melatonin

[Brooklynbridge]

Having a hard time sleeping. I’m on 7 mg. Prednisone and on Actemra . Would it be ok for me to take melatonin??

Thanks for your replies.

Shoshana

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Now you have asked, you can see related posts, but general advice is not to take melatonin…it can cause some medications to lose their effectiveness, Pred being one of them -

mountsinai.org/health-libra....

Maybe have a look at this link for other advice on sleep -

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

[suzy1959]

I have raging insomnia and do take Melatonin . I had to experiment with the dosage and find either 2mg or 3mg works best for me. The effect wears off after a while too so I then use Zolpidem for a week or so until that also wears off. I wish I didn’t have to but I have tried all the non medical options s.

I asked my Rheumatologist about taking it because the label says not to take it if you have an AI condition as they haven’t tested that. He was happy for me to take it.

I have just had one of my sleepless nights, despite the medication which happens now and then and I feel wretched as usual. No miracle cures, sadly.

[piglette]

I have started to love the BBC World Service along with various podcasts.

[HeronNS]

What have you tried so far? I used to be an intermittent insomniac, so quite accepting of not being able to sleep. In fact I found the PMR forums one sleepless night.

However after I started to take one of my calcium doses with a small snack (usually a bit of yogurt or kefir) about half an hour before bedtime I discovered that I was falling asleep much more readily and, more to the point, staying asleep! Don't know if this might work for you, no harm in trying! Some have found a similar effect from a dose of magnesium near bedtime. I do recommend that if you are taking a calcium or magnesium supplement it be one of the kinds which is more easily tolerated, like calcium citrate or magnesium glycinate/bisglycinate.

A mental trick which sometimes works is to decide to stay awake. I do not know why this works but several times I've tried this and surprisingly I fall asleep!

And of course the usual sleep things: Exercise, but not right before bed. Exposure to bright outdoor light early in the day. Limit caffeine and alcohol. No screen time late in the evening. Perhaps a warm bath. Dark room. Use of a sound machine if you're bothered by noise in the neighbourhood.

[luv2read]

Back in 2018 when I was diagnosed with GCA and put on prednisone, I literally could not sleep. Whenever I did fall asleep, I would wake up several times a night. After about 6 months, my primary care physician was concerned (I was too), she put me on a very low dose of alprazolam. I take one pill a night and sleep like a baby. It really doesn’t put me to sleep, but once I fall asleep, it keeps me there. It has been a lifesaver. I started out at 65 mg of pred. I am now down to four mgs. I am also on Actemra. My labs have been good, my rheumatologist knows I am taking this medication and is fine with it. Before alprazolam, I was miserable. I’m aware that a lot of people do not want to take another additional medication, especially a drug like alprazolam so I am leery of recommending it. I’m just sharing what worked/works for me.