Venting Waking up with wounds

[ferrie]

This is more of a vent post than anything bc it's freaking me out & not something anyone can actually help with/give answers for, but my meds got upped last week & now I'm waking up with really strange wounds. I'm no stranger to waking up with bruises & things, I have pretty severe nightmares that make me thrash in my sleep & I'm prone to sleep walking, but these are full scabbed over cuts that should be waking me up. I'm not on anything to help me sleep besides prazosin & magnesium, which don't make my sleep deeper. I'm also only sleeping a couple hours a night & there's nothing close to my bed I could be hitting that would cause this much damage + there's no blood anywhere on the furniture or on me besides the scabs. They're not painful or anything, so it's not a huge concern, just disconcerting that I don't know what's causing them. I already have enough problems with sleep, injuring myself does not need to be added to the list

 

[theboy]

Possibly they are demons

 

[ferrie]

Possibly they are demons

I don't believe in demons, but if I did, the cuts are all on my hands which seems like an odd spot for demons to target lol

 

[blueming]

That is really strange... you say you thrash in your sleep, do you think you might be scratching yourself without knowing it? I only suggest this because I've actually also had something very similar happen to me before. I kept finding scabbed over cuts randomly all over my body and at first I thought they could be scratches, but these were in places where it was unlikely I would've scratched myself without noticing. (I never did find the actual cause!) You said your cuts are all on your hands so perhaps that scenario is more probable for you. Sorry I couldn't be of more help

 

[ferrie]

That is really strange... you say you thrash in your sleep, do you think you might be scratching yourself without knowing it? I only suggest this because I've actually also had something very similar happen to me before. I kept finding scabbed over cuts randomly all over my body and at first I thought they could be scratches, but these were in places where it was unlikely I would've scratched myself without noticing. (I never did find the actual cause!) You said your cuts are all on your hands so perhaps that scenario is more probable for you. Sorry I couldn't be of more help

I would assume that I was just scratching myself too, but there's never any blood under my nails & I literally just got them shellac-ed the day before this started so they're super short, thick & dull Could still be possible ig but seems dubious with how deep they are, idk! Thanks for trying to help though!!

 

[set0553]

One question... do you have a cat/cats by chance? Or actually and sort of animal with claws? Just a thought.

 

[ferrie]

One question... do you have a cat/cats by chance? Or actually and sort of animal with claws? Just a thought.

I have pets, but I'm not currently living with them

 

[painoflife]

Could it be something more like disassociation than doing something while asleep? So you have no knowledge of what happened or how but have the evidence that something took place during the time.
If you are able to, maybe set your phone/computer to record you during sleep to catch exactly what happens on those nights where wounds appear?

 

[ferrie]

Could it be something more like disassociation than doing something while asleep? So you have no knowledge of what happened or how but have the evidence that something took place during the time.
If you are able to, maybe set your phone/computer to record you during sleep to catch exactly what happens on those nights where wounds appear?

This could be possible! I haven't noticed any lost time on the nights that it's happened, but I can't fully discount it either. This is kind of silly, but I use that Pokémon Sleep app & it records audio while you're asleep, and there hasn't been anything odd on the audio. I could try recording video though & hopefully catch whatever I'm doing

 

[ferrie]

I must be cutting myself on the headboard or something. I took a video last night & all I did was toss & turn and sat up a couple times, but I still woke up with a new cut across my knuckles

 

[painoflife]

I must be cutting myself on the headboard or something. I took a video last night & all I did was toss & turn and sat up a couple times, but I still woke up with a new cut across my knuckles

I'm glad you have at least been able to rule out some of the things that could have been worrying causes. The only next step I can think of to prevent it would be try wearing some gloves for a couple of nights to see if it gives your hands a chance to heal and prevent new wounds.
Do you feel more at ease now you have an explanation as simple something sharp on the headboard? I know for me its usually the unknown which is frustrating so having an answer helps put me at ease.

 

[ferrie]

I'm glad you have at least been able to rule out some of the things that could have been worrying causes. The only next step I can think of to prevent it would be try wearing some gloves for a couple of nights to see if it gives your hands a chance to heal and prevent new wounds.
Do you feel more at ease now you have an explanation as simple something sharp on the headboard? I know for me its usually the unknown which is frustrating so having an answer helps put me at ease.

Definitely a bit better having somewhat of an answer, though I'm still annoyed bc I have no idea what on the headboard I could be hitting lol. Gloves would probably help from getting new scratches, thanks for the idea. I'll have to see if I can scrounge up a pair that doesn't rub at the scabs & will be comfortable enough to keep on

 

[nightlygem]

Personally, I notice this happening to me a lot when I start new meds. Scars and bruises start appearing from out of nowhere when I wake up.
The conclusion I've made is similar to yours: my tossing and turning results in me either scratching myself or sliding my skin across my bedframe. I also have mild amnesia from constant dissociation, so a lot of the time I forget when I get hurt. I remember once asking where I got this random bruise on my leg, then my partner having to remind me that I fell down the stairs a day prior.
Regardless, I hope you find a decent solution. From what I've learned, these wounds typically start showing up a lot less once my body gets used to the new meds and/or the new dosage I'm taking.

 

[ferrie]

Personally, I notice this happening to me a lot when I start new meds. Scars and bruises start appearing from out of nowhere when I wake up.
The conclusion I've made is similar to yours: my tossing and turning results in me either scratching myself or sliding my skin across my bedframe. I also have mild amnesia from constant dissociation, so a lot of the time I forget when I get hurt. I remember once asking where I got this random bruise on my leg, then my partner having to remind me that I fell down the stairs a day prior.
Regardless, I hope you find a decent solution. From what I've learned, these wounds typically start showing up a lot less once my body gets used to the new meds and/or the new dosage I'm taking.

Oof sorry that you deal with this too, but also glad to hear I'm not the only one. I'm used to random bruises on my arms & legs, the cuts on my hands are just way worse than what I usually do in my sleep. Have you ever had this reaction to mirtazipine or lithium? That's what was upped for me when this started

 

[nightlygem]

Oof sorry that you deal with this too, but also glad to hear I'm not the only one. I'm used to random bruises on my arms & legs, the cuts on my hands are just way worse than what I usually do in my sleep. Have you ever had this reaction to mirtazipine or lithium? That's what was upped for me when this started

I haven't tried those meds yet. However, I've experienced these mysterious wounds with every psych med I've taken:
Prozac
Lemictal
Trazadone
Buspirone
Latuda
Abilify

 

[ferrie]

I haven't tried those meds yet. However, I've experienced these mysterious wounds with every psych med I've taken:
Prozac
Lemictal
Trazadone
Buspirone
Latuda
Abilify

Oh I'm on buspirone rn actually too, but it actually got decreased the day this started