Weakness and Fatigue (2024)

Are you having problems with weakness or fatigue?

Weakness is a lack of muscle strength and a reduced ability to move your body, no matter how hard you try. Fatigue is a feeling of extreme tiredness or extreme lack of energy.

How old are you?

Are you male or female?

Do you have sleep problems?

Do you have these symptoms right now?

Have you had the symptoms for 1 week or less?

Do you have symptoms of a serious illness?

Do you have a feeling of general, all-over muscle weakness that does not seem to be getting better?

It's normal to go through a brief period of weakness after a hard workout or a very stressful situation. But that type of weakness should not last.

Is the weakness quickly getting worse (over days)?

Has the weakness gotten so bad that you can't complete your daily activities?

Do you think that the weakness or fatigue is related to a chronic illness that you already have?

A few examples are diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and kidney disease.

Is the weakness or fatigue worse than normal?

Do you think that a medicine may be causing the weakness or fatigue?

Think about whether the weakness or fatigue started after you began using a new medicine or a higher dose of a medicine.

Do you think that a mental health problem could be causing the fatigue?

Fatigue is a common symptom of problems such as depression, stress, anxiety, grief, and eating disorders.

In the past few weeks, have you been losing weight without trying?

Has the weakness or fatigue lasted more than 2 weeks and made it harder to do your daily activities?

Many things can affect how your body responds to a symptom and what kind of care you may need. These include:

• Your age. Babies and older adults tend to get sicker quicker.
• Your overall health. If you have a condition such as diabetes, HIV, cancer, or heart disease, you may need to pay closer attention to certain symptoms and seek care sooner.
• Medicines you take. Certain medicines, such as blood thinners (anticoagulants), medicines that suppress the immune system like steroids or chemotherapy, or natural health products can cause symptoms or make them worse.
• Recent health events, such as surgery or injury. These kinds of events can cause symptoms afterwards or make them more serious.
• Your health habits and lifestyle, such as eating and exercise habits, smoking, alcohol or drug use, sexual history, and travel.

Try Home Treatment

You have answered all the questions. Based on your answers, you may be able to take care of this problem at home.

Symptoms of serious illness may include:

• A severe headache.
• A stiff neck.
• Mental changes, such as feeling confused or much less alert.
• Extreme fatigue (to the point where it's hard for you to function).
• Shaking chills.

Symptoms of serious illness in a baby may include the following:

• The baby is limp and floppy like a rag doll.
• The baby doesn't respond at all to being held, touched, or talked to.
• The baby is hard to wake up.

Symptoms of a heart attack may include:

• Chest pain or pressure, or a strange feeling in the chest.
• Sweating.
• Shortness of breath.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Pain, pressure, or a strange feeling in the back, neck, jaw, or upper belly, or in one or both shoulders or arms.
• Light-headedness or sudden weakness.
• A fast or irregular heartbeat.

For men and women, the most common symptom is chest pain or pressure. But women are somewhat more likely than men to have other symptoms like shortness of breath, tiredness, nausea, and back or jaw pain.

Neurological symptoms—which may be signs of a problem with the nervous system—can affect many body functions. Symptoms may include:

• Numbness, weakness, or lack of movement in your face, arm, or leg, especially on only one side of your body.
• Trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
• Trouble speaking.
• Confusion or trouble understanding simple statements.
• Problems with balance or coordination (for example, falling down or dropping things).
• Seizures.

Heartbeat changes can include:

• A faster or slower heartbeat than is normal for you. This would include a pulse rate of more than 120 beats per minute (when you are not exercising) or less than 50 beats per minute (unless that is normal for you).
• A heart rate that does not have a steady pattern.
• Skipped beats.
• Extra beats.

Many prescription and non-prescription drugs can cause weakness and fatigue. A few examples are:

• Antianxiety medicines.
• Antidepressants.
• High blood pressure medicines.

Seek Care Now

Based on your answers, you may need care right away. The problem is likely to get worse without medical care.

Seek Care Today

Based on your answers, you may need care soon. The problem probably will not get better without medical care.

Call 911 Now

Based on your answers, you need emergency care.

Call 911 or other emergency services now.

Call 911 Now

Based on your answers, you need emergency care.

Make an Appointment

Based on your answers, the problem may not improve without medical care.