Eric,
Are you talking to me? Yes I was diagnosed I have it all meaning all systems. I don't mind at all talking about my Narcolepsy or Cataplexy. To me it's normal by now. You are so sweet. I'm fine. I have many story's. Wow you remembered from being younger.

Try to get a sleep study anyway. I had insurance and they would not pay for it approve an MSLT which is the two studies to determine if you have narcolepsy or some other sleep disorder. They kept telling me it's very expensive and I was thinking that means thousands of dollars. I finally asked what very expensive meant and they said it was around one thousand dollars. That might be expensive for many but for me it was a bargain to find out for sure what was going on with me. Some sleep centers may even have a lower price for self paying patients

I used to experience very similar situation, I couldn't move or talk and there was always a man at the end of my bed, but I was awake it was pretty terrifying but it happened to me since I was a young child, now I haven't experienced it again in about 4 year! #1 I started cutting back on caffeine and sugar a few hours before bed, I also stopped watching anything that could trigger my anxiety at all. As far as the meds I was previously on remeron to help me sleep, wellbutrin to help me wake up and buspar to help my anxiety and xanax when I would have an actual panic attack, however we just changed my meds last week (I got a new psychiatrist handling it instead of the doctors) he kept me on the wellbutrin in the morning still but a higher dose and then changed the remeron to trazedone (so?) And took me off the buspar and I still have xanax for days I have full panic attacks but it's can truly say I have been so excited since I started the trazedone at night and the higher dose of wellbutrin in the morning I haven't fallen asleep one time at work which I've had issues with happening for years now. Hope you are doing better I know it's been a while since this was posted

i had chronic sleep terrors paired with sleep paralysis due to PTSD while I was in an abusive relationship.
Over the years, since I've improved my situation and am with a healthy partner now, I rarely have those attacks but they are the scariest thing on earth
not unlike a daytime panic attack where you cannot explain why but feel as if the worlds closing in and you will die.
lots of meds to avoid them but beware. Prazosin made me faint often bc I have low blood pressure and you can't drink or do anything else on it.

Mainly, you aren't dealing with underlying causes that trigger the nightmares and sleep paralysis. Good therapist is my best advise.

for sleep i chose ambien, or clonidine

That’s called sleep paralysis. I’ve experienced it as well. I’ll be laying there, trying to scream to wake my husband up... but nothing comes out and I can’t move. My mouth is sealed shut. My most memorable with hallucinations, there was a heavy-set older man sitting on my back, and he said, “I can do anything I want to you, and you can’t do a thing about it” and started laughing. I woke up in a panic attack. I HATE sleep paralysis!!!