Steroid cause for Anxiety and Insomnia How long does it last?

[ErinSanJose]

I had a steroid injected at the ER for a reaction to Cipro (arm pain, confusion) and within a couple of days, panic attack, anxiety, when I try to sleep my brain feels like a warm rush of adrenaline is waking me up. I stay up all night. Depression lasted a couple of days and was so scary. My doctor told me that this all sounds like reaction to the steroid an immediately put it in my chart not to ever take again. She prescribed Xanax to me (only .5 which I take one at night) which helps me get about 3 to 4 hours of sleep. I tried not to take the Xanax because I hate meds and scared of addiction but the flip side is no sleep at all. I had to make a choice. I would love to hear of any other solutions to helping with the anxiety side affect and sleep. Anything help anyone? Before all of this I would fall asleep as soon as I hit my bed and sleep 8-9 hours a night and all of this misery because I only had one steriod dose in the ER (which my doc says they didn't need to give me) and want to know when does this anxiety, insomnia go away. My brain falls asleep but wakes up immediately and want to quit the Xanax. I hate this! So sorry for anyone that has to go through this. Erin

[Paxiled]

Corticosteroids do this all the time, but different people are affected differently.  Since they're basically adrenaline, the answer might lie in your adrenals, and there are herbs that might help to bring them back into balance, though hopefully time will do this anyway.  Some include ashwagandha, holy basil, and eleuthero.  This class of herbs is called adaptogens, some are stimulating, some are calming, but all of them balance the adrenals and are used by most athletes.  They are mostly found in Chinese and Indian traditional herbal medicine, but there are adaptogens found all over the world -- for example, American ginseng in the US, rhodiola in South America.  As for the Xanax, try not to overuse it or use it for too long -- it can help you relax, but for sleep it can interfere with REM sleep and long-term use can make insomnia chronic and they are hard to stop taking if you take them for a long period of time.  They also wear off, and their sleep effect is largely an unwanted side effect, as they are intended to reduce seizures and relax anxious people, not to create sleep.  Are you able to meditate or exercise?  That might at least help until you body recovers.

[missbiss137]

Sorry to hear what you are going through. I would definately take the xanax for some relief. At least for the short term. If you are not getting any sleep your anxiety will probably get worse.
I would also suggest making sure you are not having anything stimulating around bedtime like coffee, sugar stuff like that.
Try some chamomile tea, it is very soothing, perhaps lavender oil bath and some breathing and relaxation. There are some great relaxation for sleep on you tube and I know I plug in my headphones and put some on and even if I can't sleep it helps me to relax.