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Prednisone-sleeplessness-help please!

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Posted 8/20/2007 3:33 PM (GMT 0)
I am tapering off prednisone and am now down to 10 mg.  However, I am still having tons of sleeping problems.  I always thought that at lower doses this side effect would go away.  This is my first time on prednisone and it would be great if some of you veterans out there could let me know the point at which you started sleeping well again.  I am about to go crazy!
Posted 8/20/2007 8:53 PM (GMT 0)
How long have you been on prednisone and at what dose did you start?

I was on it for four months last fall and started at 60 mg and stayed there for almost two months. I was WIDE awake at 2 am every night. If I recall correctly, I believe I started sleeping through the night again around 15-20 mgs. At this point I was not flaring at all and my UC was really under control. I did a very slow taper once I got to 15 mgs and tapered at 2.5 mgs every 5 days. If I noticed any flare than I stayed at my current dosage until everything stablized. Even though I started sleeping better before I was fully off the prednisone it took much longer for all the other side effects to go away. I'm still dealing with some of them.

Also, at what time are you taking the prednisone? I assume if you are not doing this already that taking it in the morning should help.
Posted 8/20/2007 9:26 PM (GMT 0)
I am taking Ambien every night. When I try to sleep without it I wake up all night with my heart racing, and I am usually a very sound sleeper. Now I feel nice and rested in the morning. I would ask your doc for a presription and try it. You can just stop taking it when you taper off Pred more.
Posted 8/20/2007 9:56 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the advice and replies. I am taking it in the morning, though I wasn't when I first started, wish my doc had given me this advice earlier! I started at 40 mg and have been on since the middle of June. I was originally tapering by 10 and then by 5, but both were too fast. Tapering by 2.5 seems to be working for me (fingers crossed). I have Ambien, but I am afraid to take it for more than a few nights in a row, I worry about dependency. Maybe now is the time to give in and just take it until I'm off the Pred. I hate the other side effects, but the lack of sleep just intensifies all of them and makes it really difficult to concentrate at work.
Posted 8/21/2007 1:17 AM (GMT 0)
I'm lucky, a 1/2 to full dose of Simply Sleep is usually enough to give me just the little bit of help I need. There's nothing worse that laying in bed at night, heart racing from the Prednisone. As someone else mentioned, taking the heavier portion of your Prednisone earlier in the day with help also. Good Luck.
Posted 8/21/2007 1:40 AM (GMT 0)
a zanex before bed will do the trick.
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