MEDICATION|PAIN MANAGEMENT|THIS HAPPENED TO ME
One of My Medications Are Likely the Culprit of My Waning Energy Levels
This medication is responsible for a lot of the days when my energy is low
I’m sure you can understand when you start medication and it makes you feel sluggish or lethargic. I’m in that position right now even though I haven’t just started it. I knew that the effects of the medication in question make many people tired and sluggish yet I need it for pain most times.
I started taking this particular medication a while ago when the effects of my chronic pain were too much. It helps to a small degree and makes the days bearable. I noticed that when I had to rely on it, I would have energy levels that were mostly down but all over the place. The medication I’m referring to is Gabapentin.
It helps me greatly stay up and function throughout the day but also handcuffs my ability to do everything I want to do. I get so tired at points that I’ll want to lay down or nap and I know that even though I’m in chronic pain, those things aren’t doing me any favors. Mike notices that I spend a ton of the day in some sort of laying position and he worries about my long-term outlook.
I do think it has to be the medications that are designed to numb the various pain in my body but also make me super tired throughout the day. I’ve considered to stop taking it and to try something different. I was told by my doctor that I should’ve been used to it by now but it just hasn’t come. I might have to ask my doctor for an alternative at this point. This just isn’t working.
I’m scared to just stop taking them on my own but I have done that in small spurts to see if that helps at all. It does increase the pain level but I do notice my energy coming back when I do that. I try to write through the medication or without it and I feel that more inspiration comes when I’m not heavily medicated. It’s crazy that I had a goal this month to write 100 stories, which would be insane in any month, medicated or not, but I fell way short of that goal in large part due to being heavily medicated.
Before I got sick and had all of this chronic pain, my energy seemed to be boundless. I’ve tried to carry a ton of that natural energy into my life these days and it’s shown some months but I think a ton of things created a perfect storm that made my energy just tank these days. I will go almost a week without writing, engaging, or doing much of anything now. I have certainly felt the effects of slowing down due to the pain and not being able to function without being heavily sedated.
Do I say that you should just cut out your medications altogether when you don’t feel right? Not necessarily. Some people, probably me included, need to feel some semblance of normal, even for short spurts throughout the day, to function. Even then, I know it’s still a long way off for me to be able to work again, if at all.
I shouldn’t even be driving when I take these medications and I try my best not to even if hurts. I wouldn’t drive at all if I could help it. It’s a very painful task that is necessary every once in a while when I can’t avoid doing anything else. I checked the instructions for that medication and it’s something that’s not recommended while on it. I don’t want to crash our RV into a ditch and kill us both because I need to dull the pain.
I need to find a better solution and a better way that will help me feel less lethargic throughout the day and slightly more normal if that’s possible at this point. In my mind, I still want to be that productive and helpful member of society who can get out there and make something of myself to help me survive. I’m slowly coming to terms with how far away from that person I currently am and I feel like I’m losing control of that, with or without this medication.
Have you ever taken this particular medication? I’m at three times per day at 300 mg per day with the Gabapentin. You can review the medication details here if you’re curious about it. There are many other uses and side effects of the medication that I wasn’t aware of but explain some other symptoms I’ve exhibited while on the medication as well. Let me know if you take any other type of medication that impairs your ability to function at a certain level.
