I was diagnosed with PD 4 years ago. I am now 61 years old.
I would class my main physical symptoms as mild to progressive. My handwriting is now awful, I have trouble connecting keys to locks… and i found out the other day that the dipstick is a pain in the arse to put back in.
However my main problem is when I’m asleep. I keep having these nightmares that I feel fully engrossed in, to the state that many times I have kicked my wife (dreams = kicking rabid dog/ doors/ football penalty etc) But last night I actually punched out, because she was trying to wake me, but in my dream i was being attacked.
The shame and guilt are more than I have ever felt.
Hello Max2 … Welcome to my World. I am 70 & was diagnosed 1 year ago. As well as Sinemet for Parkinson’s I have other health issues for which I take Amitriptyline [Neuropathy], Ramipril [High Blood Pressure], Bisoprolol which is a
Beta Blocker [A Fib]. All these drugs disturb sleep & can cause nightmares.
Parkinson’s causes structural changes in the brain, which can affect how a person sleeps and dreams. People with the disease often frequently experience nightmares and upsetting dreams . They may also experience REM behavior disorder (RBD), in which they physically act out their dreams.
So I have had a very bad time with sleeping & extremely vivid real nightmares. Before Parkinson’s I have always been a light sleeper. I could get out of bed in the morning & the bed would not looked slept in. Now my bed under sheet can be screwed up in a ball & my heavy duvet half on the floor. I live alone so no collateral damage.
It got so bad that I told both my Parkinson’s nurse & my GP that I was going to stop taking all my medication. My reason for doing this was that they refused to prescribe sleeping pills for me. I had been in hospital & had been given 14 sleeping pills &
I found that when I took one of these pills I had a good night’s sleep.
So I was prescribed a drug called Quetiapine as a compromise.
Quetiapine can also cause sleep-talking, sleep-walking, and some people have done other activities while they were asleep, like eating. You might also have strange dreams or nightmares .
Despite the above I have found taking Quetiapine helps a lot as a sleeping pill & my dreaming is less troublesome.
So you are not alone.
Any questions please ask.
Best wishes
Steve2
Hi max, my husband has very similar sleep disturbancies. Had them for 5 plus years now. I have managed to cope by mostly telling him to sleep facing away from me! Then im not in firing line! Football and goal scoring is one of his common themes too. As steve has said, if its worrying or problematic, your parkinsons team will prescribe medication that should help reduce these events. I know they are frightening when your wakened from them, im used to it now and can usually settle him down back to reality. Dont hesitate to seek assistance and never feel ashamed. Its thecondition and the drugs, not you .
Please, please if you are having trouble sleeping and bad dreams eg REM do look at my post about my husband having REM .One night he jumped out of bed and ran into the bedroom wall next it was a 999 call it took 2 GPs who told us to have seporated bedrooms, changed GPs he told my hubby not to go to bed just sleep in a chair then when I went to see my PD nurse in surgery was a Jill Barker who was a proffessor we got talking about my hubby straight away she said REM put him on medication touch wood he has been ok since. Not a lot of GPs know about this condition the thing is though it is me that has PD not my hubby.
