Sleep Aids While on Prednisone?

I am wondering if anyone's doctor has given them sleep aids to help with prednisone related insomnia? My sleep patterns are so completely screwed up at the moment that I really feel like it is hampering my recovery. Most days I'm getting 4-5 hours of bad quality of sleep during a 24 hour period. 2-3 hours when I first attempt to sleep at night. An hour in the early AM. Maybe an hour nap in the afternoon. The fatigue I'm experiencing is unreal and very unhealthy... and I think that the time during a real night sleep when the digestive system slows down is a big part of healing! Anyhoo, I understand a lot of doctors freak out about prescribing sleep aids but me needing to get off a sleep aid in a month or so cannot possibly be worse for me than what is going on right now... thoughts?

You also might try Tylenol PM, which is what I take. That way you don't have to wait for a prescription. It is worth a try. I usually take 2. It is best to take the prednisone early in the morning. I have never been on 60 mg, only 40.

I am on 40, and mine is also a split dose-so I have to take sleep aids everynight or I would never sleep. They gave me a script for ambien at the hospital, but I didn't fill it. I second the tylenol PM. I take it also because I have been getting headaches because of both the pred and this cold I can't shake, but you could just use benedryl if you don't need the pain reliever. It is the same sleep aid ingredient as in the tylenol PM.

I take 2, unless I don't get to it early enough in the evening (I have to take it fairly early or I am groggy in the mornings-but I metabolize things like that slower than most people, I have noticed), in which case I just take one.

Anyway, I completely understand. I haven't been able to get a good night of sleep because of this cough, coupled with the pred and I am a zombie. I am miserable to be around, and the fatigue is just wearing me down!!! I think for me, once I get past this cold and cough, I will be able to sleep through the night again.

Definitely try benedryl or tylenol PM. I hope you can get your taper on soon-I am hoping I will be able to soon too. Prednisone is miserable!!!!

Hi i take zopiclone 7.5mgs which i get from my dr have not been able to sleep since going on and coming off pred i dont take it every night.I find it helps

When I was on the pred I took ambien. I would break the pill in half and it seemed to work. If I don't have the Ambien I take Benedryl.

I had to get some Ambien. My doctor is not big on overprescribing medications but I hadn't gotten a decent nights sleep in a week or two and I was starting to get very frustrated. I felt like I was halfdead all day. The Ambien helps but it doesn't keep me sleeping through the night. It does get me a few good hours which I am thankful for! I take 5mg

Peety, I would say I have been taking the "don't fight it" approach up until this point. I would get up and watch some TV. Now that it's been 3 weeks of the lack of sleep I just physically can't do that any more. Last night I slept maybe 2 hours but laid in bed staring at the wall w/o enough energy to move all night long. In the afternoon I feel like my body is shutting down. I don't always sleep. Sometimes I just lay there and feel like I can't move. It's like all of the sudden around 2 pm my body gets heavy and I have to just lay down and stop. I feel like a robot who's battery has just completely drained or something. Yesterday I was actually in bed staring at the wall for a couple of hours in the morning and the afternoon. It's a really bizarre! Anyhoo, thank you so much for all the responses! I am going to ask for a prescription for something this week!

I have ambien but try not to take it unless I'm desperate. I find that when I take it and am not in bed, I am up doing stuff around the house and don't remember it the next morning. Like I'll eat and not remember eating until I see the bowl the next day and vaguely remember doing it. I've even replied to a few emails and not remembered. Kinda freaks me out. I typically take 2 benedryls and a melatonin and it's just enough to get me to sleep.

Self hypnosis CD... do you have one or more in particular you could recommend? I have been interested in this lately but have never tried it.

A workout and then a hot bath/shower seems to do the trick for me.

I dreaded the day i was told i'd have to go back on prednisone as I knew I could expect all the horrible side effects so I hit the gym and have to say its HONESTLY helped me through the last 5 weeks i've been on the steroids.

It's not foolproof but on the whole the side effects haven't been as bad and I found that going for a workout after work and then a hot shower would really make me tired so I'd fall asleep quite easily. It was broken sleep but the fact that I was getting at least a few hours a night compared to none has been a lifesaver!

It might not hurt to try melatonin as well. Its sleep inducing effect seems to vary alot from person to person but it also seems to have some possible benefit as a therapy for UC and CD (albeit in animal studies it was about 100 times the dose for humans, but at least it shouldn't hurt). I used it from time and time for insominia and use it to help regulate jet lag on international travel.

     My pharmacy said that my insurance company wouldn't cover the Ambien CR anymore, just the regular Ambien.  Bummer, since I liked the CR.  How many mgm are you taking?

Mixed results with the Ambien... (6.25mg) I woke up fully awake after 2.5 hours. I didn't have to be up in the morning so I took another. I am one of those people who is pretty resistant to sedatives so I wasn't worried. Then, I woke up again 2 hours later with leg pain! Took some tylenol, and fell asleep again an hour later, slept 3 hours and bing! WIDE Awake. The leg pain has resolved itself this morning. I plan to get out for a walk today. Has anyone had leg pain taking Ambien? If it happens again tonight I guess I'll ask for a different drug? I guess if you add all that up 7.5 hours of sleep that's better than I've done in like a month so overall that's a positive, just hoping the leg pain thing doesn't mean my body hates Ambien.