Prednisone is a type of corticosteroid that is based on the naturally occurring stress hormones in the body. Prednisone is given to children and adolescents to treat many different types of conditions ranging from asthma to rheumatoid arthritis to even certain kinds of cancers. The cancers best treated by prednisone include acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. When you take prednisone, it is taken into the cells in your body and interacts with DNA to produce changes in cellular growth and proliferation which contribute to killing cancer cells. The exact way it does this is still unknown.
Although a very powerful drug for fighting cancer, prednisone also has very powerful side-effects. One of the commonly reported side-effects is insomnia, or inability to fall asleep. It is not a myth! Nobody knows why this specific side-effect happens. It is probably related to the fact that prednisone is very similar to your body's own stress hormones (like those released when your body is surprised or getting ready for action). Of course it makes sense that it would be very hard for your body to sleep when it's stressed and revved up to go!
Daily exercise and avoiding late afternoon naps may help you to sleep at night. If possible, you may consider moving the time that you take your prednisone earlier in the day (check with your doctor first to make sure this is okay!). Also, there are different sleeping medicines that your doctor can prescribe to help you sleep better at night. The most important thing to remember is to continue taking your prednisone (it's helping to fight your cancer!) and to know that the side-effects will go away when you finish your treatment.
