HELP!! Adult ADHD, Chronic Fatigue

Is your husband taking a really good multivitamin? Not all vitamins are created equal. I know this sounds like it couldn't be enough but you would be surprised how deficiencies in vitamins can wreak havoc on us. I would be happy to talk to you or send you a link as this is what I do for a living. I truly believe the right vitamins can change your life. They did for me.

E.,
I'm not a doctor but has your husband ever been tested for sleep apnea?

I would try to get an appoitment with a cardiologist just to make sure it isn't heart related. If your heart isnt working right it will make you exhausted.

Depression can make you tired too. Google "Diets to Combat Depression" and get some dietary ideas and try them asap!

Sounds like he desperately needs to have a sleep study done. I don't know much about ADHD, but many of my family members work for the sleep lab at our hospital and that sounds like the type of problem people come in for.
I am surprised his Dr. didn't refer him to one, there could be many problems found by studying how his body behaves while he sleeps.....some even quite serious. Hope he finds some relief!

I think that you should look into your husband's diet--making note of EVERYTHING--and see a nutritionist. I agree that the right supplements could make a huge difference. For the record, I started gaining weight (up to 35 pounds) and was depressed and very, very lethargic. When I cut the gluten out of my life, not only was my physical pain gone (not everybody has the pain), but I also felt like I had my life back. My husband noticed the energy in my eyes, and I was up and at 'em. Gluten might not be your husband's issue, but a good nutritionist will help you to exhaust all options.

I personally do not believe in the true existence of ADHD. I think that it's a crock, in children and adults, and I would exhaust all other possibilities before taking pharmaceutical drugs to combat it. I've just seen too many cases where that went the other way.

Good luck with that because I can understand how debilitating that can be. Ugh!

I am not aware of ADHD ever putting someone to sleep all the time... Or being tired all the time... Have you looked into a specialist for Sleeping Disorders.. My nephews have ADHD and they don't sleep much so I don't think that is the problem... Hope you find some answers. I will keep you and your husband in my prayers...

I'm very experienced with ADHD, having a son with the condition (and yes, it's an extremely valid medical condition, well documented by researchers and medical professionals ... saying it's a "crock" is just plain mean-spirited and based on zero facts). I do know that sleep problems can often lead to ADHD-like symptoms and make the condition worse in those that have it. Has he been evaluated for potential sleep issues, such as apnea? I worked with someone who had sleep apnea and it caused extreme fatigue.

Medication can make a tremendous difference with ADHD, yet it shouldn't have much at all to do with fatigue -- either preventing it or boosting it (only when meds are way overdosed and that just doesn't happen with specialists administering medication today). ADHD itself shouldn't cause fatigue, either. I've never heard of that in all my years reading about and dealing with this condition. In fact, untreated ADHD makes our son like the Energizer Bunny. He literally can't stop moving and even rocks and moves all over his bed when he's asleep he's bursting with uncontrollable energy after his medication has worn off.

I would get a second opinion and start with potential sleep issues.

I totally agree with the last two posts! Look for a good multi vitamin and a complex B vitamin.

Also, look into getting him a sleep study. Our son just had a sleep study done and was found that he has mild sleep apnea. He snored only a little, but we would have never thought it's from that! He had his adenoids and tonsils removed. We are still in the healing stage. Sleep apnea can cause ADHD... in adults it is different than in kids. In kids, you will see a hyperactive child that is defiant. In adults, you'll see an overexhausted person who can't focus at all.

Maybe I'm reading too much into your post, but it seems that you don't believe either of them. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety too, those could easily be caused from the ADHD or be whole new symptoms. I would work on the sleep issue first (if there is one), work on the ADHD and see if the other issues clear up. Go with him to the doctor and see if any of this helps to make sense. I'm sure you are doing your best to work with him on his health...

Don't forget to have him eat as healthy as possible! This is just so important for all three issues.

Page is right, look into that hypothyroidism! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothyroidism

Good one, Page!

Good luck :)

I can definitely weigh in on this one. Its the activities that are slightly boring that can make someone with ADHD sleepy. Sitting in a long lecture, driving for long periods, a movie, one activity is not enough for someone with ADHD, they need more going on for their mind than that. I was able to get through college classes by taking notes on colorful paper, or using more than one color highlighter, things like that to keep me alert. I have also rented books on tape for long drives so I am kept alert that way. Caffine helps too, I don't go to that lecture or work meeting without my cup of coffee or tea! PM me if you need to ask me anything...I am just someone that has ADHD and has had to deal with it without medication. I took Ritalin in high school for a short time because its effect tapered off, Strattera for 2 days in college, that didn't help me one bit! I have honestly not saught meds since then, about 7 years ago. Hm, on a side note, I don't remember the last day that I woke up feeling rested, I never do.

You're right, that doesn't make sense. He needs a sleep study. It's probable that he has sleep apnea or another sleep disorder. That is usually almost always what causes this kind of exhaustion and things like suddenly falling asleep at the wheel. People with sleep apnea can unknowingly wake up dozens of times a night, making them chronically exhausted, no matter how much sleep they get.

My other suggestion would be hypothyroidism, which can cause extreme fatigue, but suddenly falling asleep is more indicative of sleep disorders.

Not ever getting proper sleep will cause depression, so I would address the sleep issue before trying drugs for depression and anxiety.

A multivitamin is not likely to help with this severe issue. It is highly unlikely that your husband is seriously deficient in a certain vitamin. That is highly unusual in the Western world.

I have noticed that for my son, who has attentional issues, when he eats sugar and foods with artificial colors and preservatives in them, we have a wild man on our hands and he ends up having sleep (or, rather, lack of) issues on our hands. Just something for you to consider . . .

Get a second opinion, though adhd could be a contributing factor. Also, could he perhaps have sleep apnea? It seems treating the depression, getting him on a good diet and excersize routine could help. One other thing, too much sleep can also cause drowsiness.

In the meantime, I ran across this article today, some things may help him to at least distract and wake him up some:

5 Ways to Beat Fatigue at Work
Try these 5 easy tricks for jump-starting your energy when you feel like you're on the verge of dozing off...

http://health.msn.com/nutrition/slideshow.aspx?cp-documen...

1. Eat a Tiny Square of Chocolate
Chocolate has been shown to not only boost our mood, but eating it helps the body release energy-boosting feel good endorphins. When I'm about to fall asleep in my chair, I have a little square antioxidant-rich dark chocolate. Does the trick.

2. Drink Two Small Glasses of Cold Water
Not huge glasses--little cups will do. Here's why: One of the major causes of exhaustion is dehydration (sometimes you don't even know you're dehydrated; instead you just feel sluggish). A high school teacher of mine used to have us drink two cold glasses of water after lunch in calculus class, and I swear it kept us going through that boring hour. Go rehydrate your cells right now!

3. Doodle
If you're yawning and having trouble concentrating on a conference call, consider pulling out a pad of paper and a pen and letting yourself doodle a bit--that's right, hearts, unicorns, rainbows ... whatever goofy thing comes to mind. I recently interviewed an expert for a magazine article who told me that doodling can help the brain focus. So surprising, right? And when you're focused on what you're doing, you're less likely to be zoning out and thinking about a nap.

4. Snack on Something Vitamin-C Rich
Slice up an orange or run out for some lemonade at the cafeteria--the point is, get a bit of C. Past studies have correlated C with vitality and even reducing the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. Worth trying!

5. Stretch
A simple forward bend, according to Chinese medicine, can activate a reserve of sustaining energy that rests between the kidneys.

6. One thing I do, is stand up, walk down the hallway, crumble up a piece of paper and go throw it in a wastebasket or recycle bin across the room, just something to get me out of the seat for a moment.

Have you thought about sleep apenea. My husband has it. He did the sleep study and found that he was waking up over 300 times a night. He never really went to sleep. He now has a breathing machine and sleeps great and doesn't fall asleep during the day. Hope this helps.

Vigorously pursue medical intervention and testing - check for sleep apnea or any type of sleep disturbance/sleep testing. Neurological testing, blood tests and MRIs, to check that his blood is good and it is getting to his brain and organs well. Do NOT give up. Far too often there really is a medical reason - not a mental one. Sleep disturbance by itself can cause ALL of those issues. May seem like he's getting plenty of sleep when he is not. Just suggestions - many prayers and hopes for you both to find solutions soon! Don't give up!

Hi E.,

ADHD is a very interesting, and often misunderstood diagnosis and issue. Adults with ADHD will often have to exert so much energy in order to maintain regular functioning and life demands, that exhaustion is common and can mask itself as depression and anxiety as well.

Children with ADHD will often have a lot of difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep and thus a lot of trouble getting up in the morning. Children will also move constantly and when they finally do sit still, they fall asleep!

Adults show symptoms a little differently than children. They have often learned how to cope with many of their symptoms. All of this coping takes a lot of energy and becomes exhausting over time. Also, many of their coping skills become ineffective as job demands and life in general become more complicated and challenging.

While Vyvanse works very well for many people, it has some strong reactions in others. Has your husband spoken with your doctor about other medication alternatives? You may also want to explore some other, more holistic options as well. I suggest www.doreusa.com - it contains a lot of information that may interest you. The program has worked for thousands world wide and I have seen it change the lives of hundreds of children and adults!

Best of luck!

Let me first say that I am NOT a doctor but I do have ADHD and it does NOT cause me to have fatigue or depression!!! Maybe it can but I have not ever heard of that. My gut feeling would be that maybe it is a thyriod issue or sleep apnea. Has he ever had a sleep test done? I would pursure ALL options before doing the medication route. I would call the doctor and have them refer you to a place that can do a sleep test. Hope you get some real answers!

Hi,
Did you ever get some answers on this situation? Your story sounds like exactly the situation I've been in with my spouse for over a decade. Same diagnosese, same meds, same ever-increasing exhaustion. My spouse became so profoundly exhausted that he was almost a zombie on most days, no matter how much he slept (up to 10 hrs a night).

However, just recently we went to a neurologist because the exhaustion and confusions became so profound we suspected my spouse had early onset dementia (very scary). The neurologist ruled that out but told us that there is increasing medical literature on the overlapping symptoms between adult ADHD and sleep disorders.

It turns out that the first thing to do is get a proper sleep study done that will evaluate if your husband has sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, etc. and then get those properly treated. The symptoms of chronic fatigue as a result of these sleep issues can present the same as adult ADHD. Apparently also the stimulant meds for adult ADHD can further exacerbate an existing sleep disorder creating even more fractured sleep and so it goes in a circle (increased meds, more tiredness, etc). After years of profound exhaustion (and only partially treated sleep apnea while also taking ADHD meds) my spouse's MD has taken him off all the stimulants, will fully treat the sleep disorders and then once those are properly controlled will administer another neuro-psychiatric evaluation to evaluate for ADHD.

Also, for parents with kids who have ADHD/ADD there have been an increasing number of studies showing that kids with ADHD/ADD often have concurrent sleep disorders or disturbed sleep and that treatment of the sleep issues can help in the treatment of the ADHD symptoms.

Here's a link to a short synopsis of some of the studies but more in-depth can be found on recent studies at Harvard/Mass General Hospital via google.
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/adhd-...

This note in no way is trying to negate the reality of ADD/ADHD; in recent yrs neurologists and neuro-psychs have been drilling deeper into the roots of ADHD (they call it a "basket diagnosis") in order to treat the disorder in a fuller and more nuanced way. These sleep issues have emerged in recent yrs...I hope this helps and you don't have to go through the horrible roller coaster we've been through. Good luck!

Has he been checked for any type of sleep disorder? people who fall asleep at inappriate times, or dangerous times like when they are driving, probably need to be checked by a specialist to see if it's something in the brain or whatever.

Hi E., it's been a while how is your husband doing? Has he been to any subtropical areas? I ask this because of W Bancrofti. This is a parasite that can cause symptoms of sever fatigue and or narcolepsy too. Please look into this if he is still fatigued. When you brought up him falling asleep at the wheel, my step father had this and it was tough to watch him suffer. I hope all is well...

Sounds more like sleep apnea to me. I don't see how you can be hyperactive and fall asleep constantly. He may have ADD. I think you need to have him checked for sleep apnea. Good Luck.

I'm ADHD-c.

As others have said, it could very well be a contributing factor. Or it could be something else entirely. Days (like this whole durn week... wait, it's only Wed, darn), that are full of nothing but the boring and tedious are harder for me than being in a warzone. Every SINGLE thing just takes sooooo much effort. No flowing adrenaline/ excitement (good or bad) just makes life exhausting. I can *barely* keep my eyes open, and to anyone looking inside from the out I'm sure I look depressed. Tomorrow I'll be fine (fun day planned), but the past month, um, 3 days... have just been a chore of exhaustion and guilt. (Vicous cycle... adhd and guilt). Other people get exhausted from super busy days, I get exhausted from the quiet ones. Especially quiet days that are supposed to involve forms of cleaning. ((I'm also mildly injured, so ignoring the pain also takes up more energy)).

ADHD also usually comes with sleep stuff. For myself it manifests in what others would call insomnia, but I've also had the pleasure of working for myself before kids. So I set my own schedule. I'd do only 2 types of schedules. The first, I'd be up for 24 hours and sleep for 12 (love that one, but what day of the week it is gets confusing), and the other is sleeping for 5 hours in the middle of the day. Sleeping at night is HARD for me. And if I get less than 7-9 hours at night, I'm a mess the next day. I'm not sleepy at night, I'm sleepy in the morning. Still. Even after 8 years of my kiddo imposing a "normal" schedule on me. So for *myself* I know it's not really insomnia, it's just that my body/brain are wired to be awake and active for a different periods of time than most people. Only drugs (antihistamines, for example, OR adhd meds) get me on a *normal* schedule, which said schedule I intend to ditch the moment kiddo moves out. :D :D :D But most adhd'ers have sleep issues of various kinds. LOL, actually most adult adhd'ers could double as "alarm clock collectors"... since most of us have several that go off in the morning.

But a person with ADHD can have other things going on as well. ADHD isn't a "You never have to worry about getting depressed" diagnosis. Nor any other illness/problem. It just means that until you get the ADHD sorted, it's very easy to misdiagnose other things that could just be part of the ADHD expression. Which is slightly different for all of us.

Has your husband seen a neurologist? Maby he has narcolepsy?

How about a sleep specialist? Maby he has a sleep disorder?

Severe fatique is not a symptom of ADHD. ADHD can cause symptoms of insomnia making someone tired the next day, but what you describe sounds beyond that. I would suggest that you see another doctor for another opinion and possibly see the specialist that I mentioned above.

Good Luck

has he been checked for diabetes? my energy level was so high at one time i could never sleep. now that I have diabetes, i could sleep all day and still sleep 8 hrs at night....and the medication for adha will make him very sleepy if it is too strong...it sedates the hyperactivity. back him off it and talk to the pharmacist about the combination of medications he is on. Your pharmacist knows a lot more than the doctor about the medications and relationship of the different ingredients. Also, you might want to ck him for sleep apnea. If he is sleeping but not resting, the apnea may be the cause for him not getting enough good sleep.

Maybe he should be checked for sleep apnea.

My son has ADHD and is now an adult. I don't believe that chronic fatigue is a symptom of ADHD. You need to ask for a sleep test to find out if your husband is having issues at night and stops breathing, This will cause chronic fatigue and you don't want that to continue. If your husband snores, then get him tested. Also, if vyvanse is no longer working, there are other medications out there that do. My son could not take an of the stimulant-type meds. He takes Strattera and it works so much better for him.
Hope this helps!