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Bad sleep and dreams on citalopram

Posted , 6 users are following.

kayleigh59873
kayleigh59873

Ive been on the solid since Easter, so March. All was ok until last two weeks when the awful vivid dreams/nightmares have returned giving me bad headaches and terrible sleeps! I have been on and off this medication since my daughter was 1, she's now 3 1/2. I ALWAYS take these bad sleeps and dreams as a sign I am no longer in need of the medication and reduce the dose, to then have terrible affects. Does anyone else suffer these and do they pass? I really cant loose any sleep with a 1 & 3 year old!

eek

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • kostas61165
    kostas61165 kayleigh59873

    Posted

    Hi,

    I don't think being on and off this drug is advisable!

    Any time you are taking it, the body is making changes to accommodate it, and any time you stop it it's trying to undo them.

    All these continuous changes,in the end will bring havoc to the brain.

    So I would say that either you continue taking it in the lower effective dose for you, or stop taking it and find other ways to face your difficulties !

    Take care

  • lois95799
    lois95799 kayleigh59873

    Posted

    Coming off and on with any ssri is not very smart ..it will cause you more problems in the long run...I totally agree with Kostas..
  • ruth08109
    ruth08109 kayleigh59873

    Posted

    Ditto. You need to take ssri consistently for a period of time. You are probably having bad dreams as a result of yo yo.dosing. They just don't work properly in the way you seem to be using them.

    How.much have you been taking? Have you been taking a consistent dose, steadily?

    • kayleigh59873
      kayleigh59873 ruth08109

      Posted

      Its been a period of years of coming off, correctly and slowly not just getting headaches and dreams then waking up not taking. I just felt previously that the headaches seem to be because I no longer need the same dose, which is 20mg.

      This time around I have been on 20 mg since March, then last week or so bad headaches through the night and werid vivid dreams. I just wondered if this happened to anyone else on the medication. I am not some crazy women who does as she pleases on this medication!

    • ruth08109
      ruth08109 kayleigh59873

      Posted

      Oh I see! My mistake, not that I thought you a crazy, but I didn't get what you meant.

      Well, from my own experience, headaches don't necessarily mean I don't need the drug, but it seems like that's an indicator for you.

      With the dreaming, whenever I have increased/restarted/am tapering, yes I certainly have really vivid dreams. And they definitely pass after a couple of weeks or so. Am actually having a lot of early hours dreams at the moment, around 5 am, and then waking, because I've reinstated the drug to a higher level.

    • lois95799
      lois95799 kayleigh59873

      Posted

      If you need this Medication why come on an off ..coming on an off since your daughter was age one is causing weirdness..me myself I ain't never coming off my cit..for what so I can go thru the torture again ..no ma'am..

    • Paula2019
      Paula2019 kayleigh59873

      Posted

      Hi Kayleigh, you are definitely not some crazy woman. I have had lots of night terrors on meds which has improved alot since coming off a cocktail of them, jm just on cita now, and my terrible headaches and hemiplegic migraines have reduced. I agree with you about it being a sign to reduce dosage, but do not agree with changing dosages constantly, this will give you other problems.
    • Paula2019
      Paula2019

      Posted

      Apologies I misread the crazy bit in your post.
    • kayleigh59873
      kayleigh59873 ruth08109

      Posted

      Well thats nice to hear just that the dreams are normal. I normally come down on the drug around this time and it takes maybe 6 months to come completely off, but then life events cause me to have a major "relapse" or as I like to say, bad times mean I should just stay on them until months or even years of an easier time all around. I hope to god they chill out though.

    • kayleigh59873
      kayleigh59873 Paula2019

      Posted

      Thank you. I am going to give it another month or so as I know how long it takes for changes to take affect, it I still have bad headaches I will go to the doctors and express my feeling and see if they think that would be ok. I have only been on for 5 month, never taken any other medication, I don't even drink so nothing at all can be giving me negative effects. 5 month just doesnt seem long. I think if I can get a good year, and still feel ok, better than ok I may reduce. 

    • ruth08109
      ruth08109 kayleigh59873

      Posted

      They will do. Am considering staying on them for while myself, this time. Coming off/going on is so tricky, am planning on giving myself a good year of stability before I even attempt anything again. Hope you settle on them.soon, and the bad dreams sod off. 😊

  • natalie39598
    natalie39598 kayleigh59873

    Posted

    Hi

    I definitely have vivid dreams on this since I started. But funnily enough bar few exceptions, they were related to something I was worrying or thinking about subconciously...

    So may actually help in getting to the bottom of what is bothering you.

    If they are pure nightmares this is also a side effect of this drug. But if you don't have them and then wham they come aftet few months, i would think that maybe your head is processing somenthing?

    • kayleigh59873
      kayleigh59873 natalie39598

      Posted

      This came to a head yesterday! I was reading a heavy book before bed and that didnt help, also major mother in law issues and after that came to a head my headache went! I hope its just more about understanding the complicated brain! Thanks so much though 
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