nightmare?

[Bedwell]

just reduced from 8.0 to 7.5 yesterday.. reducing half a mg every 3 weeks.. and had a really horrid nightmare last night. Haven’t been dreaming for a while. Has anyone experienced that? Or is it a coincidence?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Some people have told us they have nightmares as they reduce the pred dose at this level - you are bordering on the adrenal insufficiency range and that can lead to nightmares.

[Bedwell in reply to PMRpro]

oh thanks.. comforting! Having an adrenal test next week.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Bedwell]

Why? It is unlikely to show anything other than adrenal insufficiency at this dose of pred - the basal cortisol will be low anyway because of the pred dose signalling to the body you don't need any more steroid and that also suppresses its ability to respond to stress, even the injection of ACTH.

[Uglow]

yes I do.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Further to PMRpro’s comments I did go through a period of weird dreams (not horrid nightmares) - at slightly lower doses.

At the time I didn’t associate it with Adrenals , but it does make sense (it tied in with random fatigue which was the only symptom I had) -but I didn’t put 2 and 2 together then.

It was a year or so after hubby had died so I assumed it was somehow connected to that as they always seemed to be about him.

[Sharitone]

Yes, Bedwell. The lower I go with the pred, currently 2 1/8mg, the more the bad dreams - not nightmares, just miserable, several times a night and they keep waking me up. At this rate, by the time I get to 0mg, I'll be afraid to go to sleep. The only way I can be positive about it is to wonder whether I could sell some of the more hair-raising storylines to horror film producers. If you come up with any ideas on how to ease it, I'll be all ears!

[Twopies]

wow! You have opened my eyes! Just kidding cuz in reality they’re open much of the night in fright. I’ve never had such god awful dreams, one after the other; thought it was something I ate, never thought about the low dose pred (I’m currently at 5). I swear, I could start a horror film franchise.

[Karendeena in reply to Twopies]

Me too

[Bedwell]

thanks as always to your responses . Did wonder if I was really losing my marbles… as I also arranged to meet a friend for lunch today thinking it was Friday!!! Can’t get onto my bank online and am shattered!!

[piglette in reply to Bedwell]

One of those days, I sometimes find that I go into automatic pilot when going somewhere and turn up in the wrong place! My brain is definitely falling to bits recently.

[piglette]

You may find reducing every three weeks a bit much as you get to a lower dosage, perhaps every four weeks may be better. It may be worth asking your doctor.

[Bedwell]

ok

[Broseley]

I posted exactly the same a few weeks ago when I went from 7mg to 6.5mg. Really horrible nightmares. I ended up going back up to 7mg as I started to get worsening hip stiffness and neck pain. The nightmares stopped as did most of the stiffness though still a tiny bit first thing. The rheumatology nurse told me to stay on 7mg for another 4 weeks then go onto 6mg and 7mg on alternate days.

[SanG55]

This is so interesting. I thought my intense, uncomfortable dreams were more work/life related. Feel a bit better about them now, although I still wish I didn’t have them 🤔😊

[Bedwell in reply to SanG55]

amazingly I had a wonderful peaceful night last night! You never know!!!!

[Bridge31]

I’m the same on 5mg but they are more weird than downright scary and they do wake me up several times a night.

[Flivoless]

Since taking Pred I have been dreaming, but not nightmares, or could just be I'm just remembering them. Pre-Pred I never dreamt at all, or didn't remember them?

[Pixix]

Every night…sometimes I wake up shaking…to try & stop them I get up & walk around, but when I fall asleep again it recommences at same spot! Bit like putting tv on hold. My nightmares are vicious, weird, sometimes related to work…all sorts. I can remember them in clear detail most mornings & don’t get any real sleep after about 2 or 3 am. For mine, I think it’s the bad pain I’m in (from other diseases) and my body only enters proper deep sleep at the beginning of night, for a couple of hours, but most of time it’s just light sleep, hence the nightmares.

[Suffererc]

no. I have nightmares since Pred. Very restless sleep too😴

[Suffererc in reply to Suffererc]

to add I am on 2.5 / 2 pred

[Bedwell]

Thankyou . Yes I do

[lkcreedon]

I too have been having horrible nightmares on occasion having done a slow taper from 7.5 to 7mgs

[Knit11]

I have had bad dreams for weeks, waking up feeling very uncomfortable. It didn't occur to me that they were associated with reducing Pred. I am on 6 mg now, reducing 1 mg every month with the help of Methotrexate. The dreams probably started when I reduced from 10 mg.

[Bedwell]

very intermittent! But extremely powerful .. more like waking up in a different environment and not quite knowing where I am. !!

Today.. on second day reducing from 8 to 7.5 .. just driven to John Lewis ( Welwyn).. bit overwhelming.. only about 5 miles.. and eyes bleary ! Need to know my limits.. and that’s one for the moment! !

[Karendeena]

Hi Bedwell I get awful nightmares and wake with heart pounding, sometimes I think it's my afib but I just think it's panic from the

[salparadise127]

I get occasional Vivid Dreams, some pleasant, and the bad ones I wake to repeat to myself: that was just adream, just a dream , just a dream, dream.

[HappyDiamonds]

Yes, I get them too, very vivid not necessarily nightmares but they nearly always include my late husband so Im not complaining. One night last week I dreamt a white smiling snake was about to bite me and I was trying to stop it biting my dogs, my husband saved us. Just goes to show Romance isn't dead 😍

[Bedwell]

oh how lovely! I never dream about my darling Jeremy! Mind you he died 20 years ago….

[artfingers]

I have found if I awake from bad nightmares, I take a Bcomplex and it stops them. I don't know why but it works for me.