Hi
I’ve been struggling with fatigue for a month now and it makes me want to sleep all day. It’s so bad sometimes that I can fall asleep anywhere. It makes getting things done difficult and I struggle to feel anything. It’s making me feel miserable. I went for blood tests but the results were clear. Do you think anti depressants would help. Does anyone recommend something else?
Hey @Patches23,
I’m sorry you’re struggling with such fatigue. For different reasons, I do too, and some days it is beyond frustrating. It’s good that you have done blood tests first - definitely necessary to identify any physical cause.
As for your question: yes, absolutely, depression can cause tiredness. It’s a common symptom. Not everyone would struggle with it, but quite often people do, especially if your sleep is also affected at night.
Antidepressants could be to consider, but you definitely need to talk about it to your doctor. Some antidepressants will have the effect of making you even more tired and somnolent. Though there are types of medications that are made to actually stimulate you a little more. All in all, I can only recommend you to talk to your doctor about all of this. Share your thoughts with them about the potential connection between your depression and tiredness, and ask all the questions you need regarding medications.
On a different note, do you feel able to exercise a little bit as well? I know it’s a tough thing to approach when depressed, though it could be surely beneficial to your body and overall energy in the long run. Even just regular walks can be a good outlet.
More generally, habits that you have in your daily life could need to be changed a little bit too, if you feel like some things are affecting your physicality. To me personally, something that has been actually pretty helpful (I struggle with tiredness due to physical health, depression AND diverse medications), was to get a desk lamp that stimulates the sunlight. When I keep it on during the morning while working, I tend to not feel the irresistible need to have a nap afterwards. Of course, it’s not a unique solution. Just an idea/example of the things you might need to consider and implement into your life, bits by bits. Make sure to maintain a good diet too - sugars especially can make us sleepy.
Keep us up to speed if that’s okay for you. 
Hey @Patches23!
(Disclaimer: I’m not licensed so I’m only speaking from personal experience).
In short, anxiety and depression wreak havoc on the mind, so because your body is trying to compensate all day, it can take a major toll on your energy. In my experience (of about 10 years), anti-depressants definitely have the possibility of boosting your energy (depending on the type of anti-depressant) because of the serotonin it ejects into your body. However, SSRIs only treat the symptom of the root of the cause of your anxiety/depression. Your fatigue could simply be because of a natural vitamin deficiency you might have, which is a known culprit for then topping into anxiety/depression. SSRIs would treat the anxiety/depression, but not the vitamin deficiency. Another hypothetical example: The fatigue you feel could be from anxiety/depression which could be rooted in lies you might be telling yourself (which, in turn, manifests depression, and the cycle continues). So, in this example, SSRIs would target the anxiety/depression, but not your cognitive behavior.
Using myself as an example in real-time. I was on anti-depressants for almost 10 years (this April would’ve been my “birthday”). I’ve been in-and-out of counseling, developing healthy coping mechanisms and rewiring my train of thought. Last month, instead of taking SSRIs (and under the supervision of my psychiatrist), I thought I’d start taking supplements to see if consuming my allotted daily vitamins would help. I started taking Men’s One-a-Day, magnesium buffered chelate, and Onnit’s “Alpha Brain” (for concentration, memory, and energy), and I can’t remember the last time I felt this good on a consistent basis. I’m only a month into it, so more information is still to come. 
I hope this helps friend! Hold fast!
-Eric
Thank you, I’m going to try the route of vitamins. What vitamins does Alpha Brain have in them? Like vitamin b?
I don’t want to take anti depressants because it’s risky so maybe I’ll try exercising more
That’s completely fine! Was only willing to answer your question. It’s good to hear how thoughtful you are about this as well. Antidepressants can be very helpful, but they are for sure not like any type of medication, and can’t be a treatment in itself.
I hope that a potential change of lifestyle and routines is going to help you greatly! You got this!
Hey Patches23,
EsRivs responded to your post today live on stream with some wonderful words of support!
Here is a link to the video so you can watch her reply anytime!
Patches23 - Alpha Brain is actually more of an herbal capsule with unconventional ingredients to promote memory, focus, and energy. It’s not a traditional vitamin, which is why I supplement it with Men’s One-a-Day and magnesium. The only drawback is it’s quite expensive 
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