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Timing of taking prednisone

Posted by pst @pst, Feb 12, 2023

Some of the side effects I have from prednisone include shakiness, blurred vision, inability to stand for long periods and general lack of coordination. I’m a painter so this isn’t helpful.
I noticed by day’s end those conditions improved. I started taking the prescription before bed. Early days, but it seems to work. Has anyone else tried this AND is there any reason one shouldn’t?
Thanks.

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bonandrods | @bonandrods | Nov 8, 2025
In reply to @janetilley "@bonandrods yes I usually kept a little yogurt to eat with Pred. I’d be interested in..." + (show)
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@bonandrods
yes I usually kept a little yogurt to eat with Pred. I’d be interested in knowing what specific PMR vitamins you take. I take a bunch but they weren’t recommended specifically for PMR. Calcium and Alendronate of course , but despite that I’ve ended up with osteoporosis. Damn.

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@janetilley I take the vitamins sold as Nutranize. I get them
On Amazon, although you can go to their website. These were developed by the Prednisone Pharmacist and she put in every vitamin prednisone is stealing from you. I recommend listening to her on YouTube because she’s a wealth of info.

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jaycee11038 | @jaycee11038 | May 10 8:15am
In reply to @pkalkstein "On a different tack, I am wondering about the timing of prednisone for minimizing morning pain..." + (show)
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On a different tack, I am wondering about the timing of prednisone for minimizing morning pain and stiffness. I am thinking of splitting my dose in a different way: taking part at 2 AM (if, as I often do, I wake up then) and part after breakfast.
A post I found on a British forum explains why I might want to try this:

"A study found that the optimum time to take prednisone for minimal morning symptoms is 2am, Prednisone is absorbed in about an hour and then processed by the liver to make prednisolone which also takes about an hour, getting the level in the blood to its peak by about 4am which is when the inflammatory substances are shed in the body. By having the antiinflammatory effect present in advance, the inflammation never gets a hold and there are fewer morning symptoms. In the case of prednisolone, you can take it about an hour later as it doesn't need the time to be processed by the liver but is active as soon as it is absorbed.

The trigger for return of adrenal function is a low level at midnight or thereabouts. By taking the pred at 2-3am you allow the maximum possible time for the pred to be washed out of the body by midnight. (It takes 5.5 half lives to get there and that is up to 22 hours)."

Source: https://healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk/posts/149131000/purpose-of-taking-prednisone-at-2-am

I have looked for the study alluded to but haven't found it. Has anyone tried this?

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@pkalkstein hi, I’m taking my 10mg dose of prednisone at 10:30am & 10:30pm. I do wake up stiff & uncomfortable but manageable. Did taking it at 2:00am work for you? And, at what time of day did you take the next dose? Would really appreciate your thoughts.

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