disturbed sleep

[keen_walker]

Hi, since I have had RA my sleep has been interupted. On average I wake up and go to the loo once an hour. Is this normal for RA or for taking methotrexate ?

[Neonkittie17]

My sleep disturbance is my meds. Opiate patch and a biologic with listed side effects as sleep disturbance. Mine is 2-3 wake ups at night so not as frequent as yours but I think often once awake you think about going to the loo! I haven’t found this when I was taking Mtx but we all are different. Tell your rheumy nurse if it doesn’t subside. How long have you been taking Mtx?

[keen_walker in reply to Neonkittie17]

I switched from Sulfasalazine and started Methotrexate 4th May. I agree going to the loo is sometimes just something to do when I wake up.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to keen_walker]

It’s common for a lot of people who wake up in the night to get up for the loo. The more you think of it the more you’ll tell yourself to go! 🤨

[Boxerlady]

I haven't had this due to RA or medication but did have it for hormonal reasons during peri-menopause. Thankfully HRT sorted it out as I was exhausted!I stopped the HRT last year and now wake up a few times a night usually just before a hot flush. I don't need the toilet each time, though, I just throw off the quilt until I cool down and then drop back to sleep easily; I don't feel that it's a real problem as I feel well-rested in the morning unlike before.

If it doesn't resolve quickly, I'd say that it's worth speaking to your rheumy nurse and GP as broken sleep is horrible.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Boxerlady]

I think I’ve got the remains of some of the post meno too but my meno coincided with the start of Rtx and also Fentanyl patches so my doc says they can’t figure out which is causing it the most!

[Boxerlady in reply to Neonkittie17]

It's really tricky isn't it? 🤔The hot flushes definitely coincided with stopping HRT but the GP did comment that she was surprised how quickly they kicked in so maybe RA/medication has something to do with it - who knows?! As I'm coping much better than pre-HRT, I'm happy to see how it goes as I don't really fancy yet another medication atm 🙄😊

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Boxerlady]

I was told not to have HRT by my doc and now it’s 5 years since meno the symptoms have reduced very much. I am always prone to feeling warmer than pre meno, but it’s not horrendous. When night sweats are listed as a side effect I’d my meds then it confused if it was meno or not. I always wake 2 hours after gong to sleep at 11pm then around 3am and 5am.

[Boxerlady in reply to Neonkittie17]

Mine are at certain times too - including during the day - and usually preceded by feeling cold; I put on a layer, start a flush and then have to strip off at least 2 layers! 😂 Thankfully the other horrible symptoms that I had when in peri-menopause haven't returned so I'm just grateful to have had the respite that HRT gave me when things were really bad. 😊

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Boxerlady]

I was 55 five years ago at my late meno (exactly same age as my Mum) and my doc said try hang on as my RA had just got stable after a few years of failed RA meds as she was concerned HRT would disrupt things too much.

[keen_walker in reply to Neonkittie17]

Menopause should not be n issue as I am male and 67. So counting my blessings

[Boxerlady in reply to keen_walker]

Sorry - didn't mean to hijack your thread!

I do think that it would be worth checking with your GP; as you say, it's difficult to tell if you visit the bathroom because you wake up or if it's the other way around. 🤔

It may be a case of eliminating various possibilities and seeing what's left....

[Neonkittie17 in reply to keen_walker]

Oh you are spared that madness then! I hope you get out of this annoying routine and back to normal.

[Thingybob in reply to keen_walker]

I hope you dont mind me mentioning , but have you had a prostate check ? Frequent nightime weeing can be caused an enlarged prostate .Not anything serious but just can come with age . ( dad experienced it )

[keen_walker in reply to Thingybob]

No, T have not had a cheque yet as it seemed to come on with the medication and or RA. I will contact GP or Rheumatics today and ask.

[Slightly_ginger in reply to keen_walker]

Hi Keen_walker

Nocturia is a problem for a lot of men your and younger. I would ask yourself a few questions.

1 Is my urination very weak, stop start stop start, trickling ( this is also tricky as as we get older our urination strength can decrease naturally)

2 is there any blood in my urine

3 do you feel like going to the toilet only not actually urinating when you get there

3 burning or pain when urinating.

4 also how much fluid do you drink before bedtime

Medication like prednisilone can affect your urination.

Might be worth getting a rectal examination by your gp. I get one every year now [I'm 55]. As I have remission kidney cancer I'm always careful. My female gp is very good, like she joke when we talked who would carry out my rectal examination, she offered for a male gp to do it, her fingers are a lot smaller than a man's. Not pleasant but essential, a PSA test is unreliable. A man dies of prostate cancer every 45 minutes in the UK alone.

Better be safe than sorry.

Best wishes xxx

[Lolabridge]

Hello. Waking up once an hour must be really affecting your sleep. Is it only during the night that you need the loo so frequently? If it's during the day too perhaps it's a sign that you have a UTI? Some of the meds we take make us more prone to infections.I suggest you let your patient helpline know in any event and ask for advice.

[keen_walker in reply to Lolabridge]

I have not noticed a problem during the day. I will email the RA nurses and ask if it is anything they recognise.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to keen_walker]

Is your bladder feeling a draught or cold from an open window or if you’re throwing the covers off, maybe? I say this as if the bed/bedroom are slightly chilly then that is the one thing that will make me want to get up and go! Otherwise I’m in from 11pm till 7.30am.

[medway-lady]

More going to the loo at night can be a UTI, so it might be worth asking your GP for a test. Only costs pence and might save you a lot of problems as its not good to guess what's wrong really.

[Lolabridge in reply to medway-lady]

I agree m-l.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Lolabridge]

Yes won’t take long to drop a sample in or do one at the GP loo.

[Rubymurray25]

I couldn't get to the reason why I was getting up 4/5 times a night to wee until someone on the Healthunlocked website suggested I should get checked out for sleep apnea, my doctor said very unlikely as I was normal weight, but once checked I was having 68 episodes an hour and anything over 30 is classified as severe. All good now as treated.

[Sheila_G]

I haven't found that with mxt. You need to speak to your doctor about the number of times you go to the loo in the night.

[Vixen2]

Hi Keen_walker. There are lots of awful things about having RA. But just be greatful you can get up. Full stop. Having to go to the loo every hour is the least annoying thing about this crappy disease!

[keen_walker in reply to Vixen2]

Hi Vixen2, I know many people are worse off than me. Good luck with your condition.

[Song29]

Could it be pain waking you? Mine was until under control. Started Imraldi a couple of months ago and 4 weeks before that had a steroid injection to see me through. I’ve never slept so well for years. I’m also on MTX, but about 2 yrs ago started with severe pain again hence starting Imraldi. Took 18 months before Nurse suggested starting it to Doctor actually approving it and going through the screening. Even though I’m sleeping so much better I’m no more refreshed or have any extra energy but my afternoon naps have stopped so I suppose I’m happy with that.

[keen_walker in reply to Song29]

I was kept awake by pain, but Sulfasalazine stopped that. Sadly the side effects meant I had to switch to methotrexate.

[Wannabeabago]

Talk about it with your GP and see if you can get a referral to a Urogyneacholgist. What I know is that pelvic floor issues can be common in women with RA. Also some meds cqncause urology problems like Sulfasalazine

[CagneysMum]

Hi keen_walker. I was waking up to 7 times a night when first diagnosed too. I was waking because my joints would start to hurt if I lay in one position for too long, particularly my shoulders. As soon as I was awake my bladder would tell me I needed to pee. As the methotrexate began to control things better, my sleep pattern improved and I would wake less. However I can still wake up to 3 times a night and need the loo.

Although I drink plenty of water during the day i make an effort to drink less in the evening, and not at all for the last hour before bed ….it does seem to help. 👍

[Evie3]

Agree with Neonkittie 17. I wake up several times a night needing to move my body to more comfy position…. and a loo visit comes to mind at same time! Assume u dont have a urine problem?

[ATSF]

Yes, both me and my wife suffer from RA, my wife takes Methotrexateand goes to the loo an average of twice, I don't but my sleeping is so bad owing to severe pain I spend about half of every night in a chair.

[Tatiana13]

It seems to be part of RA problems sometime I ignore it but eventually get up a d go to the loo ,keep positive

[Hidden]

This unfortunately is a big yes with RA. I am recovering from a 4 month period of an extreme flare. During this time I had constant interrupted sleep - waking up with severe stiffness and pain throughout my body. Not being able to sleep on my sides and having to place my left knee over a rolled up towel. My biologic is now working and I am back to normal and working to catch up on sleep and exercise. It is finally at last great to be able to sleep through the night! Check for blood glucose increase as this can cause having to frequent the bathroom more often at night too.

[keen_walker]

Thanks I will check for glucose if I can get an appointment from the GP

[Ritaritis]

Good afternoon, think this is a common problem and not necessarily related to the mex, mine can be pain related then I reach for the water and Ibroprofen as for going to the loo, lot's of us need to during the night but iit is annoying particularly if you are still working. My biggest problem with waking up is that my cat Bella, who sleeps on my bed goes mad and if feeling particularly grumpy will hit and/or make a point of walking over me before leaving the room. (She does have baskets around the house).🙀😸

[keen_walker in reply to Ritaritis]

You cant win an argument with a cat

[Happy5]

When I first went on MTX my need to pee was massivley increased.It calmed down after my system got used to it.

In my case night visits to the loo were not helped by painful hips.

Had both replaced now and bladder urgency has reduced.

Most nights a 5 hour sleep period is my best, it varies.

Amusingly my best nights sleep were 2 night in hospital when I had a catheter post surgery

haha

[keen_walker in reply to Happy5]

Hi Happy5, interesting that you had the same issue. I am getting blood and a urine test to check out other possibilities. I never thought of hospital as a good place to sleep before!

[Happy5]

Good you're having tests to eliminate anything else