Lack of sleep and bleeding under skin: My covid... - PMRGCAuk

PMRGCAuk

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Lack of sleep and bleeding under skin

tallgal profile image
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My covid jab seems to have provoked my body. I had PMR 9 years ago and was on pred for 2 years and had geat difficulty getting off it. This return of PMR symptoms happened a couple of weeks after my jab (first one ). I had bad headaches for 4 days too. The doc has put me on a low dose of pred - 30 mg for 10 days to see if it settles things down before embarking on a full dose of pred. as my inflammatory markers were only slighlty raised. I took the first dose yesterday early with breakfast as I had trouble sleeping last time but I still got no sleep at all last night and I'd done some meditation at bed time too. This morning I was horrified to see all the bleeds under the skin on my chest. I've had them every few weeks since the steroids 9 years ago and am told steroids weeken the veins. I am worried that these bleeds might happen say in my brain? as my mother had a stroke caused by a bleed. Can anyone reassure me and is there anything else I can do about the sleep problem?

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tallgal
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PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador

"The doc has put me on a low dose of pred - 30 mg for 10 days to see if it settles things down before embarking on a full dose of pred."

That is a SHORT course of pred - but it isn't a low dose. the recommended starting dose for PMR is the lowest effective dose in the range 12.5-25mg. 30mg MAY be used exceptionally - but it is a nothing dose really, too high for PMR and too low for GCA. 15-20mg is much more usual for suspected PMR - apart from anything else. using 30mg can induce a result insomething that isn't PMR and is misleading.

The bleeds are capillaries (rather than veins) because they become fragile - though it is unusual to happen so fast. It is inflammation that often leads to bleeds or clots elsewhere in the body and pred is a powerful antiinflammatory. There are a lot of things to worry about that are more pertinent than whether you will have a haemorrhagic stroke due to pred - but I think you need to speak to your doctor about being so worried.

tallgal profile image
tallgal in reply to PMRpro

I'm sorry I think I got that wrong but I am so tired. I checked what I took and it was 3 tablets which of course is 3 x 5 which is 15mg. So about the bleeds do you mean pred should help to stop bleeds else where in the body but not in the capillaries. I don't understand that and why do the capillaries become fragile? I've spoken to doctors many times, different doctors and shown them the bleeds and they always say it's nothing to worry about which isn't very helpful.

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador in reply to tallgal

It isn't really anything to worry about - it isn't the capillaries per se, the pred reduces the structure of the collagen in the skin and takes away the support around the capillaries which are very delicate anyway and become more fragile as we age. Some of us develop purpurae/petechiae anyway if we pinch skin too hard squeezing a pimple. others don;t develop them on pred.

That's OK, a far better trial dose for PMR - and some people are affected worse than others when it comes to sleeping. All you can do it try to sleep when you can and if it is too bad some people find OTC sleep aids can be used to break the pattern. I can't really help as it doesn't stop me sleeping - I wake in the night at times, mostly I go back to sleep, sometimes I don't, but I don't let it worry me. I'm sure others will tell you what they do.

tallgal profile image
tallgal in reply to PMRpro

Thanks for that

SnazzyD profile image
SnazzyD

Hello, if it’s any consolation, before I started Pred my small arteries were very weak and I kept getting little bleeds in my fingers. Inflamed blood vessels are also fragile, so Pred will help that and the risk from that, of stroke. When I couldn’t sleep due to Pred I existed on lots of naps which was better than getting stressed out from thinking about not getting a solid 6-8 hours.

tallgal profile image
tallgal in reply to SnazzyD

Thanks SnazzyD If I nap in the day time I definitely dont sleep at night so I avoid doing that even though it's difficult.

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