Medication Vs Nightmares

[catjudo]

I know we all react differently to medications and I know the only way to know for sure is to discuss this with my own doctor. I have an appointment with my doctor but in the meantime I'm curious about other people's experience with this.

Have any of you ever been on a psych med that you felt made your nightmares worse? If so, what medication was it?

Have you had any luck with a medication that helped your nightmares? If so, what was it?

Have you had success with improving your nightmares with something other than medication? What worked for you?

To be honest, after a quick internet search I'm no longer sure if what I'm experiencing is nightmares or better described as night terrors. I'm not sure if it makes a difference.

Any opinions or experience with medications vs nightmares would be appreciated. Thanks.

Catjudo

 

[digger]

Mirtazapine made my nightmares worse. It helped my sleep in other ways, but my dreams on it were so scarily vivid and real, and also I would actually flash back to the dreams then during the day too quite often.

 

[joeylittle]

Trazadone. I got the vivid dream effect that can happen with that drug.

 

[Deleted member 28986]

Seconding mirtazapine. Stay away. At least for me. What horrible waking nightmares I had on it! My anxiety went through the roof because I was having these massive audiovisual flashbacks on it. I was up all night shaking. I generally don't have audiovisual flashbacks. I'm not sure if you can even call them "flashbacks" because they're drug-induced. Hallucinations maybe? This was a terrifying med.

Also, I tried an SNRI (tramadol) for a day and I was completely screwed up for a week. Now I'm very wary of psych meds, especially ones that mess with serotonin or norepinephrine. To each their own, I guess.

—

Nightmares aren't my problem at the moment, but when they were, I would take cannabis (40–50 mg THC) orally right before bedtime. Very effective for stopping nightmares; nightmare stopping is actually one of the primary benefits they're looking for in a clinical trial for cannabis and PTSD. Unfortunately it is not exactly available in your part of the country.

I take melatonin for sleep sometimes. Some people say it increases dreams, but I haven't really had that problem. At the right dose it's surprisingly effective for my chronic insomnia.

I've never tried it, but prazosin is supposed to be the drug for PTSD nightmares and night terrors (and some other symptoms too). Maybe it's worth asking about that? From what I read it's supposed to have few side effects, and patients online seem to like it.

Finally, maybe a way to manage anxiety during the day could reduce nightmares? Just a thought. I'm on 800 mg gabapentin 3x daily, and it's having a good effect on anxiety for me. There are plentiful other anti-anxiety drugs, too, as well as non-drug ways to manage anxiety which are detailed elsewhere in the forum.

I'm sorry you're dealing with these horrible night terrors right now and I hope you find a way to make it better soon. :hug:

 

[Justmehere]

Trazadone gave me nightmares like something out of the worst horror movie.

 

[Deleted member 28403]

On diazepam and don't have nightmares, or any dreams at all for a bit now, but it's really addictive and that sucks... A big problem is that at this point I'm really fatigued all the time. My body hurts a lot and I feel like my sistem is crashing. So though I spend 1-2 more hours sleeping (averaging at 5 total now) I really losr actual daily productivity, and it's bad for me.

I recommend diazepam only ahort term.

Also, for propanolol, it can cause nightmares so if your goal is to stay away from them, you could watch for it.

Well, about all advice I had, thank you for reading and good luck, sending hugs your way!

 

[Lionheart]

I've never tried it, but prazosin is supposed to be the drug for PTSD nightmares and night terrors (and some other symptoms too). Maybe it's worth asking about that? From what I read it's supposed to have few side effects, and patients online seem to like it.

I have been taking prazosin for quite some time now with lots of success. It is a blood pressure medicine and low doses help to block adrenaline and stop PTSD nightmares. I would recommend you ask your doctor about this medicine....it is also called Minipress.

wishing you the best,
Lion

 

[Trace911]

Trazadone definitely intensified my nightmares. I have been on Prazosin for months now, and wouldn't give it up for the world! It decreases the nightmares to some extent, but it greatly decreases my recollection of the nightmare, and blocks the adrenaline response so I am able to relax and stay asleep, or get back to sleep quickly.

 

[catjudo]

Thanks for all the responses. I met with my psychiatrist today and we decided that my increase in nightmares (frequency and intensity) is probably not because of either of the new medications that I'm on but just a simple increase in some of my PTSD symptoms. She suggested I try prazosin and gave me a prescription. I couldn't get it filled today because my pharmacy was already closed by the time I left my doctor's office. Getting it filled will be priority number one for tomorrow.

Fewer nightmares would be good. Right now I feel like I no sooner get myself calmed down and relaxed enough to fall asleep again only to get hit with another one. It goes on and on until I find myself trying to fight off sleep no matter how tired I am (one of the other meds I have to take makes me really tired so I take it at night). So even if it just helps me relax enough to go back to sleep after one, that would be an improvement.

Fingers crossed that tonight is my last night of increased nightmares and that the prazosin will help.

 

[Trace911]

Don't expect too much too fast. It's main purpose is as a blood pressure medication. Take the lowest dose for the first few days. The last thing you want is to wake up in the night to use the washroom and end up with a skull fracture because you passed out from not enough blood pressure. Prazosin is an adrenaline blocker, so when you have nightmares or night terrors, you won't remember them as clearly, and you will settle much faster. At least this has been my experience,I can only hope it's the same for you. But please be patient: start at the lowest dose for at least the first week.

My pup, River, wakes me when my nightmares are bad. So I know I still have them, but their impact is much less.

 

[Ocean5]

Has anyone used Prazosin who doesn't remember their nightmares? My body wakes up in panic - heart racing. I've tried it twice. Each time the next morning my heart is racing and doesn't calm down - even hours after waking. First time I was on it for 2 weeks and stopped. Felt it made me worse - yet read it helped so many.

But from what I remember I was also taking Trazadone. Maybe connection? I do find Trazadone helpful for sleep..or maybe that has worn off since it's 3am and I'm posting this...

 

[Trace911]

Trazadone causes wicked nightmares- taken together, you will never know the benefit of Prazosin. For me, it's been Clonazepam and Prazosin at bedtime. Used to take the full high dose cocktail- thank god that's over