Advice on sleeping

Now that I am done my antibiotics for the e. coli infection I had, things seem to be getting better. Barely any blood during the daytime and even some semi solid stool.

Things aren't perfect though. I'm on 40mg of pred, and without loperamide the frequency would be too much to handle. My bowel still needs to heal.

My BIGGEST problem right now is sleep. During the day I can control my BMs with loperamide but at night time nothing, and I mean nothing, stops the D. As soon as I fall asleep the cramping starts and then I'm making 6-8 bathroom runs.

By morning my bowels are empty and I'm exhausted. Then I take prednisone and I'm awake all day. I'm averaging about 3-4 hours of sleep per night right now. I NEED SLEEP. What can I do?

Someone suggested intermittent fasting but because of pred I have to eat. Loperamide also doesn't seem to work overnight for some reason, it's like my body gets too relaxed.

Please help. The lack of sleep is destroying me.

Before anyone asks, no I'm not on any maintenance or rectal meds. I can't afford them. Also they don't work anyway.

cannabis maybe ?

TT

UCinsouthfl said...
Hi,

Sorry your suffering with no sleep right now. I too have the same problem. When I first started my UC journey I hated to take any medicine, now I'm like a walking pharmaceutical....

With that being said, there are a couple sleep medications that help me when I'm flaring and can't sleep. The can be habit forming though... I alternate between Restoril some nights and then Lunesta. Both work fairly well and I'm sometimes able to get a little more sleep.

I thought about taking sleeping pills but I'm worried that I won't wake up to have a BM and I'll end up pooing in the bed.