I see this is from 2015 but will comment about the 1 mg Prazosin I take at night, for night terrors. I have combat PTSD. Since I started taking Prazosin, I don't even have regular nightmares. This is a light blood pressure med that was found to help combat vets. Some studies were done, with mixed results. My psychiatrist is proactive, and suggested Prazosin. I have taken it for years. No side effect. I have terrible insomnia, but now, at least when I DO sleep, it's no longer in terror.

Hello, Rick. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective on this problem. My 94 year old mother has Alzheimer's and lives in a small assistant living facility with 5 other residents. Her night wanderings and inconsistent sleeping schedule are becoming a problem, as she wanders into the other residents' rooms, looking for family members or thinking she needs to take care of them. She was recently given medication to help her sleep but it is not working the way we hoped it would. We are trying to make adjustments in the time of day it is given, thinking that maybe it needs more time to become effective, but your comments have confirmed my fears that the meds may not be able to counteract what is going on in her mind.

She has her own room with a television but prefers to sit out in the kitchen all day and resists going in her room until 10:30 or later each night. From about 4:00 p.m. until she finally retires, she is pacing throughout the facility and trying doors to see what is behind them. The idea that she might be frightened of sleeping didn't occur to me. She doesn't articulate this reluctance as being fear based, but your comments are making sense. She lived with me for a year and even during that time, I could never get her to go into her room to nap during the day. She would fall asleep in a chair or at the kitchen table. The facility does not have a night staff although they have two workers there 24/7, but when she doesn't sleep, neither can they. And when she wakes in the morning, she is still tired, very confused and angry. But she doesn't remember her wanderings or the fact that she has probably stayed up very late.

We will continue to try and deal with this problem, but it really helped to read your comments. Thank you again.
Athena26

Hello, Rick. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective on this problem. My 94 year old mother has Alzheimer's and lives in a small assistant living facility with 5 other residents. Her night wanderings and inconsistent sleeping schedule are becoming a problem, as she wanders into the other residents' rooms, looking for family members or thinking she needs to take care of them. She was recently given medication to help her sleep but it is not working the way we hoped it would. We are trying to make adjustments in the time of day it is given, thinking that maybe it needs more time to become effective, but your comments have confirmed my fears that the meds may not be able to counteract what is going on in her mind. She has her own room with a television but prefers to sit out in the kitchen all day and resists going in her room until 10:30 or later each night. From about 4:00 p.m. until she finally retires, she is pacing throughout the facility and trying doors to see what is behind them. I imagined that she just wanted to be where the most activity was, but the idea that she might be frightened of sleeping and therefore frightened of going into her room at an appropriate time didn't occurr to me. She doesn't articulate this reluctance as being fear based, but your comments are making sense. She lived with me for a year and even during that time, I could never get her to go into her room to nap during the day. She would fall asleep in a chair or at the kitchen table. The facility does not have a night staff although they have two workers there 24/7, but when she doesn't sleep, neither can they. And when she wakes in the morning, she is still tired, very confused and angry. But she doesn't remember her wanderings or the fact that she has probably stayed up very late.

We will continue to try and deal with this problem, but it really helped to read your comments. Thank you again.
Athena26

Rick, thank you for your caring insight. I am with you. While I don't have dementia, I have long suffered from night terrors. They are, as you say, so much worse than a nightmare. They feel real and cause a racing heart, triggering a fight-or-flight reaction. In mine, there is usually a clocked, menacing figure standing over me or my bed. My poor husband usually has to grab my arms and hold me to keep from getting hit. It is very difficult to feel safe enough to go back to sleep. Stress usually triggers them, but they are impossible to predict. I encourage anyone with this condition to research it. I can't imagine having dementia with night terrors. My thoughts go out to you!

When I was in my twenties, an emergency op where anesthesia and Demerol were used gave me these panick attacks, anxiety, and terrors that I could not explain. It got so bad that I loathed bedtime. No medical professional explained my condition or causes. They tried prescribing more psychotic drugs which left me groggy. I could not function and care for my family: 3 small children. I got depressed and thought I was losing it. But, exercise and meditation and prayer got me through that period until my body detoxicated. It was not dementia but felt like it.

Very interesting article. Thank you. My mother is getting these symptoms and this article helps me to understand her anguish. I was trying to get a neurologist to see her but now, I don't know if it would help.

Thank you for the insight.

I wish I had read this article a few years ago. I took care of my mother for several years after she began with dementia. Many times she would wake up in the middle of the night calling me, crying and afraid to go back into her bedroom. She had these terrible, terrible night dreams, or terrors for several years. She died last July at 95 1/2 yrs old. Thankfully she didn't have them the last year or two, but now I can understand a little better what she was going through and I feel bad that I wasn't better equipped to help her at the time. Her doctor would tell me it was the dementia but he never explained it in terms like Rick has.

Rick. This article is very helpful to understand what my mom went through when she was at home. She said that she needed to leave the hallway light on because she was afraid of the dark. She couldn't tell me why. Right now, Mom is at the facility in good hands. At home, she used to get up in the middle of the nights and wandered around. The the next morning, she couldn't remember what she did.

Thank you for giving us all this valuable insight. God bless you.

Check your medication list. Many medications can cause night terrors.

Thanks for your article. It helps to have a different perspective.