Side Effect? - Nightmares???
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| Wed, 04-12-2006 - 12:30am |
Hello all you lovely ladies!!!! Sorry I missed you all in chat tonight.. i really wanted to get there but my children thought otherwise.. which is ok. :)
I do have a question for you girls -
Most people know by know I am taking Effexo XR and have been for right at a month - I'm up to 150 mg now. and I started taking xanax from time to time for about 2 weeks now.
I have been having some seriously messed up dreams. I have always been a very vivid dreamer and generally remember my dreams a good bit... lately I actually wish that I wasn't remembering them.. I have always had occasional nightmares - but not every night. Has anyone experienced this as a side effect from any of these types of drugs?
I have a much easier time going to sleep now - but I have these dreams and most days I wake up with my heart racing and almost like my body is twitching with panic i have started to sweat alot at night which i never did before and my hubby says I am talking in my sleep alot more - but only mumbling so he can't understand what I am saying.
Has anyone else experienced this type of thing?
Thanks in advance -
Valerie
DH - Tripp
DD - Abby 2/24/04
DS - Devin 8/18/98

Hi, Valerie! Nice to see you. I haven't had this side effect from effexor. Like you, I have always had vivid dreams & good recall. Others have reported your experiences & thought it was the result of their meds. I have read that increased dreaming with disturbing subject matter is usually attributed to real life stress. It's nature's way of helping us sort out our problems. A coping mechanism, but not always a pleasant one. If it really concerns you & is interfering too much with being comfortable, then I would report it to the dr.
In any event, here is a great thread from the Antidepressant Meds board on the nighttime sweating & use of effexor. You are not alone. http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=iv-bhpaxil&msg=12343.1&ctx=0
Hey Valerie,
I went on Effexor about the same time you did. I started at 75mg and went up to 150mg a week ago. I've also experienced really vivid dreams. In the beginning the dreams all had to do with me being anxious or panicked about something. I would wake up with my heart racing or in the middle of a panic attack. If I took a Xanax before bed, it was a guarantee that I would instantly become awake 6 hours later and not be able to sleep well after that point. When I talked to the T about it he said that even though the Effexor was taking away a lot of the anxiety, my brain was still worrying subconsciously and that I should try to let that out somehow. He suggested "worry time" and journaling. I've found the journaling to be really effective and I really just do the worry time when I feel I need it. The dreams have gotten to where they aren't bad dreams anymore. I still have much more vivid dreams than I used to but I don't wake up all shaky.
As for the sweats, I think I've had the opposite side effect. Even though the temperature has been warming up, I have taken to wearing layers to bed b/c I get so cold. Again, that has gotten better but still hasn't gone away completely.
Other than that, how has the Effexor been working for you? I could definitely tell when I needed the meds increased to 150mg, but I seem to be doing fine on that right now. The obsessive worrying has gotten better...I still have some anxious moments but no all out panic. I tend to still have anticipatory anxiety when I get in line at the store or am sitting in a meeting, but I am normally able to distract myself from it.
I hope things overall are going well with you!
~Meghan
Like you, I'm falling fast asleep.
Sheri Ann