Prednisolone and Insomnia: What Users Say

• Dom...
• March 21, 2011

For Asthma, acute "This medication is my magic bullet, my asthma has been under control for nearly five years after being introduced to prednisolone. It is fantastic. I only take it between 7-9 AM, as my doctor informed me that it would affect the natural cortisol production and possibly lead to problems sleeping. Love it."

• Anonymous
• July 23, 2009

For Inflammatory Conditions "Prescribed to help with rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. Takes some of the joint swelling down, but only after sleeping (i.e., not doing ANYTHING with my body). Doesn't help with pain management unless taken with an opiate analgesic. So far, only side effects experienced are moderate headache (especially if I don't eat), insomnia (only 4-5 hours sleep instead of 7-8), and excruciating shoulder pain about 5 hours after dose. Ironic, considering I'm trying to stop the joint pain. Still, much better."

• Anonymous
• January 29, 2012

For Inflammatory Conditions "Bronchiolitis: I gave it to my 8-month-old, prescribed by his pediatrician for wheezing cough. It did help, but he will not sleep when he takes it. So I only gave it to him in the morning and for only a few days. I'd say it's worth it."

• DM0...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 5, 2015

For Inflammatory Conditions "ENT prescribed me 1 x 25 mg daily for 10 days to treat tinnitus, in case it was caused by a blocked Eustachian tube. I had a very bad reaction to the steroid. I suffered from severe insomnia, depression, and anxiety. Psychologically, it caused me a lot of pain. I started tapering off the prednisolone after 7 days. My ENT advised to just stop and not taper, which concerned me as I was told to definitely taper, so I tapered on my own by going down from 25 mg -> 12.5 mg -> 6.25 mg. I still suffered from the same psychological issues for 10 days afterwards. Eventually, my GP prescribed me Valium. After taking 1 x 10 mg Valium, I found I returned to a normal psychological state (no anxiety, no depression, and sleeping fine). Tinnitus was not helped."

• Moh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 29, 2021

For Inflammatory Conditions "I have a mucus problem for 20 years. And I am taking prednisolone since 2 months. It is only effective when you are taking it. If you miss the dose, the problem may come back. It may have some serious side effects like: - Erectile dysfunction - Back pain - Pain in the liver in between 1.5-inch diameter - Swelling - Sometimes CNS failure when you are running on sprint and get pain in the thigh - Fatigue very fast - When you start taking it... mood swings and anger - Oily face - Pimples and acne over your forehead - Less sleep, only 5 hrs. After that, you may automatically wake up. Conclusion: - Have a lot of side effects, but it is the only medication I found in 20 years from running from doctor to doctor, which is effective. It has to be taken with diethylcarbamazine, betamethasone, aceclofenac, and paracetamol may give better results. I have a spitting phlegm problem for 20 years, and every 5 min I spit. I got this because I had pneumonia when I was a child. I hope this may help a lot."

• Anonymous
• March 6, 2010

For Asthma, acute "Caused restlessness in my son and had trouble sleeping at night. Be very careful using it."