Prazosin hcl for nightmares

So i ended up staying 7 days spitting my Lexapro and taking the prazosin for nightmares no side effects so far and using the opportunity to get therapy

I am in recovery from my ureteroscopy on a calyceal diverticulum, and while I found some journal articles and a few stray posts on here about them, I want to paint a bigger picture about my actual experience and what I felt.
This is a very long post because I wanted to err on the side of more information so that others may feel much less alone than I have felt. I have included subheadings so you can read only what is useful to you.
To start, I am a 31-year-old female with endometriosis (I explain the implications of that in one of my subsections.). I live in New York City and was operated on by a surgeon at Smith Institute for Urology at Lenox Hill Hospital, which specializes in “complex anatomy” and kidney stones.
TL;DR Calyceal diverticula are pockets on the kidneys affecting 0.5% of the population. Stones can form and get trapped due to their narrow opening (infundibulum). As a result, their pain pattern is different and diagnosis can be delayed. To resolve the problem, you will need a surgeon to remove stones and expand the opening and/or ablate the lining of the diverticulum via ureteroscopy or percutaneous nephrolithotomy.
What is a calyceal diverticulum?
For a good scientific review of what calyceal (kay-luh-SEE-uhl) diverticula are, there is a review study from 2014 with primary author Nikhil Waingankar. In short, these are pockets within the kidneys that have much narrower entry points (“infundibula”) than a normal calyx, and they are theorized to only occur in 0.5% of the human population, with an estimated 96% of those who have them forming stones inside them.
They are often found incidentally on imaging because many people remain asymptomatic. In my case, we saw “a cyst requiring further imaging to rule out neoplasm” (cancer) when I was having my appendectomy in 2022 and had a CT scan in the ER.
They will look like cysts until you either get a radiologist who knows what to look for and sees a stone inside, or until you do a CT urogram, which is a more involved CT scan where you can see if the urinary system communicates with the “cyst.” Simple cysts and neoplasms will not show urine entering the mass; a calyceal diverticulum will, because it has an entrance.
Important stipulation in my experience: endometriosis and its surgeries
My story is complicated by the fact that I have endometriosis, which is a disease wherein cells resembling uterine cells occur outside the uterus. This is an extraordinarily painful condition that causes widespread inflammation due to the uterus-like cells’ having “menstrual periods” outside the uterus. It that can occur anywhere in the body; while most people’s disease presents primarily in the ovaries, uterus, and Fallopian tubes, the disease has been found in every organ in the body. In my case, my disease was confirmed to be extrapelvic as soon as my appendix pathology report revealed that my appendix had endometriosis on it; the cells existed beyond the typical pelvic organs.
I have already had two laparoscopies for endometriosis, and while these were immensely helpful in restoring my quality of life, every abdominal surgery comes with the risk of adhesions. Adhesions are bands of tissue that the body forms when it experiences inflammation or trauma. Endometriosis forms adhesions by itself, and surgery to remove it risks further adhesions. In 2020, when I had my radical excision surgery, my surgeon had to perform ureterolysis to cut my ureters free: whether from previous surgery in 2016 or the disease, my ureters were stuck to my uterus due to adhesions.
I share this because having endometriosis and its surgeries in my history affected my path to diagnosis and probably my pain pattern. (Endometriosis forms its own nerve endings, too!) But for the record, the kidney stones and the kidney surgery in my case were more painful than endometriosis…probably because they freaked out any remaining endometriosis.
(Sorry for no source on this endometriosis information. I am unfortunately very well-read on the disease! If you want to learn more, I recommend The Center for Endometriosis Care website and the book Beating Endo.)
What did the calyceal diverticulum feel like at first?
On a Tuesday in January 2024, I was trialing prazosin, an alpha blocker related to Flomax (tamsulosin) due to PTSD nightmares.
One day after taking this drug, I woke up with 8/10 pain muscle spasms in my “iliac crest,” which is the top edge of my pelvis, on the right side. I thought I had “slept funny” and the pain subsided after about 3 hours. I tried to roll around on a lacrosse ball, thinking it was a muscle spasm.
I took the prazosin for two more days. By that Thursday, the pain lasted more like 6 hours and did not go away; I had the muscle spasms as well as a feeling that there was “trapped gas” right at my waist, right on the side of my body. Because the pain stayed at 8/10, nothing would calm it down, and I couldn’t focus on work, I went to the ER. We did a CT scan and saw nothing different from my last CT for my appendectomy. They decided it was probably a kidney infection with strange presentation due to my endometriosis and sent me home with cefpodoxime, an antibiotic.
I finished the course of the antibiotic over 7 days and felt better.
But then the “trapped gas” feeling returned and lasted 18 hours. I went back to the ER, mostly concerned that I had failed antibiotics and the “infection” was getting worse. I made a urologist appointment while I was waiting in the ER because I suspected this might be beyond their mandate of ruling out anything life-threatening. We did another CT, and this time I really carefully read the results: inside what we had identified as a calyceal diverticulum in 2022 during my appendectomy CT scan were two kidney stones, each about 0.2mm. Because there was not much change from my last ER visit, the doctor at the ER did not think this explained how I was feeling. He did not want to send me home with antibiotics because he thought his colleagues were too cavalier with testing, but he did send for a urine culture and sent me home at least assured there was no emergency.
The culture came back, and I did test positive for E. Faecalis, which is a rarer bacteria to have, so the doctor at the ER urged me to get on Levaquin, an antibiotic, as soon as possible. (My endourologist later theorized this bacterium was an incidental finding; he thinks I just happened to be colonized with it and it was not causing symptoms. Regardless, it was not present in my culture before surgery.)
Again, I took almost the full course of the antibiotic and was feeling better and safer. I also saw a urologist, and she was skeptical it was an infection but told me to continue the course. She was pretty sure it was endometriosis-related but saw that I had seen my gynecologist, who has been treating me for 5 years, days prior who was pretty sure this was NOT consistent with what she had seen when we operated in 2020. The urologist said she felt this might be beyond her skills and referred me to one of her medical school colleagues who is a specialist in “complex anatomy” like calyceal diverticula as an endourologist professor at Lenox Hill in NYC.
But before I could see the endourologist, only one week after my last ER visit, I was in 9/10 pain for 7 hours overnight. I really did not want to go to the ER again, but I was vomiting, sweating, using the bathroom (both ways) constantly. After 7 hours not being able to get it to calm down, I went back to the ER.
The first thing they did was test me for sepsis, because I was being treated for an infection. They also did a CT scan again and then we saw it: one of the kidney stones had left the calyceal diverticulum and was stuck in the ureterovesicular junction (“UVJ”). By the time I was diagnosed, I was in 9/10 pain for 18 hours, so what we now know to be the renal colic phase lasted for 18 hours. They admitted me overnight to the hospital to observe and had me on ketorolac (Toradol) and oxycodone/acetaminophen (Percocet) every 6 hours alternating. The pain subsided the next morning.
Confirmation and surgery
Luckily, I had the endourologist appointment on the books already, and I got all of my images from the ER to bring to this doctor, letting him know I was confirmed to have passed the stone.
What he was able to do for me I will never forget: he showed me exactly why I was in enough pain for the ER each of the three weeks I went. Unlike a normal stone situation, a stone in a calyceal diverticulum has far more opportunities to get stuck. Also unlike a normal stone, you can feel the stone passing before it reaches the ureter because it has to leave via the narrow opening of the diverticulum. This means the pain can feel different and, due to its location within the kidney is more prone to being referred pain (pain you feel in a place other than where it originates). This is why I did not feel the pain in the classic place and why it felt much more like trapped gas. Furthermore, most radiologists do not have the same training as he did to identify where in the opening the stone was, which explained why they believed the stone was in the same place each time.
We wanted to take a “wait and see” approach on the second stone, but my body did not want to wait. As I was falling asleep one night in early March 2024, I felt that familiar “trapped gas” feeling, way too far right to be my intestines. This is 6/10 pain, so I could go to work for an important meeting, but I called to get an ultrasound and appointment right away. (We have since found that for my specific diverticulum, ultrasounds are not useful. I will need a CT urogram any time we want to visualize the kidney post-op.)
My doctor said that he wanted to attempt ureteroscopy before percutaneous nephrolithotomy because it is a less-invasive modality and we were worried about impacting any endometriosis. He had me sign paperwork consenting to either method, and it was a “game time” decision based on what he saw with the camera.
In the two-and-half week wait til surgery, his hypothesis gained traction: I would have days “on” with the pain and “off,” suggesting the stone was able to enter the diverticular opening and then flow back into the diverticulum. When I was in pain this time, I would also feel a lot of fatigue and brain fog that made it hard to work. This could be consistent with a kidney blockage, but it is hard to say for sure with an area so small.
The surgery, the stent, and the pain after the stent
The surgery itself went pretty well and only lasted 1.5 hours. The surgeon let me know that it was not easy to get into the diverticulum because the opening was not straight, as expected. He was, however, able to complete the surgery with only ureteroscopy. He removed a 0.2mm stone and observed that the stone was exactly the width of the opening, meaning it could absolutely flow into and out of it and get stuck for days. He widened the opening with laser to be “wider than a normal calyx” to allow for scarring, and, at my request to avoid further operations, ablated as much of the lining of the diverticulum as he could, encouraging it to close up.
While the surgery was uneventful, I am one of the unlucky ones who cannot tolerate a stent. This is probably due to my endometriosis, which leaves me in a heightened baseline of inflammation and nerve arousal, as well as the fact that, for me, the stent had to go into the diverticulum, which had been lasered and burned, in order for it to heal. I spent four hours in the recovery room while we tried to get my pain down to my goal of 7, which meant we needed to dose me, as we did in the ER, with ketorolac (Toradol) and oxycodone every 6 hours with no gaps in between.
I only had the stent in for 3 full days, and unfortunately, due to my specific circumstances, that was the worst pain I have ever been in. I was agnostic about 10/10 pain until this time, in which I felt like I was passing a stone and experiencing my worst endometriosis cramps at the same time. I was in 8-10/10 pain despite the painkiller regimen, and since we found that dilaudid does not work for me, this was good as they could do for me.
Thankfully, my surgeon listened to my experience and agreed to take the stent out as soon as was responsible: 72 hours later. The actual removal was uncomfortable but not painful beyond a “scrape” sensation in the urethra, and as soon as it was out, my husband noticed I could move as normal and was talking more like myself.
However, 1 out of 4 people will experience pain after the stent is removed, and risk factors include female anatomy, being “younger” (I am 31.) and having a stent in for less than or equal to 7 days.
The day of the removal I had some muscle spasms but was mostly so relieved that I slept all day.
34 hours after the removal, I experienced a feeling like I was passing a kidney stone. I was in 9/10 pain for 6 hours, feeling like I needed to move my bowels (which was not easy after opioids!) and having unrelenting spasms above my right iliac crest (top of pelvis). I was on ketorolac (Toradol) during this and knew what it was, but I otherwise may have gone back to the ER. I refused to take more opioids because my bowel was upset as well.
Today, I have had one episode of the iliac crest muscle spasms lasting an hour. I have found that crouching on the floor, against a wall, and/or going into “reclined butterfly pose” may help. It may just make me feel like I have more control over the situation.
I will update this post if I feel more pain in the coming days.
What’s next?
My endourologist/surgeon thinks it is very unlikely that I am “a stone-former” because the stones were only in the diverticulum and likely formed due to the urine reflux of that structure.
We will follow up in 3 weeks to see if the sensation I felt in March of the “trapped gas” recurs. If it does, only then would we do a CT urogram to see if the diverticular opening closes up to anywhere near its former width of 0.2mm.
This is unlikely because the surgeon lasered the opening very wide, “wider than a normal calyx,” to allow for scarring to take place. The ablation of the lining of the diverticulum should also take care of its tendency to collect urine.
I am not expected to have further stones or need for surgery, but he has seen cases of recurrence, so we need to manage my expectations.
Despite the extreme pain of the stent, I am content with my decision and hope that I do not have to go through this again. The one blessing in my case is, if this surgery succeeds, I should not have any further kidney stones.

Sometimes the urge is overwhelming, and maybe that’s because of stress and anxiety and trauma, but it’ll sometimes come out against my will by doing it when I’m asleep and then I wake up screaming.
Sometimes they’re not even actual nightmares. I just had a strange but mundane dream, not a nightmare at all, where I simply opened my mouth and screaming came out all on its own. Then I woke up screaming.
And when this happens, I don’t hold back anymore, I can’t.
My family already knows I wake up screaming from nightmares sometimes.
Adults aren’t supposed to have nightmares or night terrors, I’m 28 FFS.
I’ve had reasons to believe it’s spiritual/demonic. I haven’t quite, found God……..
I just saw a video about a SCREAMING BOOTH, where people got to go in specifically to scream their lungs out, and I’m so jealous of that.
It’s impossible for me to EVER scream without it “being due to nightmares or mental illness” and people think they need to call the police because I/someone MUST be in danger.
I don’t know how most people don’t need to just scream sometimes.
I feel the need to do to the point I might permanently damage my vocal cords or something (at least then I couldn’t scream anymore against my will) but I think I still won’t feel sufficient relief.
I think I’ll either just feel I did it an odd number if times, or 6 or 13 (bad numbers) or didn’t to it as loud as I possibly could so it didn’t really count, didn’t release/relieve enough. But I’m not sure it’s even possible for me to get it all out no matter how much or hard I scream.
It’d also be like punishing myself for being so fixated on this stupid obsession. Like “fine here I’ll show you, now you can’t scream anymore, if even talk……….
Hopefully my Prazosin suppresses my sleep enough for now.

Sometimes the urge is overwhelming, and maybe that’s because of stress and anxiety and trauma, but it’ll sometimes come out against my will by doing it when I’m asleep and then I wake up screaming.
Sometimes they’re not even actual nightmares. I just had a strange but mundane dream, not a nightmare at all, where I simply opened my mouth and screaming came out all on its own. Then I woke up screaming.
And when this happens, I don’t hold back anymore, I can’t.
My family already knows I wake up screaming from nightmares sometimes.
Adults aren’t supposed to have nightmares or night terrors, I’m 28 FFS.
I’ve had reasons to believe it’s spiritual/demonic. I haven’t quite, found God……..
I just saw a video about a SCREAMING BOOTH, where people got to go in specifically to scream their lungs out, and I’m so jealous of that.
It’s impossible for me to EVER scream without it “being due to nightmares or mental illness” and people think they need to call the police because I/someone MUST be in danger.
I don’t know how most people don’t need to just scream sometimes.
I feel the need to do to the point I might permanently damage my vocal cords or something (at least then I couldn’t scream anymore against my will) but I think I still won’t feel sufficient relief.
I think I’ll either just feel I did it an odd number if times, or 6 or 13 (bad numbers) or didn’t to it as loud as I possibly could so it didn’t really count, didn’t release/relieve enough. But I’m not sure it’s even possible for me to get it all out no matter how much or hard I scream.
It’d also be like punishing myself for being so fixated on this stupid obsession. Like “fine here I’ll show you, now you can’t scream anymore, if even talk……….
Hopefully my Prazosin suppresses my sleep enough for now.

That’s a fear of mine. I don’t think about this particular scenario too much, and just accept what I experience (when awake) as reality/real life, but my dreams are so beyond strange, so vivid and immersive, fortunately not USUALLY terrifying nightmares (thanks Prazosin, I guess).
Maybe it’s from being told SO MUCH throughout my life that I do things wrong, that I can no longer trust reality, that may even be what caused me to develop OCD, fear of failure (which I still failed so much anyway).
Why do I have to make sure things are perfect? So I’m not a “ret@rd” who needs to “wake the fukk up” 😭.
But OCD can’t be the cause of thoughts/voices telling me to do terrible evil things, and sending me through dimensions and screwing with my memory and confusing me so I don’t know if something was real or not.
I regularly feel like i experienced an entirely different life within the span of a few seconds before falling asleep, like I’m hit with these false memories.
Some of my dreams have felt so severely detached from reality it’s like THIS world was momentarily erased from existence, and somehow even myself.
I don’t do any psychedelics or any other illegal drugs, but I take four different meds prescribed by a psychiatrist. All they seem to do is give me more pills or raise dosages. Maybe that’s what’s wrong with me? I’ve been over medicated and my brain is completely wrecked and rewired by all these laboratory manufactured drugs?
Acid would probably be BEYOND LITERAL HELL (bad trip) for me, if I could even trip at all (I couldn’t because of everything I take and would just take serotonin syndrome).
This man named Jesus, He sounds like the most wholesome man ever, the literal son of God, and technically God Himself. And it confuses me, because God (please have mercy on me) sounds kind of, unjust and sadistic, and the ultimate dictator. He sends people to eternal burning and psychological torture in Hell, even JUST for not believing that He even exists? Even if nonbelievers were otherwise Christlike.
I just don’t get it.
I wish I knew what was happening to me.
The first time I go to therapy and actually tell them everything I say on here, I’m probably getting the police called on me and forced into a mental hospital. Other people don’t understand, I’m not even sure if the “mental health professionals do”.
I know “life is unfair”, but people have breaking points/limits. And if life is unfair, why shouldn’t people break the rules too? (I don’t mean hurting anyone or anything like that, more like lying on resumes, that’s not even illegal, as long as you’re not applying for a government job, worst is you get fired, but then you’re just back where you were anyway, at least you had a chance to try, not that I’m condoning anything).
Existence is trippy, even without drugs.

I have a couple concerns that I hope somebody could shed some light on. I’ve been active duty since April 2023 and my orders are up end of September 2024. I started receiving mental health support in December, and was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, adjustment disorder (unsure if that was upgraded to just depression), and a trauma disorder recently. Insomnia, daily panic attacks, and paranoia arising from current assignment. She referred me to Psychiatrist who has me on Wellbutrin, Zoloft, Trazadone, Prazosin (nightmares), and a beta blocker for panic attacks. I have become an absolute shut in with extreme fatigue. My psychologist wants to put me on limdu and have me do a 3 month 3X a week intensive outpatient mental health program. I am afraid that is a career killer and I would like to extend my orders through September of 2025 then ETS. However I recognize my health comes first.
I sincerely do not want to have to file a disability claim but also understand that these MH issues are service related. Is the nexus between psychology and psychiatry with these medications enough to file a claim if I need to? It’s about 7 months worth of weekly treatment.
I just feel like I’m in the thick of it working so hard to reclaim my health for me and my kids. I spiral thinking about losing my livelihood being in the spot I am.
I think this is a phenomenal page with wonderful support. Thank you in advance.

Not like nightmares, but felt so weird…….
It was like real life/world stuff but still SO different and detached from reality, and these weird feelings…..
At my grandparents with this RIDICULOUSLY long sidewalk, and another was in the house I lived in until I was 18 or 19 (and moved into when I was, I don’t know maybe 7 or 8?) but my current room was somehow in that house, there were some bugs on the wall, other family was there and I went to eat pizza. It must of it was gone……
Oh, and in another dream it was like the grocery store I work in, but a DIFFERENT store (same company) but it was styled more like a convenient store and closing in 10 minutes, and I couldn’t find anything I was looking for, and as employees we hate when customers come in right before closing and still shopping, but I was one of them, and couldn’t even find anything.
And then in another dream (I think the end of the pizza one?) there was like, a nonexistent SpongeBob movie sequel (that thing more elements of a movie or videogame are strangely in the real world, well, real world portrayed by the dream) and then it changed to a Sonic boss bottle.
Very specifically it was mentioned that like (some other game?) the FINAL boss was for some reason, with the boss weakened right after what was really the REALLY final boss…..
Also at some point I saw my real bedroom door open, but fortunately didn’t actually see anything scary, but then it turned out that was a dream too, because I woke up and it was closed.
It kind of upsets me that I get tired and have to sleep, (like everyone does) and then get taken into these strange bizarre nonsense weird wonderlands…..
At least they’re not all nightmares, but even when they’re not nightmares, they usually just feel, not right……
Like my intrusive thoughts and urges feel stronger in the dreams then they do in real life.
I SWEAR I don’t do any psychedelics or other type of drugs like that, I just take four prescription psych meds.
I don’t know if I’ve been in some type of psychosis, or spirits are messing with me, but 7 months ago there I suddenly woke up EXTREMELY TERRIFIED and that’s when this sudden severe “reality shift” happened, and I experienced what most people would consider psychosis (my psychiatrist put me on Prazosin, because it seemed to mostly caused by nightmares).
The worst was for a month, not just nightmares but “psychosis” when awake, terrible delusions of being stuck in dreams and simulations and Hell, and extreme terror and that demonic spirits were trying to possess me (which actually happened when I was 13, really not sure how it could have any other medical or scientific explanation, I’m 28 now btw) but I guess after it faded away after that month things kind of come and go……..
I’m starting to wonder more about what dreams actually are, and if it’s normal for them to be SO VICID AND IMMERSIVE. I SWEAR a few months ago it was like a legitimately went to ANOTHER DIMENSION and even still had temporary amnesia after I woke up.
I could have never imagined it was even possible for anyone to experience ANYTHING LIKE THIS.
Perhaps I completely underestimated psychosis, or it’s actually supernatural/paranormal stuff most people won’t even believe, simulation glitching, anything could be happening really……
All psychiatrists seem to do is say “oh you shouldn’t get an MRI (because I think I might have a brain tumor, I have brain tingling and stabbing feeling sometimes too, and confusion, loss of balance, SO MUCH FATIGUE) because that’ll be SO EXPENSIVE, here’s some more pills to take.”
They just give me more pills, or raise dosages, and it doesn’t fix anything, it might even make things worse.
The ultimate last resort is “praying and pleading to God” but part of this has been feeling and fearing that even if God is real, I have ended up in other worlds that He is not present in and has no access too.
Am I being punished for something I did? I’ve never even been arrested or charged for any crime, what could I have done that was so bad?
And if I’m being punished for what my ancestors did, what kind of God punishes or allows anyone to suffer for OTHER people’s sins????

So I have got diagnosed with GAD associated with PTSD. I’ve been on prazosin for the nightmares and I think they are working. I am starting Lexi pro, any suggestions/experiences? Or better ones to try. Zoloft and Prozac didn’t work so well. Thanks!

I had to go back to my parents house because I have no other options anymore. After being here for a few weeks the nightmares were so bad. I drank as much as possible as fast as possible. I was in the process of a suicide attempt but I was caught by my mother and she called 911, I was easy too loud. I ended up with 30 stitches that night and it was incredibly embarrassing.
The entire hospitalization I was treated as a criminal. I was in handcuffs for hours waiting to be admitted to the psych unit, had to walk in front of so many people. The only person that treated me like a human was my attorney.
I am maxed out on my prazosin meds for nightmares because now my blood pressure is too low but every night is still hell. I was given Ambien temporarily for sleep but I stay awake through it most nights. Any recommendations here would be appreciated, I don't know what to do about the nightmares.
I'm on my 3rd SSRI now, but the side effects are so bad. I am sweating like crazy. I lost my psych after moving and I was told that one will not be available for scheduling until November. I am also legally required to do therapy, and I desperately want to, but my two crisis workers can't give a place that can get me in right now. I want to talk to my doctor about the fact that I have started hurting myself again but my legal settlement agreement with the state says that I can not hurt myself so I can't tell him.
I feel like I'm giving life my 100% but I am rapidly losing my last bit of hope that I have left after this most recent attempt. I exercise daily, but it's empty. I take am my meds, but that don't help.
Any advice is appreciated. I have a broken brain after a tbi and all of what happened in this last year. Tonight I'm fighting to not down bottles of my pills. I think I can make it through tonight but I don't think I can do another week. I am trying to hold on for my cat and so I don't scar my family and friends. I can't make anyone else hate me for dying. I want to disappearun away to do it. I rather everyone think I'm missing rather than dead. I feel like a piece of shit for my attempt two weeks ago. I'm tired of disappointing everyone.
Please, any advice is appreciated

I was responding to a user on here's comments, and the symptom list they provided made me suggest Prazosin to them as in particular they mentioned PTSD and nightmares, something that Prazosin is commonly prescribed for.
I was familiar with Prazosin, hence suggesting it for their nightmares and physical anxiety symptoms, but after I mentioned it to them I was doing some more digging on it, and discovered this study.

Prazosin showed the largest effect for distressing dreams, anhedonia, difficulty falling or staying asleep, difficulty concentrating, and hypervigilance.

Prior to today I had no idea Prazosin had any effect on anhedonia, but it seems this study shows it improved it, at the very least in PTSD, but maybe it has some application outside of trauma?
I decided to search this subreddit and was surprised to find not a single post about Prazosin. So I thought I'd make one and ask you guys, has anyone tried it?

Personal Info: M / 33 / 5'11" / 170lbs / Diagnoses: GAD, MDD, PTSD and ADHD. Current Med-list: Adderall 40mg XR, Adderall 20mg IR (as needed in afternoon), Cymbalta 90mg, Propranolol (as needed for anxiety), Buspirone 15mg and Prazosin 2mg (PTSD nightmares, not for blood pressure)
I have a very intense fear of the dentist. This has resulted in me putting my dental health on the back burner and now it has gotten to where I cannot ignore it. I have to go but my fear is so bad I cannot sit still without tremors and feeling like I can't breathe/hyperventilating. Currently I take propranolol as needed for anxiety but it depends on how intense the anxiety is. Would it be acceptable to ask my psychiatrist for a prescription for a single dose of .5mg Clonazepam? I will not be driving there or driving back. I just need something to get me through the appointment without losing my shit.

After a waking up around 2-4am EVERY night with nightmares / anxiety since starting Zoloft, I have finally had normal sleep the past 3 days! I just switched to taking it at night (8:30PM) instead of in the morning (9 AM). This med didn’t make me sleepy during the day but it’s helping me sleep through the night. Idk what happened but this + Prazosin has finally granted me normal 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep for the first time in two months. Praying it continues!!
BTW, the first few days of switching to nights (progressively taking it at a later time over the course of 3 days) increased my depression and anxiety momentarily, but it was worth it.

Hello everyone this is my first time posting on Reddit so please forgive me if I make some errors or anything.
I’ve been on Paxil for a year now, steadily increasing the dosage up to 40mg. I haven’t felt any type of improvement lately and if anything I’ve gone down hill faster as my dosage was increased. Recently having many more bad days than okay days. My psychiatrist suggested I try Effexor HCL 75mg instead. I’ll also be starting Abilify.
I’m currently taking Prazosin 3mg at night for ptsd related nightmares Buspar 20mg at night for anxiety Tenex 1mg at night for adhd
I went into my appointment knowing that the Paxil just wasn’t working. I couldn’t get out from under myself. I also voiced that the Prazosin wasn’t working for me either. I’m still having nightmares and sometimes i’m aware that I’m dreaming, I just can’t wake up. My psychiatrist increased the prazosin from 3mg to 5mg. My anxiety has been so bad lately that I can’t leave my house unless it’s related to my child and then I can do whatever just fine. The Buspar was increased from 20mg to 30mg a night. I’ve been incredibly irritable, quick to snap, total loss of patience and a general loss of interest in everything. I feel nothing but rage or sadness. My psychiatrist said that I had to stop taking Paxil because it cannot be used in combination with Effexor. He also said that he is prescribing the abilify mainly to help with my irritability. I asked him if maybe I have a mood disorder but he seemed sure that I’m just used to the Paxil and exhibiting typical symptoms of PTSD and adhd.
My questions are:
what should I expect from coming off of Paxil? -Physically and/or mentally will there be side effects from switching medications?
what should I expect from starting Effexor?
what should I expect from starting Abilify?
Edit: 28F
I’ve tried Wellbutrin for ppd/ppa and that was not great. I was the hulk. Lexapro briefly but switched to Paxil because of jaw clenching. I’ve had no side effects from Paxil.

Hello everyone this is my first time posting on Reddit so please forgive me if I make some errors or anything.
I’ve been on Paxil for a year now, steadily increasing the dosage up to 40mg. I haven’t felt any type of improvement lately and if anything I’ve gone down hill faster as my dosage was increased. Recently having many more bad days than okay days. My psychiatrist suggested I try Effexor HCL 75mg instead. I’ll also be starting Abilify.
I’m currently taking Prazosin 3mg at night for ptsd related nightmares Buspar 20mg at night for anxiety Tenex 1mg at night for adhd
I went into my appointment knowing that the Paxil just wasn’t working. I couldn’t get out from under myself. I also voiced that the Prazosin wasn’t working for me either. I’m still having nightmares and sometimes i’m aware that I’m dreaming, I just can’t wake up. My psychiatrist increased the prazosin from 3mg to 5mg. My anxiety has been so bad lately that I can’t leave my house unless it’s related to my child and then I can do whatever just fine. The Buspar was increased from 20mg to 30mg a night. I’ve been incredibly irritable, quick to snap, total loss of patience and a general loss of interest in everything. I feel nothing but rage or sadness. My psychiatrist said that I had to stop taking Paxil because it cannot be used in combination with Effexor. He also said that he is prescribing the abilify mainly to help with my irritability. I asked him if maybe I have a mood disorder but he seemed sure that I’m just used to the Paxil and exhibiting typical symptoms of PTSD and adhd.
My questions are:
what should I expect from coming off of Paxil? -Physically and/or mentally will there be side effects from switching medications?
what should I expect from starting Effexor?
what should I expect from starting Abilify?
Edit: 28F
I’ve tried Wellbutrin for ppd/ppa and that was not great. I was the hulk. Lexapro briefly but switched to Paxil because of jaw clenching. I’ve had no side effects from Paxil.

Hello everyone this is my first time posting on Reddit so please forgive me if I make some errors or anything.
I’ve been on Paxil for a year now, steadily increasing the dosage up to 40mg. I haven’t felt any type of improvement lately and if anything I’ve gone down hill faster as my dosage was increased. Recently having many more bad days than okay days. My psychiatrist suggested I try Effexor HCL 75mg instead. I’ll also be starting Abilify.
I’m currently taking Prazosin 3mg at night for ptsd related nightmares Buspar 20mg at night for anxiety Tenex 1mg at night for adhd
I went into my appointment knowing that the Paxil just wasn’t working. I couldn’t get out from under myself. I also voiced that the Prazosin wasn’t working for me either. I’m still having nightmares and sometimes i’m aware that I’m dreaming, I just can’t wake up. My psychiatrist increased the prazosin from 3mg to 5mg. My anxiety has been so bad lately that I can’t leave my house unless it’s related to my child and then I can do whatever just fine. The Buspar was increased from 20mg to 30mg a night. I’ve been incredibly irritable, quick to snap, total loss of patience and a general loss of interest in everything. I feel nothing but rage or sadness. My psychiatrist said that I had to stop taking Paxil because it cannot be used in combination with Effexor. He also said that he is prescribing the abilify mainly to help with my irritability. I asked him if maybe I have a mood disorder but he seemed sure that I’m just used to the Paxil and exhibiting typical symptoms of PTSD and adhd.
My questions are:
what should I expect from coming off of Paxil? -Physically and/or mentally will there be side effects from switching medications?
what should I expect from starting Effexor?
what should I expect from starting Abilify?
Edit: 28F
I’ve tried Wellbutrin for ppd/ppa and that was not great. I was the hulk. Lexapro briefly but switched to Paxil because of jaw clenching. I’ve had no side effects from Paxil.

I have a couple concerns that I hope somebody could shed some light on. I’ve been active duty since April 2023 and my orders are up end of September 2024. I started receiving mental health support in December, and was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, adjustment disorder (unsure if that was upgraded to just depression), and a trauma disorder recently. Insomnia, daily panic attacks, and paranoia arising from current assignment. She referred me to Psychiatrist who has me on Wellbutrin, Zoloft, Trazadone, Prazosin (nightmares), and a beta blocker for panic attacks. I have become an absolute shut in with extreme fatigue. My psychologist wants to put me on limdu and have me do a 3 month 3X a week intensive outpatient mental health program. I am afraid that is a career killer and I would like to extend my orders through September of 2025 then ETS. However I recognize my health comes first.
I sincerely do not want to have to file a disability claim but also understand that these MH issues are service related. Is the nexus between psychology and psychiatry with these medications enough to file a claim if I need to?
I just feel like I’m in the thick of it working so hard to reclaim my health for me and my kids. I spiral thinking about losing my livelihood being in the spot I am.
I think this is a phenomenal page with wonderful support. Thank you in advance.

I’ve been taking Prazosin on and off for about 3 years. I don’t remember why, but I went off of it for a while. The nightmares came back eventually, and I started again. Throughout all of this and seemingly unrelated, I’m struggling with night sweats (premenopausal). I’ve noticed that, on nights I forget my meds, I sweat like a son of a biscuit eating bulldog. When I take it, I’m fine. Am I just special, or has anyone else experienced this?

My husband suffers from extremely severe depression. His specific diagnoses from his psychological evaluation are Persistent Depressive Disorder (Severe) with Major Depressive Episodes and psychotic features, Personality Disorder (Mixed features - specifically depressive personality), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
He's been depressed his entire life, but his coping mechanisms ran out in 2019 and he hit bottom. He has been unable to work and can barely leave the house due to agoraphobia. He's taken pretty much every single combination of medications (even the brand new Auvelity), anti-depressants with modifiers, etc. Currently he takes 2 medications to sleep because of nightmares (trazodone and prazosin) 2 medications for anxiety (propranalol and hydroxyzine), and 3 medications for antidepressant (lithium, nortriptyline, and abilify). I have to keep his medication for fear that he gets into a dissociative state and would take his life with them.
He's done a full course for DBT and currently gets individual CBT twice per week. He uses DBT skills like opposite action every day and often he can tell when he's having illogical thinking but is unable to break the feeling.
He's had about 45 sessions of ECT and while they made the tiniest bit of difference in SI, they haven't had much of a substantial impact and he still lives in a constant state of depression and frequent episodes of SI daily. He's due to start Ketamine infusions on Friday and I'm hopeful, but also fearful if it doesn't work. He has a very respected and well known doctor who specializes in TRD and ECT and even he says he's out of ideas. He said we could try TMS but he doesn't expect it to be effective.
Is there anyone else out there like him where nothing works? Anyone who has had something that has helped? We are so desperate. I've researched and researched and can't seem to come up with anything else. At this point he's not even looking for remission, just some small amount of relief and the ability to feel normal. Not even happy, just not utterly depressed.
Thanks all.

25F, manic depression, ADHD, PTSD, schizophrenia Current medications: desvenlafaxine, atomoxetine, olanzapine, quetiapine, prazosin
I’ve been taking desvenlafaxine for almost a year now after fluoxetine stopped working for me and recently had a bit of a breakdown. About 3 days ago i was hit with the realization that im still incredibly depressed and nothing seems to help so why bother, i stopped taking the desvenlafaxine. Now im getting brain zaps and i feel incredibly light headed and dizzy every time i inhale. I feel drunk almost. I dont feel safe driving anywhere because my brain wont stay in one place long enough to gauge turns before i make them. I keep getting “stuck” trying to get things done. Any time i laugh at funny videos or my cats being goofy it turns into sobbing which turns into inconsolable scream crying. I dont want to start taking my medication again yet and go numb again but this is scaring me. How dangerous is it exactly to stop cold turkey like this?
Additional info i also stopped taking my atomoxetine 2 weeks ago due to how much it makes me sweat and its too hot to be sweating like that where i live. Im still taking my night time antipsychotics and nightmare medicine.
ETA im trying to be proactive and made an appointment to discuss a different course of therapy the day i stopped taking the meds, i should be talking to my psych on Tuesday and plan to bring up possibly trying TMS or Ketamine therapy, both of which he offers in office. Although i know im being reckless i do have somewhat of a plan.

Curious if anyone has experience trialing Nabilone or Topiramate for their persistent nightmares?..They both were recommended since Prazosin & Triazolam have been ineffective for me & THC (which is semi-helpful) has heavily increased my brain fog, & decreased my clarify/focus & energy.
Similarly, I'd love to hear any stories of how EMDR went for people....especially if you don't have recurring nightmares, rather recurring themes & emotions.

I am on 5mg of prazosin every night for nightmares and last night I didn’t take it. I was sleeping and turning all night, I finally gave up and now it’s 5:45am and I’m wide awake. I’m normally asleep til 10am with prazosin. Anyone else?

Hi. I just started 100mg yesterday morning after being on 75mg for 3 weeks. I have ASD and I am more sensitive to meds. I also have Bipolar disorder 2 hence why I’m on Lamictal XR. I’ve noticed each time I’ve increased, I’ve had this hypo manic phase where I sleep 6 hours when I usually get 9/10 hours, I become hyper sexual, decreased appetite, maybe some anxiety and lack of ability to focus on top of my ADHD. I take Prazosin to help me sleep for ptsd & nightmares. I just had the dose increased from 2 to 5mg as well and it’s upsetting me that it is ineffective while in hypo manic episodes. The whole 3 weeks I was on 75 I had to take melatonin 5mg on top of my Prazosin, and I don’t want to become dependent. Anyways I just want to know, anyone else get hypomanic and then it dies down after a while from increasing lamictal