uncontrollable sleepiness after eating

[helios]

I am really hoping someone here can shed some light in anyway on one of my particular symptoms. I have been unwell for last 14 yrs. I was diagnosed with CFS but also as part of that label I was told I was suffering from an infection...of unknown origin. Last year I had my blood tested at Igenix and came back with positive result in 5 bands for Lyme. I am being treated for that currently.

The treatment for Lyme so far has not diminished a symptom that is very debilitating - over whelming sleepiness after eating carbohydrates. The effect is somewhat seasonal in nature. Worse in Autumn + winter (that might be tied in to my diet a little I have to admit). It means if I have a reasonable amount of carbs or starches for a meal I will crash from tiredness. I cannot stop from falling to sleep...on the sofa, at my desk, on the toilet, on the floor, at the table. the slumber lasts about 2 hrs. If I have a bag of hot chips or a bowl of mashed pumpkin, with in 20 mins its like I have gulped down a Rohypnol. It makes it very hard to work unless I have special meals. So I can end up sleeping 2+2+2+7 hrs a day. If I was a fat guy then this would maybe not so bad having to modify my diet, but I am underweight and have bf of only 5% and am eating to put on some weight. This aspect seems to be getting worse each year.

I did a little googling and low insulin seemed to be the big standout.
I had a 2 hour glucose fast test done about 9 yrs ago got the okay on that. I also had a test for narcolepsy about 5 yrs ago and got the all clear on that. I recently bought some Keto-Diatix urine strips that measure glucose + keton. I have used a few of these when going to toilet and they show things as okay which I have to admit was disappointing. I do think my urine has a bit of a sweet smell to it + I notice often when I go to toilet and don't flush I see ants all round the bowl/lid where I have pee'd in the morning.

From what I have described here can anyone here shed any light on this?

 

[Beyond]

It is common for people on the internet to blame this particular symptom to lack of digestive juices; this is, digestive enzymes and/or HCL and/or bile. Do you think that you digest well? It seems something fairly usual in CFS people to have certain degree of inability to digest and absorb especially carbohydrates. Personally I cannot digest most raw carbs, this is, fruit, and a lot of cooked carbs in the form of grains and some legumes as well.

 

[atoska]

Hello @helios !

How long have you been treating lyme? How are you treating it? Oral antibiotics? What doses are you taking?
I am interested because I am also treating lyme. I have been treating it for 9months now. 8 months with oral abx and one month with IV.
I have been sick for 14 years so it will take time to achieve health again.

I was also positive in 5bands with igenex, and also had one indeterminate band. I was positive on my igm but negative on my igg.
How about you? Were you positive on igg and igm? Or just one of them?

Regarding your question about carbohydrates.. For what I have read... They can be related to making your lyme symptoms worse. Many of the lyme literate doctors, like Joseph burrascano, suggest you avoid all kind of starch in your diet. Carbohydrates are suppose to turn into sugar when you digest them and sugar feeds lyme bacteria. They also create inflammation in the cells and I think that if you quit eating them, it is also a way if cleaning your cells.

I have met some people at the clinic where I receive IV that tell me that this diet has made them improve greatly. I have just started on Monday. It is tough!

 

[taniaaust1]

The treatment for Lyme so far has not diminished a symptom that is very debilitating - over whelming sleepiness after eating carbohydrates.

.

I did a little googling and low insulin seemed to be the big standout.
I had a 2 hour glucose fast test done about 9 yrs ago got the okay on that.

It sounds like it could be insulin issues to me. I myself have that problem and can get that symptom from it.

You say you had a 2hr GTT done but did they do it with the insulin results included? 2hr GTTs usually arent done with insulin levels included unless doctor specifically asks for it. Get hold of your test result and see!! (or you may of been a bit abnormal but the doctor may not have worried about it.. another reason why you should get your insulin results. Most doctors do not realise that hyperinsulinemia can cause severe symptoms for some of us (and will make things like ME/CFS symptoms worst).

Also seeing your test was 9 years ago.. sounds like you should have it done again anyway as I said make sure they do it with insulin results included. (my first 2hr GTT with insulin came back within normal range but two of my doctors who specialised also in insulin issues both were so sure I had this issue from my symptoms that they had me retested.. my second test came back with my insulin not in the normal range. Thank God I had two specialists who were so familiar with the issue they were aware to test me again. Nowdays 2 years later, my insulin level is sky high and Im almost diabetic (only one point below the diagnosable sugar level at times).

Note..you can have insulin issues and be getting severe symptoms from that without having high sugar... or the sugar level may be swinging at times eg going low at times due to spiked insulin (over time ..maybe years later it will raise and one likely to end up diabetic... thou in my case its almost happened in only 2 years. I used to have hypoglycemia but it only showed up on a couple of my blood tests..it can be hard to catch.
.............

Another thing which can make a person be falling asleep after eatting is dysautonomia issues in which low blood volume is often involved..as more blood needs to go to the digestive system when you eat. One could also consider gluten intollerance could be the issue.

best luck at working it out but I think you need a 2hr GTT with the insulin level included done to rule that in or out first..

 

[minkeygirl]

I get that. Sometimes it's just fatigue from digesting food. May not be anything.

 

[helios]

Hi Beyond - To me I suspect it could be due to lack of digestive enzymes. I have struggled with food intolerance for most of my life + I am under weight despite eating 4 main meals + 2 weight gain drinks & snacking through out the day. I have tried a bunch of enzyme supplements over the years and they don't do much. I have also tried taking HCL with meals and didn't do much either. I upped the dose high to test as advised by my naturopath at the time and she was surprised I did not notice anything when taking 5 at a time, so I don't know. I am currently on wobenzym after reading a lot of good reviews on that, but at 12 tabs a day I don't notice much.

It is common for people on the internet to blame this particular symptom to lack of digestive juices; ....... Personally I cannot digest most raw carbs, this is, fruit, and a lot of cooked carbs in the form of grains and some legumes as well.

 

[helios]

Hi Atoska. I dont have my results handy to let you know on results. I have been on oral ABx for most of the time. (10 mths) I have breaks every so often as I am really wiped out. I started taking the ant lyme herbs this year as well. I realise sugars are bad for people on lyme and also that carbs should be reduced as well. I know ideally I should cut them right back, and I have reduced them, but not totally....due to losing weight when I do.

So you have just started to modify your diet now have you?
I realise carbs are not ideal for those with lyme but was not aware that a post meal crash like I suffer is as a direct result of lyme. Maybe, but I have not read stories of others saying the same. The best effect I can describe it is like being given valium. The tiredness comes on quick and I will just want to lie down quick, just on the floor to rest and boom 2 hrs go by. This effect seemed to kick in more a number of years ago when my doc put me on Vit-D supps. I was lucky I had an understanding boss and could hide at work and sleep (but got paid less). It does not happen 52 weeks of the year though,just in periods, and it is coming on strong again since warmer weather in Jan.

Hello @helios !
How long have you been treating lyme? How are you treating it? Oral antibiotics? What doses are you taking?
I am interested because I am also treating lyme. I have been treating it for 9months now. 8 months with oral abx and one month with IV.......!

 

[helios]

Hi Taniaaust. I will have to try find my old medical records. I remember having to fast then drink something (I thought glucose drink) and had blood samples taken every 1/2 hr for next 2 hrs. My sleepiness from carbs was not so strong then. I wish the doc had given me a Lucozade glucose drink as he would have seen me crash as they wipe me out.

I know the test was a done a few yrs ago, but I am not due to see my CFS doc for another couple of months so I thought I would use those diabetic test strips as away to find out myself.

I wonder why your 1st insulin test showed up as okay?
It seems like you are now diabetic. Did they not do anything for you as a result of that 2nd test?
Did you crash after eating meals with high amount of carbs/starches?
Actually for me eating a bowl of pumpkin/settpotatoe will knock me out more than say eating a bowlof rice.

"Note..you can have insulin issues and be getting severe symptoms from that without having high sugar." - I suspect that too from articles I have read. Trouble is telling my doc that likely won't count for shyte. They wont prescribe me anything unless they can back it up with a pathology test nor do they like being told things like that from patients.

dysautonomia issues - I also wondered about this in the past. I know I feel better for taking licorice. It does not increase blood volume but increase blood pressure + water retention. One of the best drugs for me that I have taken on a couple of occasions has been nandrolone & boldenone. They increase blood volume. Had absolutely no problem with feeling sleeping from eating. In fact I had more appetite and felt more energised when on these. Great stuff except not easy to get. I mentioned low blood volume to my CFS doc once, but was not tested for it (is it possible to test??). He said could prescribe me something to test out, but kept stalling & stalling and never did. I suspect if I am not falling down in the street most doctors would just wave it off as nothing to worry about.
I avoid gluten btw so it is not that.

It sounds like it could be insulin issues to me. I myself have that problem and can get that symptom from it.

You say you had a 2hr GTT done but ......
best luck at working it out but I think you need a 2hr GTT with the insulin level included done to rule that in or out first..

 

[helios]

minkeygirl - I know it may not be anything specific but it has to be explainable in a biological sense. If I was telling the doctor I was falling asleep at traffic lights or crashing into cars I am sure they would not wave it off as just par for the course with CFS. It makes it very hard from a career perspective. It shytes me too how big chunks of my day get spent sleeping. Somehow I don't think I could fall asleep when driving. I have on a couple of occasions had to pull over to sleep but the focus needed to concentrate on the road keeps me going. when I sit at the computer though, its zzzzzz.

 

[dsdmom]

I've been dealing with something similar lately. On a whim I decided to try enzymes - I seem to be doing much better! It's a pretty easy thing to try even if you are skeptial. Couldn't hurt, at least.

 

[helios]

I've been dealing with something similar lately. On a whim I decided to try enzymes - I seem to be doing much better! It's a pretty easy thing to try even if you are skeptial. Couldn't hurt, at least.

Geey you were crashing with tiredness after meals and enzymes was the answer.
What type are you taking and is it just a regular dose, like one tab with meals?
I wish it was that easy for me : ( In my post to Beyond I mentioned how I have been on a bunch of different enzyme brands over the years. I would seem a classic case since I am underweight though eat more than all the other members of my family who are fine or in my sister's cases a bit overweight. I am on wobenzym currently now and still crashing. I had parasite testing done, and some found and treated, but I don't think this type of unrelenting sleep after food is typical parasite symptom. It does feel like my digestion is taking up all my energy/blood.

 

[Krystil12000]

I also have chronic Lyme, at least 6 years pre diagnosis, now two years post diagnoses and have the exact same sleep symptoms and have been searching for answers, tested for iron def, vit d def and treated for it, MRI ect .....I do get this same crashing feeling, like my body just shuts down, like a switch is just flipped, but not just after eating although that is more common...so please if you have found any answers I would love to know