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Prednisone Insomnia - Need sleep drug recommendation

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Posted 4/1/2008 1:15 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,

Can anyone suggest an effective sleeping pill for prednisone insomnia? I'm on my 6th week of prednisone. I'm on 30 mg soon to be tapered down to 20 mg. I'm currently taking 4 mg of ativan and 300 mg of trazodone, but I still can't sleep. My doctor will prescribe anything short term. Thank you for your help.

EllieKate
30 mg prednisone

4 Lialda/day

SCD, 2 months

Posted 4/1/2008 1:32 AM (GMT 0)
EllieKate, I am on 60 mg and was having problems sleeping as my doc had prescribed 20 mg 3X/day. I was taking Xanax to get 3 hours of sleep.  I started taking all 60 mg first thing when I wake up at 6:30 - 7:00 am and now don't need to the Xanax anymore. What time are you taking your prednisone? Maybe if you take it all in the AM with the Ativan it would help. Good Luck!  Let me know if it works!
Posted 4/1/2008 1:42 AM (GMT 0)
Did you try any good ol' fashioned benadryl?
Posted 4/1/2008 3:23 AM (GMT 0)
For me (and most) taking pred first thing in the early morining should keep from troubles sleeping at night.

:)
Posted 4/1/2008 3:29 AM (GMT 0)
I took mine at 5:30 in the morning. That would have been about four hours after I got to sleep most nights. I never took any sleep medication, though. I take so much stuff now I hate to add anything else.
Posted 4/1/2008 10:45 AM (GMT 0)
Hi
I'm on prednisone for the first time -all of March and currently on 25 mg. I can't sleep more than 3 hrs at a time even with the use of Ambiem. I just tried Ambiem CR (as advertised on TV!) last night and I slept about 5 hours. I was hoping for more sleep, but at least I wasn't up washing clothes at 4 AM.

Good Luck - for me so far sleep in my biggest problem because lack of it can ruin my whole day!
Posted 4/1/2008 12:21 PM (GMT 0)
When I was on pred, I still couldn't sleep even taking it early in the morning. I used ambien (periodically, not all the time, but when the tiredness was just too much for me) and it was a lifesaver. it's easy to blame feeling poorly on pred (and pred causes a lot of terrible side effects) but getting some good sleep can really do wonders!
Posted 4/1/2008 1:06 PM (GMT 0)
My lifesaver has been Unisom and a good ol' glass of Red Wine (OK, maybe not the safest thing, but it works and the wine doesn't seem to effect my UC!) Now that I'm down to 20mg, I haven't had to take anything and am sleeping fine, (usually about 12am-6am) but do notice that I wake up at 6am like I'm ready to take on the world, which isn't such a bad thing if you ask me!
Posted 4/1/2008 1:27 PM (GMT 0)
When I was on 60 mg of pred i also could not sleep at all, and then a friend of mine sent me a a lavendar eye pillow that you put in the freezer, and I swear thats all it took. I had been downing the tylenol pms to no avail, and the first night i went to bed with that pillow over my eyes i slept for like 4 hours, which at the time was remarkable!
Posted 4/1/2008 2:44 PM (GMT 0)
If you're looking for a more natural route, magnesium citrate has worked wonders for me in terms of helping me sleep and relieving anxiety. I've been using a powdered form and drinking it just before bed. If you try it, just make sure you actually get magnesium citrate as opposed to some other form of magnesium, because it's the most easily absorbable to your body. Also, be careful not to use too much or it can cause diarrhea. I just take about a teaspoon and it hasn't caused any UC problems for me whatsoever.

Laura
Posted 4/1/2008 2:54 PM (GMT 0)
I did Ambien and it was lovely for me.  I never woke up feeling drugged, but got my hours in, even when I was on 70 mg of prednisone.

 

Posted 4/1/2008 10:30 PM (GMT 0)
Tylenol PM works for me, if it doesn't I add a Xanax (or 2).
Posted 11/17/2009 11:10 AM (GMT 0)
Vicks NyQuil
Posted 11/17/2009 12:10 PM (GMT 0)
Take it first thing in morning. If you have an mp3 player and have some headphones you can dl some of the i-doser mp3's and use calm me or anesthesia. Puts me out pretty quick. I hate to have to take something because of something I am taking. PM me and I'll send you a few if you want.
Posted 11/17/2009 12:34 PM (GMT 0)
I am on my second lot of pred and as with the first unable to sleep i take 7.5 zopiclone and get 3-4 hrs sleep am down to 5mg pred so hope to start sleeping again soon.
Posted 11/17/2009 1:46 PM (GMT 0)
     I took Ambien CR for awhile but Tylenol PM works just as well.  You could look into the store brand of Tylenol PM too....it contains the same ingredients and much cheaper.
Posted 11/17/2009 3:32 PM (GMT 0)
I think melatonin is a good option to help you sleep. Works well for us. No side effects that I know of.
Posted 12/26/2009 10:30 AM (GMT 0)
great thread. tapering off 50mg of Prednisone. Fingers crossed tomorrow is first 40mg day

Last night, to bad at 5am. Crazy. I'd prefer to function during the day, have planned a nice hike tomorrow. Weirdest affect for me is "crashing hard" at like 11pm, then head home to sleep, subsequently am wide awake. Like now at 2:30am.

Already one Melatonin and one benadryl in. Nothing! Feel like a machine. Going to try some of the PM/Ambien tomorrow...
Posted 12/26/2009 2:10 PM (GMT 0)
hey guys, just thought I would let you know what is working for me when I can't sleep although I'm usually nauseous when I do this as well. There are really good time release gravols that work over 12 hours so once you fall asleep you stay asleep... and they don't give you that initial gravol drugged out feeling because it's a smaller up front dose
Good luck!
(I'm on 35 mg of pred)
Posted 12/26/2009 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
I was given Valium (Diazepam) - works a treat. I take 5mg at bedtime and if I wake up again at night I take another 5 mg. Also helps with anxiety from prednisone. Hard core - but was desperate and trying to get to hang on till surgery.
Posted 12/27/2012 12:38 AM (GMT 0)
Phew......there are folks out there going through the same crap as me right now...

I've never had anxiety till I got pneumonia last Wednesday. Now all I think about is how my heart is going to fail (had a dbl heart attack 5 yrs ago) or when I'm going to stroke out. (I have a 50-70% blockage in my Carotid artery)

I have such dizzy spells whenever I lay down.  My heart and mind start racing like I just got done running a marathon. I have been to the hospitals emergency room twice now totally flipped out but yet they wont sedate me or do anything but feed me more drugs that cause anxiety. The drs keep playing me off talking about....well, we'll see you in the office tomorrow..

Well.......it's still TODAY darn it and I need help TODAY!!! 
Posted 12/27/2012 12:42 AM (GMT 0)
So....the question is --- can we or can't we take a sleeping pill while on prednisone??


If I sleep I won't flip out all night. Otherwise it's going to be a very long night again and that just sucks.


Help...
Posted 12/27/2012 12:45 AM (GMT 0)
darn...I was hoping someone would be around to help out.
Posted 12/27/2012 1:32 AM (GMT 0)
Ambien worked for me, and I have a prescription for it because I have BAD insomnia anyway. Pred had me peeling the paint from the walls and rearranging furniture. It gives me about 5 good hours of sleep.

Melatonin is good if that works for you, but can give you crazy dreams or nightmares.

As long as you're only taking 5-10mg of Ambien, long term use is actually ok.
Posted 12/27/2012 1:45 AM (GMT 0)
Two Benadryl used to help me. Not one.. A nurse gave me that tip.
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