General lethargy, dark yellow urine, headaches, lack of appetite

I am a 29 year old female in generally good health. I am active both by choice and for work and maintain a healthy weight and diet. However, for the past week, I have been tired beyond belief - sleeping at least 9 hours a night and taking at least an hour nap during the day. I drink 2-3 Litres of water a day, a cup or two of coffee, no soda, and maybe a glass of wine every other night. But I constantly have a headache in the back of my neck, near the C1, and behind my eyes. For the past week, I have been passing dark yellow urine, but it is odourless and does not hurt to urinate. I also have a chalky, thirsty feeling in my mouth these days. I also have a lack of appetite, but make myself continue to eat because I know I need too- it’s been a good mix of veggies, grains, and proteins. Any thoughts?

Non-Specific Symptoms

Your symptoms are very non-specific and there are multiple reasons why you could be experiencing these symptoms. The fact that you have been feeling tired and thirsty could indicate a metabolic problem such as diabetes or hypercalcaemia (high calcium levels). Dehydration from both of these conditions could cause you to have a headache due to the dehydration that can occur despite the amount you are currently drinking.

Another possibility is a low grade infection, such as a urine infection. Even if the urine is odourless, this doesn’t exclude this possibility. A reduced appetite would go with this as well. Anaemia can cause headache too and make you feel tired.

Kidney failure can also present with non-specific symptoms such as yours and this can be easily checked for.

The headache with pain behind the eyes can have many causes. It could be due to a viral infection for example, but there are lots of other conditions that can cause these symptoms, too numerous to list here.

What Should You Do About Your Non-Specific Symptoms?

You really need to be examined by your doctor. You should have a diabetes check, your calcium and blood count checked along with other routine blood tests such as liver and kidney tests. Your urine can be analysed and clinical decisions on further investigations can then be made depending on the results of these tests. I hope this helps.




My name is Dr Peter Thatcher MBBS, MRCPI and I am a consultant physician and gastroenterologist in the UK. I have an interest in internet based medicine and administer this site in my spare time. I hope you find this site useful and informative. If you have any suggestions, please Contact Me or if you would like to comment on my site, please do so by Clicking Here. If you like the site and would like to make a donation to support what I am doing please do so by Clicking Here. Thank you for visiting and please drop by again!