Night Terror/ Nightmares?

[Rage15]

Not exactly sure if this fits into Night Terrors or not however does anyone have any issues with seeing / dreaming of dark shadows at night? I see them fairly often and it is just right after I am drifting off to sleep, like within a half an hour. Not sure if I am dreaming or actually seeing them. It's like I will be laying in bed and see a dark figure (always sense it is male) walking around the bed or standing at the bottom of the bed. As soon as I sit up, it is gone. Many times it is like the dark shadow gets too close to me and is bending over me as if it is smothering me. Many times I wake up very terrified and last week I actually was so terrified of it because it was right up in my face, and I felt like I was being smothered, I started screaming in terror and even started crying uncontrollably. Woke the whole house up that night. I really hate when this happens but it seems to be getting more frequent.

Is this a night terror or nightmares? Why is it the same thing all the time. A dark full bodied shadow without a face. Always sense it is a male presence. Does anyone else experience something similar or have an explanation?

[Catnapper]

What's your dx and what meds are you on? It could be med related. When I started Lamictal I was on 450 mg of Wellbutrin, and started having horrible nightmares, also feeling like I was being attacked / smothered. The pdoc reduced my WB to 300 mg and I've been fine ever since.

Hope you find a solution, it's a terrible feeling.

[Rage15]

What's your dx and what meds are you on? It could be med related. When I started Lamictal I was on 450 mg of Wellbutrin, and started having horrible nightmares, also feeling like I was being attacked / smothered. The pdoc reduced my WB to 300 mg and I've been fine ever since.

Hope you find a solution, it's a terrible feeling.

PTSD / DID Not on any medications for those. The only meds I take are HRT (Premarin), Lisinopril, Metformin, and vitamins. Nothing new but I have had the nightmares, nightterrors for a while. Recurring but slightly different.

[OutOfTheWoods]

Ever since I have been taking Lamictal I have really bad nightmares. When they first started, I would wake up from the very agitated. As I titrated on the Lamictal, the nightmares would wake me up and I would feel terrified. I haven't had nightmares since I was a kid so I am taking 30 years. It really freaks me out and has been messing with my sleep patterns.

[Simple Milady]

I believe that nightmares happens usually after watching horror films and then you will go to sleep immediately. That usually happens to me when I was young as grade school.

[Indigo 'n dye]

nightmares happens usually after watching horror films ...

Obviously you, Simple, have never had a nightmare/terror such as the OP referred to and other members commented on. If only nightmares were in direct response to watching horror films. If only. However, nightmares can be, and sometimes are, an effect of medication and/or MI. They are not something that is cured by a walk in nature.

I am trying to be polite, but if your response was not so sad and so ill-informed it would be funny.

ETA OK, so I am laughing.

[december_brigette]

Hi,

I started having similar night terrors as the OP when i was in high school - well before i was dx'd or taking any kind of med. They were so bad i would "scream bloody murder" per my mom. sometimes i would wake up and sometimes she would have to wake me up.

try explaining that little tidbit to other girls in my college dorm.

As I got older the dreams became less frequent. although it did bother my ex-h something terrible when I had one (especially if i was screaming for my mom. LOL on him).

I cant think of the last time Ive had a terror. I DONT WATCH HORROR MOVIES AND NEVER HAVE. Maybe i've out-grown them? maybe its my meds? or maybe its because I do the family bed and share a bed with my 3 yo.

db

[WinterRosie]

PTSD can exacerbate night terrors, as can unsettled alters (some here are very afraid of sleeping).

It is common for the half-awake/half-asleep feeling to give semi-hallucinatory experiences. When they're scary to the point of being unable to sleep, or where you fear sleep, that's a problem. It's possible that if you mention this to the doc they could give you something to help you sleep and to avoid that transition time where you appear to more at risk.

Maybe some other folks in the DD or PTSD forum have ideas? We think that we've seen it in PTSD-land before... take a look there.

[weordmyndum]

I've found prazosin really helpful in dealing with/mostly eliminating PTSD related nightmares. Some still slip through when I'm really stressed or upset, but for the most part it gets rid of them. I dunno if that's helpful to the OP, though, since PTSD wasn't mentioned.

[Ashdene]

My brother had night terrors from when he was little. He would scream blue bloody murder (while asleep) and had to be calmed down by my parents. He says he still says he doesn't know what exactly what he was dreaming. But it was always the same. He still gets them occasionally. He has even attacked his girl friend in the middle of night. He says it gets worse when he over heats. Oh and he is on no meds. So i would take it as real night terrors! xox