My daughter (11yrs, SWCAH) was on Dex for a long time, she gained so much weight and her appetite never decreased.

We switched her to Prednisone in April just before her 11th birthday.  Since then she has grown 1.75 inches, which is a lot for her in such a short time, her appetite has decreased and she craves things like crackers, water or fruit.  Before she would always crave sweets or junk food.  Plus she said that she feels more energetic and she has been going out with friends and riding her bike or scooter or playing sports.

So for us the switch was a good thing.  She has also had trouble falling asleep but about an hour before bedtime we plop in front of the television and just relax and lay down with a blanket and soon she will start to doze and become sleepy.  She still wakes up once a night to go to the bathroom, but she has been doing that for years.

good luck,