Cause(s) of my disturbing dreams?

For the last week or more, I have been having what I call "disturbing" dreams. They're not the nightmare, bogeyman type of thing, but whatever happens in them is upsetting. I even wake up sometimes with my heart pounding. For example, last night I dreamed I was out with a bunch of friends. I got in my car to go home and didn't put the brakes on fast enough, so I hit one of their cars and it slid into another. I did have a car wreck last month--totaled my car and now have a new one.....However, other dreams have also been upsetting ones about other things. Maybe I have repressed their content, but as I say, there's always something that happens that is bad.

I am taking trileptal and then one trazodone pill at night. Could either of these possibly be causing the problem? I'm almost to the point where I don't want to sleep. I'm also feeling depressed.....Could that in itself be affecting my thinking negatively even in my dreams? I know I'm asking a lot of questions in one thread--but I am searching for the "why." Thanks.

I used to have dreams that would scare me despite their content being mild. I don't know much about any sort of medication, so I can't say that that's the cause of the dreams. Perhaps if you are depressed in your waking life it can have effects on your dreams, so I would probably talk to your doctor about the upsetting dreams, depression and the medication's side effects.

Otherwise I would think that something else is troubling you in your waking life and your dreams are trying to get you to acknowledge that. Perhaps you are insecure about your ability to drive (on a subconscious level at least) since the accident, and this particular dream is affecting that. Perhaps you could talk to a friend about how the car crash affected you?

Just suggestions.

I am sure your car wreck was traumatic and formed the content of at least one of your dreams. Skipping a dose of the trileptic or trazodone could do the same. Not sure if the meds themselves would do that, but if they are fairly recently prescribed you might consider this. I feel like depression might play a part.