Dream while awake? Sleep paralysis, hypnogogic hallucinations, sleep-state misperception

[Phil]

 

Here is an website which has information about sleep paralysis:

 

https://www.sleepadvisor.org/sleep-paralysis/

 

_______________________________________________

 

Does anyone else suffer this during withdrawal?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_state_misperception

 

I came across a discussion about it on the other site and realized that I also have it, at times.

Sometimes I fall asleep in the daytime for a nap, but it doesn't feel like I have slept, and I am still aware of my surroundings. Very weird.

 

There is also mention of it on this forum, from people who came off benzos or other meds:

 

http://ehealthforum.com/health/topic32119.html#quick_reply_input

 

Edited December 2, 2021 by ChessieCat
added link at top of post

[Roads]

I may have this. I will look for information and stories about it, so as to confirm, but it could explain a lot for me. I'll keep you inform.

[Altostrata]

I am still experiencing this. According to a sleep specialist I've talked to, it's not sleep-state misperception, it's probably very light sleep.

[Phil]

I remember a few years back an ex of mine said I was a very light sleeper, and this was a while after I had originally came off of SSRIs. Never really considered it at the time though.

[Roads]

I definitely have this. I know I have slept, but I still have the feeling that my brain remained active all night and am convinced that I haven't slept a wink. An odd feeling of absence disconnection...

[Rhiannon]

I have this sometimes, I think. My daughter used to have this in high school too I remember--she would come out of the bedroom very upset because she couldn't sleep and would say she hadn't slept a wink for hours, even though I had just heard her snoring.

 

My sleep is weird from the meds though. I vaguely remember what it used to feel like to actually get deep, restorative sleep. It happens about once a year now.

[ajay]

Interesting.

 

I have been told before that I was "out cold," yet I remember the person coming into the room to check on me, then leaving, and hearing discussions in the next room. It gets to the point where I open my eyes just to show that I'm not actually sleeping, because it gets frustrating to be told I was asleep when I wasn't.

 

At the same time, I have had times when I was sure I was lying awake thinking, yet somehow something happened without my knowledge (a fan was turned off/on or something) so I must have drifted off in there somewhere.

 

I'm still exhausted, though. Sigh.

[Rhiannon]

This happened to me this morning, and I noticed it because of having read this thread! I looked at the clock and it was 7 and I rolled over and daydreamed and thought for a few minutes and then my wrist alarm went off and it was 8, and I didn't actually experience myself as having been asleep, but I must have because I really didn't feel like anything like an hour had gone by either. I made a mental note of it, because I had just read this thread about it yesterday.

[Barbarannamated]

Had hallucinations last night - very similar to febrile hallucinations I had as kid - I was stuck on ceiling looking down, things looked far away that are in the room. Ive never had this since I was a kid and didnt have a fever. Still scary. I'm very dizzy and disoriented this morning ( more than usual).

 

No people or hearing voices involved. Husband is at sister's about hour away. I texted him and told him, but no response.

 

Any thoughts?

[ajnjj]

Silent migraine???

[ajnjj]

Or Alice in wonderland syndrome - part of EBV...

[annej]

I am taking a stab at the possibility that this was derealization? Hugs, Annej

[Nikki]

Barb....my first thought was, it wasn't really a hallucination, but a very vivid dream that left you feeling uncomfortable. These types of dreams leave us tired and disoriented the next day.

 

I used to have a recurring dream for 40 some odd years. I finally told a therapist and she explained it to me and I never had it again. Can you elaborate on it. If you were on the ceiling you were at a safe distance, protecting youself from something you probably did not want to be in. You were being cautious and observing and could not be touched on ceiling.

 

You were actually taking care of yourself in this dream which is a good thing.

 

This helped me, hope it helps you. Can you draw a pic of it?

 

Hugs

[Barbarannamated]

Or Alice in wonderland syndrome - part of EBV...

 

Ajnjj,

Thank you for this info! I was aware that migraine and many other neurologic conditions could produce hallucinations, but never heard of this. One article states that 50% of kids are positive for EBV by age 5. I wouldn't be surprised if that was what caused my hallucinations as a kid. I got them regularly with fevers and they weren't of too great concern, apparently. Scared the heck outa me, I remember clearly. I would beg my parents to get me down from the ceiling. Their heads looked BIG and bodies small, like caricatures. And things were far away. Everything distorted. I was fully awake. I wasn't dancing. . (Reference to 80s song)

 

The other nite, it was brief, but I recognized it immediately. It is very different than derealization or dream.

 

Also finding info about visual hallucinations with visual impairment. My vision has been poor most of my life and especially troubling during withdrawal and the last few days. Post vitreous detachment. May be coincidence.

[ajnjj]

Barb,

 

You are welcome. I recognized what you said and I thought of the EBV and the Alice in wonderland syndrome. I wonder if your having a flare? Are your glands swollen? How is your throat? Also, my 3 year old and 5 year old tested positive for EBV. How about that?!

 

Hope you are feeling better.

[Barbarannamated]

Ajnjj,

 

Sorry. Just noticed this.

Ive never been tested for EBV. Interesting, considering the primary symptom that earned me the Zoloft prescription in 1993 was fatigue.

 

Just mentioned this episode to a small group of friends online, careful to say "neurologic event". The social worker of the group asked me if there was "a reputable psych hospital for a thorough workup" near me. Aside from the contradictions in that one statement, it is frightening how quickly people are trained to think "abnormal/psychiatry" for medical issues.

 

B

[Shanti]

I just ordered a book called "Sleep Paralysis; A Dreamers Guide". It's about how to turn the crazy and terrifying sleep disorders such as Sleep Paralysis, Hypnogogic Hallucinations, Head Noise, Vibrations, etc. into a positive journey of Lucid Dreaming or Out of Body Experiences (OBE) It looks like a very good and practical book. I've had sleep disorders like this all of my life, and it's been magnified terribly since the w/d.

 

I'm going to stop fighting things and try to turn them positive. I feel like these things are "Dwellers on the threshold", that I need to stop fighting. Even before I had w/d syndrome, I had many experiences with symptoms upon falling asleep that remind me of the w/d symptoms (minus the zaps). The "whooshing" and "Buzzing" sound is known to happen before an OBE, or "Atral Traveling". I may be stepping out of the Symptom topics into the Finding Meaning area. But this discussion can be anything dream related, scientific or spiritual. Any thoughts?

 

 

Here is a website that gives good advice on how to turn these experiences into something positive. How To Stop Sleep Paralysis and Turn it Into a Lucid Dream.

 

I feel that if I can get a handle and an "allowed" control over these things, then it will help me get out of the emotional and anxiety dreams as well. I still have to take Stramonium every night before bed to keep me from the anxiety dreams. Truly, I feel that I have PTSD from a few of the anxiety dreams I had at the very beginning of my w/d experience. Even when the dreams at face value weren't scary or nightmarish, they had a very strong emotion, dread and doom feeling to them that still scares me when I think about it. I've never had dreams traumatize me so much.

[Altostrata]

Very creative approach, Shanti. Thank you.

[Nadia]

I had a lucid dream, I think for the first time ever, a few months ago. I started thinking I should try to cultivate lucid dreaming as a way to potentially stay asleep and maybe even sleep deeper. Let us know if you have any success!

[flong]

Over the years, I noticed that if I missed a dose of Effexor, I'll wake up the next morning with a really odd sensation.

Aside from the strange dreams, brain zaps, etc., I wake up with crazy closed eye visuals.

The only way I can describe it is my brain is sending me information faster than I can process it...like my brain is sending my eyes flashcards of random pictures a light speed. Often there will be strange sounds and other weird sensations as well.

Since I tapered down 10% of my regular dose a few weeks ago I wake up almost every day with this. It's worse if I don't get enough sleep. It goes away after a while, but I definitely feel "out of it" most of the day regardless. There are also minor visual disturbances throughout the day, but this one in particular scares the hell outta me.

I'm just hoping it's part of the WD and not a permanent fixture of my existence now.

[smartgun]

Hallucinations were the reason I stopped taking effexor.

 

Like, lucid, confused for reality hallucinations.

 

I currently still have sub-hallucinations and constant rainbow static in my field of vision.

 

I have the same sensations you describe when falling asleep.

[Altostrata]

flong, how about putting back a few beads of Effexor XR? It sounds like maybe the 10% decrease was a little too much for you.

[Altostrata]

Yes, it's the only good thing about Effexor XR.

 

If I were you, I'd make smaller decrease. Morning hallucinations sound like a red flag.

[flong]

No problems this morning. Just fatiuge.

So im probably over analyzing this, but my first reaction is that is hallucination are caused by something I'm eating...chances are the lack of the drug is playing tricks on me though. I cant believe how horrible it is to come off this stuff. Its 130 in the afternoon and i havent been able to get out of bed. This is not like me. Hope i can recover from this first reduction soon.

[Altostrata]

Something you've eaten? Unless it's magic mushrooms, it's more likely your nervous system has stabilized a bit, thank the deity.

 

Please taper by a smaller amount next time, flong.

[Shanti]

Hypnopompic Hallucinations. While the ones you have with your eyes closed before sleep are Hypnogognic Hallucinations. Many people do this naturally. Like me. But they are much worse with the w/d syndrome. Niacin really helps with them. It's dream imagery you're still having while you start to have conscious awareness.

[Bellisimo]

Anyone have had hallucinations in withdrawal from psyk drugs?

 

I had never experienced it before going on and when i quit my medicine i had massive hallucinations, often when i go to bed i saw things and also colorful patterns and stuff, its not so often now but earlier i had it

[Altostrata]

Hallucinations are a recognized potential symptom in psychiatric drug withdrawal, including antidepressants.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

I would get patterns behind my lids if I closed my eyes after my final awakening in the morning if I tried to squeeze in a few more zzzz's. Slightly alarming because they are so strange. That's when I give up and wake up for good. Such odd symptoms we all get.

[NewMe]

I see patterns of color when eyes are closed, too. Always have but worse now

[WinningThrough]

Ok so I'm freaking out a little.

 

Managed to go out for a walk with my boyfriend. He pointed out 2 pigeons on one of the roofs. Then we saw a couple of corgi dogs being walked and he pointed these out to me too. My boyfriend said "you don't often see those on the roof" referring to the pigeons and for a split second I saw the two corgis on the roof in my minds eye. I almost said No, you don't often see corgis on the roof. Then I realised my mistake. Am I losing the plot??? I didn't actually see them on the roof, it was more like a dream.

 

Last weekend he was ironing while we were both in the lounge. I later asked if he needed any work shirts ironing and he said he'd just ironed four right in front of me.

 

I seem to be going completely potty.

 

Is this withdrawal or am I starting to lose my mind? I've never hallucinated before but now I'm wondering what to expect next. Anything could happen at this stage.

[Addax]

This doesn't sound like hallucinations WT. Not at all. You said you didn't actually see the corgi's on the roof but saw them in your mind's eye... You imagined them is what I'm guessing you mean. People do that quite often! Thats why eyewitness testimony is often called into question. I had someone tell me a story about seeing a certain cat in a coffee shop I frequent. I could swear I'd seen it too... I don't know why the image got caught in my head like a memory, but it did.

 

And the shirts being ironed? Again, sounds normal to me. You may not have been paying attention to such a mundane behavior. Have you ever driven and suddenly realized you "hadn't been paying attention" and were much further along in your drive than you realized? It happens a lot when people make the same drive repeatedly as well, like driving to work. Or when someone is reading and doesn't hear you repeatedly call their name? It's a form of dissociation. Again, normal.

 

I'm pretty sure you're ok and haven't gone potty or lost your plot.

 

[WinningThrough]

Thanks Addax. You've made me feel better :-)

 

You've reminded me that this is all normal stuff. Before all this happened, I did loads of stuff on autopilot, as everyone does. I guess because I feel so cognitively impaired, nothing feels normal so anything that would have been normal in the past feels abnormal now. In my 'normal' times, I'd quite often be so wrapped up in something I was doing that I wouldn't notice what was going on around me. And in the past, I would have made a joke about the corgis because, well, it's quite a funny image really!

 

Thank you :-)

[dalsaan]

How's your sleep? This stuff happens to me when I'm sleep deprived. Brain a bit sluggish

[mammaP]

How's your sleep? This stuff happens to me when I'm sleep deprived. Brain a bit sluggish

Me too Dalsaan. I  remember when I was going through many drug changes in a short space of time. I saw cats

everywhere, just fleeting, like in the corner of my eye, and would hear my name being said but  not sure how or

where from.  While on effexor full dose I often forgot things that had just happened ( like the ironing incident) .

 

I'm not sure that I would call them hallucinations, they were not real and I never thought they were, just strange.

There are changes going on in the brain so I think it is not surprising to experience some of these things,

especially when sleep deprived as Dalsaan said. I don't think you are going loopy at all, you are aware that what's

happening isn't real.  I suspect that it will soon pass, but this is only my opinion from my own experiences. 

[tyson]

As mentioned above, hallucination is potential side effect of withdrawal from antipsychotic medication and antidepressants. So, would that mean some one having hallucination during tapering from antipsychotic medication is having side effect?  and is that an acceptable reaction to the meds. should I have to hold on my tapering until the hallucination go away or I should continue to taper while hallucination? any input pls. thanks