This has happened to me before, but in the last couple of months, it's happened three times. I am in the paralyzed form of sleep, seemingly half asleep and half awake. I can't move, but I'm afraid, and want to wake up. So I start trying to call out. It's very, very difficult, but I keep trying. It seems to go on forever, and eventually I can cry out louder and louder, and my husband, who was in the opposite side of the house, in another bedroom, finally heard me and woke up, and came in to wake me. The other bedroom is about 40 feet away, and I woke him up! I swear, it seemed I was struggling to cry out for nearly an hour! I was afraid the cops would show up at any minute, as my window had been open. That's how loud it was.

I told my T about this, and he prescribed Prazosin. I'm afraid to take it. I've tried several different antidepressants in the past, and each one caused HORRIBLE panic and palpitations where my heart went up to 180bpm. So now I have a phobia of meds I haven't had before. After finally waking up, my throat is sore from all the yelling, and completely dry.

Does anyone have any suggestions of how to deal with this without taking any meds? Is there anything I can do at the time it happens? I sometimes have lucid dreams, so I wondered if it were possible to wake myself up? I can wake myself out of a nightmare, which I have frequently, with success most of the time. But I can't wake myself out of this half-asleep state. This last one was the worst I've ever had in my life and it really scared me. I'm afraid it'll get even worse. I'm almost afraid to go to sleep at night now. Any suggestions from anyone?