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Symptoms » Nightmares

Symptom: Nightmares



Contents: Nightmares

Introduction: Nightmares

Nightmares: Fear-inducing dreams during sleep. See free access online books about Nightmares below. See detailed information below for a list of 27 causes of Nightmares, including diseases and drug side effect causes.

» Review Causes of Nightmares: full list

Causes of Nightmares:

The following medical conditions are some of the possible causes of Nightmares. There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor about your symptoms.

See full list of 27 causes of Nightmares

» Review Causes of Nightmares: full list

Causes of Types of Nightmares:

Review the causes of these more specific types of Nightmares:

More types of Nightmares

Nightmares: Multiple Symptom Checker

Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Nightmares, as listed in our database. Visit the Multiple Symptoms Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.

Multiple Symptom Checker - Other Symptoms

Multiple Symptom Checker Combinations

See full list of 600 Multiple Symptom Checker combinations related to Nightmares

Home Diagnostic Testing and Nightmares

Home medical tests possibly related to Nightmares:

Causes of General Symptom Types

Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:

Causes of Similar Symptoms to Nightmares

Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Nightmares:

Diagnostic Guides for Nightmares

Medical Books Excerpts Read excertps from published book sections related to Nightmares from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Nightmares. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Nightmares

Medical Books Excerpts

Hallucinations

  • "In a Page: Signs and Symptoms"

Hallucinations

  • "In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms"

HALLUCINATIONS

  • "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care"

Delirium/Hallucinations

  • "Field Guide to Bedside Diagnosis"

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Misdiagnosis and Nightmares

Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness because he suffered from sudden inability to speak. This...read more »

Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for a patient to show mental decline to dementia. Whereas this can, of course...read more »

RLS sleep disorder causing night-time leg sensations often misdiagnosed: A common but relatively unknown sleep-related disorder called Restless Leg Syndrome ...read more »

ADHD under-diagnosed in adults: Although the over-diagnoses of ADHD in children is a well-known controversy, the reverse side related to adults. Some adults can remain undiagnosed, and indeed the condition has usually been overlooked throughout...read more »

Bipolar disorder misdiagosed as various conditions by primary physicians: Bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disorder) often fails to be diagnosed correctly by primary care physicians. Many patients with bipolar seek help from their physician...read more »

Eating disorders under-diagnosed in men: The typical patient with an eating disorder is female. The result is that men with eating disorders often fail to be diagnosed or have a delayed...read more »

Depression undiagnosed in teenagers: Serious bouts of depression can be undiagnosed in teenagers. The "normal" moodiness of teenagers can cause severe medical depression to be overlooked. See misdiagnosis of depression or symptoms of...read more »

Undiagnosed anxiety disorders related to depression: Patients with depression (see symptoms of depression) may also have undiagnosed anxiety disorders (see symptoms of anxiety disorders). Failure to diagnose these anxiety...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Nightmares

Diagnostic tests for Nightmares:

Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Nightmares. Some of these are listed below :

  • Physical examination
    • Does the person smell of alcohol
    • Temperature
    • Examine for signs of infectious disease
  • Mental state examination - including appearance, behavior, rate and continuity of speech, mood, affect, thought content, evidence of any hallucinations or abnormal beliefs, orientation to time, place and person, attention and concentration, short-term memory, insight and judgement.

See full list of 12 diagnostic tests for Nightmares

Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Nightmares. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis. Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:

  • How long have you had problems with nightmares? - to determine if acute or chronic. Acute nightmares should make one think of the possibility of infectious disease, acute situational maladjustment (adjustment disorder) or a head injury. Chronic nightmares may be associated with drug or alcohol use, epilepsy, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
  • How often do you get nightmares? - Most people with normal sleep patterns have an occasional nightmare.
  • Is there memory of the dream-associated unpleasant episode? - There is full arousal and memory of the unpleasant dream with nightmares. In contrast, night terrors occur primarily in young children during the first few hours of sleep onset with the child suddenly screaming, sweating and breathing quickly. The child is difficult to arouse and rarely recalls the episode on awakening in the morning.
  • What is the content of the nightmares? - Nightmaresare extremely frightening dreams that usually involve threats to survival, security, or self-esteem.
  • History of physical trauma? - Nightmares may follow physical trauma, either due to the anxiety associated with the trauma or actually to a head injury.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Nightmares (29 listings)

Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)

Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Nightmares) may include:

  • Fatigue? - fatigue and tiredness causes an increased risk of nightmares.
  • Fever? - may suggest an infectious process as the cause of acute nightmares.
  • Tongue biting and urinary or bowel incontinence? - these findings suggest grand mal epilepsy. Nightmares may also result from complex partial seizures without tongue biting or incontinence.
  • Hallucinations associated with the early stages of falling asleep or awakening? - these type of hallucinations are called "hypnogogic" and are common in narcolepsy but may also be seen in normal people.
  • Psychotic symptoms? - e.g. delusions, hallucinations and disordered thinking - may suggest schizophrenia or bipolar disorder but these symptoms may also be present with delirium, dementia and severe depression. These disorders may be associated with an increased frequency of nightmares.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Nightmares (29 listings)

Stories from Users for Nightmares

Real-life user stories relating to Nightmares:

Symptom specific forums: The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards relate to Nightmares or relevant symptoms:

Videos for Nightmares

Sleep and Anxiety

Sleep and AnxietyAnxiety and worry can appear at any time; day or night. Sometimes you know why, sometimes it can appear out of the blue. Learn how these problems can...

Bedtime Basics

Bedtime BasicsBedtime can be a scary time for kids who share their room with a monster. See how parents can help kids make the transition to sleep with a healthy...

 
See full list of 2 related videos

Patient Surveys for Nightmares

Medications or substances causing Nightmares:

The following drugs, medications, substances or toxins are some of the possible causes of Nightmares as a symptom. Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using, including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.

See full list of 202 medications causing Nightmares

Drug interactions causing Nightmares:

When combined, certain drugs, medications, substances or toxins may react causing Nightmares as a symptom. Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using, including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.

  • Inderal (Propranolol) and Cordarone (Amidarone) interaction
  • Inderal (Propranolol) and Rythmol (Propafenone) interaction
  • Inderal (Propranolol) and Cardioquin (Quinidine) interaction
  • Inderal (Propranolol) and Quinaglute (Quinidine) interaction
  • Inderal (Propranolol) and Tambocor (Flecaininde) interaction

See full list of 28 drug interactions causing Nightmares

Organs affected by Nightmares:

The list of organs typically affected by Nightmares may include, but is not limited to:

Detailed list of causes of Nightmares

The list below shows some of the causes of Nightmares mentioned in various sources:

See full list of 27 causes of Nightmares

How Common are these Causes of Nightmares?

This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Nightmares. Of the 27 causes of Nightmares that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:

  • 1 causes are "very common" diseases
  • 2 causes are "common" diseases
  • 0 causes are "uncommon" diseases
  • 1 causes are "rare" diseases
  • 0 causes are "very rare" diseases
  • 25 causes have no prevalence information.

See the analysis of the prevalence of 27 causes of Nightmares

Conditions listing symptoms: Nightmares:

The following list of conditions have 'Nightmares' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

A

  • Alcoholism ... bad dreams
  • Amphetamine abuse ... nightmares

    C

  • Ciguatera poisoning ... nightmares
  • Combat stress reaction ... nightmares

    F

  • Fentanyl toxicity ... nightmares

    M

  • Morphine toxicity ... nightmares

    N

  • Narcolepsy ... nightmares
  • Nightmares ... nightmares, vivid and realistic dreams causing fear

    O

  • Opioid toxicity ... nightmares

    P

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder ... nightmares

    R

  • Rape trauma syndrome ... nightmares

    T

  • Tramadol toxicity ... nightmares

    W

  • War sailor syndrome ... nightmares

    Join in at the forums

    Ask or answer a question about symptoms or diseases at one of our free interactive user forums.

    Medical story forums: If you have a medical story then we want to hear it.

    See a list of all the medical forums

    • Doctors and specialists: Who should I consult about Nightmares?

    Depending on the seriousness of the onset of Nightmares, you may want to consult one of the following medical professionals.
    Important:In extreme cases, always seek advice from emergency services :

    Classifications of Nightmares:

    Subtypes of Nightmares:

    Abnormal dreams, Dream disturbance

    Medical Conditions associated with Nightmares:

    Sleep symptoms (439 causes), Sleeping problems (309 causes)

    Symptoms related to Nightmares:

    Insomnia (129 causes), Sleep symptoms (439 causes)

    Nightmares as a disease:

    For a more detailed analysis of Nightmares as a disease, please see our Disease Center information for Nightmares.

    Medical articles on signs and symptoms:

    Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:

    These general medical articles may be of interest:

    See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

    Medical News summaries about Nightmares

    Our news pages contain the following medical news summaries about Nightmares and many other medical conditions:

    Related medical articles from our Disease Center for Nightmares:


    More Ways To Research Medical Signs and Symptoms:


     » Next page: Causes of Nightmares

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