Last night I must have had been having a horrible dream but I have no recollection of it at all! My fiancée called me this morning to make sure I was alright and I was like yeah I think so why? And this is what he told me:
“You were shaking and mumbling in your sleep then started to really toss and turn, when I went to rub your head your flinched hard and backhanded me that curled up in the corner of the bed and shook even harder. Then I went to rub your back and you flung straight up and was breathing really hard and just started to sob. You curled up next to me and had a death grip around my waist crying and saying ‘don’t let me go ….I’m so scared’ when I asked you of what you just mumbled again and just fell back into sleep but had that grip on me the rest of the night.”

The part that scares me the most out of all of this is that I have no idea this even took place. I don’t even remember dreaming this. On 1/13/08 I was taken off Zoloft and Trazodone, also on this day I began taking Klonopin, then on the 1/14/08 I began taking Effexor XR.

Please has anyone experienced this or no anything about it??? I’m afraid of what I might do next….. :(

I do the same thing but I have always had very vivd dreams my whole life. They are sometimes as bad as you describe here but usually involve me having a bad day mixed with taking xanax or klopin in a higher dose before bed. my husband just rubs my belly and that usually calms me right down. He used to try and stop me and wake me up but I would hit him, lol so rubbing my belly is easier!

Do you think that Klonopin could be contributing to it? How long have you been on it?

Ah. Solution in sight. SSRIs. Dreadful things, supposed to be the next generation of anti-anxiety pills, but they only work in about 50% 0f users and the other 50 (like me) get a million times worse. The had me on citalopram, and I lasted less than a week - I was experiencing night panics, constant 24/7 anxiety and at LEAST one fully-blown panic attack per day for the six days I stuck the stuff. They can be really nasty drugs yet some folks find them just the job. I am afraid I'm one of the ones that get caught by them ina horrible grip of thanatophobia. Klonopin if you are American - Rivotril (clonazepam) to the rest of the world - is a really good drug for night panics, should help considerably because of its length of action. It isn't a hypnotic so doesn't put you bang to sleep, in fact it produces less sedation than most benzos, but if you need a sleeper then I like flunitrazepam. It is very long-acting for a hypnotic and you don't need a morning anxiolytic. There are one or two countries where it is not a Sched IV or III (just got upgraded to III here) but higher, so very difficult to get scripted, but if you CAN, then it's one of the best for night panics and bad insomnia. My favourite, rotated with Flormidal (midazolam) to lessen the likelihood of dependence/tolerance. But if you're taking SSRIs then they are most likely the cause. I have heard some very nasty stories and feltsix very nasty days of them.
Gaucho

Do you think that Klonopin could be contributing to it? How long have you been on it?


If you have no tolerance to benzos (kolopin) then yes I totally think it could be part of the reason you were A. in such a deep sleep and B. dont remember anything. Benzos especially xanax in higher doses with someone that has a low tolerance can cause black out moments. I have taken large doses of xanax during a major attack and wake up the next day not remembering going to bed and I have also have weird crazy dreams that I dont remember but my husband says hey you were talking in your sleep last night or hey you wigged out last night I had to rub you and hold you till you fell alsleep. Its not something that happens often but if it does its scary. I know the feeling. Scary when you do things and dont remember them at all.

If I were you taking the klopin at night like I do I am assuming ( I take my 5mg lexapro and .5 mg of klonopin at night before bed) I would take it earlier then you do now. I used to take mine at 10pm but now I take it between 7-9 so that its in my system for a while and I am not just taking it and then passing out causing it to knock me out. We have similar issues and thats been helping me.

Yes I do take it befor I go to bed. I will try to take it sooner. I take the Klonopin and Effexor XR in the morning. Will the night terrors be less often the longer I'm on it?

I was having panic attacks in the night for as long as 8 years. I was on alprozolam at first. But another doctor gave imiprimine and diazepam. Untill recently I was on .5mg of Fluenxol and 5mg of Diazepam. Now recently I am given Seroxat 12.mg (SSRI) at night and 2mg Diazepam morning and noon. I feel comfortable and sleep is ok. I dont see any side effects and everything seems good. Earlier I wake up in the night experiencing a dark presense overpowering on me. I struggle to breath and try to say some prayer. Since I began to take the recent medication I haven't experienced it yet.

I've only had one so far, the problem is if I'm having more of them I really have no idea. I've been taking the Klonopin three times a day for about a week now because I jus can't seem to stay calm. I'm not sure how my sleep had been but I guess we'll see how things get. Has your sleep habits gottan better?

yes. My sleep is back to normal. No interuption. I feel everything is fine. I only wish I dont have to increase the dosage to maintain this state. I will see the psychological doctor on Tuesday and ask him to see if he can reduce the medication so that I wouldnt depend on them.
Have you seen a specialist recently?

Yes I do see a specialist one a month and I see a counselor twice a month. My only problem is when I take the Klonopin at bedtime, but in the morning I feel like I have the worst hang over of my life, but I haven't drank since I started taking my medicine. Have you ever had this happen with your medicine?

hi Jenna,

One doc gave me clonazepam too. But that time I was taking fluenxol and diazepam he said to get rid of fluenxol first and then diazepam, and after that only take the clonazepam. I managed to taper off fluenxol but i couldnt stop diazepam. The closest I could go was 2mg a night.

When I went to see the doc he no longer work in that hospital, so I saw another doc who suggested to take Seroxat 12.5mg every night and 2mg diazepam morning and noon.
He gave Ativan to keep on hand in case I get panic. Luckily I didn't have to use them because the panic and the night time disturbances vanished. It is only 2 weeks now, so dont know for sure how this medication will work in the long run. I will see the doc again on Tuesday and let you know what he says.
From what I read Clonazepam is stronger than Diazepam and also new. I dont know why you get this much anxiety when taking 3 times. My doc gave 0.5mg morning and night. I still have them not used.
Are you doing any muscle relaxations? I do it 3 or 4 times every day.

Hi Phantom,
I'm happy for you that those meds. are helping I have been considering talking to my doctor and seeing about getting a possible sleeping aid to take at night. The Klonopin helps with the attacks but I notice it's hard to stay a sleep. Do you know if it's alright to take sleeping pills with anxiety pills?

Jenna,

Mixing pills are not good idea. The best thing is try minimize the tabs you take so that your brain will know what is going on.

Try and see if <YOU>can reduce the tabs. Not suddenly, but very slowly. Sometimes delaying the time you take. Increase the relaxations. You can search relaxation teqniques on the net or the councellor will teach you. At first you may not relax fully. But dont worry. Just keep going. Even a small success is a good thing.

If you want to get accurate combination of sleeping tabs and panic tabs, ask a psychiatrist or a psychological doctor. The general docs give wrong combinations and over medication. You will find it hard to come off it later.

If you can combine a hobby, relaxation and exercise I am sure it will help reduce the tabs and you can sleep well. My biggest problem is I live alone and sleep alone. The nights are nightmares for me.
Now with my new combination of tabs and spending time with the laptop chatting online helps me a lot.

Hope to hear your progress.

Hi Jenna,
How are you doing now? I saw my doc today. He gave same medication for another 2 weeks. He will suggest a milder dosage later on.
I hope you are improving and practicing relaxations.
Want to hear your progress.

Hi Phantom,
I've seen my doctor and they want me to see another psychologist and stay on the medication for the next month just to see. As far as I know I haven't had any night terrors. At least my fiancée hasn't mentioned anything; the only thing is he flinches every time I get up at night to use the bathroom or something. Only the big problem now is that I just can't sleep. I just lay there. The whole thing is getting frustrating. I am so tired and yet I still can't sleep at night.

How are you doing? Better I hope??

Hi Jenna,
I have started cutting down my diazepam. Slowly piece by piece i will cut every day and see the effect. I haven't told the doc yet. will see the effects. I feel I shouldnt take more than I need.

Are you still on clonozepam? what dosage and how often?
I didnt know why your fiance' gets disturbed when <YOU> get up. You see another doc about the sleeping problem. My suggestion is not take any tablets unless the psychologist prescribes. When are you going to see him?

Hi Phantom,
I have an appointment to see him on the 1st of Feb. and I'm going to see my regular doc. on Friday about my sleeping. I'm on Klonopin .5mg and Effexor 37.5mg. I guess my the thing is my fiancee is getting worried about is I have began to sleep walk again, when I do finally sleep. Because we talked about that one last night. I get why he's worried I mean it wouldn't be that great if I walked out the front door or something.

Is everything going better for you?

Hi Jenna,

I am doing quite alright. I am reducing the diazepam. This morning I took only 1mg. Normally I have to take 2mg in the morning and 2 at noon.

I hope I will manage. Will see the effects of reducing the tabs. You didn't say you do any relaxations. I think it is helping me replacing the medications.

I didnt know anyone sleep walking, so have no experience. Good thing there is someone to see if you dont go out of the front door. I didnt know that happened to me, because I live alone.

Tell me more about your past experiences, and how it all started.

Hi Phantom,
Well I went to the doctor's last night and was put on Ambien CR 12.5mg for my sleep. It worked for the most part I mean I only slept for 5 hours but that's a lot more than I have been sleeping in the past few weeks so I actaully have a good amount of energy today.

My Effexor XR was upped also from 37.5 mg to 75mg. My focus is a little better today so we'll how this mg works.

Um..in the past I was in some messed up abusive(mental,physical,sexual) relationships. This is really when the night terrors and sleep walking began. This was about 4 years ago. These went on for about a year or so then I was put on medicine, originally depression, now it's aimed more to the anxiety portion. I hadn't had a night episode in a couple years then just the past couple months they started again. Just the part that still gets me is that if I am dreaming I have no idea of it! I try to explain it to my therapist but they keep telling me you need to remember the dream, but what if I'm really not dreaming?

You don't need to answer that last question I'm just putting it out there.

I try all the time to relax or read or do something to try to sit still. But I just can't seem to last longer than 10 mins. Any suggestions?

Have you seeked relaxation techniques from a therapist or psychologist? It is better to follow their instruction. They will teach the correct method of tightening certain muscles and relaxing while breathing in and out. This should work if not the first time you try. Till you get a psyhologists help search the net for relaxation and breathing techniques.
Follow as close as you can. When you begin to relax there is chance you will reduce the tabs. It is always better if you dont have to depend on the tablets. I am slowly reducing the diazapam.
Sorry to hear you have gone through a difficult time 4 years ago. There are ways to forget the past.