Asthenia is the state of extraordinary fatigue that is neurological (and not muscular) in origin. It is possible that the change in your medication triggered it. Sulbutiamine is a molecule that supposedly helps with the fatigue because it is a lipophilic form of Vitamin B1 that can easily cross the blood-brain barrier. It is unproven but works for some people. The best part is it is OTC in the US (I assume you are in the US).
I have taken prescription Modafinil in the past and it was extremely effective in relieving my mental fatigue. Modafinil is prescription-only, but its cousin Armodafinil is not, I believe it is OTC in the US as well. But apparently Armodafinil is not as effective as Modafinil.
Note: IANAD, please check with your doctor before taking anything!
Yes!!! If that hasn’t been tested, get that done ASAP.
I asked to have my vitamin D checked recently; when going over my blood test results, she said, “… and your vitamin D levels … :: flips to next page :: … are the lowest I’ve ever seen.”
I’ve been on megadoses of D[sub]3[/sub] for a few weeks now and it’s like night and day! I have SO much more energy. The best thing was that I noticed an improvement almost immediately.
Modafinil (Provigil) and Armodafinil (Nuvigil) are both prescription-only in the US. They are DEA Schedule IV drugs which means there are limits on the prescriptions (e.g. cannot prescribe more than a 6 month supply).
When our dog was first put on Keppra, they had us dose her three times a day, because apparently its half-life is short. Perhaps if your doctor switched you to 3x/day, the individual doses (and their side effects) could be reduced?
Also, I don’t know what your budget is, but if your doctor would consider zonisamide for you, I’m currently getting that for the dog through GoodRx at about $40/month for 200mg 2x/day.
For the record, I’ve invested in some terrible short-term strategies and am working on building some better long-term ones.
The thing that seems to work best right now is ingesting large amounts of caffeinated soda. This is a terrible idea, as my body doesn’t process caffeine well and it makes me sick. But it does keep me sharp enough to do my job. I’ve tried tea with no benefit, it really does seem to be the sugar and caffeine combo that does it.
Meanwhile, I went to the vitamin store (I am really not into the whole ‘‘vitamins are a panacea for all health matters’’) thing but oh well, I’m trying to do some common sense things. They looked at the meds I was on and any potential interactions and told me to stay away from B-Complex pills although B12 by itself was recommended.
So now I’m going to add an omega/D3 supplement (fish oil & Vitam D), magnesium (recommended by my neurologist to raise seizure threshold) and B12. After I’m on that for about a week I will try to ease myself off the soda. I’m also working toward more consistent sleep hygiene.
Just an update. After 5 months of this nonsense, I decided the fatigue and depression associated with this medication are intolerable. I finally crawled back to my neurologist and told him I’m not tolerating the Keppra. He switched me to something called Lamictal. It’s going to take forever to transition to it (4-6 weeks probably, assuming everything goes perfectly) but I’ve cancelled the last several social events due to fatigue so something’s gotta give at this point.
I’m cautiously optimistic about the Lamictal as it is also a mood stabilizer, so it should help manage my depression (I’m not bipolar but my depression can be quite severe and I find mood stabilizers help give my depression a floor.)
Also, I’ve stopped drinking soda all the time and drinking caffeinated iced tea instead. I don’t even know if the caffeine makes much difference but at least I’m cutting down on the sugar and I have lost weight. I’m also taking Vitamin D, fish oil, B12, magnesium, and, as of today, folic acid.
Both of these drugs are miracle drugs for me. One allows me to sleep (while absolutely nothing else does) and the other allows me to have enjoyable sex.
Adrifinil - prodrug that is converted into modafinil in the liver. OTC and unscheduled. Amazon sells it, but ever since the Olmifon brand was discontinued, the market is full of junk.
Modafinil - schedule IV active metabolite of Adrafinil
Armodafinil - Active racemate of Modafinil, schedule IV
I’ve got no advice for you Spice Weasel, but you are one of my favorite posters on this board and I’m sorry so much shit has hit the fan in such a short time period for you.
It’s a PITA, and a lot has happened this year (as a grant writer I measure my life in fiscal years, heh), but to be honest I’d do this year again in a fucking heartbeat before I’d go through the miscarriage again and the year-long unemployment all of that shit like I did in 2014. Life is objectively better now. I have a job I am both proud of and love, I have a pretty robust social life, including regular participation in a writer’s group and time to work on my novel, we have family support with Dom’s Dad and stepMom, and most importantly, Dom and I have ‘‘us’’ back. There has been depression, sometimes severe, but I feel like it’s easier to bounce back faster with all of these support structures in place. I have people willing to drag me by the ear out of the house if I disappear for too long.
If I were working a standard 9-5 job where I was required to show up 5 days a week, I probably would have lost it by now due to this medication, but I’m lucky my part-time job schedule is very flexible and I’ve managed to hang on this long. August is going to be a fucking haul because most foundations are about to close out their fiscal year. But they’ve been great about working with me and supporting me, allowing me to work from home, to change my plans at the last minute as long as I meet my deadlines, and even gave me a space to take naps at work when I’m having trouble focusing.
I’m really glad to hear things aren’t as terrible as they sometimes come across with the epilepsy, fatigue, facing the truth about your mom, quitting the wellbutrin, etc, and I’m glad you found such a good husband because he sounds really supportive of you.