# Fatigue/Weakness



## Chalkmark

I've had IBS for a while now, and in the last couple of months I've started suffering from mild fatigue (as well as the more common symptoms). I also have a feeling of weakness in my arms and legs that varies in severity from day to day. At first I thought I just had a cold, but it's not going away.Has anyone else experienced this?Is it common amongst IBS sufferers?


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## overitnow

Fatigue is enormously common. I used to fight nodding off every afternoon, which was a real problem when I was regularly driving at that time of the day as a part of my job. I also had some circulatory problems, which probably were one of the causes of my IBS, rather than caused by it. (That may be playing a role in your feelings of weakness, although I have nothing with which to back that up.)Mark


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## bitterxsweet615

i was suffering from fatigue and my doctor prescribed me provigil..i take 1/2 a pill (100 mg) before my overnight shift and i'm almost 100% back to my old energy level =)


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## Kathleen M.

Just having IBS can make you tired, but if you are having some muscle weakness or pain you might consider getting tested for fibromyalgia. FM and IBS tend to occur together so it may be worth finding out if you have that as well, or if you are just tired of being sick and tired.


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## Ashers86

Kathleen M. said:


> if you are just tired of being sick and tired.


I find that to be why I feel so utterly exhausted during and when recovering from a flare up.I find all the crampy muscle activity from the IBS acting up is enough to wipe me out for the night. Having said that, I think the fatigue is understandable.If you are having weird pains otherwise in your body, you *may* want to look into Fibromyalgia as Kathleen mentioned.


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## Jenniaddams

I sometimes feel that all my strength has been sapped from me. Currently i feel quite weak and tired despite sleeping 12 hours and having a relaxed day. I also find that carrying bags etc is difficult sometimes, and lifting things can sometimes be hard (eg: i horse ride and when it comes to putting the saddle on the rack which is about head height for me, it requires a sort of 'summoning' of energy)It all varies...some days i can carry a 20kg bag of horse feed and other days i struggle with a shopping bag.I also get joint pains. I've always been curious about this so would appreciate anyone else's views. Walking downhill or running hurts my knee and gives the sensation of my knee solidifying. I've been unsure if this is from an old injury (falling off horses) or whether its something else ibs related. Running is silly...i can run a few steps and it'll sort of click and tense up so i lose motion in the joint.


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## baz22p

Mark (overitnow) sums up exactly how I feel.As I have indicated on my blog fatigue is a big issue with my IBS. I have relatively little trouble in sleeping (it's the only time I'm free of IBS) because I am tired and sleepy a lot of the time. However, if I do nap during the day I frequently feel worse than I did before I went to sleep. I do not think it is premature old age!


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## 15636

if u have fatigue and pain please look to a rhumetologist to see if you have fibromyalgia i had ibs for the longest time then i started having fatigue and pain and finally i got the diagnosis of FIBROMYALGIA!!


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## 15636

then i went to the website called amazon.com and the book what your doctor may not tell you about fibromyalgia has hellped me A TON you can try the program and see the rating for it and see if it works for you please try good luck!!! please look into this please it may be fibro.


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## overitnow

I have been told by a couple of people with fibro that they believe Fibro, IBS and CFS are all varients of the same condition, and I think a case for that can be made for some of us. (There was an Australian study by a Dr. Unger that found a 100% correlation between people with both CFS/ME and IBS and brain circulation.) In my case this seems to validate what seems to be a relationship between cardiovascular disease and IBS. I do not know what energy effects result from poor circulation; but given that blood does carry oxygen to the brain, vascular circulatory problems in that organ ought to have these kinds of effects. Given that about half of us will die of heart disease--which would make it about 10% of the North American population--this may be a significant relationship. While, at 50, I would have agreed with baz that this felt like premature old age, at 63 I ain't there yet! Mark


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## SJ1985

I tend to get that vague fatigue feeling - you know, the one you get when you haven't slept, but you're not tired, you're just a bit distant, like you're not really there or something, kinda like a very mild light headed feeling, but it can be confusing.I wouldn't jump to conclusions of big fancy words like fibromyalgia just yet, to be honest with you, fatigue is a common symptom of IBS.


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## outdoors geek

I definitely suffer from fatigue. I have times when I have a lot of energy (which are few and far between) and then the rest of the time I could be in a zombie movie. I tire out easy and just want to sit/lay all the time. I didn't realise how bad it was until my friends and I went on a vacation. We went everywhere together and I had to take naps, go to bed earlier and get up later and I was still too tired to do all the stuff we wanted to do. Hypothetically I could sleep for 10 hours every day and still be tired. I get up go to school/work then come home and don't have the energy to do anything else. I don't want to exercise or do homework or go out, I just want to curl up on the couch and lay there. So no, you aren't alone.


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## Nikki

Fatigue or very tired?Its a massive disctinction between the two. I feel exhausted and tired quite a lot of the time- but its not fatigue!Do you have a regular sleep pattern? Are you eating well? Sleeping well? If you are worried, I would see your GP!N


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## lozzy

i definately suffer from fatigue. i can sleep 12 hours + but a few hours after waking up i feel groggy and sort of in slow mo, the only way i can describe it my body feels like its sighing. even coming home from the train from college at about 2 in the afternoon, i find it hard to keep my eyes open. i normally take naps throughout the day, for about 1/2 hours at a time. i also get random pains in my arms and legs, and experience pins and needles in my hands and feet.


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## GoSabres

Im tired all the time, even after a full night of sleep. i also go through mood swings too, sometimes twice a day. does anyone else go through that?


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## cortex_toom

i also have fatigue with ibs one year before i had widespread muscle aches after a neuro exam, emg and cbc cpk and other blood tests he determined i have anxiety, i had pressure points all over now i can manage it, it rarely bothers me because it's mild now i have constipation with tummy pain, run more tests seen 10 docs gynecologists anda gi doctor, tvus and ca125 and collonoscopy normal, i had also a smear and a breast exam, i had 4 tvus and a palpation of the ovaries 10 docs a gi doctor and 3 gyn, too much of tests then they told me to see a psychiatrist...doctors think it's all in the head and i'm put on movicol, for ibs c.


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## McGruber

I often feel fatigued or exhausted throughout the day. Can't really say if its fatigue or just mild exhaustion. Quick note: for those that are tired after sleeping 12 hrs a day - its probably due, in part, that your sleeping too much. 12 hrs is far too much to be sleeping, and your body will naturally feel groggy. Definitely try to stick to 7-8 hrs per night.


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## LittleOne89

I usually don't get fatigue unless I've recently had an attack. I kind of have stages of the attack. First, I get an uncomfortable feeling, which I can kind of deal with. Then it gets more intense and I'm like, wide awake, and my senses are going crazy. Then I sort of level off, everything kind of stops and holds like that for a little while, before the stomach pain gets less and less, and I get really really tired. Like I could fall asleep lol I'm not sure if that's anything physical or if it's just a conditioned response since I've had IBS since I was a child, and everytime I'd have an attack, I'd end up going from my bed, to the bathroom, bed, bathroom, bed, etc. And eventually I would end up either falling asleep once my stomach pains stopped, or resting (which I suppose to be like fatigue lol) So I'm not sure if that's a physical thing, like a symptom of IBS, or if that's just because of the way I deal with an attack, but I usually get fatigued afterwards.


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## Phoenix684

I usually get really tired in the afternoon, but I'm not sure if that's due to my IBS or the fact that I'm in the army and get woken up at 4:30 am. Or it could be that I wake up like 1 or 2 times a night to run to the bathroom


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## claire_louise

I've never experienced muscle weakness but I do feel tired and lethargic a lot of the time. I also feel sort of thick headed, a bit like when you have a cold, and occasionally feel dizzy. It makes it difficult to concentrate sometimes, particularly with uni work.


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## Chic_Icelander

I have the fatigue too, and it's definitely an every day thing. I'm always tired, no matter how much or how little I sleep. Even a regular 8 hours of sleep leaves me wanting to nap halfway through the day. I also have an odd sensation in my arms and legs. Usually, my limbs just feel completely numb out of nowhere and sometimes they tingle. It happens a lot at night and it's become very annoying. I have to sleep with my arms over my head in order for them to not get irritated.. and when I say irritated, it feels like I've just lifted a 50 pound weight over and over again. My arms and legs get tired out of nowhere, too. I'd go to the doctor but I feel like I'm there very week with a new symptom so I'm putting it off. I also get headaches almost every day, and sometimes I feel very foggy and have to stop and think about what I'm doing. It's quite annoying.


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## magicfish

I know the feeling exacily, i suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome aswell as IBS-C, and it appears that most other people do aswell, so you are deffinatly not alone!I have 8 hrs sleep every night and awake more tired than before, its hard to deal with but sometimes it is easier than others, i find that if my IBS symptoms flare up worse then the fatigue also is...


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## Diana63

I suffer from Chronic Farigue Syndrome,i have done for 11years now,but i had IBS long before then,so i did not get these illnesses at the same time.CFS is a nightmare also,the exhaustion/fatigue is just awful but having severe IBS on top of that is well,to say the least not at all good!!I really do try to cope the best i can,but it is difficult.This Forum is good for sharing our feelings and experiences and of course the way we are feeling.


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## Katee B

Omg I'm not losing it ! I thought it was just me thatmaybe it was something else other than ibs. Wow there are lots of you . Me I spend a retarted amount of time in the loo (as most of u do aswell) for me it's c as well as d that confines me to the t seat.i also feel nauseus as welldoes anyone else get yucky tummy tooi really feel so alone most days and i feel as tho nobody understandspls let me know im not alone.


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## Diana63

You are certainly not alone and there are plenty on here who understand,me being one of them.I suffer from nausea a lot.Have you tried anything to ease it?Some people find peppermint or ginger can help in capsule form or a tea.If its exceptionally bad,your doctor would maybe prescribe something,i would say try something that you can buy over the counter first and see how that goes.


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## Yukie

Just so you know, daily headaches can be a symptom of IBS. I though something was wrong with me, but my doctor told me that headaches are common for IBSers.


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## a3jetta97

i have to get up and play music for church tomorrow. i'm worked up and depressed that i have to do this because of the fact that i never know when i'm going to have an attack. i feel weak and tired most of the time and i don't do things id like to do because i feel like my body is worn out. i'm nervous all the time and i'm tired of it.


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## baz22p

a3jetta97 - I can't reassure about the possibility of an attack, like you, I feel nervous at the vulnerability I'm under, but hopefully I can offer a little re-assurance about the tiredness......my GP has confirmed that it is very likely to be a consequence of the type of IBS I have. If it means taking a short nap when I'm able, then so be it. Some people have this symptom - others do not. You just have to learn to live around it.....as annoying as it is; it is 'natural' for some of us.Also, if you constantly live in fear 'of what MIGHT happen' you wont do much at all. Obviously, be prepared as much as you can for the worst, but you need to try and look at the other side: 'what if I'm OK?'.Baz


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## Pinkett

I myself get soooo fatigued mainly during the day and I end up staying up all night till around 3am







and sleep for 12 hours, now 12 hours makes me feel even more fatigued but sleeping for around 3-5 hours gives me more strength to get through the day, does anyoe else have that problem?


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## looncraz

I have much the same problem as you.Generally speaking, I get migraines if I have more than about 5 hours of sleep. I also have many other side effects due to being rested.Sometimes I'll sleep an extra half hour or so and end up with either a headache or abdominal discomfort.I didn't discover the pattern until suffering a two-week long migraine. I had no choice but to work through it, and ended up depriving myself of sleep one night and the migraine went away.Recently, again, my sleep schedule was readjusted to permit more sleep ( you can't go on sleeping so little for too long ), and now I have the worst problems with my intestines, ever. I'm not diagnosed with IBS, yet, but I'm afraid that may be forthcoming.


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## Cb-ibsa

I find when Im fighting the pain associated with ibs Im wiped out at the end of the day.


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## josephinethecrazy

Hi,i've recently been diagnosed with IBS, nothing seems to help me at the moment and i'm doing a food diary to see if anything triggers it. Also in the last 5 months i was told i had post viral fatigue, and was so tired and couldnt do anything. Now i feel tired but not so badly as before, the doctors arent really treating it seriously and it worries me what is going on, i get constant pain in my stomach and even joint pain. i just wanted more information and whether i should keep going back to get a better explanation??Jo


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## Nancy from Safety Harbor

I am so glad I came onto the site today. Came into work late...again. I cannot get up in the morning. I shut the light off at 9 p.m., usually missing what used to be my favorite tv programs, and sleep until the alarm goes off at 6 a.m. Maybe if I am not thinking, I drink liquid too close to bed time and get up once or twice to go to the bathroom. But, I feel like a lead weight in the morning. It feels like I am dragging myself everywhere. Don't want to do anything but lie on my bed and read.I don't feel like I could close my eyes and sleep....just too fatigued to get up. Work is suffering. And, I do have Fibro, IBS-aand spinal stenosis. Fibro fog more frequently too. I could just lie my head down on my desk around 4 p.m. counting the minutes until 5 p.m. Again, not sleepy, just totally wiped out. And it's not just week days, it's weekends too. Just the physical motion of throwing my feet over the bed and physically getting up, even if its 8 a.m. or 10 a.m. I take a antidepressant and I don't feel sad or gloomy, just wasted. I have a high tolerance for pain, so I can handle the pan from fibro, IBS and stenosis but the fatigue is getting to me. I feel like I am 100 years old.Thanks for letting me vent.


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## overitnow

Hi Nancy. I used to be that way every afternoon, which made me a potential killer during my daily drives for work. It was, quite literally, all I could do to stay awake behind the wheel (and behind the desk). I have been treating that condition with a highly absorbed daily vitamin and mineral since 1998. That same year I added a second supplement designed for cholesterol control and found that it cleaned up a case of brain fog that I always attributed to my advancing age, presumably from its effects on circulation. It felt like a curtain went up in my brain one evening on my way home from a meeting after work. (Prior to the supplementing I couldn't retain any information after about 2-3 PM.) It also started a process that eventually stopped a 10 year case of daily D and eliminated my GERD. I was 48 and also felt like 100 in those days. I'm 65 tomorrow and full of beans. If you are truly fed up with this, drop me a PM and I will send some links to you. Cheers,Mark


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## rtjellybean

Hi everyone,Just recently been diagnosed with IBS in the last couple of weeks and I'm sooo glad to know I'm not alone! I feel tired all the time, and it's the tiredness more than the pain that drags me down. My boyfriend doesn't understand how I can just fall asleep, anytime anywhere. It doesn't matter how much I sleep, 12 hours plus and I can still feel like death. It's just so nice to know I'm not alone in this!


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