Nightmares

[Doc John]

I have been changing from Cymbalta (from a civilian M.D.) to Mirtazipine, or Remeron, as prescribed by my VA psychiatrist. I have had a serious increase in nightmares over the last two months as I make the switch and I am also suffering what I call "night terrors", which wake me up screaming, and striking out dangerously with my fists and feet. I also take prazosin and melatonin for nightmare relief and sleep. I am looking for similar stories about Remeron use or Cymbalta withdrawls. Nothing I can find in the literature.

[pigdriver]

Hey Doc John,

This old Marine has a lot of great memories about our "Docs" with us in Nam. Sorry to hear you're having these same difficulties as I have, have had nightmares and and as you call them night terrors for 40 plus years, all PTSD related. I take so many meds daily that I'm in a "fog" all of the time, as for the nightmares I also take 2MG of Prazosin at night but it doesn't even put a dent in the nightmares and fighting in my sleep. I've never taken the other meds you mentioned but I assure you there are not only side effects from these drugs but also withdrawal problems, make sure you read all the fine print that comes with your meds. The Melatonin is created by the brain to help "lift" your spirits from depression, I take 60MG of Prozac daily for that same reason, apparently the med triggers the brain into producing the melatonin. Have you been through the CPT program yet? I just went through six weeks last fall and I just didn't get it, didn't help a bit, as a matter of fact it brought some things back to memeory that had been totally suppressed for years and that really stressed me out. Had we been able to get the kind of help we needed right after combat like the current Marines and Corpsman do we more then likely wouldn't be having the problems we have today. Hopefully someone on the site will answer and is better qualified then I to help you. Thanks for all you did Doc!!

[Pete53]

Dog and Driver:

I hope that you find relief.In 1991 I quit dreaming and for that matter sleeping much. I don't know why but its the same time the VA gave me anti depressants, I still don't dream and many a shrink tells me I do but don't remember.

I still have panic attacks and my dear wife says that at times she wakes up thinking an earthquake hit but it justs me. I sleep on top of the bed covers with a sheet or blanket on top.

Using a CPAP has been a big help for me as most of the time I put it on and than the next thing I wake up. It is beyond weird. I have felt for a long time that there is a relationship between my breathing and most of my panic attacks.

Good Luck we are all on a journey to try and get comfortable.Last night I had a good night but when I tried to get out of bed the pain hit so its always something.

[carlie]

I have been changing from Cymbalta (from a civilian M.D.) to Mirtazipine, or Remeron, as prescribed by my VA psychiatrist. I have had a serious increase in nightmares over the last two months as I make the switch and I am also suffering what I call "night terrors", which wake me up screaming, and striking out dangerously with my fists and feet. I also take prazosin and melatonin for nightmare relief and sleep. I am looking for similar stories about Remeron use or Cymbalta withdrawls. Nothing I can find in the literature.

Doc John,

When I first started with Remeron added to my nightly meds,

it did increase my dreams as they became much more vivid

and horrible. I put up with it for about two months as my VA

shrink slowly increased my doseage and ordering blood work to hit

the "theraputic level".

We added another one to my nightly meds named Seroquel -

I started with adding 50 mg and now take 200mg.

BTW - Remeron comes as a pill that for some reason I couldn't

get it down, it would stay stuck in my throat. I told my VA psyc

this and she changed it to a Disintegrating Tab.

Added together my nighty - night sleep meds are:

Clonazepam 1.5 MG Tab

Prazosin HCL 2 MG Cap

Seroquel 200 MG Tab

Remeron Disintegrating Tab 90 MG (2 @ 45 MG ech)

There are additional night time meds I take but they are not

head meds for sleep - they are for other medical problems,

but do interact with all of the above, so I sleep even deeper

when I sleep.

To be totally honest, it helps and my sleep is better

but I feel it will never be "normal" if there is such a thing.

The VA psyc says I still have dreams and the nightmares

but with the meds you do not remember them and since I don't

remember the nightmares then I don't spend the day ruminating over them.

This morning happened to be like one of my old mornings.

I was having fairly horrible dreams and woke up laying flat

on my back (which is highly abnormal for me - I have CHF)

anyway my first feeling and thought was - I woke up - I'm alive,

how did I survive.

Hope this helps a vet.

jmho,

carlie

[Doc John]

Saw the psych today and now my meds for sleep ,depression, and anxiety and nightmares include Ambien. Thank you all for your good wishes and empathy. I would say we are a pretty screwed-up group but I don't want to project my personal feelings (that's my psycho-babble) onto anyone else. Sounds like your stories are similar to mine in regard to nightmares and sleep. They want me to begin a new anger management program and join another group along with individual counseling.

My sleep study last week was negative for sleep apnea. The diagnosis, so far, is "insomnia of unknown cause". It took 3 1/2 hours to go to sleep and then another four to hit REM sleep stage. But at least I didn't have a nightmare that night. I think Pete is on to something...if I don't go to sleep I won't have nightmares :( . You often give me a smile Pete!

pigdriver: Until about seven months ago, I was taking 3-4 mg of Prazosin every night and the nightmares got less vivid. Now I am on 2mg a night and they are worse than they ever were and my wife says she is getting tired of me fighting the air. The psych said not to increase the Prazosin dosage yet and hopefully the Remeron will fix it. What is the CPT program?

I cannot remember a "normal" night sleep either, Carlie. Your nightly cocktail sounds a lot like mine with Remeron, cymbalta, ambien now, and prazosin. I also take a pain med and a muscle relaxer three times a day that keep me foggy also.

I agree with PigDriver that it would have been best to get the kind of help we needed right after our stressors occurred, but hell, somebody has to be the guinea pig and I guess us and all the people before us filled that role. Thank God the help comes sooner and better now for our troops and young veterans.

[Vync]

Doc John,

Regarding your sleep study, does your wife tell you that you snore a lot? My girlfriend tells me that I snore all the time and toss and turn. My sleep study is scheduled in a couple of months.

Sometimes, if I watch certain movies, I'll suffer residual nightmares. This last happened the other day when we saw "The Fourth Kind" The movie was downright creepy and I kept waking up reminded of some unrelated things that happened to me while I was in the military. If you have problems with nightmares, avoid this movie as all costs.

The ambien did not work well for me. At 5mg, I was not really sleeping regularly, because I would either have bad dreams or awaken wide awake. The VA PCP boosted it to 10 mg and it worked a bit better (4+ hrs sleep/night), but I was waking up with headaches and pretty groggy. My VA PCP just changed me from my nightly 10 mg of ambien to trazodone and 1mg Clonazepam. I tried it for the first time last night and felt like I was light headed. I did not have any bad dreams, but did not get up either. In fact, this morning, I did not want to get out of bed and have felt woozy all day. It's almost 5pm and I still feel like I have not woke up all the way.