Hi. I don't have a diagnosis of Fibro although I do feel that I could perhaps have features of it. I don't have chronic, widespread pain or difficulty sleeping. I have a longstanding dx of SLE/UCTD (not severe) and the flares peak and trough quite distinctly. Less distinct is the fatigue, sore muscles, weakness, malaise etc. Many days, I'm so exhausted on waking (despite sleeping soundly all night) that I struggle to peel my eyes open and keep them like that. I feel really quite ill in the mornings - short of breath, sore and particularly fatigued. By midday or so, I invariably feel much better and can function normally. My blood tests are all pretty normal and give no clues. I have occasional Central Sleep Apneas and COPD-like breathing issues despite having never smoked,

My mother, a retired nurse, is adamant that morning fatigue is diagnostic of depression but this just doesn't fit with me nor my very active lifestyle. I don't work but keep busy and spend lots of time outside and walking my dogs. I'm baffled and don't know whether to indulge my fatigue or keep pushing on to try and shake this. Thanks for reading. Clare

Hi Clare,

Keep seeking answers. While fatigue is often times linked with depression, there are many other reasons for fatigue. Are you taking any medications that could have fatigue as a side effect?

Several of my medications do have fatigue as a side effect but I can't stop taking them without the possibility of death. Several of my docs have admitted that the meds may be a contributing factor but my fatigue is more extreme than what may be attributable to just the meds.

I suffer from chronic, severe fatigue and have not yet found the cause. I, too, have had someone suggest depression as the culprit.

The funny thing is I wasn't the least bit depressed UNTIL the fatigue was so severe that it kept me from functioning.

I told the lay person that suggested "depression" as the culprit that if they wanted to do things, had all the desires, but the body just won't cooperate, they would get depressed, too.

I wake up HAPPY, wanting to tackle the world, and before I am up for a half hour, my body wants to quit.

I was told that more exercise would make things better. Tried that and it just made me hurt more and become more fatigued.

I am still on my quest to find answers but have not been successful as of yet.

I was a VERY active person and now,..... unable to function.

Wishing us both answers to our fatigue.

Thanks for your reply Hopeless. Isn't it horrible when you're in a no win situation? My drugs don't contribute to my fatigue - just a bit of Prednisolone & Mycophenolate. I take pain relief very rarely and only when the flares stop me sleeping, generally I prefer to keep moving, constantly, as this keeps the pain to a minimum. I've never felt so unwell as I have done these past couple of years but the exact cause is a puzzle. My chest tires so quickly that even talking or drinking a cup of coffee will leave me short of breath but my PFT's are only a little lower than they should be. I don't want to attract a dx of Fibro unless it is to my advantage and my fear is that with a sero neg CTD, too much will be attributed to the Fibro thus threatening the DMARD therapy that I definitely need.

Like you, the body I used to inhabit is a distant memory but I want it back . . .do you have any thoughts as to what could be causing your symptoms? Good luck and take care. Clare xx

Morning fatigue can definitely be a Low Cortisol. I was told I had the FM in 1999 but never really believed it. Long story, but I was working since 1991 on what I believed was a sluggish thyroid and once I finally got on Armour in 2002, the years of depression lifted...lots of years of anti depressant drugs....grrrrrrrrr

We are not lab numbers but we are symptoms.

For the FM issue which many docs slap on people when they just don't know, there are many issues to be addressed: thyroid, adrenals, hormones, minerals and cortisol.

I don't have depression but sleep good all night but fatigue in morning. I deal with bodywide pain due to OA but know my cortisol is the factor. I've worked hard on that issue and just can't seem to get balanced. Some supps/drugs will cause higher BP issues and I don't need that. So for the last 6 months I've been working more on B5 in the Pantethine form to support adrenals.

It is very complicated as I've found but I keep working on it all and I'm 77. I can swear by grape seed extract for overall immune system support and it does help with energy as it keeps our blood thin and "clean"...we don't want sticky blood. This is just part of my story and I believe too magnesium is critical. C