Severe sleepwalking - Need help and feedback!!

Hello everyone. I'm so glad that this support forum exists because I've been feeling very alone and misunderstood with my severe sleepwalking disorder. When I'm not as tired, I look forward to responding to everyone's post. At the moment, my brain feels like burned scrambled eggs from being so exhausted.

The reason I chose the screen name of "TideintheFridge" is because I woke up ten years ago and discovered I had been sleepwalking the night before. My stuff was scattered everywhere, and the bottle of Tide detergent was in the fridge. During that time, I was undergoing a very stressful event, and the stress manifested as sleepwalking. I broke my collarbone during one bad sleepwalking episode. When that stress abated, the sleepwalking either stopped or calmed down substantially.

Unfortunately, my sleepwalking has returned in force, and it is so much worse now. Like ten years ago, I am under tremendous stress. I am taking medications for my anxiety, but it doesn't seem to stop the sleepwalking at night. Just last night, I slept walk, and a family member found me on the floor in the kitchen asleep. The door to where the dog food is kept was wide open, and I had put a tin of dog food in their bowl. When I got upstairs, there was a baking pan on my bedside table. Everything was totally random. I have lost so many items sleepwalking, everything from my iPhone to prescriptions. I was able to replace the iPhone, but doctors just don't believe that I actually did indeed lose a prescription due to sleep walking.

I almost burned the house down a few months ago when I cut the stove on and left a tea kettle on with no water. The kettle caught on fire, and by chance, a family member smelled the smoke and quickly put it out. I have cuts up and down my legs from hitting things. I'm luck that I haven't broken a bone yet during this spell.

I know that I need to get to the heart of the issue that's upsetting me, but given I have no money now, I can't afford a therapist. And there are no therapists in this area that see people for free.

I have wandered outside on a few occasions. What's disturbing is now my sleepwalking is turning into sleep terrors on a few occasions. Just a couple weeks ago, at 2 in the morning, I was screaming at the top of my lungs in the driveway. My family said I was repeatedly saying, "CPR" while going through the motions of CPR. It's embarrassing because I woke the neighbors up. This is probably rooted in the fact that my beloved dog died a couple months ago suddenly and unexpectedly in my arms, and I did CPR on him for a long time. I had night terrors as a young child, but I am now middle-aged.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I am desperate now. I need sleep, but I'm scared to sleep. Are there any meds that are supposed to be good at suppressing sleepwalking? I don't have the money to put an alarm on the door, so I'm having to figure out alternate ways to prevent the sleepwalking until I can get the money.

And, I suffer from a very severe form of PTSD due to an extremely abusive situation. I have also been diagnosed with severe GAD.

Thank you for any advice, feedback, or support.

Best from the gal that left Tide in the Fridge

Hello,

you mention you use prescription meds. Can I ask what they are? Some prescription meds cause sleepwalking as side effect (Ambien/zolpidem is my worst experience).

Big hugs!