nightmares!

[BrokenPunk]

does anyone else have the nightmares side effect with your BB or other med? i am only on 25mg of atenolol and ever since i started it i keep having these very odd/intense nightmares. i almost never remembered my dreams before i started taking this med and i use to be able to sleep all night without waking up.. getting alittle sick of waking up out of a bad dream... but am also happy in a way that its the only side effect i am getting from this med.. anything i can do about this? or anything my Dr can give me that will help me atleast sleep through the night?

[Curt]

No suprise there! I'm on metoprolol 250mg day. This started for me immediatly after starting meds. For me, I have the bad dreams, but wake up not ever really remembering much, just wake up with a real disturbed feeling. Very rarely can I remember much about them. When I do, I'm usually being chased, or trapped. Very strange. I didn't know why this was happening until I read it on a website as "rare side affects" of metoprolol (along with hearing loss, which I think is also affecting me). It's been a little over 3 years on meds, guess you just get used to it. I do think it happens much less now than when I first started the meds, or maybe I'm just a lot better at dealing with it now.

[Reenie]

Beta blockers have a history of creating vivid dreams in those who take them. Lisa likes to joke that her dreams would be great movie fodder! You might try a different beta blocker and have better luck with sleeping because they will all affect you a little differently.

Reenie

[Sarah]

i've been on atenolol, nadolol, metoprolol, metoprolol extended release, and maybe another beta-blocker as well. my dreams were the worst on nadolol.

i'm on toprol xl (metoropolol xl) right now and i'm almost never dreaming but my hair is falling out (another side effect). am probably going to switch again.

but yes, bad dreams are a known side effect. try taking your medication in the morning instead of at night.

[BrokenPunk]

i take my meds first thing in the morning... good advice but been doing that since day 1 and still have the dreams :(

i guess if it is common with most BBs i may as well just stay on the atenolol since it is working well for me other then the dreams.. for now ill just have to find a way to deal with them i guess..

thanks for the replys everyone :)

[Largehearted]

Brokenpunk.

Dream, dream, dream. I have the wildest dreams imaginable, but my heart relaxes a bit and tends to stay in proper rhythm most of the time. It is part of the BB life.

Best of everything.

Leon

[Linda]

Make sure your doc knows about this problem, another BB may make all the difference for you. Linda

[Abbygirl2]

I never had nightmares until starting on Atenolol. The nightmares are bothersome but I also get very realistic dreams.
It often takes me a minute or two to clear my head and realize that I was dreaming(and not REALLY running through the forest looking for a place to cash in my winning lottery ticket.) :rolleyes:

I have never been on any other form of BB so have nothing to compare to.

Take care,
Pam

[RPMelia]

I'm on Toprol xl 100 mg and I experience vivid dreams. So far no nightmares. Had the dreams about the same when I was on 50 mg of the same BB. Overall I've about two and 1/2 years on the same med, and since it works for heart rate needs, I don't worry much about the dreaming.

I've mentioned the dreams to my cardiologist, not as a complaint, just to share the side effect information.

Dick Melia
Arlington, VA

[Laoshur]

Lots of vivid dreams for me! I have tried something that I read about many years ago. That is I have tried "dropping good things into my subconscious." I read that we think that we cannot influence our dreams, but we can, if we think about good things before we sleep. I love to watch "Alias" and all we get here are DVD's, so we would watch an episode right before bed. My dreams switched from vivid to vivid nightmares. So now I watch my "Alias" or "Lost" or whatever after supper and save the late nites for more peaceful things. Try it, it may help.

[Curt]

Laoshur, You got that right! If I watch a scary movie you can bet i'll be in the same boat later that night! I was hoping that it would work the other way, like if I watched a really steamy love story with some really sexy actress, but no such luck! ha ha (don't tell the wife)

[BrokenPunk]

Lots of vivid dreams for me! I have tried something that I read about many years ago. That is I have tried "dropping good things into my subconscious." I read that we think that we cannot influence our dreams, but we can, if we think about good things before we sleep. I love to watch "Alias" and all we get here are DVD's, so we would watch an episode right before bed. My dreams switched from vivid to vivid nightmares. So now I watch my "Alias" or "Lost" or whatever after supper and save the late nites for more peaceful things. Try it, it may help.



ok i tried this the last 2 nights and ya know what it seems to be working.. i just pop in a DVD of a comedy move that always makes me laugh and fall asleep to it and no weird nightmares.. thanks for the tip! :)

[Janet]

Count me in on the beta blocker dreams. They run anywhere from erotic to horror and I to am too influenced by the TV I watch or book I read before bed. I am currently reading the book, "The Dancing Girls of Lahore," about prostitution in an area of Pakistan. Now can you image the incredibly horrible dreams I am having lately? Now that I understand it is the meds doing this to me, I am going to change to the trashy romance novels at night and keep the other stuff for during the day.

Be well and thanks for bringing this subject to everyone's attention, Janet

[Sarah]

i second the motion to see about going over to a different bb since there is a big difference between horrible nightmares and vivid dreams. i do remember that the dreams were much yuckier on atenolol vs. just weird on the other ones.

the difference between violent dreams and apartment buildings taking flight.

good luck,

s

[blazinspirit]

I had severe nightmares with another prescribed drug once and it was so bad for me that I didn't sleep for like 3 days/nights and because of that I had heart chest pains and felt really sick and I had to finally call the pharmacy and doctor to get a sleeping med. for a night and stop that medication for good. I asked the pharmacy about that side affect and they never had any record of anyone being affected that way before.:confused:
But it was horriable I couldn't close my eye's for 30 minutes without waking in total terror, I have never felt that way since then either, thank God.