Can Trazodone cause me to have nightmares or very odd dreams?
Question posted by missmarymarie13 on 29 June 2013
Last updated on 27 November 2022 by ajkyc
40 Answers
Thank you everyone who has posted - what a relief to know I’m not a psychopath.
I take it very seldom - maybe once a month - when I know I want to fall asleep, stay asleep, and be able to go BACK to sleep after going to the bathroom etc. This remains the ONLY thing I’ve ever tried that accomplishes all of that.
I’ve probably taken it 15 or 20 times. 25 mg. Female, early 50s.
Last night was first time I recall having a nightmare on it, but it was a DOOZY. Not creepy or supernatural in any way that I was in danger. Instead I was observing extreme, like very very very extreme, physical violence being done to women, one after the other, quick cuts like in a movie. I refuse to describe it because it was SO disturbing but just think vivisection but worse. I’m aware this kind of thing happens in a certain kind of horror movie, but I DO NOT watch those.
Very upsetting, including that the images were so crystal clear, and they keep coming back to me unsolicited even throughout the day as I’m awake.
Might be enough to make me never take it again.
Oh my gosh! I’ve been trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I’m glad I googled this!
I’ve been having VERY vivid lucid dreams on this medication. Most of them are pretty disturbing. But I’ve taught myself how to recognize if I’m in a dream or not. It has to do with my legs.
But at the same time, I’m usually paralyzed. Even if I can wake myself up, I can’t move. So I shut my eyes again and go right back to where I was.
It got so bad that I felt like I was never sleeping. I’d wake up, go through my day, only to realize I was actually asleep and dreaming my day. I told my husband that I was going insane and that I wasn’t sure if reality was actually reality. Like, I was ready to check in to a mental hospital.
I stopped taking it for a couple of days and had 0 dreams that I can remember.
I have been taking Trazodone for about 2 months. After a month, I woke up out of a sound sleep because I heard someone knocking on my door. I thought it was my bedroom door. I am alone so I got very upset. I thought I just imagined it and finally went back to sleep.
A couple of weeks later the same thing happened. I'm thinking of putting a Ring doorbell camera in but I am worried it might be a lucid dream/nightmare caused by the Trazodone. I think I might stop taking it and ask for something else.
It gives me very vivid dreams quite often in the period of sleep close to waking up. I actually really enjoy them as dreams good/bad/horrible simply don't bother me, even if they are often really weird and vivid. However, my daughter stopped taking traz for this reason.
I would be curious if there are any theories based on pharmacology of the drug or neurology as to why this happens? Because clearly, it's a common side effect.
When I first started to take trazodone 40 years ago, I experienced hallucinations and many nightmares and dreams. At that time, I was given a drub called Flurazepam and that stopped all my symptoms. Last August, 1 yr. ago, they stopped making the Flurazepam (Dalmane) and everything started to break down in my system. The drug was new when I got it, and I was started on 300 mg. which was adjusted eventually to 400 mg. per day. I have been in the process of withdrawing from the trazodone and am down to 200 mg. I have dreams now, but not nightmares or hallucinations. I have many other symptoms that we cannot figure out if it is due to the Traz. (aka: Desyrel) and that is why I'm doing this research. My doctor is refusing to help me with my dosage and says I have to live with it. I think he's nuts but I can't do much but try to wean myself off this medication. If any of you have anything to contribute, please let me know.
As to other side-effects, I have experienced the hunger after taking the meds., especially if I wait till it kicks in before going to bed. Now, it kicks in right away so I don't get the hunger like I used to. I am stressed out, having eye problems, hearing problems (loud ringing and sssssss sounds at the same time in my head, a feeling of not being connected to my arms and legs, very strange side effects. At the same time, I have a kidney stent that's been in too long, and some of these side effects could be due to that. I'm scheduled for the kidney surgery in 2 weeks, but it's a long time to wait with all these side effects. Perhaps some of you could sort out what I am experiencing because my doctor is no help to me. And I can't find a replacement.
“Flurazepam (Dalmane) was temporarily unavailable in the United States when its sole producer, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, discontinued making it in January 2019.[citation needed] In October of 2019, the FDA informed pharmacies that they could expect to be resupplied by manufacturers in early to mid December 2019. As of this date, Flurazepam is now again available in the United States.”
I’m so happy I found this thread. I’ve been taking 50mg tablets and I was wondering why my dreams have been so insane and Extremely disturbing recently. I was blaming in on quarantine.
have been taking 50 mg for over 15 yrs and experience same vivid dreams, especially in early a.m. Not nightmares, but sometimes bizarre dreams.
From the Patient Information insert and information on Drugs.com...
"Psychiatric
Postmarketing reports: Abnormal dreams"
"Nervous system
Very common (10% or more of users): Drowsiness (up to 41%), dizziness (up to 28%), lightheadedness (up to 28%), headache (up to 20%)"
"Gastrointestinal
Very common (10% or more of users): Dry mouth (up to 34%), nausea (up to 13%), vomiting (up to 13%)"
"Side effects have been reported to be generally mild and transient. They are most common during the first 2 weeks of treatment and decrease in intensity and frequency with continued treatment. They generally do not lead to treatment cessation."
All medications... prescription, OTCs, even "herbal" and "natural" remedies have the potential for side effects for a short period of time until your metabolism adjusts to the drug. They are generally not harmful long term and usually resolve on their own in a matter of a few days to a week or two.
This link may help with ways to help lessen side effects:
https://www.drugs.com/article/drug-side-effects.html
So I took it for the first last night and i had the worst nightmare I have ever had. It like literally was straightfoward towards the hardest thing i struggle with psychologically, my epilepsy. In my dream i had a seizure and it felt real and i remember every part of it. I woke up and have had a headache all day and have thrown up and had diarrhea multiple times sorry for the details. This medication is alot more harmful than expected and I was not warned at all about any of these effects. Im glad i found this forum so I know its not me its just the medication.
Have been taking 25mg of trazodone (half of a 50mg dosage), for nearly three weeks now. Had trouble sleeping after husband passed. I've noticed having dreams since starting the meds, but tonight has been the absolute worst.
Such a nightmare, I know it's a dream because my husband was also in it, and he's deceased. But the dream also included something very bad happening to my children, Now afraid to go back to sleep, definitely think I need to ask my doctor to change this med to something else.
I had the worst nightmare I've ever had as well on this medication, it just attacks u psychologically it feels and it does it with your worst fear atm.
I've been taking Trazodone for seven nights now and I've had horrifying, vividly realistic nightmares all seven nights that wake me up terrified. Worse yet, I remember the details of the dreams all too well and they cross my mind during the day and actually upset and stress me. I've been trying to figure out why this suddenly started a week ago because I've never had anything like this happen before. That's when I started thinking it could be the Trazodone and decided to check it out online and it appears to be a possible side effect for some people after I researched it. At this point I think the side effects for me are way worse than the insomnia it was prescribed for and I'm calling to make an appointment with my doctor first thing in the morning.
OMG! This is EXACTLY what I went through! I had to wean off the trazodone slowly because I had been on it for so long and it wasn't easy but getting off of it was the best thing I've ever done. Have you tried any CBD oil products for for insomnia? I have found that CBD oil drops are helping with things like insomnia, anxiety, inflammation, etc. It's not an overnight cure and it's not a magic answer - nothing is - but I think the CBD oil drops have been helpful and don't seem to have the bad side effects that medications like trazodone has. Good luck. I hope you will post again.
I completely agree with you I thought it was me at first to till read this forum.
Yes, was put on it because Zoloft was making it hard to sleep through the night. It gave me horrible nightmares of things that REALLY mattered to me. Kinda like in dream-anguish I guess you could say.
I've been experiencing sleep paralysis and getting raped by demons. Also, my dreams and nightmares are very vivid. All this on 50mg Trazodone.
Although the nightmares I had were not the same subjects that you have experienced, they were just as horrible and just as vivid.
Yes it does
I have been on trazodone for years and just in the past few months I’ve noticed I wake from having really vivid dreams some peaceful some nightmares. It’s very exhausting because I don’t feel rested at all, but if I don’t take my trazodone I don’t sleep. Who else feels this way?
I just started taking Trazodone 1 week ago. At first, I had a dry mouth and found it difficult to get up. Usually you have that moment when you hit your alarm that you’ve slept 20 more min... but with it I’ll sleep for 2 more hours and not notice. However the last 3-4 nights I’ve had vivid dreams that end in a nightmare. Half of the Dream is a truth, like a concert I’ll go to this week, picking my boyfriend up at the airport, etc and the other half is some kind of outrageous humiliation or terror. If I forgot about them when I woke, it would be fine- but I can remember them very clearly.
Related topics
Further information
- Trazodone uses and safety info
- Trazodone prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Trazodone (detailed)
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