Thanks to all and a question of Night PAs(tami)
Question:
Hey all..thanks to everyone who responded to my nighttime attack last night ( and Jon i did go to anx/pan immediatly but it was empty )and especially to jackie for finding me immediatly…. i just really want to know if *anyone* has these symptoms of a nighttime PA….
<snip I used to have horrible and frequent nocturnal PAs since I was 16 (I’m 38 now). Since I have been on Klonopin, I have had only one mild nocturnal PA. Klonopin has been an absolute miracle drug for me in stopping these attacks. I am so sorry you are going through this. I know how awful the nighttime ones are. They were always the worst PAs for me. When I did have the night PAs and was not on any meds, I used to get up and make a cup of tea (chamomile) and then tweeze my eyebrows. (STOP LAUGHING!) The pain and just the fact that I had to focus on something else would tend to lessen the attack and then it would finally subside. Also, if you are not on Xanax now, you may want to get a PRN prescription. If you do wake up with a PA, it tend to stop it cold within 10 – 20 minutes. And, Xanax does not stay in your system for long either, so it is not likely to have any ill effect on your child. Plus, you won’t be taking it all the time. I would think it would certainly be better for both of you than the PAs. Best Wishes, Jen
Response:
If you do wake up with a PA, it tend to stop it cold within 10 – 20 minutes. And, Xanax does not stay in your system for long
See…this is where i get confused..because i dont even have time to think before it happens…i wake up with the trembling starting already…and i am literally paralyzed and unable to breathe…so let alone grab a xanax….i just have to wait it out…..it seems like it lasts a couple of minutes..but im sure its only 30 secs or so…i just dont understand..this seems so diff from a "panic attack" god im so confused….i guess im going to have to go thru with the sleep study to find out…but that means being off all meds for 7 days then doing the study…which means ill have to have these attacks 8 days in a row…and to me thats like a death sentence…i dont know what to do… 
( but thanks for your post 
tami
Response:
<Snip i just really want to know if *anyone* has these symptoms of a nighttime PA…. i wake from sleep, get scared immediatly…i can feel the trembling start to come on and it intensifies until i can no longer move..i am completely paralyzed…and i cant get a breath in…my heart races so fast that it feels like i am going to die <SNIP if anyone has the same symptoms..please get in touch with me…..i still feel like im having a seizure….but docs say no …. i honestly cant keep going thru this at night…..and if they ever take me off my meds…i fear what life would be like thanks again to all.. tami
YES,YES,YES, finally someone else who has experienced this. Tami, I know exactly what you’re talking about and every doctor I’ve expressed this symptom to has looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears. It started 9 years ago when a Doctor had me try Tofranil with a reduction of Xanax for my PA’s. After a few weeks, it started. For me it begins with a startling wake-up followed by a roaring sound in my ears. As I realize whats happening I become aware that I’m not breathing. My mind is racing and inside my head I’m panicing and trying to move but I’m paralized. Just laying there in bed, eyes open, unable to move or breathe yet seemingly wide awake. Such a horrible feeling. Eventually, after what seems like several minutes, but is really probably just seconds, I gasp for air and somehow shake it off. Don’t try to go right back to sleep, it will happen again. It starts with the roaring sound, thats my tip off. Get up, get a glass of water, watch a few minutes of TV, brush your teeth, anything to take your mind off it. They don’t seem to come back if you get fully awake then try to go back to sleep. It got much better after I gave up on Tofranil, but they still occasionally happen to me, maybe once every 6 months or so. Soon as I hear that roaring sound begin, I get up and do something. It’s a horrible feeling I know.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – <Snip i just really want to know if *anyone* has these symptoms of a nighttime PA…. i wake from sleep, get scared immediatly…i can feel the trembling start to come on and it intensifies until i can no longer move..i am completely paralyzed…and i cant get a breath in…my heart races so fast that it feels like i am going to die <SNIP if anyone has the same symptoms..please get in touch with me…..i still feel like im having a seizure….but docs say no …. i honestly cant keep going thru this at night…..and if they ever take me off my meds…i fear what life would be like thanks again to all.. tami YES,YES,YES, finally someone else who has experienced this. Tami, I know exactly what you’re talking about and every doctor I’ve expressed this symptom to has looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears. It started 9 years ago when a Doctor had me try Tofranil with a reduction of Xanax for my PA’s. After a few weeks, it started.
This is probably the result of waking directly from, or soon after REM sleep. During REM you are effectively paralysed, it used to keep our ancestors from falling out of their trees! The reason that is seems to occur after being on ADs, is probably to do with the drop in serotonin levels during REM. Normally this seems not to be a problem, but somehow ADs change things. Its unlikely that this affect lasts much beyond the discontinuance of ADs, however, to an extent we can be trained, or train ourselves, to continue with a behaviour well after it’s required. So your not nuts and you can educate your doctor. Charge him/her for the advise!!! :-) Ian Phobias: Somniphobia- Fear of sleep. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -For me it begins with a startling wake-up followed by a roaring sound in my ears. As I realize whats happening I become aware that I’m not breathing. My mind is racing and inside my head I’m panicing and trying to move but I’m paralized. Just laying there in bed, eyes open, unable to move or breathe yet seemingly wide awake. Such a horrible feeling. Eventually, after what seems like several minutes, but is really probably just seconds, I gasp for air and somehow shake it off. Don’t try to go right back to sleep, it will happen again. It starts with the roaring sound, thats my tip off. Get up, get a glass of water, watch a few minutes of TV, brush your teeth, anything to take your mind off it. They don’t seem to come back if you get fully awake then try to go back to sleep. It got much better after I gave up on Tofranil, but they still occasionally happen to me, maybe once every 6 months or so. Soon as I hear that roaring sound begin, I get up and do something. It’s a horrible feeling I know.
Response:
Hey all..thanks to everyone who responded to my nighttime attack last night ( and Jon i did go to anx/pan immediatly but it was empty )and especially to jackie for finding me immediatly…. i just really want to know if *anyone* has these symptoms of a nighttime PA…. i wake from sleep, get scared immediatly…i can feel the trembling start to come on and it intensifies until i can no longer move..i am completely paralyzed…and i cant get a breath in…my heart races so fast that it feels like i am going to die and only recently have i started to lose bladder control (doctors say cause im so far along pregnant and the stress i go thru during an attack) if anyone has the same symptoms..please get in touch with me…..i still feel like im having a seizure….but docs say no …. i honestly cant keep going thru this at night…..and if they ever take me off my meds…i fear what life would be like thanks again to all.. oh, does anyone have shipkos web page again..i thought i might ask there about the night PAs tami
I’ve written about the possible reasons for this occurring a few times, but hadn’t experienced it myself until last night. Weird. However, it did confirm my thoughts on this, that is that its due to being wakened during REM sleep. Although, I often have trouble getting to sleep, once there I rarely awaken until morning, nor do I remember dreams. However, last night I definitely awoke during a dream and for some time I couldn’t move. In fact the more I struggled to get up, the less feeling/response I seemed to have of/from my body. It seemed to take a minute or so before I could move, however, it probably was only a few seconds. Very interesting. Ian Phobias:
Response:
Hey all..thanks to everyone who responded to my nighttime attack last night ( and Jon i did go to anx/pan immediatly but it was empty )and especially to jackie for finding me immediatly…. i just really want to know if *anyone* has these symptoms of a nighttime PA…. i wake from sleep, get scared immediatly…i can feel the trembling start to come on and it intensifies until i can no longer move..i am completely paralyzed…and i cant get a breath in…my heart races so fast that it feels like i am going to die and only recently have i started to lose bladder control (doctors say cause im so far along pregnant and the stress i go thru during an attack) if anyone has the same symptoms..please get in touch with me…..i still feel like im having a seizure….but docs say no …. i honestly cant keep going thru this at night…..and if they ever take me off my meds…i fear what life would be like thanks again to all.. oh, does anyone have shipkos web page again..i thought i might ask there about the night PAs tami
Response:
LivAndLrn schreef: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey all..thanks to everyone who responded to my nighttime attack last night ( and Jon i did go to anx/pan immediatly but it was empty )and especially to jackie for finding me immediatly…. i just really want to know if *anyone* has these symptoms of a nighttime PA…. i wake from sleep, get scared immediatly…i can feel the trembling start to come on and it intensifies until i can no longer move..i am completely paralyzed…and i cant get a breath in…my heart races so fast that it feels like i am going to die and only recently have i started to lose bladder control (doctors say cause im so far along pregnant and the stress i go thru during an attack) if anyone has the same symptoms..please get in touch with me…..i still feel like im having a seizure….but docs say no …. i honestly cant keep going thru this at night…..and if they ever take me off my meds…i fear what life would be like thanks again to all.. oh, does anyone have shipkos web page again..i thought i might ask there about the night PAs tami
Hi Tami, Nocturnal PA’s are pretty common with PD. And they are pretty nasty too. I don’t have them anymore because of Xanax. Shipko: http://www.algy.com/pdi As a matter of fact Shipko (who tends to the extreme) wouldn’t even diagnose you with PD (or PNE as he calls it – PolyNeural Ectopy) if you don’t have nocturnal PA’s 
) Philip
