I am currently on 7mg Prednisolone having reduced gradually from 20mg in March when I was first diagnosed with PMR. Apart from her slight stiffness, mainly in my fingers, when I first get up, I'm fine apart from feeling extremely tired, physically, and shaky. This usually lasts until around 1 - 2pm. when my energy level starts to increase and by about 4pm I feel, what I would call almost normal. In the evening I usually feel great. Does anyone else feel like this ? or can someone please explain why this happens? It has become gradually worse since reducing from 10mg. My GP doesn't seem to have an answer. Obviously I would much prefer to have the fatigue in the evening rather than the morning which is my busiest time.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
yes Fran, i experience the same fatigue until late afternoon, evening, i have been on pred now 3 wks today, started 40,then dr,s had me taper to 20 as of last friday, i am waking soooo early 4-5 am, and usually wake with some pain and discomfort, take my pred bout 7:15 with bkfast, sometimes takes few hrs for pain to subside, and am really tired by then, doing more bloodwork today since on 20 for 5 days, ordered by rheumy, and see her nov 7, so will be discussing all this with her, she has in fact not been able to confirm pmr diagnosis yet, as no baseline bloodwork prior to pred, gp prescribed pred based on my symptons, which was excruciating pain, shoulders, glutes, hamstrings, couldnt dress, brush my hair etc at that time, natch the 40 at beginning took all that pain away within few hrs ! i hope i don,t have to go back to increase, want to be off this stuff as soon as possible, but yes, feel weird, sometimes off balance, soooo tired first half to 2/3 of day, just put it down to only 3-4 hrs sleep each night ?
when do you take pred? I assume it is in the morning and it seems it takes it almost 6 hours before it "cleans" all the waste(cytokines) from the night before. It might be that your dose it a bit low or you may consider taking pred earlier in the morning or even late the night before... This is one of the reason that I split my dose 1/2 late at night and 1/2 in the morning.
well nick, was instructed to take in am with bkfast, so i take around 7:15 am
Sorry, missed the time you take pred on the first read... I would try to take it when you wake up at 4-5AM with some small snack and then sleep again until 7ish or whenever you get up.
ok, i may try that, thanks
I usually take it with breakfast at around 8am. I have taken it earlier on a few occasions - around 6 - 6.30 but doesn't seem to make any difference to the morning fatigue. Perhaps I should try splitting as you suggest but am worried that taking in the evening might disrupt my sleep. What time do you take your evenin g dose?
I take it between 12 and 1:30AM... and 8:30AM
Thank you Nick, I'll try that