Nightmares

[cshamb]

Last night my husband said I shouted and kicked. I remember the dream but he woke me up. I was being chased my a bear and was fighting to get away. Does anyone have dreams like this and what can I take. It does nothappen to often.

[parkie13]

I was having the same problem. I took 10 mg of melatonin for quite a while, must have been over a couple years. Then I started getting headaches so I stopped. I did not take any for at least a year, and I started having nightmares where I was screaming in the middle of the night. Boy, that got my husband's attention.

I am back on melatonin, 5 mg, before going to bed each night. Have not had another nightmare or the screams since then. So far, so good. No headaches on the 5 mg dosage. It must have something to do with levodopa, I'm assuming.

[cshamb in reply to parkie13]

I take 6mg and magnesium at about 9:00 and then siminet at about 10:00. Could it be the seminete?

[parkie13 in reply to cshamb]

It might be, but I take my last dose at 10 before I go to bed. I'm sure it's probably cumulative from the whole day. You can try the melatonin and see if it helps.

[Hidden]

Vivid dreams are the norm. Turn that pigs ear into a silk purse. Become a short story writer.

[park_bear]

So sorry. We are not all like that. Apologies on behalf of Bearkind.

[Enidah]

REM sleep disorder is a common part of Parkinson's and quite often is one of the first symptoms. I know it was for me. I was being chased by a warthog, in my dream obviously, and when I went to punch it in the snout I punched the edge of my dresser next to my bed and hurt my hand...rude awakening. If it gets bad enough and disruptive enough people will take clonazepam and that settles it down. That is great if melatonin works for you.

[rozagrul]

I’ve had some of these. My first one was before my diagnosis so it’s not the sinemet!

I find them interesting. And a little freaky. I’ve actually crawled out of bed a couple of times. I did hurt my hand once too. I guess I slapped the headboard.

Usually I remember them and I’m not really scared in the dreams just surprised.

[parkie13 in reply to rozagrul]

We need Rescuema.

[Parkie- in reply to rozagrul]

Yes, not the Sinemet. I have this REM sleep disorder ever since my PD symptoms started and BEFORE taking any PD meds.

[WinnieThePoo]

Yes. I get this and my wife just laughs about it in the morning. For now we're not worried so not taking anything

[MBAnderson in reply to WinnieThePoo]

good of you to provide her a little humor

[rhyspeace12]

It sounds like REM sleep disorder. My husband had it for years. I couldn't sleep in the same bed with him. It is one of the first signs of PD.My husband had it already when he was 20 and died with it when he was 80

[DEAT]

I have this and more. Screaming, punching (my husband)

singing, laughing, crying, talking. Not from meds as this started way before i began madopar.

Recently my neurologist Rx seroquel. It stopped most of the above but it made me feel bad and worsened my constipation. Stopped it after a week.

We now put up with it all over again.

Oh the joys of PD.

[Parkie- in reply to DEAT]

Hello Deat

Glad you stopped Seroquel : healthunlocked.com/parkinso...

Melatonin is sold over the counter and really helps me.

[MarionP in reply to DEAT]

DEAT, maybe it's your husband.

[Dragona]

My husband does this but oesn't remember in the morning I now give him melatonin and magnesium threonate before bed and seems to have done the trick

[andrehypnotic]

Every morning I wake up with sore muscles 💪 from living out my dreams,mostly nightmares.

[Pnyldy]

I agree with Enidah and rhyspeace12. I have PD and was having “acting out” dreams in my 20’s long before any PD symptoms showed up. Melatonin and supplementing B6 works for me. I also take 1 mg CBD oil at bedtime. My opinion is the c/l will make my dreams more vivid, but has nothing to do with the “acting out”. Also, believe certain triggers such as stress, maybe alcohol can make it worse. In addition to the supplements review sleep hygiene and see if there’s not some improvements you can make there. Best wishes!

[jrg54321]

Watching TV at night, I now close my eyes during the violent parts. I find it lessens the amount of acting out I do at night.

[janers]

I don’t think vivid dreams are necessarily linked to PD. Many people who have vivid dreams don’t have Parkinson’s. There’s a whole tradition of shamanic dreaming and the bear actually is a symbol of healing! Just food for thought there might be more going on with dreams then just chemicals gone awry.

[Enidah in reply to janers]

It is not so much vivid dreams as it is the bodies ability to relax and go into a state of paralysis, atonia, that restricts your physical movement in your dreams keeping us safe from external injury. This is very often a symptom of PD years before a person is diagnosed. That was true for me.

[parkie13 in reply to janers]

I didn't know that, I used to dream a lot about bears, different Bears different places etcetera. White ones, and brown was at different times

[ScribblerCLT]

Active REM sleep is common for PwPs and is an early sign of possible Parkinsonism. The severity varies. Dreams, nightmares, talking aloud, screaming, kicking, even sleepwalking is possible. I usually mutter, argue, wax philosophical, and once had a dream so intriguing and vivid that I took notes for the germ of a story. Been taking 5mg off-the-shelf melatonin for two years but not convinced it helps and my somnologist agrees. I only remember two disturbing nightmares, but I have punched, kicked and screamed.

[mistydog1]

If he's on Sinemet in the package insert that "vivid" dreams have been reported. If it continues maybe see if he can't be switched to Rytary . I was on Sinemet it created more problems . Things like sever dyskinesia vivid dreams that woke me up. That's when I switched over.

[MarionP]

25-50 mg of benadryl might help,can combine with melatonin any amount or use by itself. Harmless.

[Parkie- in reply to MarionP]

Benadryl is not harmless and should not be used on a regular basis:

"Researchers offer compelling evidence of a link between long-term use of anticholinergic medications like Benadryl and dementia"

health.harvard.edu/blog/com...

[MarionP in reply to Parkie-]

Ok, mostly harmless. Don't use it chronically for the next 25 years.

[gginto]

Try Taking a warm bath before you go to bed- and a cup of camomile tea.. I also like Magnesium Bisglycinate ...

[Cjbro2000]

@cshamb My worst nightmarish incident was being chased by a shark. I still have an indentation in my skull from hitting it when I dove out of bed to escape that shark and hit the very hard wooden leg of a chair! I have animated conversations in my sleep almost nightly, wake up screaming, and my poor husband is always shaking me awake, sometimes several times a night! I never did any of this before I started taking carbidopa-levodopa (Sinemet). Melatonin hasn’t seemed to help much either. No helpful solutions here, but I do feel your pain.

[hairdresser1 in reply to Cjbro2000]

I have PD but was dianosed in 2010 be for that date my husband had REM we did not know what is was or why he had it, one night he jumped out of bed and ran into the wall (just like a tom and jerry cartoon) 999 was the only answer they were very good cleaned up the blood and made sure he was ok before leaving. Went to local GP who told us that the practice was having a meeting and would discuss the mater any way after seeing 5 GPs one who thought it was funny, one who told us to sleep in separate bedrooms, it was not till we saw a professor at QMC and she told us straight away it's REM gave him Clonzaepam that he slept with out living his dreams. She said when you sleep your body goes into lockdown but if you have REM you act out your dreams. oh and by the way he still has not got Parkinson's.

[Zella23]

My husband has very vivid dreams he does punch and shout at times! We ve been married nearly 50 years and has often kicked or talked during sleep. Since dx with PD these are worse but he doesn’t have the vivid dreams every night. Takes magnesium and B1 - hasn’t really made much difference.