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I'm taking a pain killer prescribed by my doctor. The weird thing is whenever I take a pill and go to sleep, I have multiple nightmares. I wake up few times and fall asleep again, but I can never get off bed.
Sometimes, I feel so aware that I'm dreaming, and I tell myself that this is only a dream, and I try to wake myself up, but I can't.
I was told to take a pill every 3 hours, with no more than 8 pills a day. I never take more than one pill/day.
But once I was in severe pain and I took one, and around 45 mins went back to take another one.
I had shortness of breath, and my chest seemed very tight, with the most evil dreams ever, and I couldn't get myself out of it.
I stopped taking it now. But I'm only trying to understand what causes this and why, like a scientific explanation.
Many narcotics cause hallucinations/delusions/vivid dreams in some people. When i was on a dilaudid pain pump in hospital, I didn't know who/where I was 90% of the time. Once I was Princess Diana, twirling around in a beautiful gown in the palace. Now I just take 1/2 dose of lortab if I can get away with it.
Yes, I have this happen: Sometimes, I feel so aware that I'm dreaming, and I tell myself that this is only a dream, and I try to wake myself up, but I can't.
And, I'll try to yell (while I am in this nightmare dream) to my wife to wake me up but I can't seem to blurt the words out. The next day she'll say she heard me saying or yelling something in my sleep.
And yes, it has had to do with medications I was taking or stopped taking for a couple days accidentally.
This is classic sleep paralysis. Most people will experience it once or twice...typically when overtired or while taking medication. Others (like lucky me!) experience it more frequently. There's a genetic component, and it's more common in females than males.
Basically when you enter REM sleep (the dreaming phrase), your body releases a chemical that helps ensure you don't move around and act out your dreams. What's happening is your level of consciousness is rising (in other words you're waking up) while your body is still asleep and unable to move.
While in this state it's very common to feel a pressure or weight, especially on one's chest. Some feel like they are suffocating. You feel like you can't move and may have vivid waking hallucinations. There's often an oppressive feeling of terror (though some actually feel great joy or peace). Some feel a sense of vibration.
Sleep paralysis is probably responsible for legends of 'the old hag' who sneaks into bedrooms and sits on the chest. It's also behind legends of succubus and incubus who again sneak into bedrooms and sit on the victim. Some people who claim alien abduction and out of body experiences were probably in this state. Because you know you are awake but you're also hallucinating, it can be difficult to distinguish the visions from reality.
Sleep paralysis is considered a gateway to lucid dreaming. If you can relax and not fight it, you can fall back into REM sleep while still being aware that you are dreaming. This often gives you the ability to modify the dream at well. It's also used as a starting point for out of body experiences.
Sorry for the info dump, I just find the whole thing fascinating. I've had this for many years and I tend to do it to myself by trying to wake up from bad dreams. Instead I get 'stuck'. Often times I feel like I'm screaming. The only way to break out of it is to focus very very hard on moving just one body part, like a finger or your head.
Yes it might be possible. Hallucinations are closely related with side effects of medications. If you have taken some medicines and it has some negative impact on your REM sleep phase, you may undergo hallucinations.
I am on oxicodine for pain in back. But sometimes I have nightmares, crutley to animals., and im going to be harmed and will wake up gasp my breath. I realize its a dream but of course at the time I didn't know this. These are awful dreams and haven't told anybody about them, except for now. catt from florida
Yes meds can cause nightmares, I can attest to that, and also if you eat a chocolate bar just before you go to bed as I've experienced.
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