MusicLanguage

Has anyone every been put on a benzo and had unexplainable awkward dreams? I have either been sleeping too much or too little and am now becoming afraid of going to sleep.

Kefka

I've never experienced this with benzos. Obviously have had whacked out dreams with SSRIs.

TotalFreedom

I've used the benzos diazepam, oxazepam, temazepam, alprazolam. Also I've used several SSRI's of which I forgot the names. I've used Zyprexa. Seroquel. The SNRI Efexor. Mirtazapine. Maybe some others.

As a side effect of several of them, inclusing the benzos, I've experienced effects on my dreaming. Sometimes they would become extremely lucid. Or bizarre in a fun kind of way, like the explain acid trips.

Btw, I don't do any non-prescribed drugs. All the above were prescribed.

Sometimes there were nightmares. Sometimes it was just odd. Sometimes awkward also.

The difference between us is, I was looking forward to go to sleep, wondering what I would dream. I love the weird dreams as a side-effect. Even the scary ones. I see them as kind of equal as watching a thriller movie that you really get into. Once I wake up and realize it was a dream, I usually enjoy how cool it was.

And the awkward ones are just funny to me. If I have really awkward dreams, I often wake up and end up laughing because in hindsight, it being a dream, it was so hilarious.

So yeah, I recognize it. I just look at and experience them differently.

sparky78

I was once prescribed Xanax for anxiety and had the WORST nightmares on it. Only took it once and would NEVER take it again for this reason-the dreams gave me grippling anxiety, worse than I already had, dreams so bad I was afraid to sleep too & woke up with a RACING heart. Oddly I have been prescribed Ativan and never had a nightmare from it.

TotalFreedom

That's not uncommon. The different benzos are all slightly different. If you have a certain side-effect on one type, you might not have it on a different type.

Good for you that you found one that works well for you. The first thing I do when I have any issue with my medication is to contact my doctor. There usually is a solution.

TKS

Having been an insomniac for years, and getting on average under 20 hours sleep a week, I was quite shocked the other day when I took an Etizolam 2mg, and fell asleep on the couch. I NEVER sleep on the couch for one thing, because I'm a ta guy and can't stretch out. But unbelievably, when my alarm went off at 6am the next morning I had just experienced about 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. it was quite fascinating. I didn't even wake up groggy, but then again I don't really know if that's what benzos will do, having only taken three in the past week, and never before in my life. The other instances, I'm tryng to recreate it tonight but no joy, as usual, the downers seem to usually act as stimulants (such as booze and weed would NEVER see me nod off). Apart from that Saturday though, I'm not really getting any noticeable effects at all

Anyway, no nightmares or vivid dream recollection, but then again, I'm not a regular user of these sorts of pills.

DesertArizona

Only when I was in withdrawal from benzos. Images of disgusting things and people flashed before my eyes.

Liberator4EVA

I was a nightly marijuana smoker for seven years and don't think i had a single dream that whole time. During periods of depression i sleep and dream a hell of a lot. Almost all are unpleasant, but we're not talking monsters and ghouls, rather believable real life worst case scenarios. Loosing my job, becoming homeless, hitting a pedestrian in my car, doing something negligent at work, death of a loved one etc. Even when i didn't remember them i knew they'd taken place from the queasy, traumatised feeling i'd have every time i woke up.

SSRIs didn't stop the dreams but greatly changed the content, now they were fluffy and nonthreatening.

Back in the 1990s, I'd sometimes go out with friends under the influence of powerful stimulants and throw shapes to electronic music. I used to annoy them by always being able to sleep for a few hours on getting home. Those dreams i have to say were the best of the lot. Utterly surreal but also fluffy and non-threatening.

One time i found myself the disembodied camera of a sitcom taking place in my kitchen. The domestic appliances were talking to each other. Then the credits would roll with audience applause. Another time i basically dreamed an episode of Will O the Wisp.

I was prescribed Benzos once and hated them. Lorazepam 1mg made me feel like i had dementia, it caused amnesia and made me feel like i couldn't keep track of things going on around me. Caused far more anxiety than it alleviated, i only ever took 2 tablets. Can sleep after uppers, can't tolerate downers, need vast quantities of caffeine to stay awake all day - that's me down to a T.

A couple of the A's in my life described the nightmares they had when trying to quit alcohol. I won't repeat them. You wouldn't be able to film such scenes even today.