Extremely bad nightmates..EVERY night..HELP! - Sleep Disorders Message Board

Blondee15 · 06-15-2004, 08:29 PM

Hey all, I have a really big problem... I have really, really bad nightmares, every single nite.
It's been going on for as long as I can remember. I don't have any kind of good dreams. It concerned me, but not as much until recently when, in psychology class(we were learning about sleep & dreams) & it says nightmares every nite are not common, and are characteristic of someone with severe mental disturbances.
Severe mental disturbances.. I have some issues with depression & anxiety every now and then. I do have emetophobia & that is often a huge part of my nightmares. I get really bad panic attacks if exposed to someone throwing up. Often in these dreams i'm running away from that & it's everywhere. The biggest theme i've also noticed is how there is always this well, "thing", a person or thing that I can't see, that's after me, that i'm running all over away from, that I am always in a losing battle to get away from. It always kills my family & my friends & leaves me on my own in the end to try to get away. It is always something in my dreams that I am paralyzed from the fear of it.. the thing IS all my fear almost.
Often the anxiety & the fear from these dreams spill into my waking hours. I'll have a bad dream about people throwing up & the big feared thing and wake up so stressed, so anxious, so upset, often crying. I feel exhausted as a result during the day. I sleep a lot 2 which is the really weird thing, I am always tired. Their not b/c of daily stress either, I have the dreams even when I sleep with my boyfriend, and he is very calming to me, I am always relaxed & happy around him.
I was told to write down my dreams every single day & that is the current treatment. Often I don't remember enough but I am going to start trying to & writing them down as soon as I wake up tomorrow.
My mom suggested it was the medication i'm on(Advair 100/50, Flonase, Clarinex, Yasmin, Albuterol & Xopenex, often others like steroids, antibiotics, decongestants, etc) (I have asthma, allergies, & hormonal imbalances). however, the dreams have been going on long before I took any of this. I've read up somewhere that difficulty breathing while sleeping(like from asthma & allergies) can cause nightmares like this. It was also said that generally, those with asthma are more anxious than the general population.
what should I do? I don't believe in therapy or medication for mental problems but i'm at a breaking point. I can't take having these nightmares anymore, their getting worse & worse & spilling into all my waking hours. Any suggestions.thanks a lot..

Angel77 · 06-15-2004, 10:15 PM

Hi Blondee, I am going to post this and then finish reading, so I can catch you on line if you have questions. Doxepin is a try-cyclic anti-depressant and I started on 25mg and it stopped my nightmares cold in their tracks. I would have upto a dozen a night and they were so terrifying that I refused to sleep after some of them, which is no small feat for a narcoleptic. I'll finish reading then post back...oh, yeah, doxepin is cheap...under 15.00 a bottle for the generic.

sjuicyog · 06-16-2004, 05:52 PM

I have nightmares everynight too, and i dont know what to do. Look at this and tell me what u think

[url]http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/000810sym.htm[/url]

[url]http://www.mhnet.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=562[/url]

prometheus · 06-17-2004, 04:41 PM

medications can give people nightmares or vivid dreams. being sick can give people nightmares or vivid dreams. i have the same thing. what works for me is to just let them go. I have a unique ability to forget things, so I just let them be forgotten...not that anything is ever truly forgotten. If you have a reoccuring theme in your nightmares, it might help to come to terms with that phobia?

RatGirl · 07-01-2004, 12:24 AM

I have this too. I have parasomnia and the nightmares are awful. Right now I am trying to stay awake because I am miserable when I sleep. I too sleep a lot but feel sleep-deprived, I kick and punch and scream in my sleep (once, I am told, I walked into the ocean and had to be dragged out...I was fully asleep and remember none of this) or sometimes have what seem to be lucid conversations with people, even though I'm dreaming. I wake up confused and disoriented, usually lasting about an hour. Everything is a haze and I have a very hard time concentrating on what's going on around me, what people are saying, what words mean, etc. Sometimes I am in a half awake, half-asleep state and do things that are dangerous, like cook (I burned myself badly once).

Anyway, I sleep, but don't get rest. Thankfully with the help of Seroquel, the episodes happen less often (esp. the getting up and doing things part), at least it comes and goes somewhat. This week has been bad. Sleeping is hell. I can try to stay awake, but I know I will eventually have to sleep. I took a valium a while ago since that's the latest thing the doctor suggested in hopes that it will give me some restful sleep at least for one night and break the cycle.

I tried to go to a sleep clinic, but they made me wait 2 hours (and I had made an appointment *months* in advance) and had to get out of there (I have OCD and am terrified of doctors, children, and germs), so nothing got done.

Any suggestions. I'm on seroquel and paxil, and have tried some other drugs. I work out 2-3 times a day (aerobic and strength building--weights, yoga, or pilates), eat well, don't smoke, etc. I meditate (though I should do it more often) and do other relaxation exercises, use aromatherapy, have a white noise machine, take baths, do relaxing bedtime rituals (body brushing--kind of like a massage, splash my face with rosewater, etc.)

Any suggestions would be appreciated!