Fatigue and general tiredness may lead to cravings for sugar and stimulants in susceptible people. Fatigue has a number of different causes, requiring different solutions. A functional medical doctor or a Level 2 coach from the Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition may help you figure it out.
- Not enough sleep
- Not regularly eating nutritious food, leading to a deficiency in our energizing neurotransmitters. The amino acid L-Tyrosine can be very helpful here, along with improving your diet and eating protein every 4 hours.
- Lack of Omega 3 fatty acids from good egg yolks, walnuts, flaxseeds, wild game, cold-water fish, etc. Eating more of these foods, or taking fish oil supplements can start making a difference within 3 days!
- Low thyroid function. According to functional medicine experts, your TSH should be no higher than 2
- Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an autoimmune thyroid disorder that tends to be under-identified, because it is rarely tested for
- Adrenal distress. Adaptogenic herbs such as rhodiola and ginseng can be very helpful here and are restorative, rather than habit forming.
- Chronic infection such as toxic mold, Lyme disease, post-Covid
- Low Free Testosterone in men. Many men who are long-term opioid users have low T. This may also occur in men with very low cholesterol, in those who are overweight, and in those who are older, or have nutrient deficiencies. Checking total testosterone is NOT enough. Free T must be checked as well, along with some other markers.
- Post-acute withdrawal from opioids! Many people have cravings for their opioid drugs a few weeks after they have stopped, due to profound fatigue. This fatigue is due to depletion of the Catecholamine neurotransmitters, along with Endorphin depletion. The amino acid L-Tyrosine is very helpful here to rebuild the Cats, and significantly reduce fatigue.
