Re: nightmares or vivid dreamers

[Guest guest]

I'm on Lexapro, 10 mg a day, since January, and I have noticed more vivid

dreams. I'll have a couple a night, with really strange scenarios but not

necessarily nightmares. They will wake me up, and then I will turn on the radio

(to " All News All The Time " on KCBS) and listen to that for 5 minutes or so to

take my mind off the dream, and then I fall back to sleep again. It doesn't

seem to be TOO disruptive, although I do tend to be a bit more tired on the

Lexapro than I would be otherwise (so I think the dreams *must* be disrupting my

deep R.E.M. sleep). I'm not so tired that I can't function, but I notice in the

late afternoon it is just soooo easy for me to fall asleep. I was waiting for

my boyfriend the other day, sitting in the car (lounging... with the seat put

WAY back), and I fell fast asleep! That was at about 3:30 p.m. It's very hard

for me to stay up much after 10pm these days, and often I fall asleep over a

book at around 9:30 pm! It hasn't been interfering with my life, though, and

I'd sure rather be on the Lexapro than off it. [Yes, I've given up my idea of

weaning off it for now: it helps too much with my chronic anxiety for me to

consider going off it right now. Maybe when things " stabilize " a bit more in my

life, whenever THAT is!].

--Diane

nightmares or vivid dreamers

Hi All

I have been on Lexapro (20mg) for a couple of years now, on and off.

Seems to work the best for me.

Does anyone else get nightmares or vivid dreamers with it? Does

lowering the dosage help you sleep better?

I keep waking up with these dreams.

Jeff Wait

[Guest guest]

Hi Jeff,

Lex worked very well for me, but, this was one of the sides

that I had. I used to get very vivid dreams on Lex. Some were very

terrifying, some amusing, and some you wake up and go what? I am no longer

on Lex, but I had been on it til January of this year(about 2 yrs). Before

that I had always suffered from some type of disturbing dream or nightmare.

Even as an adult I still suffer from night terrors. Where I won't move

because of sheer terror and won't move til I can see the light thru my

window. When I went onto the Lex it just amplified it. I was on 10mg,

20mg, last 30mg. Then had some " problems " with the meds. My fault. In any

case, according to my p-doc this is normal and is supposed to reflect that

the meds are working. My dreams did lesson up after awhile, but would

reappear if I was under stress. So I guess I was already predisposed to

these types of dreams. This is only my experience, and I may stand out from

the crowd.

Don't let what I said scare you.....

Jacquie

nightmares or vivid dreamers

Hi All

I have been on Lexapro (20mg) for a couple of years now, on and off.

Seems to work the best for me.

Does anyone else get nightmares or vivid dreamers with it? Does

lowering the dosage help you sleep better?

I keep waking up with these dreams.

Jeff Wait

[Guest guest]

No, you're not alone. I have had increased " consciousness " of my dreams since

being on Lex. Perhaps we sleep less deeply on Lex, and so our dreams are closer

to our awaking consciousness and so end up waking us up? Whereas, if we were

not on Lex, we would sleep right through the dream, it would not wake us up, and

we would not remember it in the morning? (Yet, we still would have had the

dream: just not be awakened by it nor remember it). It's been sort of an

interesting experience: remembering so many of my dreams. I've had dreams

about falling from planes lately, but I *always* land okay and very gently and

with no harm that's come to me. Sort of like a cat falling on its feet. It's

gotten to the point that I don't even find these dreams very scary anymore, and

expect to land softly and safely (and then I do). I've also had dreams about

tornados (those usually symbolize that your life is out of control), but in my

dreams I successfully hide somewhere as I " look out " and see the tornado go by.

I guess this means that the tulmultuousness of life passes me by -- the really

Bad Stuff -- and I remain either safely hidden or fall " on my feet. " I see

these signs in my dreams as " good " omens, actually.

--Diane

nightmares or vivid dreamers

Hi All

I have been on Lexapro (20mg) for a couple of years now, on and off.

Seems to work the best for me.

Does anyone else get nightmares or vivid dreamers with it? Does

lowering the dosage help you sleep better?

I keep waking up with these dreams.

Jeff Wait

[Guest guest]

Diane and Jacquie

Thanks for the feed back.

That's my experience. I fall a sleep then wake up listen to the

radio (KGO Talk). Wake up again. Its like I sleep and sometimes feel

that I'm awake at the same time. I'm going to cut back 5 mg every

two weeks and see what happens. I'll let you know.

Jeff Wait

[Guest guest]

I take between 2.5 and 5 mg depending on the mood of my pill cutter and have had

no problems sleeping on lex, which is a big change, since I suffered from night

terrors as a kid and have always had sleeping difficulties. I actually love the

dreams

and dream state i get on lex. soon after my head hits the pillow i can feel the

dream

state begin and i also wake up in the morning from a dream, which is a sensation

i

sort of enjoy. But your experience of being awake and asleep at the same time

sounds a bit like a " night terror " experience, they're not all terrifying. By

the way, I get

KGO too, are we all in the Bay Area?

Mati

> Diane and Jacquie

> Thanks for the feed back.

> That's my experience. I fall a sleep then wake up listen to the

> radio (KGO Talk). Wake up again. Its like I sleep and sometimes feel

> that I'm awake at the same time. I'm going to cut back 5 mg every

> two weeks and see what happens. I'll let you know.

> Jeff Wait