• TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | Eligiu | deficiT

Mental Health Trazadone and Remeron Cause Me Either Nightmare or Disruptive Vivid Dreams - HELP

attorneyaz

Greenlighter
Joined
Jun 25, 2016
Messages
1
Hello there,

I have been experiencing terrible insomnia for the past 6 weeks. I have suffered from anxiety and depression for almost 20 years and have been on different meds to treat it, but the insomnia was totally new. Psychiatrist put me on remeron and it gave me terrible nightmares at the 15 mg dose, so we lowered the dose to 7.5 mg and the nightmares went away, but the insomnia was back (I could fall asleep with remeron so long as I took 2 mg of klonopin with it, but still would only sleep 5 hours and be very tired the next day). So psychiatrist started me on trazadone and at both the 50 mg and 100 mg dosages I have ridiculous vivid dreams especially in the early morning hours. They are the type of dreams that you know are dreams while you are sleeping, but cannot make them stop and then you wake up in a panic and unrested. My psychiatrist switched me to the trazadone because she told me it did not cause nightmares of vivid dreaming (to the point where they dreams are very disturbing). The trazadone (along with klonopin) definitely helps me sleep (getting like 7.5 hours) but unless this vivid dreaming is going to go away, I do not think I can stay on it. Any thoughts on this? Any other recommendations. I have tried the regular sleeping pills and while they worked, but psychiatrist is very much opposed to using them because of long term side effects.

Thee has to be some ingredient similar in these two med that causes sedation but also screws with your dreams. I will say the trazadone is far more sedating than the remeron (hence, the longer sleep pattern). I am currently taking 75 mg of trazadone. Seeing psychiatrist on Monday and would like some additional options to present to her.
My psychiatrist and I are only focusing on sleep right night and will deal with residual depression and anxiety once my sleep issues are solved. I agree with this approach.

Any thoughts? Recommendations? Similar experiences?
 
My step-dad had to change doctors because his ex doc retired. He was taken off his 15mg Temazepams and scripted Trazodone 50mg up to 3 and rotate that every 2 weeks with Remeron, first started with 7.5 and later it was 15.

He seems to handle it well. Remeron is the only medication (I never was scripted it, just give one, the big purple ones, I think those are 20mg or 40mg? I forgot), but it made me wake up with a good mood like when I was a kid, I had not felt that feeling in years. My position on meds that don't help you and are scripted to, don't take them, simple as that. Trazodone is a nasty nasty drug, its a garbage drug doctors here often try to give patients who do not have a suggestion themselves. The thing made me have night terrors and convulsions where I would feel my thighs cramp. And it was the 25mg pills and the brand name Desyrel, way back in 2002 or so, when brand name trazodone was still made I guess.
 
I am on Trazadone. I'm handling it much better than you though. I don't have any dreams, at least I don't remember any. There are other meds out there you could try if you can't live with the dreams. I was on Doxepin before Trazadone. It is also an antidepressant and could help with the depression. The only bad thing about Doxepin is that it might cause weight gain. It did for me and hence the change to Trazadone. I'd ask your doctor but I don't think it is certain that you gain weight. Just an option
 
Consider sedating antihistamines. There's probably no reason why your Dr wouldn't rx them, but if they don't or in the meantime, try 50mg diphenhydramine with maybe a low dose of melatonin (low doses are more sedating, I like 3-5mg). I HATE trazodone and mirtazapine. The former made my heart freak out (not a panic attack) and the latter I won't even go into, but it made my insomnia far worse because I quickly developed a tolerance to the initial sedation but it kept me asleep for 9+ hours no matter what, so I just ended up with drug-induced non-24 instead (not really an official thing lol, but it was exactly like real non-24). Also, do you like/smoke weed? I always smoke before I sleep, helps a TON with the insomnia (mine is from adHd though, see what I did there?) but it also makes me not dream, or at least not remember any dreams. I love it, it just makes me sleep deeper and I don't miss dreaming one bit. When I need something heavy duty I turn to etizolam but I hate to recommend that to someone with anxiety because I think the potential for self medication is huge. While anxiety is no longer a big issue for me, my insomnia stems from a somewhat similar reason. I can't stop thinking either, not in an anxious way, but the result is the same. Listening to music while I fall asleep really helps to drown out my brain's constant chatter. I used to watch TV but a psychiatrist told me that TV stimulates the brain in a way that keeps you awake whereas music doesn't. It also drowns out outside noise. Turning off the tv, or at least muting it and listening to music instead, really does help. Good luck, I still have some pretty bad insomnia but at least it's not at a critical point anymore and I can maintain a functional sleep schedule.
 
Trazedone gave me very vivid and lucid nightmares and dreams. Often I knew I was having a nightmare and was half awake and still couldn't stop it.
I won't touch the stuff.
 
Trazadone gives me the most vivid and scary nightmares! Usually about the End of the World or other nasty shit, like viruses that do terrible things to the human body. After waking, those nightmares stay with me and I have to go outside, get some fresh air and smack myself in the face a couple times. BUT...being a 40 year chronic pain sufferer, ANY time spent asleep is GOOD! Trazadone enables me to sleep 15 hours sometimes. Bring on the freaky dreams!
 
Top