Published on 12, July, 2020
Does anyone experience periods of dizziness, sleepiness and sore throat as part of their autism fatigue?
I've experienced autistic burnout since the end of 2020 and was starting to recover but in the last year or so I've kept having what I had assumed were viruses- I'd have a few days where I felt dizzy, very sleepy (this feels different to the fatigue I experience the rest of the time and leads to me spending most of the day asleep in bed) and had a sore throat. This has happened at least 10 times in the last 10 months and is having a massive impact on my life.
I've had 5 GP appointments and two blood tests (the results for which came back completely normal) and the doctors don't know what's wrong. I've now been referred to the hospital but it's going to be months if not years before I get a hospital appointment.
If the repeated periods of dizziness, sleepiness and having a sore throat aren't autism fatigue symptoms, has anyone experienced this for other reasons? I know even medical professionals can't diagnose people online, it would just be great to know if there any other conditions that would be worth me looking into.
Thanks for your help.
I second the possibility of mould. I experienced dizziness and drowsiness due to one in a flat I used to rent. As it was odd and happened on repeat a few times in one bedroom I ordered a VOC test kit and switched bedrooms. I wasn't wrong. There were other chemicals leaking from the paint in the walls.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I'm looking into them now. Any more ideas very welcome.
I’m no doctor at all but do you also get headaches? I find I get throbbing sore headaches, dizziness, poor balance sleepiness also. I think I might be getting migraines to be honest. But I’d rather wait to find out though. I also get light sensitivity and have to wear shades a lot because it makes my head throb and makes me very irritable. Lying down in a dark room for a while can help with the sensory overload. Ever try that? You could try it one time see if it helps. It helps me. Hope this helps.
In addition to the suggestions other members have put forward, I find myself wondering if your symptoms may be allergy-related. Unless you have had an allergy test and it's been ruled out, it may be worth asking your GP if a referral can be made for allergy testing.
It's not unheard of to suddenly develop an allergy to something that has never previously posed a problem, as it is something that happened to both me and my mother.
Do you smoke or vape? If you do, then it's possible your symptoms could be related to that.
If you suspect a mould born infection then you could try a medical herbalist, I know there are herbs that will treat fungal infections.
Slight flu like symptoms can be a sign of depression or tiredness, but it could also be many other things, diabetes, vit B12 deficiency, all sorts of other vitamin deficiencies, thyroid, fybromyalgia all sort's you really need to see your doctor and have some blood tests done. The chances are that it will be something fairly simple that can be easily threated, none of these things can be done online, you actually need a consultation for them to order the tests.
check for these 2 things. Ask to checked specifically for them. #2 should get their attention at least.
#1 - anti-bionic resistant bacterial infection, mold born, in the sinus.
#2 - Méniér's disease
one is often a comorbidity with the other.
#1 - mimics a flu when it flares in wetter weather or under stress.
#2 - mimics a panic attack with out the panic, or if one has sat still fro a long time without moving the head.
I have both and #2 I manage by jerking my head around to loosen the fluid in the cochlea from time to time.
I love doing that anyway so win/win.
#1 I manage by trying to stay clean with a neti pot and just soldiering on. Outside of Steroids, Allopathy has no clue what to do.
If any kin out there have a clue or something that worked for them - I'm all ears
NAS94919 said:Does anyone experience periods of dizziness, sleepiness and sore throat as part of their autism fatigue?
I believe these are not uncommon symptoms of burnout.
These are a result of your immune system being supressed by the adrenaline that is being triggered in is state and once you are out of the state the adrenaline reduces and it is hard to diagnose as a physical cause.
There is a good article here which discusses it in detail:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-mental-health/202312/what-is-autistic-burnout
The "cure" is to avoid getting to this stage by developing strategies to avoid it building, to reduce the load when you detect it and to understand the causes to and eliminate either the causes themselves or your reaction to them.