Posted by yxibow on October 22, 2009, at 18:19:03
In reply to Topamax and hypnogogia?, posted by Phidippus on October 21, 2009, at 23:37:33
> Can Topamax cause vivid hypnogogic thinking when you're tryint to go to sleep? I could not sleep at all and had very strange thoughts that kept me awake. Some caused me panic as I tried to sleep.
>
> PI don't recall that when I tried (I think I've been through a fair amount of AEDs, its a haze) it... didn't do anything for weight and its really a risky drug in my opinion if that's its use.. but that's off the subject.
It just sounds like its causing a shift in anxiety spectrum symptoms -- and sitting around in the dark "waiting for sleep" just allows them to mull around in circles and I'm sure they can be panicky.
Hypnagogia, and related conditions or types of states of sleep has a completely different presentation as noted -- a hallucination can happen upon waking, I've had t hat with various medications -- I think I have to do something, or I get disappointed about something because it was probably in the dream and I realize I'm actually awake.They can be combined with sleep paralysis, which can happen when I take naps in the afternoon and I find myself seeing what I believe to be the room around me, but I am unable to move and I thrash. It can seem like minutes or more to try to "stop" this when it probably actually is seconds.
The body paralyzes itself in sleep to whatever degree it can, its some sort of evolutionary reason probably so we didn't throw ourselves against rocks while trying to sleep.
And during all of this some people also can experience "night terrors" which are much more vivid experiences of haunting nightmares and hallucination, combined with this sleep paralysis. It can be an ongoing phenomenon.
When that sort of thing happens, a sleep study is well recommended.
Hope that helps
-- tidings
poster:yxibow
thread:921891
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091021/msgs/922015.html