Anti-depressants & Dreams?

Question

I was wondering if anybody can give me some insight into how anti-depressants affect dreams. I am on an SSRI (for the second time in my life) and I find that in the beginning I have vivid dreams which are usually upsetting. They are not necessarily nightmares but dreams in which I am upset, angry or crying. It is very frustrating because when I wake up I feel badly even though I know it was just a dream. Has anybody else experienced this?? Could this be a side effect of the depression or a side effect of the medication? Or perhaps neither? Thanks everyone

Answer 1

If depression has been affecting your sleep and causing insomnia, this may be the cause of your vivid nightmares. We build up a sleep deficit when we are fatigued. Our brains require a certain amount of REM sleep each night. When we are sleep deprived, REM cycles overlap each other causing vivid and disturbing dreams. As you catch up on your sleep, the dreams usually stop or become more benign in nature.

Answer 2

i have bipolar myself and have been on meds for sometime now and i don't recall having more or less bad dreams. i do know that our dream state is usually a manifestation of what our day is like and more specifically we dream a/b the last things we heard,did ,or see prior to going to bed. so try doing something positive before turning in. and stay away from horror movies and try not going to sleep w/tv on or have it a channel like the cooking or weather show as our unconscious mind will be hearing what's on the tv and we will dream a/b what we're hearing. i made this mistake last night. watched a horror movie b/f going to bed. ayway if you're concern i would talk to your dr. if you're just starting i would wait the 4-6 wks it will take your body to adjust to the meds and then bring it up to the dr. if it continues then have him try somthg. different. but whatever you do,DON'T stop taking the meds if you really need them. it could make things worse for you. i hope it all works out for you. take care

Answer 3

I have vivid nightmares on Zoloft. My sister had this with Prozac. My doctor says vivid dreams or nightmares are a known side effect of antidepressants.

Can you change your SSRI? A different one may not give you that side effect. Do you think the side effect will go away? You say it happens in the beginning, so I wonder if it does go away for you.

Answer 4

See in some individual this anti depressant goes in the brain as lipofilic and they make this mischief !It may give night mares also !But within few days when your body tissue take it granted than nothing doing ! Of course it is dose related also !Actually speaking anti depressant is not the final solution for your psychological stress or strain ! One has to become little philosophical ! LIFE IS A GAME OF CHANCE AND CHOICE !YOU MAY NOT CHANGE THE EVENT BUT YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE AND APPROACH TOWARDS THE EVENT !SEE WE MAY NOT PAS WONDERFULL WAY OF HUMAN LIFE AGAIN SO ENJOY IT BUT WITHOUT HURTING ANY GOD CREATED LIVES AND BECOME 100^VEGETARIAN IF YOU ARE NOT !LIVE AND LET LIVE OK ! always YouRsmE

Answer 5

For me, the targets weren't a lot trippy or out of this international, as they were so existence-like. the most common issues were happening in my targets. Texting a buddy, walking down the line, searching at a co-workers new hair form... I had a minimum of three of those "each-day-existence" targets/evening, and it were given to the point the position i develop into confusing what I had dreamt and what fairly got here about.

Answer 6

I think the drugs do have an impact on your dreams - but the impact is different for each person. They made my dreams very vivid - very strange, crazy enough that you knew they weren't real but vivid enough that you thought maybe they were. Sometimes violent, sometimes not, but always very vivid and strange.

Answer 7

I was on those for a while and I got very vivid dreams too. The doctor told me that it was the meds giving me the dreams. Good luck with everything.

Answer 8

Yes it is a side effect of the medicine. Increased serotonin in the brain increases the likehood of dreams and nightmares. It is a reproted side effect for medicines that increase the serotonin concentration in the brain, including SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitos).
Pharmacy assistant professor

Answer 9

I am the dead opposite. My dreams are often violent, distrubing nightmares. On medication, I often don't dream at all - I just have vague dreams.

Answer 10

If it didn't happen prior to you taking the medication, it could be a side effect. The list of side effects with SSRI's is ridiculously long.