Hyper & sleeplessness

[507Trail]

Hi,

I am down from 20 mg to 4mg of prednisone. I hear a lot of you talking about fatigue, but I am just the opposite- hyper! I will go a night, sometimes two w/o sleeping & have normal energy, sometimes excess energy the following day. Right now, it is almost 3am & I cannot sleep!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi,

“Hyper” as well as sleeplessness is quite common on higher doses, but usually gets better as you reduce the dose, so as you say it’s more unusual at your dose.

This post might help a bit with the sleep, but not too sure about your excess energy….other than to say don’t overdo it, your illness may not appreciate it, others may have more insight -

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

Might also be worth reading related posts.

[507Trail in reply to DorsetLady]

I should have mentioned that I am normally energetic but more so now. Also, my upper arms have begun to have a dull ache and am worried I may be starts flare…

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to 507Trail]

Does sound as if it might be the beginnings of a flare, and you have reduced quickly….maybe add in an extra mg or two for a week or so and see if the upper arms improve. If you nip in in the bud quickly it should do the trick.If it works, then don’t be in any rush to continue reducing….it’s not a race to get off the steroids, it’s about finding the lowest dose that controls symptoms.

[SheffieldJane]

I have nights like this and fewer days ( short lived energy bursts). I put it down to my Adrenals trying to get going in an uneven way. I am often awake at 3 am too - wishing I could feel this energy during the day. Read what FAQs has to say about the adrenal function. think this is quite distinct from the disease symptoms that can also cause the energy slumps and fatigue but not the hyper phases. It’s a nuisance, but possibly a good sign. Keep an eye on those arm pains.

[507Trail in reply to SheffieldJane]

Thank you! It’s good to know I’m not alone! Yes, monitoring the arm pains closely…

[jinasc]

I know that this will sound odd, but I have often thought that as the adrenal glands (in normal times) get cracking around 2am to 3am that your body clock still thinks they are working and sends a signal which the glands cannot recognise and so the axis gets itself in a bit of a knot around that time and you are woken up.

Over 50 years ago I had a major op and for quite a while after could just collapse without warning. The 'trio' were still sending signals to the missing bits and got in a tangle so shut down for a while. The Consultant worked it out and I was given some tablets for quite a while.

I must add I am not a medical person in any shape of form and can be quite thick at times.

[SheffieldJane in reply to jinasc]

That makes perfect sense to me Jinasc.

[jinasc in reply to SheffieldJane]

Thank you 🙏

[TheMoaningViolet]

It may be worth mentioning this to your doctor and asking for a thyroid check.