wierd stuff happening

[Polar Bear]

For many years I have taken ropinerole, and Tramadol for wed symptoms that are 24/7 and effect my arms as well as legs.
To make it clear my 24/7 symptoms were occurring prior to starting any medicaton

For sleep purposes I take 20mg amitriptyline as I go to bed at around 12 together with zopiclone 7.75mg.
Cocodomol was introduced back into the mix to help with a frozen shoulder.
What was left of the codeine I used as needed to supplement my ropinerole and sleeping meds. And the repeat prescription is is provided.
Two weeks ago my tramadol was changed to Slow Release which appears much more efficient.
All-in-all.... symton control is good.

sleep is not good, tho better than it used to be. I am fortunate in that I can lie late in the mornings.
For instance, I took my bedtime meds of amitryptiline and zopiclone at 11.30pm tonight. I have no WED symptoms of any sort this evening and it is 3am (UK time).
But neither did I have the desire to stay in bed and seek sleep. I have it a half hour... then got up.
As I write this I keep 'coming to'.... moments of blankness..... for perhaps sleep.

This is the weird part, And the most recent additions - in the middle of the night..
I find myself randomly reaching out, actually outstretching my arm to take something, but whatever it was it has disappeared.
I start to speak to answer a question that I know I have been asked but as I go to speak I can't recall the answer, it is on the tip of my tongue- And of course there is noone there.

I feel like I'm starting to hear things and imagine things... this seems to be only during the nighttime.
It has taken me over an hour to type this.... I seem to 'come to', as if I've dozed for a few minutes, but when I come to, if indeed I am, I'm in the in the midst of a (imaginary ??) task and talking to people. I start to say something, know exactly what I'm doing and then it's like a flick of a switch. Its' gone and I' normal. And it could happen a few minutes later.

Is this what is known as hallucinations.
ooops... thought I'd already sent this ££

[ViewsAskew]

Oh, my. Sounds a bit disturbing. My guess is that you really need more sleep than you are getting. Even if symptoms seem relatively under control, I would bet you're not getting more than 3-5 hours of sleep each night.

When I'm quite sleep deprived (months or more of a few hours), I will fall asleep and start dreaming immediately. These are almost always conversations and are different than *normal* dreams. I often aware of them - best explanation I've come up with is lucid dreaming. I often am unaware of how often I fall asleep and wake up.

Is there any way you can sleep more during the day? I was doing this a lot last year. When I read your post, I realized I haven't done it in quite awhile. At the beginning of the year, I gave up all of my responsibilities but two and I manage those so that I have few scheduled responsibilities. My alarm almost never is set. I do not have meetings, I do not babysit my nieces, I do not attend phone conferences unless I just so happen to be awake.

The difference is amazing. I still have WED and my memory is still pretty awful most times, but my outlook and emotional state is so much better. I was at my MILs yesterday and BIl and SIL were there. I received an email from SIL today saying that it was the first time she'd seem me seem happy in a long time. She was right.

The problem, I think, is that we CAN keep going, often to our own detriment. The hyperalertness is NOT a good thing! It seems like it, because it lets us function. But, it keeps us from getting the level of help we need at times.

What do you think would help, PB?

[Polar Bear]

Well... I definitely have to get more sleep. Its' already 4am here.
There is noting to stop me going for a nap, except myself.....I don't do it, never have done it. Growing up it would have been considered lazy....
I just never seem to have the time for a nap. Perhaps tomorrow would be a good day to start trying.

I'm also noticing some body jerks, not quite sure what that's about. I can be sitting and my shoulder or part body just gives a jerk.

This is going to sound crazy, but on Tuesday morning past, it was my grandaughters sport day at school. The sun was unexpectedly beaming down and it was 27 celsius at 10.30 am.
The racket was fierce, a,d 300 kids = spoon egg and spoon etc. Lots of yelling and shouting.... and I nodded off in the middle of this.... the middle of the children's races. And this afternoon did it again at grandaughter's Dance School Spectacular in a lecture theater... in the middle of Mamma Mia... who could sleep through than.
Opps... my right leg did another jerk, knee right up into the air.

[Polar Bear]

Views, I am so glad that you are so much better... so much so that it is obvious enough to be commented upon.

Today, in the clear light of day....... I have looked at my two posts above.
I think I was half asleep, in some sort of half and half state.
The content is full of typos, and I think that I have been in some sort of dreaming state.
Today I feel perfectly normal, which poses the question about what sleep medications and the like, are actually doing to our minds.

[Neco]

...This is something you should be reporting to doctor on, if you haven't already.

Sounds pretty serious.

[Polar Bear]

Neco - it only happens when I'm up and about at maybe 3 hours after taking 20mg amitriptyline (for sleep) and 7.5mg zopiclone (for sleep).
It feels like the meds are trying to make me sleep and my body/brain/hyper alertness is saying.... not yet, not yet. I go to sleep around 4 or 5 am and sleep until around 10am.
Perhaps I have developed a very bad eccentric habit of nocturnal 'me time'.

[Polar Bear]

Actually, I've been deliberating recently about my current sleep meds and am considering reducing them v.e.r.y. slowly.

[badnights]

Betty are you sure it's the meds .... or might it not be a lack of sleep causing your symptoms? I can tell from years of reading your posts that you will always put the bright side of things forward, and even in your own mind will downplay things like how little sleep you actually get.

This is the weird part, And the most recent additions - in the middle of the night..
I find myself randomly reaching out, actually outstretching my arm to take something, but whatever it was it has disappeared.
I start to speak to answer a question that I know I have been asked but as I go to speak I can't recall the answer, it is on the tip of my tongue- And of course there is noone there.

I feel like I'm starting to hear things and imagine things... this seems to be only during the nighttime.
It has taken me over an hour to type this.... I seem to 'come to', as if I've dozed for a few minutes, but when I come to, if indeed I am, I'm in the in the midst of a (imaginary ??) task and talking to people. I start to say something, know exactly what I'm doing and then it's like a flick of a switch. Its' gone and I' normal. And it could happen a few minutes later.

This is classic sleep deprivation. I don't think it is being caused by your meds, but by lack of sleep. I should find better reasons than "I think" but maybe you will read this and consider that I might be right about this and that daytime naps are the answer... any sort of sleep your body will allow you, as Ann does, and de-brainwash yourself about what daytime sleeping implies by tracking your sleep and noting the difference between the 8 or 9 people are supposed to get and whatever you get, because that's how much you have to sleep in the day before anyone can think you're lazy.

[Polar Bear]

Beth, I have come to agree that my lack of sleep has a lot to answer for.
I have been much better recently with regard to 'lack of sleep odd behaviour'

Over recent months my/our night/day pattern has changed somewhat.
Since we are both now retired hubby has started to sort of fall in with my sleep pattern - to an extent.
We go to bed at anywhere from 11.30pm to 1.30am.
He gets to sleep.
I might after a while. If I sleep, I often awaken after an hour or so.
Now I try to only be up for perhaps a half hour, compared to maybe 3 hours as previous. Sometimes I'm still up for a couple of hours, not nearly as often.
Often I'm just awake until 3 or 4am. And then sleep.
We often sleep until 10 am, maybe 11am for me. Generally I'm often getting 5 or 6 or 7 hours sleep.

The crazy thing is that on the nights when I'd have been up for hours and falling asleep/drifting off at the computer, taking ages to get something coherent onto paper - It was as though I was totally fighting it, fighting sleep .... Why would I do that?

Anyways, thanks be to goodness, and for whatever reason, sleep is somewhat better.
Looking back over over a my posts done in June.... I can hardly believe that was me.

Yes Beth, definitely lack sleep was a major problem. How I ever worked full time for years on 3 or 4 hours I'll never know.

[debbluebird]

We do pretty much the same as the two of you. We turn of the lights anywhere from 11 pm to 1 am, depending on how we feel. Then sleeping til 9 or 10 am. I usually wake up once or twice during the night, but I'm usually able to go back to sleep in five to 20 min. On the other hand my husband might be awake until 4 or 5 am, then sleeping most of the morning. He suffers from pain in his neck and back and also he has asthma, so sometimes he can't breath in addition to the pain. It's weird, I'm getting more sleep than he is. Sometimes he goes to sleep with me if he is lucky.

[Polar Bear]

Deb - nice to hear that you have a pattern that works for you.
A shame that your husband is also having sleep issues.
Like myself - It's a case of 'whatever works'

[Neco]

I still think the hallucinogenic / blanking out problems you mentioned are likely caused by the Zopiclone.

I don't like Ambien/Lunesta for the reason that they are hypnotic sedatives; some people will hallucinate or actually have sleep walking episodes where they don't remember doing anything. I kept having food disappear from the fridge at night, and no one ever fessed up to eating any of my stuff. I think I've read reports of people doing stuff like driving their cars, etc. with no memory of doing it.

[cornelia]

zoplicone could very well be the culprit: Google it and you will see you're not the only one with hallucinations of it.

Corrie

[Polar Bear]

I've already reduced the zopiclone to a half tablet.... and will take it on down.
Thanks all for comments.

[radioray]

Weird stuff doesn't just happen when you are trying to fall asleep at night. I recently went in for a colonoscopy procedure, not pleaseant but still routine. However, when I woke up from the light anestesia, my wife told me about my behaviour. First, the doctor came in while I was in recovery and asked her, "Do you sleep with that man?" During the procedure, my legs started the rythmic kicks typical of RLS. It took four nurses to hold me down so the doctor could complete the examiniation, as best he could. So I've been told, I don't remember any of it!