Sleepless in Sussex.

Thank you for the suggestion.

I can never understand that people can't sleep when on pred.  When I was on high doses (40+) I slept 14 hours per day.  I thought that was more normal.  Even after all these years I still sleep 9/10 hours per night.  I wake up a couple of times in the night with pain but am able to get to sleep again pretty quickly.

Strange isn't it. But I think you are the unusual one!!!

I slept 12 hours a night with PMR and no pred - not as bad now but I never really want to get up in the morning!

I haven’t the energy to fight it, it’s like my body’s exhausted but my mind’s on high alert. I am already getting a second education from radio 4 via headphones, dallying with Grisham, Word puzzles on speed, theoretical Spring cleaning and the odd trip to the kitchen for a hot drink.

I have Piriton in the drawer, an OTC antihistamine which I used in the summer and can make you sleepy if you take it at the wrong time. If I took that before I went to bed do you think it would be ok with the Prednisolone? What I don’t want to do is start on anything addictive that could mess with my mind.

Glad to hear the effect wears off with time. I could do with this super active, clear incisive mind during the day but somehow I think that will wear off too….

 

I'm impressed, the last time I slept fot 14 hours a day I was a teenager, 🙂 which all goes to show that we are all different.

It's probably worth trying the piriton - they can be taken together.

One lady used to use Nytol - but I can't remember which, it wasn't the usual one though. 

It sounds as if you have got yourself sorted for pastimes at least 

Perhaps that's the answer - I'm a teenager at heart!😀😂

I think Piriton and paracetamol is the way to go for me, I had a blessed 51/2 hours sleep, unfortunately with frquent trips to the loo, but I went to sleep and stayed asleep otherwise. The good thing is that on looking up Piriton it seems to be a very safe unaddictive drug that doesn't seem to clash with anything.

I'm actually feeling quite unwell. I had my fasting blood tests today with results tomorrow afternoon. There was no urine infection so didn't need to start the antibiotics but drinking lots and passing lots, feeling wiped with ringing in the head. I don't know what to put down to what. Would prednisolone induced diabetes, which the doctor suspects, cause any of this, am I loosing salts, not losing enough salts... the sooner I get sorted the better. 

 

Thank you for the suggestion. I am a bit wary of something so strong but I am pleased to know that there are things that work if I need them.

Interesting about splitting the dose. I take the 60 with breakfast like you did so splitting may be a consideration.

I stay away from codeine at all costs.  Very constipating, which then requires additional pills.  Trazadone does not complicate "bathroom" matters. I don't mean to get graphic, but that can be just another ongoing

( or rather 'not going' issue that causes more pain and agony.  Can we ever win?

That hasn't been my experience, but - not wanting to be too graphic either! - I have some other issues in that area which might offset that problem.

I found taking one of my doses of calcium near bedtime, with a small snack, has really helped me sleep.  Mind you I never tried any drug therapies which meant no other dependencies were complicating things.  As a life long intermittent insomniac this discovery was quite a surprise to me.  A suggestion to help you wean off the codeine and tylenol, neither of which are good for you, look into taking valerian for a few nights.  It might help break the cycle and give you better quality of sleep.  Like most of these things it won't work forever, but may help with the transition. Check that valerian doesn't interfere with any other medications you might be on, however.  One should always do that with any herbal treatment.

Are you taking a PPI? Omeprazole or the like?

You sound as if you were more of a duracell bunny than I am. 🙂 I can't really take codeine, once had co-codamol and also co-dydramol and couldn't get on with it. Tonight I am going to try the Piriton and paracetamol and see how it goes.

Just a warning Susan, I was taking codeine to help me sleep and before I knew it I was taking it all day, every day for a year. I was completely addicted and didn't realise. And I didn't know how it happened - it just snuck up on me! I had to go on a 'rehab' program to get off the bloody stuff - and this was only a couple of months ago!

Thank you for sharing that. I have experience - at other times and with other substances - of being both addicted and cocky. Can't afford either now. This is the only thing so far that has allowed me to sleep. Otherwise, I wake up after an hour or two so wired I can't sleep at all. Then have to work the next day. So, I have close people with whom I'm completely transparent about what I'm doing, and have drawn the line at one before bed only. Don't recommend this for anyone else, just sharing my experience so far. I will try calcium at night, though, and see if that helps. Have also had some luck occasionally with Emergen-Z - a powdered melatonin. In general, melatonin doesn't do much for me. Again, thank you.

The problem wth codeine is that you need ever increasing doses to get the same effects - so at some point it won't work as well and you'd need more to get to sleep - and so it goes on.

I have had several addictions in my life, I'll just add this one to the list :-)

I have an ongoing issue with the dispensing of codeine here.  We can get codeine with either aspirin or acetaminophen held behind the counter but no prescription needed.  ( The higher dose ones are prescription only of course) .  I take very little, just when I have a "killer" headache or absolutely have to be headache-free for some event or activity.  Last time I needed to buy some I had to search for a pharmacy which would sell me fewer than 100 tablets.  Finally found one which sold me 50 - used to be able to get 30.  I asked for a bottle with an expiry date far in the future.  Now down to last couple of pills, and the expiry date looms.  The pharmacies selling the bottles of 100 said it was "cheaper" that way, and I'm thinking, not so much if you use the drug sparingly and they expire long before you've run out.  Way to create addicts!

Like ketchup - Heinz make their profits on what is left on the plate.

We can buy it OTC with paracetomol or ibuprofen in two different strengths. It comes in packets of 15 or 30.

The Govt has just started a program to find out how many/how much people are using it. You have to provide your licence to buy it - this is what prompted me to get off the stuff as I suddenly realised how much I was buying when I had to justify my purchase to the chemist each time.