medication and sleep paralysis

currently i take remeron and prazosin for sleep.

i went to my new sleep doctor again today because i feel like i am losing my battle with not sleeping and sometimes having terrifying sleep paralysis hallucinations.

my whole life i have had odd sleep hygiene, sleep walking, cooking, driving and even sex all when i am 100% asleep. but recently(past 2 years) i have started to see things in my room from shadowy men and aliens. the aliens look whitish brown and very very wrinkly having an extremely old appearance.

im currently waiting for my sleep study but conversations with my family and gf the doctor has prescribed me ambien and clonazepam today so i know i will be sleeping tonight but the thing is that i can't sleep because i am afraid to sleep. i can stay up for days unaided by caffeine or drugs just from the fear of not know if when i go to sleep i will be visited by my 'friends'.

i was 100% honest with my doctor when i told her there is a small % of me that is worried that these visits are real. i have seen UFO's very up close and some other strange events so its hard for me to not take that into consideration.

granted it is a small part of me that worries about that but the worry is still there. My doctor asked if i could draw what i have been seeing and i did(im no artist) and she told me that many of the people she see's have seen the same things. she was obviously trying to reassure me it was a common hallucination but again that little tin foil wearing voice says 'see it is real, why are so many people seeing the same thing'.

its hard to brush off events that seem as real as could be as just a transient sleep malfunction, and why do so many people see the same thing? is it some jungian archetype deep in humanities subconscious or is it really something trying to make contact.

i worry that by taking these sleep meds it might make it worse, or if it is real make them upset.

i am a very rational and generally not very emotional but these events had me crying like a baby to my doctor, im worried im either losing my mind(she said im not) or these things are real and trying to do something to me.

its very frustrating hearing there is nothing they really can do other than give me medications to sleep, if i was crazy at least there would be a reason for all of this because currently no one can give me a reason and a real solution to resolve this mess.

Have you entertained trying cannabis to help regulate your sleep?

A high dose of a CBD extract works for most people I know. (CBD is the non-psychoactive element in cannabis that holds a lot of the health benefits, but won't get you buzzed)

When I was a kid, I would wake up and not be able to move sometimes. I also saw things walking around my room, it was 30 years ago but it still gives me the creeps.

Sleep problems suck, I hope you get this sorted out!

a reply to: wheresthebody

i have actually, its hit or miss. sometimes it works great and i get a restful nights sleep but other times i just end up eating to much ice cream watching netflix.

CBD is still pretty expensive where i'm at, there are very few doctors i know of that even consider writing for MJ. i'm in NY so hopefully the Gov keeps his word and makes it more available.

if it was cheap or covered by my insurance i would be all about it.

they are already talking about giving me adderall and Xyrem and im not to keen on that idea.

a reply to: penroc3

I just sent you a private message

originally posted by: wheresthebody
a reply to: penroc3

I just sent you a private message

i just started a cbd, sleep bomb, for sleep. taking the recommend dose of 1 cap of 15 mg. still evaluating results. have any suggestions for me?


Am getting ready to reorder but I'm going to go with a full spectrum liquid tincture this time.

a reply to: penroc3

Have you ever googled those meds? Perhaps you should, then take what you learn and question your doctor(s).

remeron ... Anti-depressant
prazosin ... High blood pressure Med
adderall ... Nervous system stimulant
Xyrem ... Nervous system depressant

I'm not a physician, so I can't make any suggestions other than; Read and inform yourself, question the wisdom of your doctors...

There are probably better ways to manage your issues than taking unrelated medications.

a reply to: james1947

yeah i've read about all of them.

they tell me i have narcolepsy, i fall asleep very easily and sometimes unplanned so that's what the adderall would be for and the xyrem is just to knock you out.


the prazosin and remeron are for my PTSD that is unrelated and seem to work well for that.


the ambien and klonopin are basically stop gaps so i can sleep and not lose my job. my sleep study is months away and that is the urgent list.

i dont like taking anything and i dont really like the idea of having to take something for sleep because after awhile you NEED them to sleep.

i feel like im damned if i do and damned if i don't.

and honestly at this point im willing to try anything.

After moving to Florida this past year, I was able to quit xanax and take a full spectrum oil. NO side effects like the other drugs. Although legal, it still isn't cheap.
Had sleep issues for over 20 years and this is the best, most restful sleep I have experienced in that time. Good luck in your journey; I feel for you.

a reply to: CharlesT

Just PMd you, but I think you may be more knowledgeable than I am concerning this.

a reply to: penroc3

I'm going to give some advice you can chose to believe it or not.

I used to have only nightmares as a kid. I've had countless sleep paralysis experiences through practicing astral projection.

Something a western doctor will NEVER tell you is you need to meditate because you're consciousness is out of balance.

Also you need to realize that what you are experiencing is your body falling asleep while your mind is still awake. Sleep paralysis happens when you are in the middle of sleep and awake. I meditate myself into these experiences all the time on purpose to have an out of body experience.

Try to learn to lucid dream. Look up a technique that can wake you up in a dream.

While learning to lucid dream, meditate. Meditate twice a day for 20 minutes. Clear your mind of all thought and on each in breath imagine colorful energy pouring into you chakras and each pour of your body. On each out breath relax as much as possible and keep your mind cleared.

This will help balance the chakras/energy centers/glands in your body and you should have an easier time learning to lucid dream.

This is the most important part. When you learn to lucid dream, understand that you have complete power over everything in your reality. Understand that your mind is either creating realities or bringing you to realities to experience what you are feeling and thinking.
Everything you experience in these realms, including what happens during sleep paralysis, is created by your feelings and imagination.
If you are scared you will have a scary experience. If you are confident and fearless you will have a positive experience.

Trust me. I've had both negative and positive sleep paralysis experiences. The negative ones are easily changed to positive through confidence and fearlessness.

Now that you know that, next time you get sleep paralysis don't get scared. Understand you are in complete control and feel relax. Feel your astral body loosen from physical. Feel it blow up like a bubble surrounding your physical body. Or feel it swaying gently back and forth. Or feel it violently shaking your body to the point where you think you will die.

Understand that this is all normal and you are not dying or injuring yourself. Then just pop out of your body the same way you would fly in a dream.

Stay confident and do whatever the hell you can imagine at this point.

a reply to: booyakasha

ill give it a shot, its hard for me to really get my mind to really be still.

i have had a handful of lucid dreams, all of them were interesting and fun.

not all of my 'symptoms' are bad in theory

as inappropriate as it maybe to say here but i will have bouts of 'sexsomnia', its like half awake half asleep sex. i initiate it all the time and when i am aware of it, its super awesome sex.

like no barriers, no hang ups and completely connected to your partner(gf in my case).

the doctor straight up asked her if it was ever unwanted aka if i was sleep rapeing her. she laughed and said no and it is some of the best sex we have, im a pretty shy person so i never told my doctors about this..apparently its not uncommon.

not sure how i feel about my gf liking kinda sleeping me over the awake me, but as long as she enjoys it i guess i cant complain.

Personally i have never had any problems falling asleep after sweating all day.

a reply to: UncleTomahawk

my job is a government type thing, allot of sitting in chairs for meetings and some work installing and testing stuff.

but definitely not manual labor for sure

a reply to: penroc3

Ambien? That one looks like a bold decision by your doctor. You're reporting problems in how your mind is interacting with reality and they're prescribing something that's notorious for altering perceptions of reality.

It's like, "Doc, please. Help me I'm drowning."
"Learn to swim." Says the doc as he rows away.

i can stay up for days unaided by caffeine or drugs just from the fear of not know if when i go to sleep i will be visited by my 'friends'.

I'm not going to get all personal on the internet. Needless to say, I've been there and can only advise avoiding the approach. It actually compounds the problems you have. No stimulants after 3pm and developing a regular night routine worked wonders for me. Self-discipline. It's been years since night terrors bothered me. Like you, going to sleep used to be something I needed and simultaneously dreaded.

All I want to say is I absolutely hope you find a more intuitive, knowledgeable doctor and the sleep lab guys help you lose the fear of sleep.

I would like to suggest a different approach. I have had issues with sleep paralysis in the past. What works for me may not work for anyone else. First I protect my home by placing salt in the four cardinal directions outside, around my home during the full moon. I chose a talisman to ware around my neck, an old Spanish coin with the cross facing out. I say a prayer before I turn out the light. And last I slip a New Testament and a Walther PPK under my pillow.
Sounds crazy I know, but it works for me. Perhaps it’s my way to meditate and put my silly fears behind me, before I go to bed.

a reply to: penroc3

I understand but am just saying that no caffeine after 5,workout for a bit, a sexual release and a sandwich and you will not blink till the light comes.

No pills needed.

a reply to: Kandinsky

yeah i found it an interesting choice as well, there are a TON of sleep meds out there that don't have the reputation ambien does. I am very open with my doctor and they know about my past history with drug use and opiate abuse(after an accident).

so they want to take it slow as they work thru the medication list, i never abused sleeping pills or anything like that but i have experimented with hallucinogens and MDMA a good deal so i guess they are cautious with abusable drugs. i don't mess with the pain pills anymore but the stigma follows me all over the medical arena.

and honestly she gave them(Klonopin and ambien) to me so i can sleep and not lose my job and that is a very real possibility right now, i had a very close call by almost electrocuting myself on an install of some equipment and falling asleep on the job, not a good look and my boss is my friend but also my boss, he told me to deal with whatever the issue was or he would have to let me go. he said he would rather me be upset at him for letting me go than me getting hurt or hurting someone else by keeping me on.



Nickn3: as far as all that i think that might be interesting to try out but under request from my Dr and GF the guns are triple locked.

there's part of me that wants to set up cameras or some sort of monitoring equipment to see if anything happens in the room during these events.

my last gf said she saw a shadow man standing by my side of the bed when i was a sleep and when it noticed her looking at him, it just disappeared.



i dont know what would be worse, knowing what is happening is real or knowing its all in my head.

www.bustle.com...

Why You Should Masturbate Before You Go To Bed, According To Science, Because Self-Love Is The Best Love

Releasing endorphins is a well-known way to help you relax, which is why working out regularly helps you sleep better and more deeply. Sure, sex is physically exhausting in and of itself, but the act of having an orgasm can also cause sleepiness. If you're anticipating a toss-and-turn kind of night, it might behoove you to consider having an O before you start counting sheep. Bonus: If you have long-term issues with sleeping, masturbation may also help with insomnia!

Is there anything worse than going to bed with your head full of negative, stress-filled thoughts? For a quick fix, treating yourself to some me-time before bed will release chemicals like endorphins (mentioned above), as well as dopamine. The combination of the two can make for some seriously stress-free slumber.

a reply to: penroc3

Fair enough. I shouldn't jump to judgements about your doctor.

there's part of me that wants to set up cameras or some sort of monitoring equipment to see if anything happens in the room during these events.

my last gf said she saw a shadow man standing by my side of the bed when i was a sleep and when it noticed her looking at him, it just disappeared.

Wait for the sleep lab and let them do all the recording. If it helps on the perspective, no sleep lab has ever captured shadow figures or anything. They've recorded brain waves maxing out and HR ramping up in alignment with known REM patterns and various different sleep cycles.

The guys who study particle physics have managed to prove the existence of the Higgs Boson. What they haven't found is any evidence of ghosts, spirits or the aether.

It's very #ing hard not to be persuaded by our own senses when they're telling us that dark entities are stalking us. This is why a second opinion will help you and I hope the doctors can explain it in ways that make sense to you. It might be you're a sufferer of sleep apnea and a cornucopia of other sleep-related disorders.