sleep

[enen]

At what level of Pred did you have to reach before your sleep pattern return to normal? By normal that you were getting enough sleep to function throughout the day .

[Fran2young]

hi, for me it was when I got down to 10mg but I think it dies vary from person to person as we all react to drugs in a different way. Hope this helps 😊

[lesley2015]

Hi - below 20 mine improved - as in I stayed in bed without laying all night. I am now down to 12.5 much better but still disturbed. However - fatigue still plagues me all day - I never feel 'wide awake' but probably that is a mix of the reduction in preds and the condition itself. I understand your frustration !

[Celtic PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Elstep, as Fran has said, that will vary for everyone. Meanwhile, you will need to catnap during the day (work permitting!) as much as possible and for as long as you need until your nights improve. Also, if you drink coffee or hot chocolate, avoiding that after midday can help. I used to find an evening walk helped too.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi,

As others have said -it varies. I think it depends on how long your body takes to get used to the drug, I started at 80mg, and the sleepless nights started after about 2 weeks, but fortunately for me only lasted about 3, maybe 4 months - during the summer - and then went even though I was still on doses higher than most people start on.

The fatigue during the day can continue however well you sleep at night, that's all part and parcel of both the PMR and the Pred unfortunately.

[suzy1959]

I had real trouble sleeping right from the outset. My second Rheumy put me on Amitriptyline to help both the amount of sleep and the quality of it. This was after about a year of very little and interrupted sleep. I am still on this drug and if I forget to take it, I don't sleep well- (over 3.5 years on Pred. so far.) It also seems to help with some of my pain too. I don't like the side effects- mostly dry mouth- but still seem to need it.

[HeronNS]

I slept better from the beginning as I was no longer in so much pain I woke up every time I moved.