50mg prednisone cause night twitching/spasms?

[Crohnadian]

I used to be on 20mg, then 30mg, and then soon followed by 60mg IV and what is currently 50mg to be weaned to 45mg [wiki]steroids[/wiki] of [wiki]prednisone[/wiki] today. Since I am on the 20mg however, I have been waking up a good 60% of nights where my muscles or nerves are twitching and/or spasming which makes my arms flail to some extent and my legs kick a bit. The doctors don't think much of it and pass it off as a side effect of the steroids but I was wondering if anybody else has experienced this? It's to the point where I often can't fall back asleep at 2am-3am and spend the entire morning awake. For example, that's the case right now actually, it's 4am..

 

[Crohnadian]

Oh and I forgot to mention I've ben on prednisone for about 2 years now up and down, I have trouble below 20mg, so my guess is my body is both tolerant and addicted to it, also because the only time the twitching/spasms ceased were for the week I was in the hospital, which was also the same week my dose was upped from 30mg to 60mg literally overnight. Almost as if my body fed in to it's craving? What do you think?

 

[Crohn's 35]

Wow that is alot of pred!!! Alot long term too! Ouch. I hope you are taking good amounts of [wiki]Calcium[/wiki] and [wiki]Vitamin D3[/wiki]. Also taking [wiki]Magnesium Citrate[/wiki] (most absorbable) helps the twitching and muscle cramps. I found tonic water (has Quinine in it) with cranberry juice helps too. Have you not ever tried Humira or [wiki]Remicade[/wiki] yet? :hang:

 

[Crohnadian]

Thanks. Yeah it sucks long term. I feel it every day affecting my bones and muscles and psychological being, but like you said hang in there. I take Calcium and D3 and [wiki]Fosomax[/wiki] (osteopenia). I have tried Remicade and Humira as well. In fact I was one of the first people my age with CD to be on both of them in Canada, and needed special approval for both from the government, but I was anaphylactic to Remicade, and Humira wound me up in emergency in dire pain with a cough and fever of 105 (I was totally hallucinating at that point). My options are pretty scarce. We were looking at [wiki]helminthic therapy[/wiki] but at this point I may only be able to do it post-op in addition to everything else.