For the past year I drink a cup of coffee in the morning and 4 Red Bull throughout the day. I never used to drink energy drinks to this degree but since my body has been hijacked by PSA I feel like I can't make it through the day otherwise......anyone have this issue with needing man-made energy?
Most days I need to get some caffeine into my system as well. Just be careful with drinking so many red bulls, ok? I have found that taking a b complex vitamin has helped me a bit at least :).
I was drinking a ton of caffeine and all to get through the day and I talked to my rhumey and he told me that the energy drinks actually hurt you more than help you so he suggested a mix of vitamins and fish oils etc.... so I would suggest maybe talking to your doctor and he can maybe help you with the energy issue
I have one or two coffees a day, and drink them when I take my tramadol (caffeine can help tramadol do its job, and tends to keep me from feeling like I need to curl up and take a nap during the first hour after taking tramadol LOL).
Energy drinks can set you up to feel worse - they give you a burst of fake energy that can tax your system more than not having the drink at all. They can increase your blood pressure and can cause dehydration, as many act like diuretics. Getting your iron, vitamin D and B vitamin levels checked and supplementing as necessary with bioavailable vitamins and diet changes may be a better way of getting that energy. There's a vitamin drink my friend makes that I tried once (I need to ask her about it) that gave me an energy boost like nothing I'd ever experienced (it's B vitamins, which are usually low for me - I'm awaiting test results) and could very well take the place of a cup of coffee or two for me.
I'm super low on energy, so I just started on a vitamin supplement mix that seems to be mostly b-vitamins. It smells like koolaid and you mix it with water, smoothie, juice or whatever. I mix with water and chia seeds and pretend it's my own special bubble tea (the seeds turn gel-like, similar to the "bubbles" in bubble tea). It's only been a few days, I'll keep you posted on whether it works or not.
I always need a coffee or two (or three) to get through the day now, bit only use the energy drinks as a kind of emergency fallback - on particularly yucky days or when I need to drive long distance.
Definitely talk to your Rheumy about the fatigue, they might have a better solution.