managing depression and extreme tiredness

[dandycandyjellybean]

I take ad's and generally find that I manage my condition. But I just wondered if anyone else found that exhaustion is one of the symptoms as well as a trigger?

By this i mean that I find that I have to manage my levels of tiredness quite strictly i.e try not to get overtired. I still nap most days when ds sleeps and yet am often still tired at that awful dinnertime/bathtime part of the day. It makes me feel quite lazy as none of my contempories need this, but i find that if i let myself get overtired I easily succumb to a negative spiral of depression. Does anyone else find this?

I also take ADs and also manage my condition. I too find that sleep is a very delicately balanced part of things - when I am feeling more down I find myself staying up too late and then (obviously) being tired in the day and falling asleep mid afternoon (which given I have a early 3 year old who doesn't nap and a 4 year old at school isn't the best thing).

I have to be strict with myself and make myself go to bed early (ie before 11) and I find things tend to get a bit better.

Oh yes, I did. All you can do is go with it. You aren't being lazy, it's a side effect of the medication.

If you eat healthily, don't touch alcohol and take gentle exercise (eg walking) every day it does help.

Changing your AD could help if it's unmanageable. Mine was changed and the new one wiped me out - it was untenable so I stopped taking it (vvvv slowly though).