Night terrors

[Joymc]

Hi all my name is Joy my husband has parkinsons , he's experiensing really bad violent outbursts in his sleep , is this a symptom and should I be worried xxxxx

[rhyspeace12]

Is he on new medication? My husband goes through strange things on and off.  I don't know if your husbands' problem is dangerous. My husband had hallucinations and they passed. He has always kicked a lot in his sleep and sometimes talks. I watch when he is asleep and his legs sometimes looks like a writhing snake under the covers.

[DEAT]

Hi Joy

I also have things happening in the night. My husband tells me each morning how i went in the night as almost always i remember nothing.

I can scream, talk and twitch without any recollection on waking. If i do what we now call a 'death scream' it even wakes my daughter sleeping in another bedroom.  The death scream can occur and i am totally still and deeply asleep.

I have been told that this is a system of parkinsons.  Some pwp can be aggressive towards their partner in the bed when asleep, but i have not done this yet thankfully. My husband is amazing and supportive even though his sleep is disturbed most nights.

I am not taking any medication yet. This is probably my worst symptom at the moment. I have been dx 11 mths.

If you are worried please speak to your husband's neurologist. All the best as you navigate your way through this strange disease.

Regards Denise

[Bridielena]

Yes, I too can have these conversations with my 'head visitors'.   My husband woke me 4 times the other evening as he was getting little sleep.

It's not every night.......can't remember the previous time it happened but I , over the years, have woken myself up crying and screaming.   Apparently it's a side effect of one or maybe the 2 that I am on.....Madopar 125 (.  Levodopa ) and Sifrol  ER. (Pramipexole)

I hope not ever to lash out but the dreams are nasty ones.

Onwards and upwards for a cure.

Bridielena

[dreem in reply to Bridielena]

mine is from the PD, I had it before I was DX or on any meds

[Bandula]

I did. Checked out the generic names of the medication I was under I was on Madorpa-Levodopa + Benserzide , 250/4 daily and Selegiline Hydrochloride 5mg at night daily.Selegiline...side effects, hallucinations are possible was found. I, on my own came off it. Waited for a fortnight, there were no nightmares etc whatsoever. Thereafter, I informed my neurologist how i got rid of nightmares and violent behaviour at night. 6 years ago developed  painful cramps in my legs but no connection with PD was diagnosed till 2014 but I was told later cramps could have been the signs of on set of PD

I am 72 years of age, other than the walking stick, there are no signs whatsoever 

of PD. It is the positive attitude I have learnt to take all my life which has kept me afloat

and of course  steadfast commitment of my dear wife. 

Be happy, try it, see the change !

BandulaJ

[cate-wife]

My husband has night terrors. To address them the doctor has him take 3-6mg of melatonin each night. Plus he uses his cpap machine. Over 40% of PD patients have sleep disorders. This protocol has helped a great deal and did not introduce any medicines with horrible side effects. Hope this does not change and it will help him for a long time. 

My concern is, I feel we have something under control and then another symptom shows up. 

We celebrate all the good and try to find ways to work around the bad. 

Good luck. 

Cate

[Hidden]

Sorry to hear this,my husband diagnosed 2008 had terrible hallucinations during night,he was prescribed Rivotril (Clonazepam) which helped a lot and they almost stopped until recently.His dose 0.5 mg at night, unfortunately nights are getting disturbed again,this week we have had rats,chickens and ?woki from Star Wars in bed with us,so hopefully a higher dose will help,although with this will come more sleepiness.Best wishes to you both xx Meaning more dozy during day x

[windhorsepixy in reply to Hidden]

My husband had a parade of mainly small mammals, though there was the odd parakeet  & sometimes spiders/scorpions. He was diagnosed with REM sleep disorder over a year before they decided to diagnose the PD - but I knew it all along.  He takes  6 - 9 mg Melatonin & it pretty much keeps the zoo at bay.  He forgets to take it - they definitely come back - 

[pen1]

I talk, sing, scream, cry, laugh, speak fluently in languages I have to struggle to remember when awake. I wave my arms but fortunately don't move anything else. I have extremely vivid dreams often terrifying. 

Frequently they are of a different quality and on waking I realise that my brain has been making me aware of something important that I hadn't been conscious of while awake. These can be simple things - dreams of hovering over above the ground alerted me to my stride shortening before I was diagnosed. Other dreams are about more complex stuff and force me to address my beliefs and values. I always remember these and struggle not to let them dominate my day.

My sleep-life has gradually got more active over the 13 years I have been diagnosed. The only time I became delusional was when valium was added to the madopar etc that I take.

.

[lotty]

I've been having terrible nightmares recently and to take more Madopar through the night. Does anyone have problems with their eardrums?

[Hidden in reply to lotty]

My husband says at times his ears feel blocked like in an aeroplane and need to pop.He has a slow release madopar at 10pm also a low dose Clonazepam before bed. Before the Clonazepam he had terrible hallucinations etc,it helped a lot but recently they are coming back so maybe needs a stronger dose.Best wishes to you x

[BillDavid]

Joymc

I have REM Sleep Disorder. I recommend you seek an assessment by your Neurologist.

Briefly, my experience and understanding.  REM sleep refers to deep stage of sleep when if the closed eyelids are observed, one can see the rapid movement of the eyes beneath the eye lids.  This representational dream experience, associated with body movement including striking or kicking out.  Normally there is a chemical present at this time which prevents your limbs from moving to act out during the dream.  The .disorder is when the system preventing limb movement fails.  As a result it is reported that I may randomly strike or kick out, completely out of my awareness.

I sleepy, with my spouse, this is unacceptable.  There are drugs one can take to prevent tne stri pf prevent the striking out.  I take two 5 mg Malitonin before bed.  Though i certainly is not my preference, I make it a point of sleeping with my back to mt wife.  I don't mean to diagnose your situation. Sharing my experience as a perspective. BillDavid, 

[Beckey]

One of the first questions the neurologists asked me during my first appointment was whether I had sleep disturbances, and my heart sank like a stone. The more senior doctor said usually if a person has sleep disturbances, lost the sense of smell and gets constipated it's a pretty sure bet it's PD.

I'd had a few episodes where I felt like the girl in "The Exorcist" -- a mean voice yelling real fiercely. I'd never done anything of the sort and found it pretty scary. After I woke myself and my partner up, I then had to calm him down as this unexpected tirade sent him up to the ceiling. I found him clinging to the chandelier shivering with fright. I'm very happy to be by myself now so I don't have to worry about upsetting someone else through completely involuntary actions. That in turn has reduced my stress level which perhaps is why these episodes now occur only rarely -- and when they do, my daughter and I roar with laughter. The "story lines" of some of these dreams are pretty funny.

[pen1 in reply to Beckey]

Your neurologidt"s comments are fascinating. I have all three problems -sleep disturbance, gradual lessening of sense of smell snd constipation since my teens and am 60 this year diagnosed 13 years ago . I do wish this sort of knowledge and understanding of PD was more common . I've given up all hope that it will ever be thought of as anything more than old people shaking a bit. 

[Beckey in reply to pen1]

Oh boy. Ain't that the truth!

[lauralizzie]

I have had parkinson's for about 4 years, I too scream and shout in my sleep, think its a combination of the meds i take plus the condition. You could get your husband to mention it to his nurse/doctor but don't believe its anything to worry about, other than it scared my family at first, but they are used to it now.

[ruthgt]

I thinknit is. I am participating in a research an the asked me how is my night.

[guitarman56]

This is a symptom of PD. It happens because the part of you brain that paralyzes you during REM sleep is not working so you act out your dreams, which becaome very vivid for reasons I don't know. Twice I have flown out of bed chasing someone in my dreams; one time requiring a trip to the ER as I hit the floor and gashed my head open. Several time, I tried to choke my wife in my sleep. She is always able to wake up readily, but it can be very scary for her. I have it under control with a low dose of Klonopin (clonazepam) at bedtime.

[Beckey in reply to guitarman56]

Holy Toledo! May I suggest a crash helmet for future snoozing?

Actually something similar happened to me. I dreamed I dove off a high cliff into the ocean, but instead of sailing through the air into sparkling blue water, I crash-landed on the hardwood floor and let me tell you that was one rude shock. I looked up to see my son and daughter standing over me looking flabbergasted. When I told them about my dream we roared with laughter.

[leelit]

Hi, I am sorry that you are going through that, My mom had the same symptoms, it is part of the disease and also the medications side effect, It called REM behavioral sleep disorder, things we did that helped: 

1- make sure the timing of his medications are not too close to sleep time. talk to his doctor to see if you can adjust the meds in a way that his last dose will be no later than 5 pm. 

2- talk to his doctor, but my mom started Temazepam 15 mg every night, it really did help, but defiantly ask his doctor to see if that is the right medication, if not, he can maybe suggest another medication that can help. 

Good luck

Lily

[BUZZ1397]

I also have experienced vivid dreams (but rarely violent) during which I move around a lot, which was the main reason the spouse insisted years ago before signs of PD we have separate beds.  My best neuro I ever saw was very interested in my animated dreaming as she thought it a symptom or precursor to my PD. They mentioned that all the moving around during sleep was using up the dopamine my remaining productive substantia negra cells were able to produce as a possible scenario to a rapid worsening of my PD. They Rx for me to start on Mirapex to quiet my night time animation, which I had to eventually quit taking because of side effect on my memory. Hope that memory helps somebody.

[McPam]

yes, if in addition he is thrashing about , the movement can cause him to fall out of bed  or hurt himself or who he is s  keeping with.  It is a REM disturbance that is a PD symptom.  I take clonazapam for it and it has subsided considerably.

[ltoqe]

My husband has had that symptom in the past (before he was dx'd with PD, so it wasn't medication-related at all for him.) He no longer has that ever happen now. Still not on meds. Not sure why the symptom has subsided, but thankful!