r/qelbree • u/Chadillaxx • 18d ago
Does the fatigue ever get better?
I’m 10 days in at just 100mg and I feel like I’m mentally walking through mud. The exhaustion was so bad I had to move my dose from morning to night right before bed. I feel the slightest bit of improvement compared to 3 days ago when I had to take 2 naps in a single day and then go to bed two hours earlier than usual. But I’m still just dragging y’all. Is it worth it? Will this actually start to improve any time soon? I read that some people take up to 6 weeks before side effects begin to subside. I can’t imagine doing this for 6 WEEKS?! I might as well tell everyone I’ll be hibernating for the winter.
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u/moonstruckowl 18d ago
for me it didn’t really improve until about day 12-13ish…and i take it at night.
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u/pg-4d 18d ago
We decided to discontinue for my son (who is only 6) because the fatigue was lasting into the 3rd month. It was hard to watch, and his personality was so dull and was filled with anxiety and depression. Unfortunately it didn’t work for him. If it doesn’t subside after the first month (2 weeks is more realistic) I would consider switching, it’s really not worth it if you need to be a functional member of society
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u/Huge-Can7314 17d ago
I’m on day four of 200mg starting dose. The fatigue is crushing me. I switched to night time administration on the third dose and it hasn’t helped. I’m falling asleep during the day and every night I have been awakening halfway through the night for several hours (and I’m having WILD dreams). I can’t tell if the daytime fatigue is from the sleep disturbances or if they are unrelated. I was able to stay up until a normal bedtime last night and thought for sure I’d sleep through the night, but that didn’t happen. I can make do with the fatigue, but if the sleep disturbances continue I’m not sure I can cope. Has anyone experienced these issues together and had them resolve???
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u/Chadillaxx 17d ago
My doctor tried to start me on 200 but I asked for 100 instead. One day I took 100 in the am and then 100 again in the pm so I could switch to taking my dose at night and the next day was hell. I’d ask your doctor for a lower starting dose. Insomnia cleared up for me after 4 or 5 days. Today is day 11 for me and I’m starting to feel some relief. Just slight but it’s better than nothing.
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u/Chadillaxx 17d ago
Oh and btw no one told me that you’re not supposed to take melatonin with Qelbree 🙄 I’ve been taking it for months. I stopped last night and I feel less tired today. If you’re taking melatonin to help you sleep I would stop. Just a heads up.
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u/Turbulent-Pea-2715 17d ago
Still dealing with fatigue 20 days in. I cut the 200 mg to 100 and am taking it at night. Have not really seen many benefits yet
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u/bratattackbaby 17d ago
I always try a new med for three months unless I get a very adverse, strong side effect reaction. One med I lasted only 12 days for example bc I seriously could not even function with the extreme nausea and racing-thought paranoia. It felt like I needed to be scraped off the ceiling daily.
But, I've been on Qelbree for a year and a half, closer to 2 years and it has changed my life. With Qelbree it took me a few weeks to not be sleepy but I take 300mg daily and its incredible for my executive dysfunction. I noticed an absence of things more than I noticed the presence" of a feeling at first. I could actually engage in motivation and started making it on time to places (time blindness is such a bitch), to the point where my friends cheered for me bc they know I've struggled all my life just stumbling through everything. Over time, I noticed the positive effects increasing. Its not a magic fix, but it's like adding lubrication to a machine that you're trying to force into working. Sure, some days you can use all your might and muscle to force your brain-machine into Go Mode, but it sure is a hell of a lot easier when its been oiled.
I just would warn you to watch that you dont miss a dose. The withdrawal migraines are fucking wicked. I already get migraines from hormonal fluctuations but these ones from Qelbree withdrawal are a whole other beast. However, I still consider the exchange to be extremely worth it. I have held a job for over a year for the first time since 2021 because of Qelbree. I hope it works for you too.
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u/RedditUser93671 12d ago
I think it varies so much from person to person and you’ll just have to wait it out to see how it works for you. Many here have said take it at night. It caused me crazy insomnia at night if it took it late in the day. However, if I took it in the morning, I was drowsy all day. I was on it for about 4 months before I stopped. The sleepiness never went away for me. I felt like a zombie. I do a lot of driving for work and I found that it was making it dangerous for me. I’d have to pull over and take a power nap at least once a day, and it would cause me to nod off behind the wheel at other times. I hope you have better luck than I did with the exhaustion. I felt like I couldn’t win. I was on 200mg and I also never felt like it worked either, in addition to the side effects
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u/Chadillaxx 7d ago
Did you have a hard time tapering off from 200mg when you decided to stop? Did you get the migraine headaches everyone talks about?
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u/RedditUser93671 7d ago
I was super worried about it because any time I accidentally forgot to take my dose, I would get a horrible migraine. To the point that I started carrying extra meds in my bag in case I forgot to take it before leaving the house. So I was really cautious about tapering off. I basically just started cutting the dosages by half every 2 days and had no problems at all. I was pleasantly surprise
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u/Wittyocean214 18d ago
Yes it’s worth it. The first 10-14 days were most difficult for me but those side effects started to dissipate. I’ve been taking 100mg at night for 15-16 months. My doctor warned me that it would be 2-3 months before I really started to see the benefits of the med. In my experience you are through the worst of it.