Now that I'm officially off SSRI's, sleep paralysis episodes are back with a vengeance. I seem to be getting them every other night, with intensity. They are accompanied by lovely auditory/visual hallucinations, and it's extremely difficult to "shake" them. It's gotten so bad, that I associate sleep with sleep paralysis and am terrified to go to sleep, which I'm sure is only feeding the cycle.
Have any of you ever experienced this before? What should I do to treat it?
Hello Duranel,
I'm sorry that you are experiencing sleep paralysis! For those that don't know, it is actually not uncommon (I've read that up to 50% of us will experience at least one episdode sometime in our lives) and it is not considered dangerous or serious.
However, most of you can probably understand that it would be disturbing and scary. Becoming less fearful of the sleep paralysis would be helpful, as it appears to be exacerbated by lack of sleep and stress.
There is a medication that is prescribed for sleep paralysis, but I've read that it is only used in "severe" cases, so I'm not sure what exactly that means. I've also read that it might be advisable to have a sleep study done to rule out Apnea as the cause of sleep paralysis.
Everything I've read suggests that stress management is one of the most effective treatments for sleep paralysis. If you post this question on Health Central's sleep site, you might get some more input.
Regards,
Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D.
*Jennifer Fee, Psy.D. is a Psychologist, not a Psychiatrist. Psychiatrists prescribe medications, Psychologists study them, but the majority of Psychologists are not authorized to prescribe meds. or give you specific advice about them. Dr. Fee's answers are not intended to diagnose or treat any medical or mental disorder. Any information given in a post about medication is for educational purposes only, and primarily to aid you in having an informed discussion with your own Psychiatrist/Physician.
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