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Ellie
07-20-2014, 01:28 AM
It's well known, and well documented, that prednisone can cause insomnia, but what I can't figure out is how it knows you're horizontal?

Sitting on the couch about 10pm, bit of a yawn fest happening, take some pain killers and some temaze (all of which should cause sleepiness) but lo and behold, within 15 mins of lying down, I'm wide awake and raring to go!

Why prednisone, why would you do that to a girl?!?!

MikeG-2012
07-20-2014, 03:38 AM
It's well known, and well documented, that prednisone can cause insomnia, but what I can't figure out is how it knows you're horizontal?

Sitting on the couch about 10pm, bit of a yawn fest happening, take some pain killers and some temaze (all of which should cause sleepiness) but lo and behold, within 15 mins of lying down, I'm wide awake and raring to go!

Why prednisone, why would you do that to a girl?!?!

A few things that helped me at night.

First, pred is in the bathroom and gets taken the minute I get up--even before I use the bathroom.

Second, melatonin helps a little.

Also, sleep at night only in your bed. Naps are on the couch, spare room, etc. Your body will learn that your main bed is for sleeping. No TV in that room either. A good book always makes me tired, especially if reading under light that is just bright enough to read.

Exhaustion on helps too! (-8. Seriously, earlier in the evening, go do something that gives you a little exercise-- not so much that you are wired from it, just enough to wear you out a LITTLE BIT.

i feel eel your pain, trust me. It doesn't just happen to you girls! (-8

mishb
07-20-2014, 05:02 PM
I'm the same, so so tired and can easily fall asleep in my comfy chair for a nana nap, but once I lay down I can't sleep.

What about going to bed and sleeping on an incline/propped up.
I haven't tried it but I wonder if this would work

MCC
07-21-2014, 10:23 AM
are you taking it first thing in the morning? Don't take it in the evening/afternoon as then your body has not had a bit of time for it to wear off before you try and sleep.At high doses I still found I was going to bed much later though, but it did help.

vdub
07-21-2014, 02:40 PM
I don't fight it. I stay awake whenever and go to bed whenever. But I'm retired, so that is a luxury that isn't available to everyone.

MCC
07-22-2014, 05:57 AM
I don't fight it. I stay awake whenever and go to bed whenever. But I'm retired, so that is a luxury that isn't available to everyone.

Yes actually that is just what I did. At my worst I was going to bed at midnight and getting up at 4am.
But for me, it wasn't a case of even feeling like I needed sleep, I felt quite superhuman and energetic, so it didn't bother me that much!

(I was working full time also.)

PJ2010
08-20-2014, 06:52 AM
Hi.

Ive not been on Prednisolone for 2 years and I still have a very disrupted sleep pattern. To ensure I get enough sleep each night I go to bed at 7pm and I find myself awake somewhere between 11pm to 1am. I then get up and usually have a glass of milk and maybe something to eat, watch TV for a few hours and then return to bed and sleep soundly until morning.

I used to take sleepers and try to force my body to sleep the night. Eventually I learned that behaviour to be counter productive as I struggled through the following day at work.

Ive found just letting my body do its natural thing and adjusting my life to suit, that I'm getting enough sleep to function well through the day.

This is my acquired habit bought on by the meds we have to take. :)

Wegetarian
08-20-2014, 07:23 AM
Pretty much in the same boat... I take 80mg in the mornings, and after that I'm wide awake till the afternoon. I think I've slept around 5 hours per night. I often take some melatonin if I don't feel sleepy, then I sleep for like two hours. Take a snack and if its still long till morning and I don't feel sleepy I'll take some temazepan and maybe sleep another 2-3 hours.

For some reason I don't feel as crazy as I did last year when I was on high pred. I could even read a book and I think I understood what I read, while I had a lot tougher time to focus on anything last time I was taking 80mg. Maybe the 1000mg I took for 3 days at the hospital makes my body think that 80 isn't so bad at all.

BTW, I usally look at the jokes on 9GAG - Why So Serious? (http://9gag.com/) when I can't sleep. A little laughter never hurts :) Although I might end up spending more time there than I intended..

Michael Bell
08-29-2014, 11:47 PM
I work 12 hour shifts, days one week nights the next. Sleeeping in the day is always a problem for me but I seem to be able to cope on 5 hours sleep so concider myself very lucky.
Mike

Jaypfei
08-30-2014, 01:21 AM
I'd use my sleepless nights to craft or read. I actually made an afghan in one week! I still go through one or two days where I feel like I'm wired and the crash on the third day. Yep, it's annoying, but I've learned to just deal with it. I keep a steady supply of melatonin, sleepy time tea and essential oils lavender on hand.
I also take prednisone in the morning and as much as I want to just lounge, I make myself stay busy during the day.

eyeopps
08-30-2014, 12:09 PM
The more time I spend on this site the more I learn. Here I thought I was the only one going through this sleeping issue. I find I can sleep for two to three hours then I am awake for at least an hour. I have to get out of bed as I am too restless and do not want to wake my wife. So down to the TV room to watch TV or read or browse the internet. Then back to sleep for a couple of hours.

I am not back to work yet, so I have the luxury of a short nap when I need it. I also find I do not have the energy I used to have so must pace myself. This might be caused by the inconsistent sleep pattern. With the heart and blood pressure meds along with Weggy meds I am avoiding sleeping aids.

Has any one else had concentration issues? At times I find I cannot read and digest anything complicated. Unfortunately this will be a very serious issue if and when I return to my R&D job!

Wegetarian
08-30-2014, 05:01 PM
Has any one else had concentration issues? At times I find I cannot read and digest anything complicated. Unfortunately this will be a very serious issue if and when I return to my R&D job!

Yeah, the pred does that to you. Last year I think I couldn't really read any books until I was on 40mg/day of pred. This time around I'm not sure if its that I'm used to pred or that they switched me from Prednisolon to Prednison, but I was OK reading now at 60mg. But the lack of focus and concentration is for sure an issue. I also work as an IT-consultant, so the thought of attending say a 6-hour workshop thinking of possible prolems with a huge IT-system seemed impossible. I think at around 20mg I could focus quite well, but my short time memory was still not what it used to be. I think I was at 20mg when I started working, and coped by making lots of small notes for myself so I'd remember those things I just did and what still needed to be done and just documenting a lot more than usual.

At around 10mg I don't think I could spot a difference between not taking pred, but can't really be sure though as its quite hard to assess your own concentration. I wasn't able to completely return to my hobby (which requires intense concentration for hours at a time) but did feel I was getting close and possibly was just rusty as it was a year since I was at my peak anywya. I relapsed when I was trying to go from 5mg -> 2,5 mg so never got a chance to cut out the pred entirely and see if everything would return to normal.

Maybe a bit of a thread-hijack, as this doesn't apply to sleep. Figured it would be good to share anyway, as it was my main worry about returning to work.

P.s. if you have the option to return to work part time then I'd highly recommend it. I was able to work about two months at 60% time, which gave me time to excercise and rest. I had been on sick leave for 7 months and felt I was in a pretty bad shape, so taking it slow when going back to work was great.