Has anyone experienced decreased appetite due to stress or medications?
Lately, I haven't been very hungry and I LOVE food. I consider myself a major foodie. I am on a medication that is supposed to help me with my energy level (although, it only helps slightly) and my doctor stated this could decrease my appetite. But along with that, I desire food less. Usually when I'm stressed, I tend to want to eat more. I get super excited to cook dinner, sit down to eat what I've made for my husband and I, and can only eat a small amount until I feel sick from looking at the food or it seems unappealing. I just had a blood test with my doctor and I am NOT pregnant. I'm also worried that stress might be playing a factor in my decreased appetite. My job is high stress a lot of days and this week will be especially stressful because 2 people from our social work team are going on vacation starting tomorrow; which means I will be providing coverage for their team and my own. I am definitely going to have to be diligent about taking breaks this week and self care or else I will spiral into a flare.
I am dreading this week simply because I know it is going to be very hard, I'm already tired and it's only Monday, and I can't seem to want to eat enough to help sustain my energy level. I can spare to lose a few pounds, but I've already lost 2 pounds in the last week.
I know that I suffer from decreased appetite when I am suffering from stress. In the past I have suffered from depression and I usually lose a lot of weight during thes times. Since being diagnosed with Fibro, I have noticed my appetite has decreased, in fact I don't enjoy my food much either. Don't know if this is due to meds, I am on Amitriptylene. P'raps you could take small snacks at regular intervals, I think it is difficult to motivate yourself when you know you have a difficult day/week to look forward to. Just remember to pace yourself and eat those snacks to maintain you energty levels. Good luck
Thank you : ) I spoke with my doctor about possible explanations for decreased appetite and he stated he feels it is probably my medications interacting with each other and it is causing this side effect. I don't know if it was a smart idea, but I volunteered to work a 1/2 hour extra of comp time tomorrow because I'm so swamped at work with covering for my coworkers and my social work team is slammed. I was really irritated at work today and I think I am experiencing a little bit of burn out. Luckily, I will be off Christmas week Tuesday-Friday and also the weekend. It will be nice break to rejuvenate my social work soul, because it has been hammered hard lately with a lot of complex cases. Burn out is common among social service professions and I'm especially at risk with having Fibro, Arthritis and CFS. I'm trying to come up with a plan to prevent further burn out, but I'm stumped at this moment. In order to get my work done, I need to work at a fast and efficient pace, but I just don't feel I am capable of doing that this week. I'm sure I'll make it through, but it will be difficult.
Talk soon,
Sara
AnneV said:
Hello Sara,
I know that I suffer from decreased appetite when I am suffering from stress. In the past I have suffered from depression and I usually lose a lot of weight during thes times. Since being diagnosed with Fibro, I have noticed my appetite has decreased, in fact I don't enjoy my food much either. Don't know if this is due to meds, I am on Amitriptylene. P'raps you could take small snacks at regular intervals, I think it is difficult to motivate yourself when you know you have a difficult day/week to look forward to. Just remember to pace yourself and eat those snacks to maintain you energty levels. Good luck
Glad to hear you have spoken with your Doc, should always be the first port of call. As a teacher I can relate to your problems, as burn-out is a common problem in this profession too. I absolutely admire your resolve to work through this, and wish you well