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Mental health

Citalopram. Anyone else fed up with the strange vivid dreams?

33 replies

Sparklingbrook · 23/02/2012 21:47

My Gp warned me about this, but I have had a whole week of them this week. Most of them have been revisiting my childhood home and being with now deceased relatives.
It all seems so real.

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CharlieBoo · 23/02/2012 22:38

Yes I've been on them for 8 months and still get them, they're do real aren't they?

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Sparklingbrook · 24/02/2012 09:50

Thanks Charlie. I didn't have one last night for the first night in about 8. Then I realised I had forgotten to take yesterday's tablet.

The ones about deceased members of my family are really freaking me out. Sad

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CokeZeroAddict · 24/02/2012 14:00

Yes I get a lot of vivid dreams on citalopram too, and also hallucinations if I wake up at night for any reason from a deep sleep. My eyes are open, but I can see things in my room on the ceiling above me! Usually strange shapes and things. After the first few times I decided not to look too closely in case it's something I really don't want to see!

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Sparklingbrook · 24/02/2012 14:02

It's horrible isn't it Coke? I had a dream this week that I had Ladybirds buried under my skin and I had to get them out. Sad

I can put up with the dreams as the Citalopram is working well but it's been a bit full on.

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UtterlyButterly · 24/02/2012 14:04

I am on Sertraline and have experienced this for a while now.

I dreamt that someone tortured me and stuffed my arm with fabric and the only way to heal me was find a magical warewolf to lick my arm Hmm

I dreamt that a family member passed away and it was so vivid, I woke up wondering if it was real.

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Sparklingbrook · 24/02/2012 14:07

It's odd isn't it Utterly? They aren't terrible nightmares just blasts from the past. They seem to be very in context too. My Grandpa died in 1985, but in the dream I went to see him and he was in his house just as I remember it. It was disappointing to find out it wasn't real. Sad

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HotDAMNlifeisgood · 24/02/2012 14:07

I had vivid dreams every night on Citalopram, and rather enjoyed them: it was a novelty to be able to remember my dreams at all; I never had before.

Mind you, I had to spend a lot of time sorting out what had actually happened in my awake moments, and what was just a dream, as all my Citalopram dreams seemed to be filed into the "real-life memories" part of my brain.

Most of them were very mundane dreams, though, so I can totally understand that you are fed up if your dreams are opening up issues and thoughts of people you would rather not think of.

What time do you take your pills? My GP said that taking them in the morning would reduce the vivid dreams, as the "hit" has worn off by bedtime.

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Sparklingbrook · 24/02/2012 14:09

Yes, I take them in the morning. I had a good spell where the dreams weren't as vivid. I think all this visiting my Grandpa and mooching round my childhood home has just thrown me a bit. Smile

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HotDAMNlifeisgood · 24/02/2012 14:09

(the drawback of taking them in the morning for me was that I was exhausted and groggy all day, so I switched to taking them before bed, had vivid dreams every night, and then a day where I could be bright and functional. YMMV, of course.)

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HotDAMNlifeisgood · 24/02/2012 14:10

You know, I would quite like to revisit my time with Grandpa Smile

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Sparklingbrook · 24/02/2012 14:11

The good news is that the being boiling hot first thing in the morning seems to have gone though. I used to get up, have a shower, and by the time I was dressed my face was sweating. Sad

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liveinazoo · 24/02/2012 14:13

i take citalopram.have done on and off 4yrs.horrid dreams of my dc be hit by lorries carreering onto the pavement.seeing dead relatives.allsorts.dont sleep through anymore either ,waking 2 or more times a night.
if wasnt for fact im a nightmare without them i wouldve given up ages ago

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Sparklingbrook · 24/02/2012 14:15

Oh zoo that's Sad. I haven't had any truly awful ones yet.

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UtterlyButterly · 24/02/2012 14:17

I take them in the morning also, has anyone else got any experience of taking them at night?

I too am always boiling hot. I sweat a lot more than I used to.

I don't mind the dreams I just find them odd. I am glad to see it is the meds though!

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Sparklingbrook · 24/02/2012 14:20

I swapped from taking them at night because GP said definitely don't because of sleep disruption. Confused

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Saltire · 24/02/2012 14:23

I take mine in the morning

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Annah153 · 26/09/2014 13:03

Iv just started taking them, had about 5 days worth so far.
Iv always had quite vivid dreams but I noticed a change almost immediately, Im glad it's not just me, my doctor never mentioned anything about them to me though so I was quite worried. Confused
It feels like all my worries are being suppressed and coming out in my dreams, I often wake up in hot sweat short of breath, it's fairly distressing Hmm x

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Sparklingbrook · 26/09/2014 13:18

It was all very odd isn't it Annah. I have been off the Citalopram since Christmas last year now, and the dreams are no more.

My GP did warn me, so it wasn't a total shock.

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fortifiedwithtea · 28/09/2014 03:09

I've been on Citalopram for years. My dreams are very vivid and I do remember them. I think I remember my dreams because I can't sleep properly.

I like my weird dreams. I can usually work out what event the previous day triggered them. They are really bizarre and I enjoy bewildering/boring my family with the detail but then mine aren't disturbing.

Sorry for anyone going through distressing dreams.

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Yqueque · 16/10/2014 06:49

I was without pills for several days and had very unsettling dreams.

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Yqueque · 16/10/2014 06:50

I was without pills for several days and had very unsettling dreams.

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Yqueque · 16/10/2014 07:10

I feel like I made some kind of breakthrough, I have PTSD and it's been a while since I knew I was dreaming when I was dreaming. I used to be able to signal myself in a dream so I'd know I was dreaming then intentionally in the dream go flying around.

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meno12 · 05/03/2015 21:00

Been taking citalopram for quite a while - the dreams are horrendous and I wake feeling as if I'd been punched in the ribs (only way I can describe it). Going to talk to doctor as it never gets better - maybe there could be an alternative. Nobody warned me this could happen but, having read these messages, that may be my problem.

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Leah87xx · 16/03/2016 08:29

I have been on these for afew months, I recently forgot to pick up prescription so I was with out for afew days! The dreams have been horrendous waking me up every hr hoping once I start taking them again they will stop! I'm a rite grouchy nark wen tiredHmm

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SelenaGomezaddict · 08/03/2017 19:34

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