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Fatigue & UC: any suggestions?

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Posted 1/4/2015 9:12 PM (GMT 0)
As I am finally tapering the prednisone, I am tired all the time!

I wake up tired. I can only manage to work till around lunchtime.
I've tried pushing through it. I used to be able to wake up by taking the dogs for a walk. Now, I just start walking slower and slower and tripping I'm just so tired. And it's starting to make me cry which makes me feel stupid.

I will take a cat nap after lunch and not wake up till 5 o'clock. Every time I stop moving I fall asleep.

Is it that I'm low in vitamins? From not absorbing properly? Or is it some of these other drugs I'm taking? Is it just that my body needs sleep to heal? Well I wish it would just go ahead and do it!
Posted 1/4/2015 9:38 PM (GMT 0)
I think it's to do with cortisol and the taper/withdrawal of prednisone. People have asked about pred taper here in the past, perhaps you can do a search for past threads. I've never taken pred so no ideas except keep liquid intake high, whenever I am dragging drinking more water makes it better.

Have you talked to your GI about this? Seems like it's not an unusual problem and should have been asked/answered many times. Of course winter short days don't help, naturally a time of slowness and sleep. Maybe you need Vitamin D and/or more sunlight. Have you checked your D lately?
Posted 1/4/2015 9:42 PM (GMT 0)
I had the same issue on Prednisone and was so confused. Everyone said it would make me bounce off of the walls and have insomnia, and I was so excited to have all of this energy - but I just ended up sleeping all the time. I think cortisol is a big part of it, and I also think our bodies go through so much during flares that we just need lots of rest to heal. It won't be like this forever - and if it continues to be this bothersome, you can bring it up to your GI doc. But I bet it will get better. Good luck and hang in there.
Posted 1/4/2015 10:05 PM (GMT 0)
I've got an appointment on Tuesday.

I will actually get to meet my doctor! Wow! Lucky me! I've been going to this practice for over a year now and this will be the first time I actually see my doctor.
Posted 1/4/2015 11:25 PM (GMT 0)
Not Happy, I finished a taper of Prednisone just 3 weeks ago. The last few weeks of the taper, at 10 mg and 5 mg I had terrible sadness, anxiety and mood swings. And plenty of fatigue! Just want you to know it takes between 3-6 weeks to not feel some of the side effects of the Prednisone. At three weeks I'm feeling SO much better, mood and energy are lifting. Fatigue comes with the UC especially during a flare but is worsened by the taper of Pred. Good luck!
Posted 1/4/2015 11:47 PM (GMT 0)
A magnesium supplement might help, did the trick for me years ago after I did my first pred taper. Also Gaia do a supplement for adrenal fatigue that you can buy from Amazon. It takes about 5 days to kick in when you take it but nothing I've tried was better at the job!

Hope you feel better soon.
Posted 1/4/2015 11:58 PM (GMT 0)
do you exercise at all besides walking- like heart pumping exercise? i think moving my body is the only thing that wakes me up in the morning. i just got a rebounder (mini trampoline) and LOVE it. it makes me feel alive instead of like a lifeless zombie.
Posted 1/5/2015 9:01 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks! Good to hear it's normal.
Yes, I do aerobics every day, 20 minutes.
Plus still doing my physical therapy for a broken leg.
Also puppy has just turned one. (I thought since I am home all the time, it's a good time to train a puppy. My husband is unbelievably patient.)

I'm kinda afraid of supplements anymore. I've had some super scary results.
Posted 1/5/2015 1:14 PM (GMT 0)
I bought the gaia adrenal health thinking it would be good for controlling how my body responds to stress and thus helping with my ulcerative colitis.

But after I bought it I was worried that it might be contradicted with ulcerative colitis so I wrote to Gaia though email and they responded as such:

" I would not recommend taking Gaia’s Adrenal Health, if you have ulcerative colitis. The concentrated nature of this product may aggravate your digestive system / ulcerative colitis. There have been reports of gastro intestinal upset and diarrhea related to Adrenal Health, from people with sensitive digestive systems. "

They refunded my money even though I opened the bottle.
Posted 1/5/2015 11:03 PM (GMT 0)
Have you had your iron checked? That's usually why I get exhausted. Low hemoglobin. Pred has the opposite effect on me. I'm on it again and I haven't been able to fall asleep the past few nights. I don't remember being tired because of it the other times I've been on it. Just tired because I was anemic.
Posted 1/7/2015 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
Saw the doctor yesterday. Went over all my labs. I'm not low in any vitamins. My iron is fine. My liver is fine. He says I am finished with the prednisone. He put me on Uceris instead.

He says I am probably so tired because of the whole combination of things. I don't know if I mentioned I had a massive cold sore attack. Just getting them under control. He said sometimes immune suppressants can cause cold sores to go crazy. Then the added stress from the cold sores make the UC go crazy.

He says if you're tired sleep.
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