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In order for your body to function correctly, generate energy, and keep you healthy; it needs vitamins, minerals and healthy metabolic function. If one or all of them are out of balance, you will be fatigued. Some say that diet and exercise is all you need. However, in some cases you might turn to medication to increase your energy levels. Most people use different methods and substances to get that extra spark, more often it is caffeine. Caffeine can be a great way to get thru the day, but if you are here , caffeine most likely is not an option for you. Caffeine can have bad effects such as heart palpitations, sleeplessness, gut problems and after while can cause- adrenal fatigue. You should know that there are other options, such as stamina, fatigue supplements and medications. When someone reaches the point when caffeine is not helping or making things worse, you have to look for vitamin deficiencies and if that fail, people often are forced to seek more effective methods like medication.
In this article, I will discuss some supplements that can help with fatigue, will look into over to counter medication and prescription drugs for fatigue treatment. What are their advantages and drawbacks. Together we will look at all options which can help you get back on that horse, we all need our energy levels to function in our society. We need it for work, for social life, chores and just doing something fun.
It seems like a silly question, but from the bodies point of view , it is not as simple as one can think. Fatigue is a normal everyday phenomenon, when body gives us a signal to rest or eat but if the energy levels are persistently low, it could be a sign that something is wrong. And no , it is not stress. It is easy for doctors and loved ones just to write off your low energy levels as stress induced, but very often stress is just another contributor to larger problem. If low energy does not resolve for long time and regular supplements do not give the result, often people are diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Fatigue syndrome usually has no known reason in the medical field and is recognized as a complex condition. Multiple illnesses, including inflammatory diseases and persistent pain conditions like fibromyalgia, can cause fatigue. Paradoxically people with chronic fatigue syndrome have also sleep problems, they often cant get enough sleep and wake up tired and can not function properly because of insomnia. Other conditions that are common is depression, anxiety and variety of painful conditions.
Antihistamines
Right away I will reveal a secret for you guys. Antihistamines could be of huge help to some of us who suffer from low energy, bad concentration and even depression. In our bodies are these cells called Mast Cells and they can release hundreds of unique chemicals which impact our nervous system and other systems, one of the best-known mast cell released chemicals is histamine. Antihistamines block histamine and other chemicals, they dont let them to be released in the blood stream. This can be a huge help for those with fatigue caused by mast cell problems . It is estimated that 20% of all people have mast cell mediated problems. But antihistamines are hit and miss medication for fatigue, one antihistamine could be great but other could do nothing. You can try Benadryl, Zyrtec and Claritin. If mast cells are the reason why your energy levels are low, you should feel some relief from one of them.
It is found naturally in animal-based foods and is a nutrient that keeps your blood and nerve cells healthy. It helps your body to make DNA. So, usually, a lack of this nutrient is seen in vegetarians. Other reasons involve pregnancy, getting anaemic, or having difficulty absorbing B12 from food. If you lack vitamin B12, you feel weak and tired. An adult requires just 2.4 milligrams (mcg) of B12 daily. However, because your body accumulates up to 2,000 times your daily needs, it typically takes years for a deficit to appear. Stamina fatigue supplements with B12 contain much higher doses than the minimum needs. However, they are still largely safe. But, they can interact with some over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Doctors like B12 supplements , they are quite self-explanatory, because B vitamins are known to be vitamins for fatigue and tiredness Before taking them, consult your doctor. B12 also helps with adrenal fatigue, adrenals often are exhausted with fatigue syndrome because of long caffeine abuse.
It usually is produced when exposed to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays, known as the "sunshine vitamin." But you can also find it in fatty fish and egg yolks. Interesting fact about D vitamin is that it is hormone and can greatly impact energy metabolism , especially if you are deficient. Low vitamin D levels can negatively impact your bone health, the chance of developing certain diseases, and the discomfort and weakness of your muscles. Adults should consume 600 international units per day. (IU). However, there are almost 1 billion vitamin D-deficient people around the globe—particularly older people and those with darker complexion tones. You can determine your body's amount of this vitamin with a quick blood test.This could be a great over the counter medication to increase your energy levels, especially if your levels have been low for long time.
Magnesium helps your body produce energy and maintain proper nerve and muscular function. Magnesium can be a great aid for sleep disturbances , anxiety and focus. But the catch is that you need to find the composition which is best for you. I personally went thru 3 types of magnesium medication till I found one that helps me. Check the labels for the type of magnesium you are using , if it does not work , buy different one Doctors say you risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart issues can rise if you don't get enough magnesium. You do not need an everyday lot of magnesium every time. Certain types of high doses of magnesium supplements, can have side effects such as diarrhoea and nausea.
It is an essential nutrient in our body. It enables another metabolic process which we have not yet discussed, oxygen metabolism. Oxygen transport is fundamental to getting enough energy, many prescription medication target this bodily process. This is why athletes often turn to prescription drugs that enhance oxygen metabolism and ultimately enhances their performance. We will discuss prescription drugs for energy increase in next chapters. Suppose your body's iron blood level is low. In that case, red blood cells won't be able to effectively carry oxygen to your body's tissues from your lungs because our body requires iron to produce hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to your organs and tissues throughout your body. You can suffer from anemia, which lowers your stamina and makes you tired and weak. Additionally, expecting women require twice as much iron to promote average fetal growth. If you have low iron levels, you should take stamina, fatigue supplements or over the counter medications to treat the deficiency and potentially increase your energy levels.
As with D vitamin, Melatonin is a hormone Depending on the time of day, this kind of hormone normally is made and released differently increasing in the evening and decreasing in the morning. Melatonin is hard medication to get right, the dosage widely changes from person to person. Someone could feel great with 0.5mg, others need 3mg. Supplemental melatonin has been shown to lessen Fatigue in those with chronic fatigue syndrome while increasing concentration and energy. Melatonin also is a powerful antioxidant, it can help with many inflammation diseases and therefore directly help with fatigue. This is one of the supplements which would be preferred over many energy booster pills. Melatonin is safe to use and do not lead to discontinuation symptoms or reliance and do not prevent your body from producing melatonin.
It is a mineral that your body only requires in trace quantities. Zinc could also be a great boost to your metabolic processes, it supports cell growth, DNA synthesis, and immune system function. As with Magnesium it is very important to find Zinc supplement which works. There are tons of supplements for fatigue which has zinc in them but many of those forms are not absorbed and are useless. My favorite zinc form is zinc picolinate, it works great. Zinc also is a mast cell stabilizer and helps to treat chronic infections which can be the underlying cause of your lack of energy.
CoQ10 is stands for coenzyme Q10.It is made naturally in your body. CoQ10 is loved by doctors, because it is straight forward medication for energy increase. Doctors who don’t want to look into complicated immunity problems, prescribe this and think that everything will be alright. Some people benefit from this compound, so it could be worth a try. CoQ10 is a nutrient that cells use to produce energy and defend against reactive stress. Low levels of it can worsen fatigue because they prevent your body's cells from producing the energy they require to develop and maintain health. In people with heart failure, some cancers, type 2 diabetes, or who take statins, a class of medicines used to lower blood cholesterol levels, CoQ10 levels can drop with age.
We can divide prescription medication to treat fatigue and increase energy levels in 3 groups. First, sleep medication , they obviously help with sleep, this can reduce fatigue in day time. Second group of medications - help with oxygen metabolism, directly increasing energy levels. And third group, stimulants which stimulates nervous system, these sometimes are called energy booster pills and can have serious side effects.
There are many different types of sleep medications to try. I already mentioned melatonin, which is OTC. Most other sleep medications are prescriptions. At first it could seem counter productive to use sleep aids as medication to increase energy levels . But since many people with chronically low energy levels have sleep problems as well, sleep aids can drastically improve their life quality. But usually, it takes time to find the right one, since some of them can make you drowsy and unproductive.
There are plenty of medication to chose from. Doctors don’t love to prescribe sleeping aids for long time periods, the most popular is Zolpidem with US brand name-Ambien. And it helps to fall and stay asleep. I use it and it helps me better than anything. Other popular medications for short time sleep aid use are Klonopin and Xanax. Interesting note that you will read very rarely – benzodiazepines like Xanax are also Mast cell stabilizers and therefore they can help with other symptoms as well.
Antidperessants
For those who are not familiar with this class of medication, they rarely help with depression. They impact nervous system , make you calmer and let you fall asleep more easily. This is the favorite class of most doctors, since they are considered not to be habit forming. Popular choices are older generation antidepressants like amitriptyline (Elavil) and mirtazapine (Remeron) , but these are quite toxic and can have negative impact on kidneys and liver. Newer generation antidepressants are safer like escitalopram. There are some antidepressants who try target low energy and
Antiseizure Drugs
This class of medication is quite safe and can have many benefits. Two most popular are gabapentin and pregabalin , they work by calming nervous system. They are usually prescribed for neuropathy, that includes stabbing, burning pain, muscle spasms and may be helpful with restless leg syndrome. It also helps with sleep .
Oxygen transport and oxygen concentration is fundamentally important for energy production, therefore medication which increase oxygen concentration or makes its delivery more efficient, has a great potential to help with chronic fatigue symptoms.
One of the great medication which does its magic with oxygen transport is Meldonium ,it is very effective at modulating oxygen metabolism. Meldonium works by competitively blocking the enzyme gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase to partially prevent fatty acid oxidation. It is first choice of many athletes as performance-enhancing drug.It has even gotten athletes banned for using it. It has been used for fatigue related symptoms for 6 decades now, Mildronate has very few side effects and has OTC version -250mg capsules and prescription dose- 500mg. Drawback is that it sold only in Eastern Europe under the trade name Mildronate, but it is possible to buy it online. Meldonium was developed at first as a heart condition therapy, but research throughout the past ten years has shown that it helps in vitality, focus, physical exercise, and fatigue.
This class of medication is considered prescription drugs for energy, they are directly stimulating brain chemistry to increase energy. They are not helping metabolic function, they exhaust the resources which are there. Therefore these medications should be used with caution and with doctors supervision Some people think that this is completely normal to use this type of medication to increase energy levels especially in US, but they can be dangerous and very addictive. The most subtle one is called modafinil (Provigil) and its cousin armodafinil (Nuvigil), these are relatively mild as far as stimulants go but their status is dramatically different in different countries, in some countries it is allowed , in other countries it is scheduled drug. Other stimulants are . methamphetamine (Desoxyn), and amphetamine salts (Adderall).
Depending on dose and type, stimulants can help to relieve memory problems ,brain fog, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness.