No, prednisone does not typically cause sleepiness as a direct side effect. Instead, a very common side effect is insomnia (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep).
Last updated on Dec 5, 2025. Prednisone does not usually cause sleepiness but it might make you feel dizzy, irritable with mood swings, or cause you to have trouble sleeping (insomnia). If your dose is stopped too quickly or if you take prednisone for a long period of time you may feel severely fatigued (tired).
Increased Efficacy: Studies have shown that patients receiving doxycycline prednisone combinations reported faster recovery times. Reduced Side Effects: The combination has been linked to a decrease in the side effects commonly associated with high doses of prednisone alone.
Common side effects
It is used for many health problems like allergy signs, asthma, adrenal gland problems, blood problems, skin rashes, or swelling problems. This is not a list of all health problems that this drug may be used for. Talk with the doctor.
Avoid regular soda, fruit drinks and other sugary drinks. Even 100% juice has a lot of sugar and should be avoided. These drinks cause blood sugars to increase very quickly. Eat whole grain and high fiber foods.
If your child takes this medicine only once a day or once every other day, give it in the morning with breakfast.
If you take oral corticosteroids for a long time, your adrenal glands may produce less of their natural steroid hormones. To give your adrenal glands time to recover this function, your provider may reduce your dose gradually.
What may interact with this medication?
Prednisone looks like a stress hormone (cortisol) to the brain. Because of this, prednisone can act directly on the brain to stimulate appetite. Prednisone can also sometimes cause nausea and indigestion. These symptoms often resolve with eating, prompting people to eat more than usual.
Examples include prednisone (Rayos) and hydrocortisone (Cortef). But taking oral corticosteroids is associated with vitamin D deficiency. And this can increase your risk of osteoporosis. Because of this, experts recommend taking calcium and vitamin D supplements if you take oral corticosteroids for the long term.
When you're sick, your doctor may prescribe both an oral steroid and an antibiotic. This is meant to speed up your healing. “The steroid lessens the swelling and inflammation from an infection—for example, swelling in the sinus area in the case of a sinus infection—so the healing will be faster,” says Aaeedy.
Steroids can irritate the stomach lining. We recommend you take medication, such as omeprazole, before taking your steroids. This medication belongs to a group of drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPI) designed to reduce the amount of stomach acid produced and limit the irritation of the stomach lining.
If this is the case with you, talk to your doctor about taking your entire dose of prednisone in the morning. This may help prevent sleep deprivation. With a morning dose, any alertness that prednisone causes should dissipate by the time you're ready to go to bed and make it easier for you to fall asleep.
Steroids Withdrawal
Withdrawal symptoms can last for months. While acute symptoms like fatigue and depression may ease in 1–2 weeks, full hormonal balance can take 3–6 months. Some men experience lingering effects for up to a year (PAWS).
7 ways to cope with prednisone-induced anxiety
Stay hydrated: Drinking lots of water and fluids helps support your kidneys as they flush out prednisone. Exercise: Physical activity helps support your metabolism and blood circulation. This helps your body process and eliminate drugs efficiently.
Both medications taken together can cause serious gastric complications in some patients. If after taking you develop any unusual bleeding or stomach pain, dizziness or tarry stools tell your doctor immediately.
Using too much of this medicine or using it for a long time may increase your risk of having adrenal gland problems. Talk to your doctor right away if you have blurred vision, dizziness or fainting, a fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat, increased thirst or urination, irritability, or unusual tiredness or weakness.
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
NSAIDs are your first-line defense when looking for prednisone alternatives. These medications work by blocking certain enzymes that cause pain and swelling. Common OTC NSAIDs include: Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) – Great for general inflammation and pain.
How long to take it for. This depends on your health problem or condition. You may only need a short course of prednisolone for up to 1 week. You may need to take it for longer, even for many years or the rest of your life.
However, while they can be extremely effective they may cause a number of side effects, one of which is restricting your vision. In fact, steroids have been linked to causing or aggravating serious eye problems such as glaucoma and cataracts.
Timing: Take your prednisone tablets with food and with a full glass of water. It's usually taken once a day, straight after breakfast. It's best not to take your dose too close to bedtime because it may keep you awake. Missed dose: If you forget to take your dose, take it as soon as you remember.
Prednisone is a prodrug to prednisolone, which mediates its glucocorticoid effects. [13] Prednisone is a synthetic glucocorticoid with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating properties. Absorption: Prednisone is rapidly absorbed and metabolized to its active metabolite, prednisolone.
And you might have heard that corticosteroids — or steroids, for short — can make a cough quickly disappear. But, unless your cough is related to asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or side effects from a respiratory illness, steroids are unlikely to help. Plus, they can do more harm than good.