Anxiety attack from dream?

[apm]

I'm 2 weeks coming on to Sertraline for anxiety.

Week 1 was hard, week 2 very hard! Week 3 and things seem to be calming a bit. Sleeping better, anxiety peaking at a lower level, usually calming by bedtime.

Last night my sleep was troubled. I know I did sleep, as I dreamt. In the early hours, I had a wierd dream about being a witch. I was on my broomstick, and unable to take off. My head decided it wouldn't do what I wanted it to! I was awake and panicking, not sure what to do, wondering if I should be be going to A&E! I managed to calm myself, and did some meditation. I was able to sleep more, but this morning, my anxiety is high (about 5/10). This is different, as recently the mornings have been better, anxiety only kicking in after I take my tablet at about 0800.

This is a new one on me- does anyone else get this? Is it a Sertraline thing?

Many thanks!

[Catkins]

I've not been on sertraline before, but when my anxiety levels are high a bad dream/nightmare can totally induce a panic attack or cloud my anxiety for the day.

Also you're still only on week 3, you're probably still going to experience ups and downs from starting the medication. You did well to calm yourself and get some more sleep, keep doing your meditation, keep distracting yourself and things will improve.

[Lencoboy]

I've not been on sertraline before, but when my anxiety levels are high a bad dream/nightmare can totally induce a panic attack or cloud my anxiety for the day.

Also you're still only on week 3, you're probably still going to experience ups and downs from starting the medication. You did well to calm yourself and get some more sleep, keep doing your meditation, keep distracting yourself and things will improve.

Ditto for me Catkins, and I've been on Sertraline for almost 10 years now.

I think dreams that cause anxiety attacks are purely coincidental and usually tend to happen to me during intense periods of anxiety in general, and/or if something has triggered it the day before, or been playing on my mind for a while before the bad dream.

I've been having a lot of bad dreams about guns recently, even before this latest school atrocity in the USA happened. But I thank my lucky stars that I live in an area where (touch wood) gun crime is still virtually unheard of.

[Lencoboy]

Ditto for me Catkins, and I've been on Sertraline for almost 10 years now.

I think dreams that cause anxiety attacks are purely coincidental and usually tend to happen to me during intense periods of anxiety in general, and/or if something has triggered it the day before, or been playing on my mind for a while before the bad dream.

I've been having a lot of bad dreams about guns recently, even before this latest school atrocity in the USA happened. But I thank my lucky stars that I live in an area where (touch wood) gun crime is still virtually unheard of.

I'm still having dead bizarre dreams myself one week on.

Last night it was about visiting the respite unit, not to actually stay but a preliminary visit to do a recce before deciding whether or not to take it on proper. The most bizarre (and random) event in said dream was me labelling a container there with the word 'instrumental'. Trivial and inconsequential I know, but nevertheless still rather creepy and unnerving.

BTW, I'm seeing a clinical psychologist later this morning so I shall be explaining a lot of these issues to her.

[Lencoboy]

I'm still having dead bizarre dreams myself one week on.

Last night it was about visiting the respite unit, not to actually stay but a preliminary visit to do a recce before deciding whether or not to take it on proper. The most bizarre (and random) event in said dream was me labelling a container there with the word 'instrumental'. Trivial and inconsequential I know, but nevertheless still rather creepy and unnerving.

BTW, I'm seeing a clinical psychologist later this morning so I shall be explaining a lot of these issues to her.

The clinical psychologist said to me this morning that she reckons what might have partly been at the bottom of that dream is anticipatory anxiety, and the inadvertent fear of disappointment if the respite unit doesn't quite live up to my ideals, even though my attendance there would be completely non-compulsory if I were to be offered a placement there in due course.

But I guess the very same could also be said about holidays, moving day centres and of course moving house. Also this phenomenon has already been covered in another thread discussing potential festive disappointments in the Misc section.

But I still can't make sense of the fact that I found labelling a container with the seemingly random and innocuous word 'Instrumental' with a post-it note at the respite unit in the dream so creepy and unnerving.

Very odd.

[pulisa]

You don't need to make sense of dreams, Lenco.

[Lencoboy]

You don't need to make sense of dreams, Lenco.

Well it's water under the bridge for now, plus I had a pretty good day today generally.

[Call me Edwin]

Interesting this. I have been suffering from HA on and off for years and have it badly at the moment. My mind is so hyperanxious that some things in dreams sort of raise a "red flag" and jerk me back to full wakefulness for no sensible reason. A week or two back it was a hexagon with a rectangle in the corner of it, last night it was wondering about a Lleyton Hewitt tennis result... I'm not even very interested in tennis but I'm pretty sure this guy retired from playing a few years ago. Absolutely bizarre but still very frightening for those of us who experience it.

[Lencoboy]

Interesting this. I have been suffering from HA on and off for years and have it badly at the moment. My mind is so hyperanxious that some things in dreams sort of raise a "red flag" and jerk me back to full wakefulness for no sensible reason. A week or two back it was a hexagon with a rectangle in the corner of it, last night it was wondering about a Lleyton Hewitt tennis result... I'm not even very interested in tennis but I'm pretty sure this guy retired from playing a few years ago. Absolutely bizarre but still very frightening for those of us who experience it.

Funny isn't it, how something completely random and otherwise innocuous, such as results from a veteran tennis player can suddenly make us feel so uneasy and unnerved.

In fact, it's made me contemplate starting a thread on here about seemingly random things that are otherwise innocuous to the vast majority that cause some people immense anxiety.