Is B12 deficiency cause of extreme fatigue?

February 11, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: For years, I thought I was suffering from narcolepsy. I can barely stay awake at work, and when I’m home, I do nothing but sleep. This has gotten progressively worse over the past three or four years. I just recently found out that my B12 level is at 149, and my primary-care physician thinks that is the cause of the hypersomnia. I’m getting B12 shots every other week for two months and then will get shots once a month. After three shots, I feel no better. I’m missing out on life because I’m just too tired to do anything.

Walgreens carries a sublingual B12 supplement, which I am tempted to take. Do you think it will help? Is there some other factor that could be causing me to feel this way? Any suggestions you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
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Daily Column

December 12, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
Will you please address the affliction of narcolepsy in your column? I do okay as long as I am up and about but as soon as I sit down, I cannot hold my eyes open. I fall asleep while trying to read. I’m 83 years old and am not taking any prescription medications.

DEAR READER:
Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder brought on by the brain’s inability to regulate sleep/wake cycles. At various inappropriate times people with the condition experience overwhelming urges to sleep. Day-time sleep periods can last from a few seconds to several minutes, and longer in some instances. A patient with the disorder does not require any more sleep than does an individual without the condition and, in fact might experience episodes of awakening during nighttime sleep. Narcolepsy is estimated to affect about one in every 2,000 Americans. [Read more...]

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April 16, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am a 17-year-old female, 5’9”, 130 pounds, athletic, and in relatively good health.

My problem is that I am constantly tired. About one and a half hours after lunch I fall asleep. I cannot control it. This has been happening for quite a while. I get plenty of sleep at night (eight to nine hours). Getting more than that does not seem to help.

I was wondering if I could be diabetic or hypoglycemic. Could these conditions possibly be the culprit and if so, how could I easily tell? I don’t know what else it could be. Please help me. My school work is suffering because of it.

DEAR READER:
You need a thorough examination and testing by your family physician. In particular, you should have blood work to check for anemia, thyroid disorders and abnormal blood sugar levels.

If the testing is normal, the next step, in my opinion, is for you to see a neurologist. This specialist can test you for several disorders. I would be most interested in the outcome of testing for narcolepsy. This is an unusual brain condition that results in an uncontrollable desire to sleep or sudden attacks of falling asleep at intervals. It is often associated with a condition known as cataplexy which is sudden attacks of muscle weakness.

Your uncontrollable sleeping in the afternoon is not normal. A diagnosis needs to be made; however, because of the strange nature of your symptoms, this may not be an easy process. I urge you to speak to your parents about it, seek medical help and be persistent until someone can tell you what is happening.

To give you related information, I am sending you copies of my Health Reports “Sleep/Wake Disorders” and “Medical Specialists”. Other readers who would like copies should send a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and $2 (per report) to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title(s).

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