PTSD,night terrors, sleep, prazosin

Hi 10bmd10,

I wish I had some answers for you. I use meditation to sleep. I use to take ambien too but stopped.

The breathing during the meditation would probably help some. It helps relieve anxiety. But I don't know how you would skip any stages of sleep. Though with meditation (if I can concentrate) I do fall to sleep rather quickly.

I do have to say something about ambien and alcohol. Not a good match. Alcohol keeps us depressed because it is a depressant. So be careful.

I think therapy could still help you even though the night terrors and the ptsd don't seem to be related. There often underlies more meaning than what we can observe. But that is for you to decide. Maybe a sleep specialist???

I hope you can remedy this soon. Not getting good sleep can effect us in many ways.

Take care and I hope you have a good day and feel better soon.

Hugs, Karen...

PS Welcome to the forum.

I'll assume night terrors are panic attacks at night.

You describe them just right, just as I would drift off to sleep, I assumed it was when my defenses were down, wham! A panic attack would often occur.

These attacks went on for a year or two, maybe longer.

I was originally diagnosed as depressed, because when I saw the psy. I was depressed. I wasn't asked about any up type episodes, which might have been a help.

Anyway, I went miss-diagnosed for some years, probably 8 or 10, during which the panic attacks would have started at some point, and there wasn't any help with stopping them.

Well, one day, they diagnosed me as manic-depressed, and gave me Lithium, in addition to the anti-dep. I was taking. From the first Lithium, I never had another panic attack. The Lithium stopped them cold.

I might mention that to my psych. and see what they say about that. There might be other meds which are used for panic attacks.

You might look on the net panic attacks, or medicines which treat panic attacks, and see what they say. You might take the names of those meds to your doctor.

Doctors only have 5 to 50 minutes a session. You've got all of the time in the world to research things on the net.

I use Melatonin for sleep from the health food store. I use only one mg. a night, but you can take 2 or 3 mg., for they sell a 3 mg. pill.

I use to use Power to Sleep from heath food store, or net, but my psy. didn't like it (not enough testing), and one day my kidneys started to hurt, especially when I coughed, so I thought it could be the Power to Sleep, I quit taking it, and since then my kidneys have not hurt.

So you kinda want to watch out for stuff.

Speaking of panic attacks, you can go to the "anxiety/panic attacks" forum on this same web site, and get more data on there about that.

There's also on that forum two or three or more threads on "I can't sleep" and you could read those about suggestions for sleeping with health food supplements.

As you said at the end of your post, "Much thanks! Here's to a healthy day ahead!"

That suggests a positive attitude. I recently started thinking positive, due to a column I read on that topic, and it rally helped me in that I didn't give up with the first setback, like I use to.

Since then, I try to think, "One problem at a time, and be positive about that problem."

I used to be geared for defeat, but the column said, believe you can solve a problem going into it, it will improve your chances of solving the problem. It did for me.

A saying I heard is, "The person you have to defeat is yourself." That was true with me also.

Ask about ativan. It is not a sleep aid. However that when I take it. Better than sleep aids to calm on self.

I also will sit at the edge of the bed swing my legs, but 3 fingers ony neck to feel my pulse and repeat the following until I fell calm

I am safe now
No one can hurt me anymore
My pulse is my purpose
I am not alone

And 10, you are not alone we are all here to listen and support you.

Therapy could be a help for. Stay strong

Peace
Trina

Thanks for sharing Help2heal. Welcome to the forum.

I am glad this is helping.

Hugs, Karen...