Fatigue Persists? Check your meds.

[Jay Aitchsee]

9 Types of Medications That Can Lead to Chronic Fatigue (updated), AARP.org

1. Blood Presure Meds
2. Statins
3. Proton pump inhibitors
4. Benzodiazepines
5. Antihisamines
6. Antidepressants
7. Antipsychotics
8. Antibiotics
9. Diuretics

See the article for details

[49er]

Thanks Jay for the link. I am curious as to how many doctors would attribute patient complaints about fatigue to meds. And would they listen if patients showed them this information?

49er

[Jay Aitchsee]

Thanks Jay for the link. I am curious as to how many doctors would attribute patient complaints about fatigue to meds. And would they listen if patients showed them this information?
49er

I dunno, probably not many. I think doctors tend to have tunnel vision with respect to their specialty. For example, a cardiologist prescribing statins might order tests to measure LDL, but how many cardiologist order A1C tests when a known side effect of some statins for some people is elevated blood sugar? On the other hand, when presenting with high blood sugar to a GP, the doctor would probably suggest a change in diet rather than explore the possibility of it being statin induced - Just my opinion based on my experiences with various doctors. In the early days, when I suffered from fatigue despite a low AHI, I don't remember any doctor questioning a medication prescribed by another, though many were quick to add one of their own to the mix.

[49er]

Thanks Jay for the link. I am curious as to how many doctors would attribute patient complaints about fatigue to meds. And would they listen if patients showed them this information?
49er

I dunno, probably not many. I think doctors tend to have tunnel vision with respect to their specialty. For example, a cardiologist prescribing statins might order tests to measure LDL, but how many cardiologist order A1C tests when a known side effect of some statins for some people is elevated blood sugar? On the other hand, when presenting with high blood sugar to a GP, the doctor would probably suggest a change in diet rather than explore the possibility of it being statin induced - Just my opinion based on my experiences with various doctors. In the early days, when I suffered from fatigue despite a low AHI, I don't remember any doctor questioning a medication prescribed by another, though many were quick to add one of their own to the mix.

Sorry Jay, I forgot to respond to your post. Thanks for confirming my cynicism:)

Regarding statins causing diabetes, ironically, the American Diabetes Association recommended that all diabetics be put on Statins due to diabetes affecting cholesterol.

http://www.healthline.com/health/statin ... andstains3

But they aren't accounting for folks who have found that eating a high fat, low carb diet has enabled many people to obtain normal blood sugars and normalize their blood work. Until they do a study with this population group, it seems their studies are very questionable.

[BlackSpinner]

Doctors will fight against acknowledging that your meds are a problem. I spent over a year on ever increasing (and expensive) asthma meds when a change in blood pressure meds solved the problem in less then a week. My GP is still going "It couldn't have been that, it is too rare"

[Krelvin]

Depends on your doctor I guess. Both my primary and cardiologist are very good at tracking my meds and my response to them.

I was taken off of my statin drug because it attacked my muscles which almost turned out to be deadly.

[papzombie]

I'll plan to take all those 9 categories of med, because my fatigue persists while I have never taken them.

[Taxmantoo]

Interesting.
I always assumed my OSA started in 2006 when my fatigue started, but the fatigue started shortly after I started taking Nexium (proton pump inhibitor) 2x daily.

But I don't recall the fatigue going away in late 2007 when I quit the Nexium, and it has gotten better in the two months I've been on the ResMed.

[SewTired]

Honestly, I think it completely depends on the doctor. In my case, the fatigue is from using my cpap only 4-5 hours a night instead of 8. It's nothing like the fatigue I had before I had cancer surgery, so I'm not worried about it.

I was taken off of my statin drug because it attacked my muscles

I refused to take statins since I'm barely over 200 and there is no evidence that statins extend women's lifespans (Lipitor's own study of 2000 women showed women were more likely to have heart attacks taking it than not taking it). However, since then, 3 family members had the muscle issue you spoke of so none of the docs bug me about it any more.