What time you take medications...

[witzend]

I have been having the horrible nightmares again. Last night it was hacking off limbs with a hatchet; and there was also being denied entry to heaven. Every night is something like that anymore. I'm waking up in the middle of the night and not getting back to sleep for hours if at all. I've been watching and participating in the "strange emotional response" thread, and giving some thought as to how to make things easier on me during a very turbulent time. I really want to sleep. Then when I wake up gasping I do and I don't want to go to sleep. Every time I start to drowse I'm back in the nightmare and I startle awake.

And... I realized that I have been taking my Wellbutrin SR in the evening. Because of the dreams I'd really like to get off of it, and I have gone from 300mg to 200mg. I also know that when I don't take it I have problems with my PTSD. So, I'm making an effort to take it in the AM. I would not recommend nightmares to anyone. I was doing so well not having them for at least a year after we'd moved, too.

So, who's taking something to help with their PTSD that doesn't give them nightmares and doesn't kill your sex drive? Anyone?

 

[TerryJ2]

Witz, I have no idea, but wanted to send soothing hugs.
I used to have terrible nightmares as a kid, and now that I'm middle aged, for whatever reason, I rarely have any. I am so thankful! But I know how frightening and exhausting it is to desperately crave sleep and not be able to give into it, because it is not soothing or refreshing--it is terrifying.
I would make a dr appointment.
Wish I had some advice.
Many hugs.

 

[witzend]

Thanks, Terry. I've mentioned the nightmares at nearly every doctor's appointment for the past several years. Maybe he doesn't understand what I'm saying? I almost hate to tell him how gory and frightening they are because I feel as though if everyone else doesn't dream like this it makes me sound crazy. That's probably an irrational assumption on my part, but I'm so protective. Maybe too protective.

 

[recoveringenabler]

Witz, I just wanted to let you know I read your post and am sending you hugs.........geez..........

I don't want to sound like some airy fairy BS California fruitcake........please throw this out if it's weird because I know nothing about how drugs interact with dreams, so I am ignorant there.............this is simply my own experience with dreams via Jungian therapy and working with a dream therapist........so take it for what it is worth, I have no attachment to this as the truth.......

What I've been told is that dreams depict what is going on beneath the surface, in our unconscious, the fears we may have which are unacknowledged....... perhaps walking through the dream and making an attempt to discover what it may be trying to tell you. There is a lot of fear in those nightmares, yikes......you spoke on another thread about at some point giving up walking.........I don't know but that would be a big fear for me..........anyway, that may be a way to dissipate some of it so you could sleep.

In Jungian therapy each dream was treated as very significant as to the present reality and it was so helpful to me, so much was there, it was a rich, fertile ground of material trying to become conscious. I was just thinking if those fears could be made conscious you could rest easy at night. Maybe a 'dream journal' where you could write them down and more easily identify the scary parts and figure out what it means to you.

It's another way to look at it Witz, perhaps relevant for you, perhaps not. I hope you can find some peace.

 

[witzend]

There is a lot of fear in those nightmares, yikes......you spoke on another thread about at some point giving up walking.........I don't know but that would be a big fear for me..........anyway, that may be a way to dissipate some of it so you could sleep.

I usually can make sense of my dreams, and this one was puzzling to me. I hadn't made that connection between losing limbs and losing walking. I do believe that dreams are the things that we haven't worked out during the day. I can't tell you how many times a day I make a conscious decision as to whether to walk or go out. Of course they are momentary decisions, but it must be weighing heavily on me.

 

[dstc_99]

Well I can't help on what to take for PTSD but I can tell you that Wellbutrin can keep you up at night. I am supposed to take two a day but I am not supposed to take them after 2pm. So I take one in the am and one at lunch.

I think the Dr had me on Pristiq at one time and it gave me the most vivid horrible nightmares. I dreamed people were killing people and all kinds of mess. I got off that one real quick!

 

[recoveringenabler]

About 20 years ago I had this horrible, scary nightmare about a little girl in a white dress chasing me through this dark house with a huge knife in her hands. I was terrified. What was so interesting was my therapist listened and told me that in Jungian therapy, scary dream characters were "fragments" of our parents or our parents fears..........or in Jungian jargon, the "shadow"...........for whatever reason at that time, that made absolute sense to me. I don't recall all of it, but I do remember thinking that as a child, I was really afraid of the power my mother had over me and this was now coming up for me to address........another interesting part for me was that my mother was also afraid of her mother........go figure, it goes down generations......

Have you ever tried Lucid dreaming? Maybe this will help:
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/7-steps-to-start-lucid-dreaming.html

 

[witzend]

RE, I do lucid dreaming a lot. I see the connections and the relationships to real life. I don't bother with journaling anymore because there aren't any "regular" dreams. At least not in the past month, and not before we moved here. About half the time I even know that I am dreaming and am able to partially wake myself only to go back to the dream. I try to make it into something different, but that takes so much effort that it wakes me. But I still try. It used to work...

 

[recoveringenabler]

Witz, you're way ahead of me then, you've done all this stuff.........Sheesh, I hope it's the timing of the Wellbutrin then because you obviously have to sleep and sleep well............

Oh, I just thought of another tool, perhaps you know of this one too, I use this often when I am trying to access something which seems elusive..........you put yourself as close into a meditative state as possible, as relaxed as you can get. When you feel relaxed, you ask yourself either what part of you is creating this ruckus in your dreams..........or perhaps ask yourself what the dreams are trying to tell you. Essentially you pose a question to your subconscious mind........when your usual mind is relaxed.......... I know it sounds absurdly simple, but it works if you can let go of your nagging thoughts and try to just empty your mind. Usually the first thing that pops into your mind is a good place to look.

Anyway, I hope you find the solution that allows you to rest and sleep. I sincerely wish you "sweet dreams."

 

[witzend]

I am hoping that I might notice something tonight since I was sure to take it first thing this morning. I've been listening to soothing music, and I'll do some positive self-reflection before I settle in.

I know it's the present circumstances that's contributing most of the dreams, but hopefully changing my dose time will help, too.

 

[recoveringenabler]

Good. Nighty night Witz! Let us know how it goes.........

 

[BusynMember]

I've never taken Wallbtrin, but when I took Prozac it made me exhausted ALL THE TIME a nd I found myself falling asleep even at work and it gave me horrible nightmares. I don't know how long the nightmares have been going on with you, but the medications *could* cause them.

I hope you find out the reason and that they will stop. Hugs!!!

 

[witzend]

I slept through the night last night, and can't remember having any disturbing dreams. I know I dreamed, but I don't really remember anything (which is how it's supposed to be) and I know there were no nightmares. So, what did I do differently yesterday?

Took my Welbutrin at 10 AM instead of 8 PM;

Sat quietly on my bed before I got in and took stock. Warm feet; loving husband; good dinner; got something (dust-mopped) done during the day. Nothing fantastic just a decent day. I find it easier to set my sights small.

So, Wellbutrin at 9 AM today, and we'll see how it goes this evening. I think that the "taking stock" thing is important, too.

 

[scent of cedar]

Gads, I HATE nightmares. These sound like some doozies, Witz.

I wondered whether the hacking off of limbs and the inability to get into Heaven had to do with your family. Taking the drastic action of hacking them off you, to have it over with, once and for all, ending something you need as desperately as you need your limbs to be strong. It could be that the Heaven part had to do with acknowledging that, for you, there is never going to be identification with family.

I have worked pretty hard to make believe my family of origin can become the family I think everyone else has, Witz. It would seem like heaven to me, to have had the kind of security and love I think is par for the course in "real" families. It makes sense to me that if the nightmares have to do with your intention to cut off believing in, or ever trying again with, your family, that you would also dream you would never, ever get into heaven.

Part of that may have something to do with refusing the role your family assigned you. At some level, however crazy it was, we believe the family dynamic was right and true. You may feel some guilt at refusing the role assigned to you, Witz.

But you are right, in refusing to be the scapegoat, ever again.

Cedar

 

[flutterby]

Witz -

I don't know if you're interested or not, but there is a medication for people with PTSD who have nightmares and its only purpose is to stop nightmares. It's called Prazosin. I know 2 people who take it and it has stopped their nightmares completely. This is for people who have nightmares regularly, not just the occasional one here and there.

 

[witzend]

Thank you, FB. I'm going to research Prazosin. Hopefully my regular doctor will be familiar with it if it something that could help? I probably should have looked into it before I told the therapist to take a leap... Oh, well...

 

[flutterby]

I'm not sure your regular doctor will be familiar with it, but s/he could definitely look into it.

 

[recoveringenabler]

Witz, I've been thinking about you and your dreams, how is it going with taking the Wellbutrin at 9 AM and doing the 'taking stock?' Are you sleeping peacefully again?

 

[scent of cedar]

I am wondering, too, Witz.

Cedar

 

[witzend]

Going to the AM is definitely helping. It's a more easy routine to get into than "taking stock", I think, although I think it is at least as helpful as taking the medications at the right time.

I had unpleasant dreams last night, but I took my medications about 1 PM and just plopped into bed last night. So, it's hard to say which contributed more!