Posted by Glenn Fagelson on May 18, 2001, at 16:43:31
In reply to Re: Anti-depressant medications and nightmares, posted by anita on May 18, 2001, at 15:27:58
> Hi Glenn,
>
> It is not uncommon for people to get nightmares from psychotropic drugs. Many of them can affect one's sleep architecture. When REM sleep is increased, there can be more nightmares, and conversely, sometimes when REM sleep is decreased, one can have particularly horrible nightmares in a different kind of sleep stage. I do know that Seroquel increases stage 3 & 4 sleep, which are the deepest and most restorative sleep stages, but I don't know if it affects REM sleep. Sometimes this effect does diminish with time -- how long have you been taking your meds? Which AD are you on?
>
> If this is really a problem for you, perhaps your doctor may have a suggestion for alleviating them. I have heard that a small dose of clonidine at bedtime can help, but I haven't tried that myself.
>
> Good luck,
> anita
>
>
> Hi, my name is Glenn.
> >
> > Just about every night, I have disturbing
> > dreams which often become nightmares. I am
> > on anti-depressants and Seroquel. Has anybody
> > else experienced continual disturbing dreams
> > while on psychotropic medication??
> >
> > GlennDear Anita,
Thank you for your response. I have been taking anti-depressant medication for over 23 years now. My nightmares have been getting quite
troublesome; I am afraid of going to sleep at night. My doctor does know about this; he lowered
my Serzone from 150mg to 50 mg at night, but that
has not helped very much. I am also taking 400mg
of Wellbutrin, 80mg of Buspar, 100mg of Celexa, and 200mg of Seroquel. I will asked my doctor
about Clonidine. What is Clonidine, by the way?
Glenn
poster:Glenn Fagelson
thread:63494
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010515/msgs/63505.html