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PMR, prednisone and Poor Sleep or Insomnia
Hi
I was diagnosed with PMR Jan 3 and I am on 20mg prednisone. I have terrible insomnia that seems to only be helped by Tylenol PM which I don't want to take everyrnight. Last night I tried tea with Valerian and it worked pretty well. I didn't feel groggy at all in the morning. Now I have read that it might not be good to mix with prednisone. Does anyone have an answer on taking it with prednisone. I will ask my doctor but not sure he will know.
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I'm no doctor but healing the gut is part of the remission process with PMR and many of the autoimmunes. The sleep part of it is difficult. I went through it and just this week when I changed to 7 mg I started waking up at 2 AM again. Prednisone also impacts your melatonin production. You can google that. This also impacts your sleep. The drawback with taking melatonin is they say it can tamper with the effectiveness of the prednisone. I took 1mg of melatonin for the last 3 nights and really improved my sleep. I don't have any pain at night though and have not for a long time. I'm on day 189 of prednisone. I dropped below 20 on Day 31. Have you changed your diet?
No change in diet. Just waking up at 3 or 4 every morning. Lots of awake time all night long, but my FITBIT usually gives me a “Fair” score, so I am sleeping more than I think I am.
I'd look at changing what you put into your body if you have not already done that. Most Rhuems won't touch the subject. They seem to be good at one thing, prescribing medication.
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1 ReactionI may have found a way to lessen my insomnia. I received a “good”” in my Fitbit sleep app and that NEVER happens. So, I take 2 Tylenol P.M. at about 7:45 p.m. and I heat 5 or 6 dried prunes from 7:30-about 9. I go to Ed between 9-9:30 (and set the timer on my tv for one hour with “spa” music playing. I generally fall asleep before the timer turns off the tv. I still wake up in the middle of the night but I can generally fall asleep again. So, maybe this will help someone else with this awful issue. (Prunes, by the way help to produce melatonin). Sweet dreams.
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1 Reactioncorrection on my post: I go to bed between 9-9:30, not go to Ed. 😂
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1 ReactionVery interesting about the prunes and melatonin. I will try it as I have terrible insomnia. Thanks for sharing,
Benadryl in older adults can lead to Dementia. Be aware.
I know this sounds weird, but I can't take my prednisone until right before bed. I experimented with it for about two months before realizing this. I take it about 10pm and am up around 5. (I've always been a morning person.)
If I hadn't had trouble sleeping I wouldn't keep this schedule as I feel best from hours 3-16 so I'm wastin a few in the night. I run or walk in the morning, so it helps that.
Not sure it will help you but may be worth a shot. My doctor was surprised this helped but I've been doing this for 10 months now,
Good luck.
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2 Reactions@cyndiefromnc
I will try this. Prednizone keeps me up all night - but I take it in the morning. My heart thumps so hard, it’s disconcerting. Maybe if I switch to taking at night , I ‘ll be able to sleep.
Reassuring to hear these stories...Rheumatologist not very sympathetic to sleep loss/insomnia, and it's been months. Weirdly Tylenol PM makes me more hyper. I think the side effects from prednisone taken early in the morning kick in quickly (hyper, heart racing etc.), so not sure about trying it at bedtime. I've tried OTC melatonin in the past without any improvement in sleep. Is anyone familiar with Ramelteon? I'm thinking about asking my doctor about it.