Tired and hungover feeling all the time

[RedHeadedSnippet]

Even when not drinking! I’m so lethargic, tired and headachey. I’ve tried cutting things out in my diet (eg careful with sugar or not drinking alcohol, which I did for 3 months) Nothing makes a difference! In fact having a glass of wine helps keep me awake a little longer when I do have it, otherwise I’m ready for bed at 4 or 5. For info im 44, average weight. Went to doctor a year ago and bloods were normal.

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You should also ask to be checked for coeliac's disease. These are the symptoms I've had described to me by two people I know that were diagnosed with it. Apparently 45-55 is the most likely time to be diagnosed with it as well.

Thank yo u@ThatHazelGuide, I agree - I’ve had enough having really struggled the last 2 years and am determined not to be fobbed off this time!

also, I go to sleep with an ice pack on my head most nights so maybe temp and headaches is worse than I thought - I’ve just normalised it

I will consider private - didn’t know I could go through boots!

If you have any private health cover (through work or your own emission) see if they have a menopause specialist you can speak to.

But yeah boots could have a prescription to you in a day or two and you'll either start feeling better or you won't, but you'll have your answer!

Hi OP, you've had some really good answers so far. I would certainly go back and have things checked out further by your doctor.
Also I have been thinking peri menopause for myself on top of other issues, so this is a possibility for you too, again to discuss with doctor.

I have been diagnosed with fatigue, but was just sent a self referral for talk therapy 🤷🏻‍♀️ though I had read this can be the case, I was surprised that was it!

I’ve not rtft but read all op’s posts.
I was a vegetarian once and felt wiped out by 3 every day.
introduced meat bsck into my diet completely changed things.
red meat is particularly good for me - who knew.

Diet is a good point - I think mine is pretty good as I prioritise fats and protein, plenty of meat, still have carbs but avoid UPF. My only “vice” is wine. And coffee I suppose.

May be worth cutting the caffeine
I don’t have coffee but if I go mad on the chocolate I find anxiety ramps up ..

I don’t have it after midday, so maybe just 2-3 mugs.
i have just binged on the kids Easter eggs though, so maybe I’m not as good diet-wise as I think!

🤣🤣
Its Easter - doesn’t count
But try to knock coffee completely on the head - be warned it will take 5 days ti leave your system - which is tough.

I like the idea it doesn’t count for Easter 😂 I love my coffee so I’ll have to really try to reduce it. At the moment I have a maximum of three and don’t touch it after midday but I might try to reduce until I’m just having one. I’d be surprised if it was the coffee but you never know!

@RedHeadedSnippet ive just gone down to good quality decaf filter coffee. It’s still delicious and I have it with a fluffy milk top etc. Not having higher doses of caffeine has helped enormously with anxiety.

I honestly doubt it’s the coffee especially as you don’t have any after lunch. You can’t cut out everything you enjoy as that’s no way to live - and studies show a few cups of coffee per day are good for you.

I think you have a good plan to redo bloods, look at hormones/HRT and then if none of those help the final diagnosis by process of elimination may be CFS. I do hope it doesn’t come to that though.

Speaking to my doctor (and lots of doctors) about my post viral fatigue- lots of people are walking around with some degree of long covid even following an asymptomatic/mild bout. I think we are about to see a lot of issues with long term fatigue in the population because of this.

That’s a great point @Delatronand I have seen that evidenced through eg colleagues at work and friends. I think part of the frustration is that when you’re a woman of a certain age GPs seem to dismiss the idea of comorbidity and send you down red herring paths. For example, I was put on ADs last year because of anxiety and low mood which they maintained could be responsible for all my other symptoms. But my belief is it’s probably the other way around and my low mood is caused by feeling shit all the time! Breaking down that barrier when you don’t meet the allowed age range eg for consideration of HRT is v annoying.

I felt like this for years. Bloods normal. GP said to take vit d, and that everyone would benefit from it.

I now also take amitriptilyne for sleep

It is so frustrating @RedHeadedSnippet

I think unless you are acutely ill GPs aren’t great. And they do not take fatigue seriously either. Yep - they are very quick to dish out antidepressants and sleeping tablets which only mask the issue and don’t get to the root of the problem.I do hope you get some answers soon.

Are you still taking the ADs? They can affect people in many different ways but made me feel very lethargic (I just wanted to sleep all the time) and dulled my brain and led me to lack motivation. I note you were feeling tired before you were prescribed them, but it is possible they are making things worse not better

I have been suffering many of the things you have mentioned and been through multiple blood tests at the doctors in the last 4 months to rule out everything under the sun as they wouldn’t accept that at 40 I was peri-menopausal. Eventually a doctor emailed a gynaecologist to ask about my low oestrogen levels who told them they need to be dealing with my very obvious peri symptoms and I have finally been put on hrt a couple of weeks ago.

After a year of symptoms I am finally being taken seriously but I can really resonate with the thought of being slightly depressed BECAUSE of all my symptoms.

Yes but I’m only on 50mg and haven’t increased

So glad you got somewhere! It’s mad that there is an arbitrary line - “you need to suffer for a few more years before we even investigate if it’s this”

Unfortunately, it seems to be about seeing the right doctor.
I have been through several doctors as you don’t have a dedicated one at my surgery and strangely enough, it was a male doctor who had come out of retirement to do locum who suggested for me to go on hrt. He was brilliant. I wish I could see him every time.

@bookwormcrazyim so pleased that happened for you. I don’t suppose anything else helped while you felt like I do? I’m hoping they’ll relent on HRT but I’m worried they’ll tell me to increase ADs. Like I said though, my low mood is because of how I feel physically :-(

No, there really want anything that helped in the meantime. I am still only 2 weeks into HRT so starting to feel better in waves which is a good sign. I have also started collagen recently as well to see if that helps.
maybe next time you go to the doctors - try to focus on your non depression symptoms to see if that helps. or failing that - which I was considering- if you can book a private appointment with a menopause specialist clinic.

Thanks - I’m taking collagen too. Off to GP next week so I’ll let you know 🤞