Those with Celiac disease have an immediate reaction to gluten - severe abdominal discomfort and vomiting. With Celiac disease, a person lacks an enzyme necessary to process gluten. It is very serious and left undiagnosed and untreated can lead to malnutrition, extreme weight loss, damaged intestines, infertility, and more. Celiac can be diagnosed by a medical test.

With gluten/wheat intolerance, the body is able to process gluten but does not do so efficiently. Therefore, the symptoms appear gradually but worsen over time - gastric issues (especially bloating and diarrhea), fatigue, depression, weight gain, aching joints, and several other things. There is no test which can definitely prove gluten/wheat intolerance. It is diagnosed primarily by experience and trial & error.

There is also wheat allergy which manifests like a seasonal allergy - excess mucus, watery/itchy eyes, etc.

(Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional and do not claim that this information is 100% accurate. These are things I've learned/observed over years of dealing with family members with Celiac and my own wheat intolerance.)

Just wanted to clarify this. I don't really have any advice for the OP.

They might be totally different meds but when I was on Lexapro, I wasn't so much tired, as SLEEPY...ALL .. THE ... TIME! I could fall asleep almost anywhere, truly. On a hard rock, waiting for someone. On a hard dock, in a lake, which was being rocked by unruly kids. I could NOT sit on the couch and stay awake for more than 3 minutes ( I missed alot of movies on TV that way ) Anyway, I also wonder if it's a side effect of your med. Best wishes!

Do you ever eat/drink/ingest anything with aspartame? I'm not on the attack-bandwagon when it comes to artificial sweeteners, but that one in particular caused problems for me, including extreme fatigue and brain fog. I've found I've had to read all labels as it's sometimes sneaked into non-diet products like mints, some "regular" types of chewing gum, medicine, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc. Back when I was doing a lot of babysitting I found it was a struggle to stay awake and I couldn't handle any level of noise, and that was at my best. At my worst, I had severe migraines and stayed in bed for days at a time. Finally realizing the issue and keeping it out of my body made a huge difference for me.

Regardless, I'd definitely be on the lookout for some kind of sensitivity to your food and especially your medications. I just looked up your blood pressure medication and one of the side effects listed is "unusual tiredness or weakness." I hope you get this figured out and feel better soon!

Since you are working with your Dr. you have probably already been tested for it but thought I Would mention your thyroid anyway. Before I was diagnosed with low thyroid I had to take an afternoon nap. Two other symptoms that come to mind when low is I'd lose a lot more hair than is normal when I'd comb my conditioner in And my nails will become really thin and weak breaking and peeling alot.

My suggestion would be to try a ketogenic diet. This means less than 50g of carbs a day. Essentially you eat no carbs except those in veggies. It will suck for a couple days but after you may experience an uptick in energy.

When you go for your walks, push yourself. Don't make it a stroll make it a brisk walk with the intention to increase your heart rate.

These are very easy changes to make for a short period as an experiment.

Come back and see me in two weeks. If nothing else you'll be a few lbs lighter.

Long term ... try to get off the meds.

Goodluck

Novus, thank you for your reply! I obviously didn't know any of that. Really useful, thanks

Hi Mandy - I don't have much advice for you but I too have gone through stages where I am chronically tired, sleeping all the time and have days where it takes everything just to make food. At first I thought it was celiac but after about 3 years of this off and on I have found it is not celiac.

First I think you said you had IBS. I have UC and it is really common for such disorders to cause a run down feeling during a flare and sometimes people feel it when even in remission. So that might be some of it.

However you mentioned you are under at lot of prolonged stress. Could it be that you have adrenal fatigue? For my case anyway, I found that I have felt 90% better -almost a new person after leaving my stressful environment. I was told however that I should try "Gaia - Adrenal Health dietary supplements". They helped a bit (But again I did not take them regularly like I should have - the results may have been better) however getting away from stress has really helped. Is there any chance of making some you time and getting a massage or perhaps making some changes school or money wise that may make life less stressful?

I wasn't going to post, but I have a relative that was mis-diagnosed for MONTHS and I wouldn't forgive myself if this was going on with you and I didn't say anything..

Have you had your heart checked? It could be endocarditis - especially if you had an infection relatively recently.

Jen

Hi guys, Thanks for all the ideas and support. I really appreciate it. I actually think a first step may be switching from enalapril to another BP med. It won't hurt and may help. There is no good reason I am on that one opposed to another one.

I have had lots of physical exams and tests recently - so I doubt it is a heart infection or anything like that - but something ot keep in mind. I do think getting tested for mono is an easy and great idea.


Sorry it took so long for me to respond. Had a crazy couple of days. A colleague died from a sudden brain hemorrhage. Very tragic. I also had an ultrasound on my thyroid for a lump my doctor found. Here is hoping the results are good.