I’m down to 1mg daily of prednisone. Started on 30mg in November 2019.
Since I dropped to this dose from a very slow drop from 1 and a quarter mgs,I’ve started to have trouble sleeping and some nights I’m awake all night.
The nights that I do get to sleep, I wake up with a horrible headache. Once I’m up and take Acetaminophen / Tylenol I’m functional for the day.
Is this happening because I’m on too low a dose or is it something else?
Difficult to say really - it COULD be adrenal insufficiency but you have obviously been reducing very slowly so usually it would be OK.
Have you spoken to the GP? Have you tried anything to improve matters?
I’ve an appointment with my GP on Friday. I’ll ask for blood tests . Not sure which ones though.I’ve decided to cut out dairy products and see if that helps .
I was thinking more in terms of "sleep hygiene" as it is called (google it), or even trying the OTC products that help sleep. Sorry I didn't say more last night but it was mu bedtime, I'm ahead of the UK!
I find taking my magnesium supplement helps, others find taking calcium shortly before bedtime helps them get to sleep - and that includes hot milk, dairy products and supplements. Or something like Nytol - everyone is different, you may have to try a few to find the one that works for you.
Some on the forum find listening to an audio book or tapes of relaxing sounds or the radio send them off to sleep. Not worrying about it is also important - because the worrying keeps you awake.
HeronNS's post about salt is also releveant - because poor adrenal function and salt deficiency are linked.
I am taking 2mg/ 1.5mg pred a day and have been suffering from fatigue, mental lows and insomnia. It sounds like taking a magnesium supp!ement may help. Just confirming that it will be ok to take with pred and which type of magnesium would be best. After a little research it looks like maybe mag glycinate?
I was told to take magnesium citrate. Here is an article about the different types. healthline.com/nutrition/ma...
I was recommended to take it for fibromyalgia, which I also suffer from. I buy a blend of four different compounds in one tablet…contains all four types. I’ve been taking it alongside pred for 2 years (but not as same time). I was taking it before pred so didn’t check if it was ok to take!
It's fine to take with pred - recommended in fact as pred makes you lose more magnesium through the kidneys. Can't help with which, the one I use isn't available in the UK, but some may cause loose stools so don't go mad, just take what they recommend and see if it suits you.
When I was waking up with a headache every morning (at the time on 2.5 mg pred) a passing acquaintance suggested it might be a sodium deficiency. We were at dinner and she suggested I put a little salt on my side plate, then taste a fingertip of salt crystals. If it tasted good, nearly sweet, it meant I needed salt. It tasted delicious to me, and my acquaintance told me to keep on taking tiny bits until it didn't taste good any more. I didn't actually get to that point that evening, but the next evening at supper I tried again, and after a short time it suddenly tasted awful! I did not wake up with a headache after the first evening! Now, several years later, I very seldom do. And I noticed quite quickly that a number of other apparently unrelated symptoms also cleared up. I checked my salt intake at the time and I was probably consuming under 1000 mg a day; I even made an effort to overestimate what I was getting. Had lived low salt all my adult life. But probably got even less when I started pred and eliminated even the small amount of prepared foods, including bread, pasta (the sauce), pizza. I continue to sprinkle a little salt on my food now, and recently my doctor checked my sodium level and it was normal. I wish I knew what it had been back in 2018 when I learned this. If you tend to live low salt, give it a try. There is no need to take a lot of salt, but we all need a bit to maintain health, and possibly, as in my case, a bit more than we get.
I am not on the dizzy lows of 1 mg and agree that perhaps your adrenal function needs to be checked. From past experience I remember feeling brightly awake sometimes and deathly fatigued at others. I was between 5 mgs and 3 mgs for PMR only at this time. I perceived this to be the struggle of my adrenal system to get going. At 3 mgs my Synacthen test showed that my adrenals had normal capabilities.I am now on 7 mgs for GCA/LVV and my sleep pattern has become erratic again with some completely wakeful nights. I decided to try Amitriptyline 10 mgs, taken one hour before bedtime. This helped at the beginning of PMR, 6 years ago. My sleep is much deeper and longer. This might help to get you over this hump, as a temporary solution.
Waking up in the night 
adrenals waking up!!!
My Racing mind upon waking
Sleep!!
Flare or Adrenals waking up
