Posted by Girlnterrupted78 on October 13, 2009, at 5:54:20
I've been on Parnate for less than 6 months, and it's been working very well for depression and social anxiety. This has been the 2nd time an antidepressant actually works for me in 9 years or so that i started trying them.
The only problems that I have with it arise during sleep and with the fact that I have pretty much permanent shortness of breath. Sometimes it's hard to sleep because I feel too energetic during the night and I kept doing stuff and talking to myself a LOT and the hours just go by very fast.
The other times, when I do get to sleep, I have some severe nightmares. This is not always the case, and in fact I believe it's happened 3 times at the most since I started Parnate, but when it happens it is so bad that it leaves me crying for more than an hour or so.
Tonight I had one of those nightmares. It was one of my worst fears and phobias made into a reality, mixed up with the saddest things in my family, and a darkness and fear that were simply horrifying to me. Like waking up without having never been on Parnate to begin with, feeling just as depressed as ever, like my depression hit the bottom. It's like being fully depleted of any positive neurotransmitters I have from Parnate, and going reverse and reaching the lowest point in depression.
All 3 of my Parnate nightmares have been like that. I dream with my phobias and they become very real and very threatening and I feel so completely helpless and depleted of any internal defense that I just crumble and cry for hours.
Last time it happened, I had to work the next day. I began my day as a quiet, subdued worker, sort of the person I was before being on any antidepressant that worked for me. But 3 or 4 hours later after waking up, (and continuing my Parnate dosage) I was again energetic, smiling and doing a good job.
What is it about sleep that depletes Parnate of its helpful effects? When I told my doctor about it, I don't remember him giving me an answer, I will have to ask again. But it really concerns me.
After waking from that first nightmare at 11:30PM I was afraid of going to bed again because of this, the phobia I had dreamed of can become quite and obsessive thought that I like to put away, and i didn't want to think about it anymore. But went to sleep anyway, and I left 1 dim light on. This time I started dreaming again, but about something different and this time it was ok. Not a nightmare anymore. The weird thing is that even after the second dream, which lasted 7 hours or so (the first dream was barely 2 hours 9pm-11:30pm), even after the longer, better dream, I still woke up and felt disoriented in my own room, not knowing where #1 neighbor wall was or #2 neighbor is either, and disconnecting the wrong switches when I wanted to make a tea-- I disconnected the whole refrigerator which I never do. I sort of felt like I hadn't been in my own place in several months, and I haven't even left it. I just slept a night and had this nightmare.
If someone has any answer to this, I'd greatly appreciate it. Or if someone has experienced a similar thing, I'd like to know from other people's experiences.
Thanks in advance
poster:Girlnterrupted78
thread:920765
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091012/msgs/920765.html