleep enough I feel like I could sleep another five hours. I was taking it in the morning but I was tired during the day so I switched to evenings and I don't fall asleep until two or three and then I want to sleep all day again. I guess I could take the zoloft in the morning and the seroquel at night.

Im going back to the doctor in a week. I'm sure the doctor is getting sick of me, I feel like a nuisance and maybe I should forget all about medication. But I've stuck it out this long since January, I guess I can try longer. Besides I do think my obsessive thoughts are a bit quieter and the psychologist thinks I need a higher dose, not less.

 

[Retired]

I'm sure the doctor is getting sick of me, I feel like a nuisance and maybe I should forget all about medication.

As Dr. Baxter alluded to earlier, discontinuing your medications would be an unwise choice.

It's unlikely your doctor would be annoyed with a patient who follows up with reports of how she is dealing with her medications, in order to receive advice on how to proceed. This is exactly what your doctor is trained to do, and the reason s/he is in medical practice, to help patients adapt to their treatment plan.

Medication therapy is often a trial and error process, requiring fine tuning depending on how the patient tolerates the medication. Sometimes a tweak in dosage is required, sometimes a change in compound is indicated.

Doctors usually have a protocol they follow to treat certain conditions, where they begin with prescription "A" to see how it goes, if that is not tolerated, or doesn't relive symptoms, then the doctor switches to medication "B" or "C" depending on the reports of the patient.

That's where the art of medicine comes in to play.

Re-visit your doctor, write down some notes of exactly how you have been feeling, your symptoms, the side effects and your concerns. Your prepared notes should provide your doctor the information needed to use his/her clinical judgement to make a rational decision on how to best treat your symptoms.

We'll be looking forward to hear about the outcome of your visit.

 

[MHealthJo]

I called in sick to work today, I never call in sick and I feel guilty as I am not sick.

Don't forget, Adaptive, that if you miss work occasionally because of being terribly and dysfunctionally exhausted because of something like this - medication etc causing changes in your body and brain that you and your doctors have not been able to minimize yet - then if you ask me, that meets the definition of 'sick' - a change in the body or brain that makes being at work and performing your work very difficult.

So please remember that before you feel too guilty.

And as Steve says - If you do what your doctors say, then report back with how you are going and any problems, then you are doing exactly what your doctors wish. You're a dream patient!

 

[adaptive1]

Thanks guys, I appreciate you putting things in perspective as usual and about the day off work too. I will keep taking the medication until I meet with my doctor again.

 

[Banned]

To second what Jo said, I used to feel guilty calling in sick when I was depressed because I wasn't "really sick" but depression is a real illness. Now if I need a day to get back on track I take it. And you should too. And so should anyone who deals with the real illness of depression or any of the other mental illnesses that truly inhibit our ability to function optimally from time to time.


We have to look after our body, but we also have to look after our brain and our spirit.

 

[adaptive1]

Thanks Turtle, I never thought of it like that before you guys mentioned it. When I think of all the days I went into work staring at my computer because I couldn't work, it would have been better if I took a vacation day or occasional sick day. I hope to get this straightened out soon regardless.

 

[Retired]

it would have been better if I took a vacation day or occasional sick day

Unless one has no other option, and that choice has to be made under duress, vacation days are for vacation that is discretionary time off work, whereas sick days are for when you are sick and unable to work because you are ill.

Does your employer make that distinction, Adaptive?

 

[adaptive1]

Thanks Steve, there is no defined policy where I work I guess I was always brought up to believe you go to work no matter what, I'm not sure in hind site that this has served me well. I'm glad you guys pointed it out. My concentration has bee poor the last six months or so that I even struggled reading posts on this site.
It's getting much better though, I just wish it was easier to follow things.

 

[Retired]

there is no defined policy where I work I guess

If you are working in a small Company that does not have a defined policy, then you need to differentiate between being off work when you're sick and vacation which has nothing to do with sickness, but rather time off for your own personal enjoyment.

It's probably a good idea to maintain good communication with your employer as well as to keep careful records on your own calendar, so it's understood that your sick days are not confused with vacation days. Even with large employers, I've always found it worthwhile to keep my own records of days off, because sometimes errors are made.

I was always brought up to believe you go to work no matter what

True for many of us whose parents and grandparents came from the years when there was little protection for employees, and employees had few rights. That is changed now and hopefully your employer respects the rights of its employees.

I just wish it was easier to follow things.

By "following things" what do you mean, exactly?

 

[adaptive1]

By following things, I mean conversations, meetings and reading are my biggest issues. My attention span is very short because of the constant stream of obsessive thoughts.

 

[adaptive1]

I went to the doctor today and thank you for your suggestions on how to deal with this. My doctor increased my Zoloft but does not want me to stop the seroquel but says I can lower the dose if needed. He thinks that it is early on in treatment and that my symptoms may improve, it is hard to feel that it is early on since I've been on medication since January but I know what he means.

I hope that things continue to improve, I try to concentrate and it's very hard. I try to read longer posts on this forum and its hard. I am grateful though that I do have some help with my symptoms.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

With OCD, it does sometimes take higher doses and/or a longer period of time until you get the full effect but since Zoloft is not your only option I would recommend that you let your doctor know if the fatigue does not dissipate in the next little while.

Lowering the amount of Seroquel should help but some people find Zoloft alone to be sedating.

Keep the dialogue going with your doctor and in time you will find a solution that works for you.

 

[adaptive1]

Thank you so much for all your support