I have had diabetes for 5 years now and I swear my energy level and strength keeps going down…
I have tried all sort of vitamins etc and sometimes I feel better for a while but then I go back to being exhausted and fatigued again…
Is this really just the way I will feel for the rest of my life everyday and nothing can be done?
Has anyone found anything to help the low energy and exhaustion and seems to come with this?
Kim,
Try taking CoQ10 supplements. I take one daily as do a lot of doctors and it works wonders.
You may want to get thyroid labs to check for hypothyroidism. TSH, Free T-3 and Free T-4 as well as the two thyroid antibodies tests to check for Hashimoto’s 
It’s also possible that your adrenals are fatigued. From the research I’ve done, the best way to test adrenal hormones is through a saliva test so that the circadian rhythm can be assessed.
Hope this helps 
Thanks Steve. How much do you take? DId it really help your energy levels?
Thanks! I have had all this checked… No Hashie. And yeah my cortisol levels are backwards…
One 100mg tablet a day is all that I take. Your blood sugar levels need to stay in a some what normal range also. If too high your blood cells don’t carry enough oxygen to your major organs.
This would cause exhaustion for sure.
I have started doing brisk walks before and after (almost) every meal, and my blood sugar is back to normal and I have enough energy. That is if my back isn’t killing me. Even if it does and I’m doing my BW, I would take a break and then continue on doing the balance of 10 min. This morning did 15 min with one short break and my fasting number is 94. Prior to doing that, it was around 115.
Yay! It works!
Thanks for reading this, now I am so motivated to continue.
@Steve1: High blood sugar has nothing to do with the red blood cells carrying oxygen to the tissues. What you’re talking about happens only if you have anemia.
I got some CoQ10 (they are chewable Chocolate ones) Is there there a preferable time of day to take this?
I figure I will give it a month and see. I see that lots of people take 200 and I was wondering if after a month if I have no improvement should I up to 200
Really? Have you ever seen a picture of a normal blood cell and one of those that have high blood sugar?
I am seeing a difference only after a week!! Yah! I wouldn’t say I am tons of more energy (but I do have a bit more) but most important is that I do not feel a deep exhaustion or fatigue as often as a used too - and before it was like all the time. I would say I feel that deep fatigue alot less than I less no fatigue.
See your doctor and have them check for deficiencies, then take a supplement for what your lacking in. I get more energy from working out well at least I feel that way afterwards even though beginning can be tough but it does definitely help me
Thank you Trish. I have thought about doing that before…
Right now I have a ton of er bills to pay and I am not sure if my insurance will cover that… I know I had tested my D and B12 and I was supplmenting at the time and they were double over the high range! Wow! I am currently not taking any supplements (except the CoQ10) because I can’t handle all the pills I already have to swallow.
I was veg/vegan for a long period of time (27 years) and I am sure I had protein deficiency and probably some others too. I recently added some fish back in and I am feeling better so I am pretty sure I had protein deficiency.
I am starting a bit of toning exercises again because my muscles are wasted I believe but yeah it is hard…I don’t want to lose weight because I am already thin.
I’m sure we suffer from low energy levels and probably experience peaks and valleys. We do not metabolize BG efficiently and many of us have a metabolism that’s racing up and down like a rollercoaster. I have been this way for so long that I just lean forward and get my chores done each day. I think we PWD’s live in a parallel Universe and I do not compare myself to someone that is not insulin dependent. Taking this attitude has saved me from a lot of stress. I do what I like on my schedule and have never felt like I’m missing out on anything or coming up short.
My life is normal…I live in the Diabetic Universe 
My blood cells are normal; seen a doc about a month ago. A1C was 6.1
I struggled with fatigue for many years before my D diagnosis. After diagnosis i thought may be it was due to lack of insulin. I started insulin but fatigue continued.
I was deficient in vit D and I got my levels up. I also started taking other vitamins like vit C , B complex and ca/mg/zinc etc but it didnt help much.
I felt some benefit after taking b12 1000 mg twice a day. I am surprised as my doctor did the tests and he didn’t find any b12 deficiency.
With me , I think I needed slightly higher quantities of b12 to be effective.
Reading more on b12 I found that methyl b12 is even easier to absorb than the regular ones available otc. Just started taking those today.
I am a 78 year-old diabetic who has quite a lot of energy, but there are a few times every week that i suddenly feel totally exhausted. I started checking my BG whenever I had these episodes and 100% of the times it has been due to a drop in blood glucose. I just chew a couple of glucose tablets and in about 10 minutes I am OK. I credit daily strength exercises and 2 mile daily walks to my good energy levels.
Methyl b12 is the only form that is effective. It has helped with my peripheral neuropathy.
Yes, I have the same problem. I have had type 3 for 10 years and slowly getting weaker every year