Sleep remedy??

Hello,

My husband is 33 yrs old and was just diagnosed with severe pancolitis on 12/21/10. I know we still have a lot to learn about this disease. We have so many questions and concerns its a bit overwhelming however I'm hoping that maybe a few people on this forum may have some suggestions on what he may be able to do to sleep better?? His GI prescribed him prednisone to start and he is four days into it. It seems to help him a bit throughout the day but at night he seems to be in pain all night long with very little sleep. I am new to this site and really want to be able to support him as much as I can so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you all and Merry Christmas!

Thank you so much for the suggestion! I am new to this forum and knew it would help to talk to others who are living with UC.

He was up every 30 minutes last night using the bathroom. Can not stand the pain. I'm not too familiar with Ambien.... I know its a sleep aid but does it help with the cramping too? He has not been prescribed anything else yet. The Prednisone seems to help during the day but at night the pain and needing to go to the bathroom is too much for him. He's already lost a great deal of weight and now he's getting no sleep. Is it time to go back to his G.I and get something else prescribed??

Hi,
The two things that seem to work for sleep for me are: Ambien and Klonopin (but not together). Ambien puts me in a really relaxed state and I seem to forget about other things and I sleep very deep and feel rather good once I'm given a few minutes to get up. Klonopin can be more of an addictive drug if not watched - but it helps control anxiety and I used it as a great sleep drug. Klonopin may relax the cramping , but I'm not sure on that. Could your GI give your husband some mesalamines instead of the Predisone? I'm just not sure of Predisone since I've never been on it and thought maybe something more along the lines of a mesalamine may be worth a shot before hitting the Predisone. The predisone side effects could be causing these issues.

I take Vicodin ONLY when I am in moderate to severe pain which prevents me from falling asleep. 5/500 Watso pills do the trick. Merry Christmas to everyone!

I take Ambien as well but I find it doesn't keep me asleep for more than a few hours. If I take it before bed, I may sleep until 4am. Prednisone is really an awful drug. Hopefully his condition improves in a few days and he will not have the urge to get up so often. I find that klonopin sometimes helps me get longer better rest than Ambien and it reduces anxiety which can make me less inclined to use the tolet because I dont get so stressed.

My sleep aid is Trazadone. It's an antidepressant that is old and doesn't work very well except to help with sleep. It's cheap and it really works.

When I was on prednisone I found that although I only slept a few hours, that is all I really needed. I stopped stressing about not sleeping and just got up and got a lot done!

When I was flaring badly, I would split the prednisone dose. I think it is taken in the a.m. to minimize affecting sleep, but sometimes I just couldn't wait 24 hours for some medication. Of course, I consulted with my GI about it.

I hope you both find this message board helpful, and that he feels better soon.

Wow I'm overwhelmed by the amount of support offered on this forum!

I appreciate every suggestion that you all have provided.... I will make sure that my husband asks his GI about the different medications mentioned above. I know there has to be something else that he can take in addition to prednisone.

Thank you all so much and have a wonderful New Years!