Thread: Seeing/Hearing people after waking up.

This is my first post, took me forever to get a confirmation email for some reason. I have had a problem for the last couple years, and lately its been getting worse. Now first off i want to state, i dont think i can see ghosts/spirits, since my problem doesnt seem like it would be that.

When i wake up out of a dream, which i do about 4-5 times a night. I will sometimes see a black figure ranging in height/sex in my room. 99% of the time they are always looking at me. Now i would believe that it would be my eyes just adjusting and seeing a shape in the dark room and making it a person. But most of the time i see the person behind a white blank wall with no shape. The other night i found a little girl standing right at my bed side staring at me.

I sometimes see someone acting like they are trying to hide next to the wall but still looking at me. This happens all over the room, not in one single spot. Now i know sometimes you see this for a split second, but the majority of the time i can look, stare, squint, and even sit up for a second before it just disappears. And it usually disappears before my eyes, i dont blink, they disappear when my eyes are wide open.

I have also heard people scream/talk to me as well. This doesnt happen as often, its right when i am a split second from falling asleep is when i hear people say they are going to hurt me, say something random, or just a very loud scream. I know im the only one hearing them and seeing them cause when my girlfriend stays with me she experiences none of it.

I believe this has something to do with my sleep, or something in my life that is causing this. I was really hoping for some answers for this. This has gotten so bad, that when i do see something paranormal, doors closing, something moving, even possibly seeing a shadow or something (all at someone elses house) that it doesnt even bother me anymore.

Just for a little more information, i dont really have dreams anymore that isnt a nightmare. I was on medicine for migraines and ever since i started it, i always have nightmares. People getting hurt, killed, me getting hurt, i always have to watch the bad stuff happen as well. Which is bad when you see someone get killed 4-5 times a night. Now i know im not a mean or bad person, i do know this is just a side effect to my medicine, its just disturbing to know that when you fall asleep your going to eventually see something bad like that happen.

I do have insomnia as well, which i finally got sleeping medicine to help. But i have ATLEAST 5 dreams a night, most of the time i just remember a certain scene or something to that. I wake up about 20 times a night, which is normal to me anymore. I just would like to tell my sleep patterns and problems so you guys can have the majority of the information. But that is all of it i believe, i really hope you guys can help me, i really just want an answer. If you guys have questions you are more than welcome to ask, no matter how small the detail.

What insomnia medication and migraine medication are you on? What's the name of it?

I know both can cause hallucinations. The obvious thing to do would be to talk to your doctor, or if you haven't been on them very long just stop taking them and see your doctor as soon as you can. Did you try anything else to counter migraines and insomnia?

You usually don't need to take migraine medication everyday either. It's usually only when you get a migraine that you take it. You could just try strong tea during the day if you get one because caffeine gets rid of migraines most of the time. For insomnia there are heaps of herbs like Valerian root and Chamomile. Of course that depends how severe it is.

But it sounds like you need to reduce your stress to me. Both your problems are brought on by stress. Maybe I'm wrong but it sounds like you just got drugs to fix the symptoms without trying to fix the problem.

Basically just do what I said in my second paragraph before you do anything else.

This should probably be in the Help section too.

I have had migraines everyday for 4 years. So i have to take maintenance medicine. Im no longer on the medicine, but its nightmarish effects must have been permanent. The name of it was Klonopin. And my insomnia medicine is Trazodone.

Well a quick peek at those drugs on Wiki shows the Klonopin can cause hallucinations (and some side effects can last up to 6 months after use stops), and Trazodone can cause slowing down of cognitive processes. It's good that you realize these figments aren't real, but it sounds like something to take to your doctor. There's a lot of things medication can do to your dreaming life, and no one on an internet message board is qualified to diagnose your issues for you.

Well i know that nobody is qualified but i would feel rather stupid and feel like im losing my mind if i go tell my doctor that im seeing people staring at me when i wake up. Wouldnt want to go to a psych ward for it. So i was just wanting to know what other people thought, or if people have the same problem. So thank you very much for answering.

I wouldn't worry about the doctor thinking you're crazy or sending you to the psych ward. If you've been torturing cats...sure. But your doc knows what kinds of meds you are on and what kind of issues you are having. It doesn't sound like you're a danger to yourself or others, just that you're suffering from some hallucination when you brain switches gear from sleep to waking.

I'd also go to another doctor if I were you. I'm wondering why on Earth he would prescribe Klonopin (benzo) for migraines and Trazodone (anti-depressant) for insomnia. Are you sure it wasn't the other way around? Maybe you took the wrong pill everyday, that could explain it.

I had a horrible experience of this when I woke up today. I'd had a rather nasty dream about cheating on my partner and when I awoke I swore I saw their corpse on the floor next to my bed. Not nice.
The apparitions however, are nowhere near as common as what you describe. If I were you, I'd take the advice of the others and talk to someone about your medication.

I know what pills i was on, Klonopin was the last migraine medicine i could take, have tried hundreds of others and that was really the last choice. Trazodone was the first insomnia medicine i have taken, which i have only started taking until about a month ago. Klonopin i stopped taking well over a year ago.