Diagnosed with Rheumatoid Athritis

[pantelis]

Taking 6 mg Prednisone oral tablet I a having a sleeping disorder could be related to the medication?

[HeronNS]

Pred can upset sleep patterns, especially at the beginning at higher doses. Just practice all the things which contribute to good sleep: careful what you eat or drink in the latter half of the day, avoid screen time for at least an hour before you plan to go to bed, have a warm bath if that's possible (it actually draws heat out of your core to your extremities and that helps you get sleepy), read a pleasant but not gripping book, and most of all don't stress about whether you're falling asleep quickly or not. In my insomniac days I would sometimes lie in bed at night and think about something I was grateful for which had happened that day. Or name all 50 United States in alphabetical order, backwards when forwards got too easy. That sort of thing. Since starting to take a calcium dose with a small snack, usually milk or plain yoghurt, about half an hour before bedtime I don't seem to have any trouble getting to sleep. 😴

[PMRpro Ambassador]

A dose as low as 6mg shouldn't disturb sleep too much - even 15mg didn't greatly bother me, but everyone is different. Some people do struggle even at low doses.

This isn't a rheumatoid arthritis forum - are you on any other medication? Other drugs can upset sleep as well and so can pain due to RA.

[HeronNS in reply to PMRpro]

I found, generally speaking, I slept a lot better after starting pred because I didn't keep waking up from pain whenever I tried to move!

[pantelis]

Other medications I take

Simvatatin 40MG, lisinopril 2.5 MG, Warfarin 2.5-5mg ,Tamsulosin .4mg, omeprazole 20MG

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to pantelis]

The Tamsulosin can sometimes lead to chronic insomnia and it is listed as a side effect. In combination with other medications it is possible it becomes more common (I don't know though) so it may be worth speaking to your doctor about the best way to deal with the problem.