Did Your Nightmares Start Gradually Or Right After You Had Trauma?

[sonicwhite]

Did your nightmares start gradually or right after you had trauma. Mine where gradual. It all started when I tried to go cold turkey off gabapentin. I had the worst dream to date and ever since than I notice if I'm under a lot of stress I will have more nightmares than usual.

 

[garden]

I starrted having nightmares in early childhood, so I don't remember how they started, it's just something that's always been. I have had long periods in my adult life that were almost nightmare free, meaning that nightmares were only sprinkled throughout those times, and I was not affected by them too badly while I was awake ( I could go on about my day normally). Other times in my life I have had nightmares that I cannot escape because everytime I go to sleep, I'm awakened by a nightmare that is accompanied by a physiological response and deep emotions. Those kind are rough because it feels as if I'm just trying to withstand an onslaught of images, emotions, and physical responses, and I have no way of protecting myself from it all. Not only does it make for poor quality of sleep, I usually don't get enough sleep, which adds to my distress because I never seem to be able to recover, and then it starts all over again. It feels like I'm being tortured, and I have no way to stop it. Nightmares are no joke.

 

[sonicwhite]

For sure nightmares are so distressing. I mean once in a blue moon would be great but that's my life prazosin is so good for them.

 

[desiderata310]

Right now my nightmares have gone to 2-3 times a week to every night, several times a night.

They started gradually. Right now, lots of stress; lots of nightmares.

 

[garden]

I found that cannabis almost totally eliminates nightmares, every now and then a nightmare would break through if it's a particularly bad time of stress, like what @desiderata310 describes. I am not able to use cannabis right now because I'm using Trazadone and I'm afraid of mixing meds. I have had really bizarre dreams on Trazadone, I mean they are disturbingly strange, but I have not had any nightmares yet. I heard that prazosin helped a lot with nightmares. It sounds like it helps with your nightmares and that's good. When you stop using it do they come back?

 

[Chava]

For early traumas I really don't remember but I've always been afraid to just settle down and go to sleep. I do remember nightmares though that involved certain people betraying me or attacking me. In adulthood there are similar themes but I'm on the outside, watching this happen to a little girl. They come in clusters and cycles...yes, also affected by meds and other changes, stresses, stuff in therapy. I do remember after one adult trauma I was too numbed out too probably even have nightmmares...dissociated, black-out drunk as much as possible, so never had dreams of any kind. I didn't have any nightmares about that one for years...then it was bloodier and broken into symbolic pieces, so like all the stuff I buried with it came back with greater intensity (nightmares about childhood are like this too).

Sidenote...I just started gabapentin. Doctor was super loosey-goosey about the dosing...I just take as needed (up to a few pills, small dose) for pain, whenever through the day. And I can call to increase since it's a tiny dose. I don't want to find these work super well, I'm stuck on them, and my life goes to shit when they stop working and I have to taper off. So anyway, helpful to know...I am on a cocktail of pain meds, but keeping everything to small doses hopefully to avoid later withdrawal horrors.

 

[sonicwhite]

PRN the gabapentin like you are @Chava because the withdrawals are like benzo/opiate at the same time......I went thru withdrawal in 2010 because I thought i could do it without medication. I cried so much and I wanted to kill myself when the nightmares started.......I said death is better than going thru this eerie disturbing theme of dreams.

 

[TonyG]

My Trauma was 30 years ago and I have never forgotten it but never really dwelled on it, My nightmares have allways been in grey and not really detailed, In the last five years I have had a number of issues that can cause ptsd on there own, so I guess my cup has overflowed, I had a break down and seeked help and now I have full detailed nightmares, stress at work is partially to blame for this but I can't quit my trade so my answer is gradually.

 

[falling_wave]

I had immediate and vivid nightmares as a child after emotional/spiritual abuse but as far as all the rest and more dangerous stuff that came over time as certain things triggered my memories.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

As a child I used to have end of the world nightmares that gradually went away but started back up when I began therapy. I have had years of bad nightmares but I noticed as I got healthier the nightmares began to show my growth in good ways. Now I have the occasional nightmare that haunts me during the day. I take Risperidone for nightmares and do not have the amount of nightmares I used to get anymore.

 

[Senecia]

Oddly enough I started having recurring nightmares at an extremely young age. I remember having them when I was 3 or 4. I also have memories of my own behavior that suggest my traumas go back farther than I thought (it's cumulative for me). They've gotten worse as I've gotten older. More graphic, more complex situations... Not really sure if there's a before or after in my case. I just always remember it being there.

 

[Ed Norton]

My nightmares started before my ptsd took hold. They weren't gradual but almost immediate. They began right after my trauma and continued. They would occur most nights and had the same theme. Once in a while I'd also have a strange dream or even a nice dream too, but those were rare.

I started to take prazosin and it has really curtailed my nightmares. Sometimes I forget the dose and I've noticed that even though I dream; They're not always a nightmare, in fact, the majority of the nice dreams that I have are about my dog " Jabby". I still have nightmares on my prazosin occasionally, but I rarely dream. Also, I've noticed that when I have a regular dream on prazosin the dream is usually lucid and I can control a lot if the events going on.
That being said, prazosin has been a miracle drug for me. I'll deal with the few side effects in order to not have terrible nightmares and I'm thankful that there aren't serious side effects like "reflex tachycardia" that will make me have to stop taking it.