no sleep with Pred and feel spaced out !!!!!!!!!

Posted , 8 users are following.

what going on..............started 3 weeks ago 60mg

GSA   temperal         and Polymyalgia               any suggestions xxxx

cry

1 like, 18 replies

18 Replies

  • Posted

    I am afraid it is one of the many side of pred.
  • Posted

    Ye I'm afraid that was me, I started on 80mg. After about 2to 3 hrs sleep that was it awake for night, thank god for internet, but when you come down the dose sleep does return take care

  • Posted

    Prednisone will really interfere with your sleep and more.  Hopefully you are taking it in the morning or taking a split dose in AM & PM.  I was already taking sleep aids when I went onto 60 mg. but I had to increase them.  Maybe your Dr. can prescribe something to help.  As for the other side effects, everyone is different.  I couldn't tolerate 60 mg. at once so split it as previously mentioned.  Tough having PMR and GCA at once.  I had them one at a time.  On the other hand, probably good to get them both over with.  If the worst that is happening to you is that you can't sleep and are spacey, you are handling the 60 mg. well in my opinion.  Hope you find some sleep.

  • Posted

    Check with your doctor before experimenting with splitting dose if you have GCA to make sure it is okay for you.  
  • Posted

    Some people take it super early in the morning ie 5am, and then go back to sleep for a couple of hours. It might be worth trying that and then hopefully by the time you go to bed at night you'll be able to sleep better. Hard enough dealing with GCA & PMR and 60mg pred but lack of sleep aswell! Hopefully you'll be able to find a regime that works for you!

  • Posted

    Boy I've read the other people's comments and will tell you what I experienced at 20 milligrams. My heart rate would raise and I'm talking about over a hundred as a resting heart rate. And I felt just terrible and this was 8 hours after I taking my prednisone. I always take my prednisone first thing in the morning which is anywhere between 5:30 and 7. I did

    Not like being on prednisone 20 milligrams. But once I reduce down to 15 it made all the difference in the world. Do you get to reduce down or will you stay on the 60 milligram for a while? If you are going to stay on the 60 milligram for a while I do recommend you talk to your doctor because it may be something the dr can do to help you with this problem.

  • Posted

    Same here. Right now 3 weeks on 60mg pred. Had little side effects in the beginning, but now feel definetely foggy. (Fell in the company's parking lot. Luckily no one saw it and I fell on the grass.) My symptoms however are much better. No fever, no nightsweats after the two days on 60mg, no vision problems, still occasional light headache (pred related?) and still fatigue, or perhaps I am just in bad shape. I need one more week before lowering to 50mg. 

    I take all 60mg in the morning before breakfast and take 40mg Famotidine (pepcid ac) at night.

    • Posted

      Wow...this is  neither here nor there, but just want to say I'm amazed at all of you if sleep and spaciness is/was your worst symptoms.  When I was on 40mg. I felt like every organ in my body was literally going to explode.  It was such a horrendous feeling.  When I had to go up to 60, I was really afraid I'd die, but they split the dose 30 AM/30 PM and that was much better.  Had the rest of the symptoms but once those initial symptoms disappeared felt much better.  Unfortunately, sleeplessness, night sweats, fatigue...part of the ballgame especially while reducing.   I am off Prednisone currently but having muscular issues so just had cortisol level test to see if I can stay off.   Wish you all well.

    • Posted

      I really believe that PMR/GCA and also prednisone is easier on men, but for sure it is very different for everyone. This may be one of the reasons why the diagnosis is so difficult.
    • Posted

      I am sorry that you had such a strong reaction to the pred you took but I want you to know that the racing heartbeat is not my only symptom. It is simply the one that bothers me the most.

      I get the hot flashes and my vision has changed. And most importantly I have developed some kind of problem which makes my chest feel right and makes me feel like I'm breathing thru a wet sponge. The first time it happened my doctor

      Insisted i go to the ER because he thought I might be having a heart attack. But of course I wasn't and my oxygen level was fine. And while this is happening my pulse just reaching races. So now i don't know why it's happening. But I've got appointments with two different specialists

      To try to get to the bottom of this problem. And it didn't start until I started the pred.

    • Posted

      Sorry amkoffee.  I was referring to Izzie's and koen's symptoms only. You seem to have had a lot of the other nasty side effects such as the racing heart.    MY BP was something like 150 over 110 at one point and was put on BP meds, but when I got low enough on Prednisone, I could go off the BP meds.  Don't think I've experienced what you have but did have some severe sinus issues while on the higher doses.  Whenever some new issue comes up, I automatically look to the Prednisone for causing it just because it does cause so many side effects, some you'd never think of.   Good luck.  Hope you get the breathing under control.

    • Posted

      Hi I'm afraid not been able to sleep was worse side effect for me, oh I had all other side effects like racing heart, tightness in my chest, high blood pressure, but not getting sleep I couldn't cope, I'm down from 80mg to 6mg but having a flare I think, 😳

    • Posted

      I agree not being able to sleep is really terrible, but I've been battling insomnia for years so it was nothing new.  I just upped my sleeping meds.  The feeling every organ in my body was going to burst and there was nothing I could do about it was the worst feeling for me. Congratulations on getting down to 6 mg. from 80.  That's a long hard journey.

    • Posted

      Ye that's what I thought but have thigh pain back , probably about 8 weeks now, can't remember when it came back, but noticed blood levels gone up, not by much, so trying to eat all those anti inflammatory foods, like ginger, turmeric, garlic, weather they help who knows? 😄

    • Posted

      They say food matters on Prednisone but my markers were low with both PMR and GCA which happens with some people even with the disease still active.  We (Dr. & I) really had to go by how I felt, whether I was having headaches, etc.  And I'm not a good eater.  I mean I try to eat healthy foods, but I like carbs and sweets and eat them so guess it's the old, what's good for one is not necessarily good for the other.  I only gained 15 lbs and lost 5 went I went off.  Will probably have to work to get the last 10 lbs off but

    • Posted

      whoops...went before I finished.  Is there not a way to edit or delete on here after something is sent?  Anyway was just saying that's ok if the last 10 lbs don't just fall off...just as long as I can exercise.  Hope the right foods help you though.

    • Posted

      That's my biggest problem. Sweets and especially ice cream. I've just gotten started. I've only been on pred for five weeks. And I've already gained 5 pounds. And I started out terribly over weight. This

      Is so bad. Good luck to you on losing those 10 pounds. If you're able exercise you should be able to work out off.

    • Posted

      That's the "if".  Right now I can't.  Been off Pred. for over a month and feels like I have PMR or bad withdrawal muscle aches but Rheumy didn't think so.  Waiting for results of Adrenal Gland/Cortisol test so I can hopefully start playing pickleball again. Seems like every time you conquer one thing, Prednisone knocks you down again with another.  Oh well...aren't we lucky that we aren't alone.  Some of us are worse off, some of us better, but at least we have support from each other.  If it gives you any hope, my appetite and sweet tooth did lessen when I got on really low doses.  Unfortunately since I've stopped, it's come back again. frown

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