my daughter, 18, is always tired
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Anonymous
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My daughter, 18 years old, is ALWAYS tired. She would sleep all day if she could.
I thought it was a symptom of depression--she's on anti-depressants--but now I think it's something more. Trying to get her to a doctor soon, but what should we be braced to hear? I'm working on diet and exercise, but I'm the mom, so who cares what I think... |
Anonymous
| Has she had bloodwork done? I found out in my twenties that I was anemic, and in hindsight I’m convinced I was anemic through most of my teenage years. Young women with heavy periods can easily have that problem. |
Anonymous
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My 17 yo is like this (and I was too. My friends used to call me Rip Van Winkle). She’ll nap for 2-3 hrs after school. Had a battery of tests at the pediatrician last year and found nothing. When I took her to the appt and talked to the ped she said “this is the most common complaint we get here - tired teens.”
I think growing is hard work - and tiring! |
Anonymous
| Some anti-depressants are sedating. We had to try a few before we found one that worked for teenage DS, and I think it was Celexa that made him very tired. |
Anonymous
| Besides the excessive sleeping are there any other symptoms of narcolepsy? |
Anonymous
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I don't know what other symptoms of narcolepsy are.
She just comes home from school and sleeps. She sleeps all weekend, too. I'll buy her a vitamin before a doctor's appointment--anemia runs in the family. |
Anonymous
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My teen son has sleep apnea and my teen daughter has an auto-immune disease. So they're both tired, for different reasons. We live a low-key life to accommodate their needs.
Get her tested for sleep apnea (there is a home test they can do to start with, before the full night's test at a sleep clinic), and do bloodwork. DO NOT supplement before the bloodwork! If whatever you give her is a high enough dose, it will mask the problem. |
Anonymous
| Could be anemia or thyroid. Definitely get blood work done. |
Anonymous
My guess is it has a lot to do with these two things. |
Anonymous
| I was like this in college and wish I knew what I know now about vitamins and protein. I ate way too much sugar and processed food and was always tired. |
Anonymous
| Def could be antidepressants. All SSRIs turn me into a zombie. |
Anonymous
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Be sure the doctor tests for ferritin in addition to red blood cell count (RBC).
I suffered for many years with iron deficiency that was not anemia, and doctors usually only test for anemia and say you're fine if you don't ask specifically for a ferritin test to determine the STORED iron. |
Anonymous
| I was like this as a teen. I had a terrible diet, low iron, b2, b12, IBS (not a thing back then, but now that we know more about it, that's what I had), and I had form of sleep apnea that was undiagnosed. |
Anonymous
| How much does she actually sleep at night? |
Anonymous
| Get her checked for Lyme, too. |