Dealing with vivid nightmares from methadone?

[kace]

Hi there, my boyfriend has been having incredibly vivid and repetitive dreams since he started his methadone maintenance treatment. He's on a dose of 55ml, and noticed an increase in the nightmares when he went up on his dosage, (he never had them before the treatment). Every night he starts screaming in pain and terror because of it, he's exhausted and sick of tired of them.

Anyone else had the same problem? Please, any advice on how to deal with it?

I was thinking of sleeping meds, but he has no problem getting to sleep. Is there any meds which could help? Or lowering the dose? Or something else?

Thanks x

 

[Euphorogenesis]

First and foremost if you're sure the increase in dosage causes the nightmares it might be a good idea to decrease the dose again if that's at all possible. This would be the safest option in my humble opinion. Failing that however...

Benzodiazepines like diazepam will calm him before going to bed and might prevent dreams from occuring since those type of medications have influence on REM sleep. However it can be dangerous to mix a benzo with a powerful opiate like methadone. If you're going to try it start of with a very small dose.

In the interest of harm reduction i will say that it is not a good idea to take benzos for a long time, i can imagine he doesn't want an addiction to those to go with the methadone addiction right?

 

[《Plasticity》]

Does he smoke cannabis and if not is he against doing so? Cannabis reduces REM sleep to the point that dreaming becomes essentially nonexistent in alot of people, me included. I had a phase where I abused empathogens, as a result I dealt with a lot of sleep paralysis and disturbingly vivid nightmares. Coincidentally I was also abstaining from cannabis at this point.

I remembered that during my smoking periods I wouldn't dream one bit for up to years at a time, to the point that I forgot people even had dreams lol. Well, a bowl before sleep each night really helped and pretty much stopped the SP dead in it's tracks. Although benzos can help, they can also cause episodes of sleep paralysis and make nightmares worse in certain people, not to mention they're terribly addictive. I would personally avoid those at all costs, or at least use them sparingly.

 

[kace]

So sorry for the late responses. Genesis- Basically, he doesn't like taking benzos (they messed me and many of his friends up), so probably not a good one for him. Thank you for your help though I didn't realise it was so bad mixing benzos and methadone, that's what I'm on myself. I'm doing a long taper off them, on 8mgs of valium now. I've got no idea if that's a small or large amount for normal people? As for me it's miniscule haha.

Captain- Thanks for responding. Yes, I remember how when I smoked weed I never remembered my dreams and slept peacefully. He isn't a major fan of it, but has a few tokes when I have some. I really miss green and was thinking of getting some anyway, so will explain what you said and see if it helps. Wow, he just screamed in his sleep again now! .. Yeah, I'm sure he'll be up for this lil experiment.

 

[Keif' Richards]

There's an endless list of medications and supplements that cause vivid or disturbing dreams.

It could be the methadone sure, but I'm going to echo what some of the above posters have had to say. Cannabis can cause these vivid/scary dreams, as can over the counter sleeping medication such as Benadryl (diphenhydramine) or Unisom (doxylamine). Trazodone gave me the most vivid dreams I have ever had outside of opiate/alcohol withdrawal.

 

[《Plasticity》]

Cannabis doesn't cause nightmares (at least not for the grand majority), quite the contrary. I've actually heard of people getting medi-cards for nightmares, especially those related to PTSD. It's pretty well documented that THC reduces REM sleep, as a result dreams are usually suppressed or even non-existent in some cases. While reducing REM sleep, THC also increases stage 4 sleep (deep sleep).

During deep sleep there is no eye movement therefor no dreaming during this period, that's not to say no dreaming can occur during the entire time your asleep, but ingesting cannabis before bed should reduce dreaming to some extent, for many a complete absence of dreams or a poor ability to recollect the ones that do occur. Cannabis "withdrawal" on the other hand has a propensity to cause disturbingly vivid dreams, very unpleasant and one of my worst symptoms when quitting.

Here's a short study if your interested, nothing too long:

http://www.smrv-journal.com/article/S1087-0792(07)00167-0/abstract

 

[wezface]

I had some very intense dreams on MMT. Have you asked him about the nature of the dreams and why they're scary? Is it actually that the content is scary or does he feel trapped in the dream and unable to wake up?

For me, it was the latter. I've had these "layered dreams" all my life but they were worst on MMT. I'd start lucid dreaming, decide I wanted to wake up, and not be able to. Screaming and flailing and telling people in my dream to wake me up. And then I'd finally wake up, only to realize I was in another dream.. and again, and again, and again. It's like clawing through layers of blackness while suffocating.

So perhaps trying to find the cause of the fear and such could be a good place to start.

 

[TheRapperGoneBad]

I had a similar problem once I ceased my mmt.
I tapered down gradually and got off cool but the dreams were wild, many were iv and drug related, violent, or just disturbing.
Think It has to do with your brain being down regulated or returning somewhat to being normal.

Above posters got some good points as well there's probably a reason for the dreams in your personal life try and work threw them and figure it out.
also if he awakes terrified remember THEY ARE JUST DREAMS.
it'll all be alright.

 

[My3sons]

This is happening to me as I come down from methadone. I was at 110 and just went to 77 today. It's been going on about a week they started when I hit 80mgs. It's awful and I wake up and am upset and bothered by the dreams then can't go back to sleep for awhile. How long does this go on for? I'm not so sure that I can take them! They are confusing and make me afraid they will creep into my awake life.

 

[Mmengel89]

I am going to say Cannabis use is a great option because it dose somewhat prevent or drastically lower the time spent in REM sleep sense I started smoking daily at 16(I'm 27 now) I have dreams I can recall like once or twice a month rest of the time sleep is like skipping time I close my eyes and black void nothingnesw then morning

 

[My3sons]

Thanks but can't smoke for 2 reasons. Makes me paranoid and I get drug tested for custody reasons! All of the sudden I am turning into a mess since I hit 80. Nightmares, anxiety during the day, teeth clenching and stress headaches and also feeling depressed. I don't feel physical symptoms other than mild RLS. I don't like feeling like this.

 

[Chingy]

Yeah I've been having nightmares that seems so real and just can't believe how real they feel. I hadn't felt anything like this since I was a kid but not like this crazy (I'm 28 btw).I first started on Percocet 30mg and boy I thought those were a blast and slowly went from just partying on it to just making it a habit. Then a year later my neighbor started to sell herion ( which before all this I thought I would never in a million years I'd use) and it was a LOT cheaper compared to Percocet. Just tried it and long story short 3 years later found methadone. At first when I started taking methadone it wasn't so bad the first year but I was up to like 70 but like i would still smoke herion whenever I had the money to. (I know bad right!) then finally I just didn't want to do it and I started to rise my methadone up and by the time I went to 150 I just didn't care for herion at all. But anyways just wanted to tell my background because everyone is different. After 150 my dreams would be so real and most of the time were just bad. I'm at 195 now but I don't want to go higher since I think it wouldn't be too wise in the future. plus I have a friend that never had a drug problem and just started to take methadone slowly because she was suffering from depression and taking a little would help it. But soon within a few weeks she been telling me she has been having really bad dreams from it too.( she on anti depression now and doing better and I already said to her that she shouldn't use methadone to cure that in the first place but she said it made her feel normal and like herself again) So yeah this stuff for sure affects it somehow, not sure how exactly but there's a scientific reason i bet. I just wanted to share my story here with people so just in case there's anybody out there feeling the same way. Your not alone!

 

[keeping]

i always get nightmares when i'm approaching or in wd's
༼ ༎ຶ ෴ ༎ຶ༽ i feel your guy's pain

 

[Plutotrip]

I'm on methadone and I also have horrible dreams and yes it is from the methadone. That synthetic opiod Is actually designed to slowly kill you. They want you on it for life. Thats why they always push you to go up mlgs. Also they don't tell you this either but eat a fiber diet because it will make you sick if you don't have a bowel movement. And also take castor oil for constipation that's the only thing strong enough that actually works. And there a thing called peek and trouf if you are too high of a mlg that means that you are at a toxic amount which will kill you.
So my advice is go go down little amounts that are comfortable enough for you and I wish u luck. Once u get off you will feel so much better. Words of advice. Love you my dear addicts life will g3t better for y'all.

 

[Keif' Richards]

I'm on methadone and I also have horrible dreams and yes it is from the methadone. That synthetic opiod Is actually designed to slowly kill you. They want you on it for life. Thats why they always push you to go up mlgs. Also they don't tell you this either but eat a fiber diet because it will make you sick if you don't have a bowel movement. And also take castor oil for constipation that's the only thing strong enough that actually works. And there a thing called peek and trouf if you are too high of a mlg that means that you are at a toxic amount which will kill you.
So my advice is go go down little amounts that are comfortable enough for you and I wish u luck. Once u get off you will feel so much better. Words of advice. Love you my dear addicts life will g3t better for y'all.

Shut up Plutotrip. What you're saying is very irresponsible and you have absolutely no reference point from which to make such a globalizing statement. I get so tired of hearing Methadone Maintenance patients bitch about the clinic. "They're evil"; "They treat me like shit"; "They lowered my fucking dose cause I took Xanax last night, assholes"; "I can't believe that I have to come here every day". People who complain about the clinic ruining their lives are people who still refuse to take any accountability for their actions.

A lot of people that you meet at the clinic are going to be functioning at the maturity level of a 12 year old. They're little chick with their beaks open waiting for the disability check, for the drugs, for a handout. A lot of these people have literally never worked in their life and when someone tells them they have to go to a clinic every day before 10:00 am, that's just a major shock to their system.

They complain about how the clinic has its hooks in them. It is trading one drug for another. People use that as propaganda against MMT, but it's actually the literal truth. You are trading your dependency on dope for a dependency on Methadone. It is what it is. They don't force you to increase your dose against your will, come on now. You have to make the choice to raise your dose and your can't put that shit on them. It's on you and you need to take responsibility.

MMT and BMT have saved so many lives and helped so many people clean up their act and get jobs, care for their children and have normal lives. Many people are embarrassed or ashamed of having to undergo maintenance treatment and you are only increasing the shame by spreading this bullshit. Your post was riddled with bullshit and I'm not just going to address all of its contents, but what you're saying is untrue and unwelcome here. You have no idea what you're talking about and you're going to hurt a lot of people.