Are vivid dreams a good thing?

[[Ca...]]

Hey buds,

I have a question that I cant get answers to and just wanted to reach out to the community about it.

Are vivid dreams, and dreams that feel so real a positive sign? Would it be like a something was blocked in my brain, and has now been unblocked allowing me to now actually get to the REM sleep stage, even though it could be a nightmare or just an experience? I do wake up during the night but I got medication off my doctor to stop that and the anxiety that would follow, this is when my dreams really started. Sometimes I wake up feeling refreshed mentally but still very tired, and I find it so hard to get going when I wake up. I feel like I stay in bed for hours and just have no motivation to start the day. I work from home aswell so it makes it even harder to get out of the bed to work in a healthy routine. Im just hoping this will steady out at some stage, but do I have to go through the worst of my dreams first?

[[Fr...]]

what chemicals are you using? preg? ssri?

Edited August 14 by [Fr...]

[[Ca...]]

6 minutes ago, [[F...] said:

what chemicals are you using? preg? ssri?

My doctor gave me Mirtazapine(15mg) for 1 month to see if that will help, if not she can push it up to 30mg if nothing has changed or else I can come off it if I feel I have got abit of control over my mind.

[[Em...]]

Hi,

I hardly ever dream these days but when I do my dreams are very vivid, just as clear as if I was awake. Unfortunately they are almost always nightmares. I am tapering. I really hate those nightmares because they are like PTSD level traumatizing. I need over an hour just to calm down let alone fall back to sleep. BUT.. I think maybe they are doing something - if thats what you are asking - I usually feel extra anxious the next 2-3 days and then better than I did before. Its weird. I recently discovered that this seems to be some kind of pattern for me. 

[[Ca...]]

2 minutes ago, [[E...] said:

Hi,

I hardly ever dream these days but when I do my dreams are very vivid, just as clear as if I was awake. Unfortunately they are almost always nightmares. I am tapering. I really hate those nightmares because they are like PTSD level traumatizing. I need over an hour just to calm down let alone fall back to sleep. BUT.. I think maybe they are doing something - if thats what you are asking - I usually feel extra anxious the next 2-3 days and then better than I did before. Its weird. I recently discovered that this seems to be some kind of pattern for me. 

Hey Emilia,

I was the exact same, I wasnt dreaming at all. Beforehand a rarely use to dream aswell as I was a heavy weed smoker and that stopped me quite abit from dreaming. Once I got off benzo(roughly about 3 weeks ago onto my 4th week), I found it very hard to sleep. I was up for 4 days straight before my body just quit and I finally fell asleep. Alot of the first times I dreamt, they were all nightmares, all related to things that I havent dealt with in my past and waking up in a pool of sweat and anxiety. I was taking zopiclone for 2 weeks and I just stopped that all together aswell until I went to the doctor because I started to feel very depressed. Now im just wondering wether to understand that the dreams are an overflow of emotions that will pass or is the nightmares etc a bad thing that wont stop?

[[Em...]]

Hi CalClean,

Congratulations to be off 🙌 well done!!

I understand what you're thinking. I don't know what they are .. but I feel like they are some unresolved stuff from the subconcious maybe?

Mine are also about the past, some bad things that have happened or my regrets, or my fears. If they continue long enough they get to be like an acid trip towards the end.. but I always remember how they started, middle, end. Unlike normal dreams.

You are already ahead of me to know if they stop or not. I sure hope so! 😅

I am not getting them all nights unlike you who have them so often, I can imagine that gets to be a lot.

Is this drug supposed to stop dreams? How are you feeling on it? 

[[Ca...]]

Just now, [[E...] said:

Hi CalClean,

Congratulations to be off 🙌 well done!!

I understand what you're thinking. I don't know what they are .. but I feel like they are some unresolved stuff from the subconcious maybe?

Mine are also about the past, some bad things that have happened or my regrets, or my fears. If they continue long enough they get to be like an acid trip towards the end.. but I always remember how they started, middle, end. Unlike normal dreams.

You are already ahead of me to know if they stop or not. I sure hope so! 😅

I am not getting them all nights unlike you who have them so often, I can imagine that gets to be a lot.

Is this drug supposed to stop dreams? How are you feeling on it? 

Thank you very much Emilia. This site really helped alot with getting off it, knowing I wasnt going crazy!

Thats exactly what I was thinking, it has to be the subconscious or even thoughts I had during the day. My regrets, fears and potential thoughts that havent happened come to visit me and I also remember every single bit. I heard REM sleep is where your brain wants to get because its almost like a cleansing of the brain but its still so hard to get through this! And yes they are absolutely like trips. Its really crazy because sometimes its stuff I havent thought of in years±

I dont feel so ahead, some symptoms do come back aswell but not all the time, its mainly insomnia and anxiety which where killing me. Im very isolated aswell so loneliness and not being able to talk to a friend has a major affect on my mind too.

So when you dont get them all night, do you have nice dreams aswell? Or just sleep with no dreams?

The drug is helping me get to sleep and stay asleep but it does not help the dreams I have or how I feel when I wake up. Its like a need a boost or something to get going. Im finding exercise really helps but I still dont feel any satisfaction out of anything that I do or achieve which is really shit, sometimes leading me to slip up on drinking during the week or over excessively drinking. Its as if the alcohol crops up all the usual symptoms that I had/have the next morning so I just feel like I need a total detox and allow my gaba receptors to repair aswell as my brain chemistry. But I did ask the doctor about them, as she knows my past with benzos and these are non addictive and are not in the benzo category so im just going to ride out the next 2 weeks and I may step it up if Im not getting to sleep naturally.

Sometimes its so hard to know what the right thing to do is

[[Em...]]

3 minutes ago, [[C...] said:

Thank you very much Emilia. This site really helped alot with getting off it, knowing I wasnt going crazy!

Thats exactly what I was thinking, it has to be the subconscious or even thoughts I had during the day. My regrets, fears and potential thoughts that havent happened come to visit me and I also remember every single bit. I heard REM sleep is where your brain wants to get because its almost like a cleansing of the brain but its still so hard to get through this! And yes they are absolutely like trips. Its really crazy because sometimes its stuff I havent thought of in years±

I dont feel so ahead, some symptoms do come back aswell but not all the time, its mainly insomnia and anxiety which where killing me. Im very isolated aswell so loneliness and not being able to talk to a friend has a major affect on my mind too.

So when you dont get them all night, do you have nice dreams aswell? Or just sleep with no dreams?

The drug is helping me get to sleep and stay asleep but it does not help the dreams I have or how I feel when I wake up. Its like a need a boost or something to get going. Im finding exercise really helps but I still dont feel any satisfaction out of anything that I do or achieve which is really shit, sometimes leading me to slip up on drinking during the week or over excessively drinking. Its as if the alcohol crops up all the usual symptoms that I had/have the next morning so I just feel like I need a total detox and allow my gaba receptors to repair aswell as my brain chemistry. But I did ask the doctor about them, as she knows my past with benzos and these are non addictive and are not in the benzo category so im just going to ride out the next 2 weeks and I may step it up if Im not getting to sleep naturally.

Sometimes its so hard to know what the right thing to do is

Your dreams sound a lot like mine! Were you taking xanax? 🤔

Well, they are almost always nightmares but also like neutral dreams, acidy dreams, feeling rather discomforting than good but not terrible. But like 70-80% of the time I just don't dream or dont recall.

I can relate to being unmotivated. I also work from home and have been on vacation and the mornings have gotten so sloppy! I have to make fantasies about my cup of coffee just so I can get out of bed (and I have had to work hard on that).

I am sure you are doing the right thing. Follow your gut:)

We are always allowed to change our mind, right?

We have an overreactive mind that wants to worry and overthink everything, that's what I feel.

You're doing good

[[Ca...]]

Just now, [[E...] said:

Your dreams sound a lot like mine! Were you taking xanax? 🤔

Well, they are almost always nightmares but also like neutral dreams, acidy dreams, feeling rather discomforting than good but not terrible. But like 70-80% of the time I just don't dream or dont recall.

I can relate to being unmotivated. I also work from home and have been on vacation and the mornings have gotten so sloppy! I have to make fantasies about my cup of coffee just so I can get out of bed (and I have had to work hard on that).

I am sure you are doing the right thing. Follow your gut:)

We are always allowed to change our mind, right?

We have an overreactive mind that wants to worry and overthink everything, that's what I feel.

You're doing good

You bang on the money, I was taking xanax and unfortunately I was buying this off the street so I had no idea of the effect it would have. I was also drinking with it which made it worse! For about 3 months I was on off it and then for 9 months I was on 1mg almost everyday. What about yourself?

And that is exactly the same as me, nightmares or acid type dreams and if I dont dream, I dont recall anything at all!

So we are the exact same with our working situation aswell, ive stopped drinking off to avoid any anxity upsets, its as you said mainly in your mind from overthinking. Ive always overthought but nothing on this scale. Then also going through a break up didnt help aswell, your mind just runs away with itself!

And you are right, ive followed my gut the whole way through, my taper only last about 7 days, I went .25mg down every second day to just get away from the stuff as quickly as possible! I heard the warnings but I needed to do it.

Your doing great aswell, you seem to really have a hold on whats going on even if it is very uncomfortable . How long left do you have in your taper?

[[Em...]]

2 minutes ago, [[C...] said:

You bang on the money, I was taking xanax and unfortunately I was buying this off the street so I had no idea of the effect it would have. I was also drinking with it which made it worse! For about 3 months I was on off it and then for 9 months I was on 1mg almost everyday. What about yourself?

And that is exactly the same as me, nightmares or acid type dreams and if I dont dream, I dont recall anything at all!

So we are the exact same with our working situation aswell, ive stopped drinking off to avoid any anxity upsets, its as you said mainly in your mind from overthinking. Ive always overthought but nothing on this scale. Then also going through a break up didnt help aswell, your mind just runs away with itself!

And you are right, ive followed my gut the whole way through, my taper only last about 7 days, I went .25mg down every second day to just get away from the stuff as quickly as possible! I heard the warnings but I needed to do it.

Your doing great aswell, you seem to really have a hold on whats going on even if it is very uncomfortable . How long left do you have in your taper?

Wow, buying them on the street sounds risky. Are people pressing them themselves and selling then? We don't really have that here. If you buy from the street it's still from the pharmacy.

I was getting mine from the doctor. Its a long story but it all started with insomnia and depression following loosing a friend and then being put on multiple SSRIs that didn't work and made me worse which led to benzos and z drugs.

I have been on Xanax for about 7 years daily. My dose was 2mg a day up until last November and now I am at 0.625. I have no idea how much longer it will take but I am going as fast as I can and still function at some level:) It will be over before I know it. 

I really want to just ditch them, but I am trying to be responsible because of this long term use.

I am so sorry that you had to deal with a breakup right in the middle of all this, must be hard:(

I only allow myself this one cup of coffee and I try to cherish it 😂 Its kind of a ceremony when I turn on my coffee machine. It sounds stupid but it gets me out of bed. I dropped the nicotine which was Huge for me though.

I hope you get sweet dreams tonight 💫 (maybe its morning where you are?)

Very cool to "meet" you!:))

[[Ca...]]

6 minutes ago, [[E...] said:

Wow, buying them on the street sounds risky. Are people pressing them themselves and selling then? We don't really have that here. If you buy from the street it's still from the pharmacy.

I was getting mine from the doctor. Its a long story but it all started with insomnia and depression following loosing a friend and then being put on multiple SSRIs that didn't work and made me worse which led to benzos and z drugs.

I have been on Xanax for about 7 years daily. My dose was 2mg a day up until last November and now I am at 0.625. I have no idea how much longer it will take but I am going as fast as I can and still function at some level:) It will be over before I know it. 

I really want to just ditch them, but I am trying to be responsible because of this long term use.

I am so sorry that you had to deal with a breakup right in the middle of all this, must be hard:(

I only allow myself this one cup of coffee and I try to cherish it 😂 Its kind of a ceremony when I turn on my coffee machine. It sounds stupid but it gets me out of bed. I dropped the nicotine which was Huge for me though.

I hope you get sweet dreams tonight 💫 (maybe its morning where you are?)

Very cool to "meet" you!:))

Yes it was very risky. At the start I was buying 2mg bars and after time I started to realise they may have been pressed so I started to then buy Rlams 1mg which were in packaging which felt abit safer but still it was not ideal at all!

Thats usually aswell how everyone has been diagnosed with them but also that is a huge achievement on your part to get from 2mg everyday for 7 years to .625mg! Congratulations so far and keep it going! 

I think if I was any longer than a year I would have tapered longer but I just listened to myself each day and kept busy, then I realised I didnt take it at a certain time when I would(usually 12pm 3pm and 9pm - each time was .5mg down to .25mg) but I did have WDs thats for sure! And yes unfortunately the break up happened when I was at my worst, I didnt even care when it happened or was just mute to the whole situation, I just kept drinking and using xanax. It was when I stopped that it all really hit me hard. Kind of like that was the start of the break up for me....crazy and I lost so much memory of those months!

Well look anything that gets you out of bed and makes you feel good is the best way forward to I hope you enjoy your cup of coffee in the morning! I still dont know how you dropped nicotine with all of this, I can get away from those vapes! That is great and im delighted for you.

Yes its 3:52am where I am(Dublin, Ireland), so im going to try to sleep aswell.

Hope you have better and pleasant dreams tonight also and it was very cool to meet you too 

Feel free to reach out directly at anytime your feeling bogged down! Goodnight!

[[Fr...]]

“antidepressants” are known to cause unusual dreams. Thats is one of the effects I experienced. You are creating an imbalance in your body. I would be careful. They are strongly addictive and rarely advertised so cause they less often lead to “addictive behaviour”. 

[[Ca...]]

 

5 hours ago, [[F...] said:

“antidepressants” are known to cause unusual dreams. Thats is one of the effects I experienced. You are creating an imbalance in your body. I would be careful. They are strongly addictive and rarely advertised so cause they less often lead to “addictive behaviour”. 

Honestly thats the opposite what I was told by my doctor. I asked all the same questions I would as if I was prescribed a benzo. I was told there not addictive, I can come off with no side effects and they will help regulate my body back to normal in terms of mental health and sleeping patterns. Its really hard to trust what doctors understand and say lately

[[Fr...]]

5 hours ago, [[C...] said:

Honestly thats the opposite what I was told by my doctor. I asked all the same questions I would as if I was prescribed a benzo. I was told there not addictive, I can come off with no side effects and they will help regulate my body back to normal in terms of mental health and sleeping patterns. Its really hard to trust what doctors understand and say lately

I find it easier to understand if you consider them the sales team for a product. That is where their information comes from and it is almost completely ill conceived. I had a really hard time accepting this because it seems like a conspiracy theory. Sadly a small number of conspiracy theories are true. 

 

I have been told with a straight face by a doctor that withdrawal only exists if your drugs dont come from a doctor. 

The only time they treat an imbalance is when you are sick from your body trying to restore itself to normal levels and the same or similar drug stops the recovery  

 

 

Edited August 14 by [Fr...]

[[Ca...]]

2 hours ago, [[F...] said:

I find it easier to understand if you consider them the sales team for a product. That is where their information comes from and it is almost completely ill conceived. I had a really hard time accepting this because it seems like a conspiracy theory. Sadly a small number of conspiracy theories are true. 

I have been told with a straight face by a doctor that withdrawal only exists if your drugs dont come from a doctor. 

The only time they treat an imbalance is when you are sick from your body trying to restore itself to normal levels and the same or similar drug stops the recovery  

@[Fr...] I completely get you and have heard this before but I never thought they could lie straight to your face if you ask the right questions...it seems in this case they did...again! So would in your opinion do you think it would be best for anyone in my situation to just stop using Mirtazapine and just try to allow my body and brain to get back to normal naturally even though it might be hard getting to sleep? Some more crazy dreams last night again, Id almost rather not having them at all at this stage.

And when you say that withdrawal exists only if it comes from a doctor, do you mean drugs like weed etc that you buy from the street do no have withdrawals? Sorry I was a little confused by that.

And I get what you saying, so they will throw other drugs in your face to stop your body from naturally repairing itself?

[[Fr...]]

I wouldnt really suggest abruptly stopping anything once you have been using it a while. The adjustment can be very difficult and the reasons you first tried it are likely still present.  WD and finding a way to cope while not intoxicated can be a dangerous time  

I have had many people try to tell me WD is an addict thing that doesnt happen with “therapeutic” drug use.  If I experienced it the I was abusing drugs. It doesnt happen from prescriptions. Some sort of refusal to be associated with drug harms.  I really dont understand it. I doubt it is something honestly believed just a reflexive denial of harms.

 

[[Ja...]]

I was thinking exactly the same thought,.since my dose has got lower I’m dreaming again

i can’t remember dreaming at all on the full doses

do they not say you need to be in rem sleep to dream or something,.when you brain refreshes

its always just before I wake I know that