Did you ever notice that 5 minutes in the morning is a whole lot different than 5 minutes in the evening?
That just popped into my head, but that's got nothing to do with today's post. Surprised? If you've been reading any of my posts, you shouldn't be. I have a tendency to write whatever pops into my head. Which can be scary, but also fun.
I started my new anti-fatigue medicine on Saturday. Ironically (weirdly coincidental, or oddly enough), I had a marathon day of physical activity. Not all of it was in the fun sense because I spent hours having to do stuff involving standing, bending and reaching. Before I did all that, I went to two separate stores looking for Christmas items for my kitchen window. I didn't find what I wanted, by the way.
In times past, if I pushed myself too hard on one day, the next day I'd be down for the count. Sunday brought more physical activity (rearranging furniture, sweeping, vacuuming). Certainly by Sunday night, I thought I'd be really worn down. Oh sure, I was tired, but not the I-can't-move-any-part-of-my-body-and-blinking-is-exertion tired that would normally happen when I overdo it.
Yesterday, I took a down day of sorts, yet I had different furniture to move, I did a load of laundry, and straightened up the kitchen. Later in the day, I went grocery shopping.
If you recall, I've been averaging being able to do about one thing per day. Maybe two, if they are “easy” things. Some days, it was less than one thing. I cannot tell you how long it's been since I did so much in a day, and it feels great. I'm starting to feel like a living person again, instead of a lump of existence.
Now for the downside of the medicine. When I first take the medicine, I feel extremely jittery, like the way some people feel after "too much coffee". I personally don't know the feeling of "too much coffee", but that's what I've heard. I feel flushed, and get really warm; sort of like what I imagine a hot flash is like. Those effects wear off after a fairly short time. The jittery feeling is gone first, then within about an hour, the warm, flushed feeling is mostly gone.
The first day, I felt a mild “crash” after a few hours, but it wasn't so pronounced that I had to lay down. I haven't felt one since. I may have one when I up my dose, but I may not. Time will tell, right?
I've also had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. That could be from any number of things, so I'm not entirely blaming the medicine for that. I'll just see if it changes. I also haven't reached my full dose yet, so I'll definitely be watching to see if it gets worse.
The other upside to the new medicine is the price. When I was taking the Provigil, the generic version cost over $1700 for 60 pills. You read that right, $1700 for 60 pills, or just over $28 per pill. I had to fight with the insurance company every month to get the prescription filled. The new medicine is less than $50 for 60 pills; less than $1 per pill. As long as the side effects don't get a lot worse or multiply, and the medicine keeps working, I think (fervently hope) I've found a solution.
Maybe I can start yoga or tai chi!
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