Normal to have night terrors on anti-depressants?

59% Normal
6 Comments

I have recently had my dose of prozac bumped up to 60 mg daily and I have been having awful night terrors. Not the normal nightmares where they only happen once in awhile but every night and they are always different. They are also extremely vivid and when I wake up I can't tell the difference between reality and my dreams. For about two weeks I thought my next door neighbor had died from knee surgery because that's what I had dreamed. I am seriously freaked out. Is it normal to not be able to depict dreams from reality?

Voting Results
59% Normal
Based on 63 votes (37 yes)
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Comments ( 6 )
  • Short4Words
    11 years ago

    Maybe you are having a bad reaction to the medication. Have you thought about pursuing more natural or spiritual ways of battling your illness?

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    • allthasparkles
      11 years ago

      Well the thing is I have more than just depression, I suffer from a rare disease called POTS syndrome and I do take herbal supplements daily, along with essential oils, and am currently seeking various other recovery methods, western medicine has mostly failed me but I have been on anti-depressants since I was 10 so I am extremely nervous to try to get off them due to the detox and the other issues I could face during that time.

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      • VioletTrees
        11 years ago

        Oh, hey, I have dysautonomia too! I've got NCS, not POTS, but the symptoms and treatment are similar. Prozac isn't too bad to get off of, as SSRIs go. Anyway, you should probably talk to you psychiatrist and cardiologist about the side effects and see what the other options are.

        Do you doctors know about the herbal supplements you're taking? Contrary to popular belief, it's not always safe to take herbal supplements alongside pharmaceuticals (or at all, in some cases: in the US, at least, they're not very well regulated, and they don't always contain what they say they contain).

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      • Short4Words
        11 years ago

        That's wise of you and I'm sorry to hear about your condition. Maybe seek about lowering the dosage back for now and take it from there.

        Much love,

        Alec

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  • MistakeMaker
    9 years ago

    yea its normal. i went through that wen i started my meds last year. my dreams were so terrifying itd get to the point where i'd wake someone else up and make them sit with me til i was calm. Cause i would dream of really weird twisted things that wud make me want to jump out the window or something. I got off those meds with the QUICKNESS. i havent figured out where to go from there. I have MDD, which is like a manic depressive type of deal.. i take xanax and smoke weed. ha..

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  • Ahiru
    11 years ago

    Hmm, well the night terrors that you are experiencing are a well-documented side effect, but still an effect to be wary of if they continue. If it's still bothering you that intensely, you should probably consult your doctor, especially is the terror are accompanied with other side effects as well. Please do mention any herbal supplements that you are taking, including the brand (since supplements aren't well regulated in the US and Canada, supplements that are marketed as the same type can vary by brand.)

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