Night Terrors

Specific Illnesses & Conditions VM/MAV
1

Morning all

I write this through a groggy haze after my night on the tiles with MAV last night.

In the beginning my nights were bad - the internal rocking used to threaten to throw me off the bed Excorsist style and sometimes I would have 1/4 spins (slightly less than the half spins I’ve become accustomed to).

After starting on the Nori the first 2 - 3 weeks were hell. I remember one night trying to get to sleep and I was so bad, my friend had to come and stay in the bed with me and wait for me to fall asleep - I was spinning every time I closed my eyes and the rocking was a violent turbulence.

Then things started to settle… ever so gradually the nights became much easier and the longer I was on the Nori and pushing the dose up, the easier it became. The rocking was now down to a mild 10% annoyance which I could ignore.

Then last night happened and almost landed me in hospital.

I got through the day at work yesterday pretty much unscathed, and got home. Went to the supermarket shopping with mum to get all the food for my b’day bbq on Sat - was feeling good. Came home, had a chicken wing and a piece of French bread for dinner and then went to bed around 10pm.

As I got in my room I had this falling forward feeling, which passed after a few seconds. I shrugged it off and climbed into bed - and then the fun began. Each time I closed my eyes I could feel the room starting to spin to the right (all my half spins/brain backflips are to the right). I was trying to ignore it when I got the most killer brain zap going - it literally electricuted me to the point I almost somersaulted out of bed!

Then I got about 10 more slightly milder zaps and my heart was racing and pounding in my chest. Each time I closed my eyes, I felt like the bed was being tipped up and I kept getting up to splash cold water on my face and check my surroundings.

Then after about 20 mins I was laying there willing myself to calm down when I got this numb feeling throughout my body followed by pins and needles everywhere that lasted a few mins. I totally freaked out and wanted to take myself to the ER. I got up and took a Valium and just layed back in bed praying that whatever was happening to me would pass. I was terrified. Eventually I fell asleep and stayed asleep.

Today I feel tired, groggy, out of sorts and wondering how I’m going to make it through today at work.

I’m also so anxious about tomorrow now feeling like this and having 15 people over for a bbq!

Any thoughts people on what happened and how do the nights treat the rest of you?

V stressed and dazed Muppo x :cry:

2

Ive had this about a month ago I had a week from hell like this I just clung onto the bed waiting to die or fall asleep. Its hell like we think were doing ok and BAM it happens again . I dont take anything now just sleep but I get that eletric shock feeling , jolts etc when Im trying to sleep and my heart races its terrible I get the shakes aswell . You will get through work I have done 7 hours now finish in an hour and have had some horrid sensations today .

I feel your pain x

3

Hey Muppo - sorry you hard a hard time last night. I used to get this, I used to dread going to bed (hence my mum moving in and sleeping in the same bed). When you describe pins and needles, I used to get that but also got the strangest feeling that my blood was bubbling(??) in my legs. I completely feel for you as I use to think I was dying. Touch wood this hasn’t happened to me for around 5 months now and I hope it never happens again!
I used to wonder if this was MAV or plain old anxiety! I’m not being rude but did you overdo it yesterday - you may think you hadn’t but your body may not agree. Also had you eaten enough during the day - remember our brains are like racehorses and need loving!
I honestly don’t know what brought it on for you, but consider it a ‘blip’ and move on. Hopefully you’ll be fine for your bbq - and if the worst comes to the worst at least you’re with friends.
Hope all goes well tomorrow - realx and enjoy, let others look after you!
Take care
Tracey

4

Muppo,

Poor you, that sounds awful :frowning: I was really shocked to read your description, as it sounds horrific, no wonder you were so frightened.

I’ve never had anything quite like that. You know, if that happens again, I honestly think you should call an ambulance and let the hospital see you when you are at your very worst like that. Have you had an MRI of your brain at any point?

I hope you have had a better day. And I hope you are ok for your birthday tomorrow. Let your friends/family/Paul run around after you, and make sure you take a break and enjoy yourself.

Take care. xx

5

I get something similar to what you describe on rare occasions. I understand your fear, and know what it is like trying to fall asleep with your eyes open, trying to breathe through it, and calm it down.

I don’t get any spinning though, just a nasty sensation of falling through the bed. On the rare occasion that this symptom acts up, I will take some valium at max dosage (for me max is kind of low) to help me fall asleep.

6

Muppo,

Ouch. I cannot even speculate as to what would cause this to happen to you, but sometimes I have noticed that once I feel better, I start doing more things, which then challenges the vestibular system, and then when I lay down it goes into total revolt and has its revenge by spinning the bed. Maybe you over-reached because you were feeling better and things were on an upward trajectory, and then you did too much. If so, then you shouldn’t be so down, because your symptoms were caused by the improvement in your condition, if that makes any sense.

But you DID have a period where it was improving, and that is the good news. Take heart. That means it can improve again. That puts you ahead of losers like me. I hate to go to bed. I dread it. For my entire adult life, I fell asleep within two minutes of hitting the pillow. I had maybe two or three nights where I took an hour or more to get to sleep, over a twenty year period. I simply never had a single sleep problem, ever. Then I got this MAV/VN and I feel like each night I am in a turbulent airplane pulled left and right. And there are times when I wake up half-awake and shaking, as if part of my brain is awake and worrying while the lower half of the brain is still sleeping. It is so frustrating, I know exactly how you feel.

It is a setback, but I have noticed you had a bunch of recent accomplishments (travel, work), so you should try to put this in context against those.

7

Longshort
Since you describe how crappy it is to go to bed, I say you hit the docs up for a remeron prescription. You’ll be asleep in 15 minutes tops, you’ll sleep hard and deep for at least 8 hours and it helps anxiety and raises serotonin. You can ask Todd (go gonzaga) about it and my sister takes it, loves it, and it worked well for me for a long while.
Might be worth checking out. Side effects are sedation and can increase appetite. It didn’t for me but I took a super low dose.
Kelley

8

— Begin quote from “rockyksmom”

Longshort
Since you describe how crappy it is to go to bed, I say you hit the docs up for a remeron prescription. You’ll be asleep in 15 minutes tops, you’ll sleep hard and deep for at least 8 hours and it helps anxiety and raises serotonin. You can ask Todd (go gonzaga) about it and my sister takes it, loves it, and it worked well for me for a long while.
Might be worth checking out. Side effects are sedation and can increase appetite. It didn’t for me but I took a super low dose.
Kelley

— End quote

I’ll check that out. By the way I am in Taiwan and went around the corner to the pharmacy, the have Periactin 4mg at the price of 30 for one USD. That is 3 cents a pill. I will probably check that out as well.