Prazosin and Nightmares: What Users Say

• jwq...
• May 6, 2014

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I started by getting sick after eating, then nightmares, sleeplessness, panic attacks, agoraphobia, high anxiety, and being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. I was put on different medicines by different doctors and nothing worked. The different meds made me gain 40 lbs, gave me diabetes, dyskinesia, and SSRI's have horrible withdrawal symptoms when you run out of medicines. A new VA doctor recently prescribed Prazosin. After three days, I no longer felt like I was constantly shaking inside me. I don't feel like a speaker reverberating through me when I hear a loud or sudden noise. I went from sleeping 4-5 hours per night to double that. I don't have nightmares anymore, and I stopped getting sick from anxiety. Prazosin is a miracle to me."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 18, 2015

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "So I have been taking prazosin for over two years now. I started off in hospitals with a big breakdown and my anxiety shot through the roof. I had three awful experiences in a three-year time span, not to mention things that were added on during childhood. After going through countless medicines and finally telling my doctor what happened to me, I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. I started prazosin and went from having to relive my experiences vividly and in a continuous loop all day, feeling everything that happened, constantly wanting to tear off my skin, couldn't talk to the opposite sex, depression, and anxiety attacks, in my nightmares to a nightmare every two weeks, flashbacks on only days close to the events, and rarely any anxiety. A miracle!"

• Sur...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 27, 2019

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I was put on 1 mg Prazosin for nightmares and insomnia. Results: Night 1: increased frequency of terrorizing nightmares and insomnia. Night 2: same as Night 1. Night 3: went to bed at 9:00 p.m. Fell asleep for a few minutes, followed by 6+ hours of insomnia. Not great when you need to be somewhere the next morning. I'm worse off after taking this drug than I was before I started. I'm also noticing increased edema with it. Currently finalizing the acquisition of a PTSD service dog. I think the dog will be more helpful than the meds."

• Min...
• January 15, 2020

For Nightmares "I have been off and on Prazosin in the past few years at 1 and 2 mg. In between the times on Prazosin, I was also put on Cyproheptadine (also for nightmares). I have now switched back to Prazosin as it helps me fall asleep and at higher doses, does not give me violent or devastating nightmares, keeps me in bed all night (no getting up in the middle of the night snacking and sleeping the whole night through without waking up! In fact, on the contrary, I have real, pleasant, and sometimes joyous and funny dreams when I even talk them out loud (which is usually funny and realistic, but not scary or nightmarish at all). Love Prazosin, although I feel that I need a higher dose now."

• Uns...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 13, 2020

For Nightmares "I started taking prazosin while going through abuse and separation. I had terrible nightmares. It helped, but now I have unsettling dreams and talk, cry, and yell during my sleep. They are so vivid that I am physically acting them out during sleep, and this wakes me feeling disoriented. I've woken due to some as well, so shaken I had to sleep with the light on (seeing as well as feeling things touching me). I take them each night, and it doesn't help me fall asleep. I also take 10 mg of diazepam with it."

• ido...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 5, 2020

For Nightmares "Jesus Christ, I'll keep my nightmares I had before taking this. 1 mg a night, and each night I took it, he said give it another try, and when I did, I couldn't wake myself up. It was like Freddy Krueger's nut house. I thought my nightmares were bad before and not being able to sleep or just drop from exhaustion, but I couldn't wake myself up. They were intensified! I am scared now they'll stay with me. Now that I have stopped taking it, I have some like that from time to time. So essentially, it made them worse."

• Jun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 29, 2019

For Nightmares "Taken prazosin for two days. Started on 1 mg, then the second night 2 mg, taken 1 hour before bed. Could not sleep but was awake for two hours. Dreaming started immediately upon sleep, more vivid than what I had been having-nightmares and strange dreams all night long until I got up. My nightmares are worse on the medication prazosin. I was hoping it would completely stop them. I hope it hasn't caused my nightmares to be permanently worse."

• Jas...
• December 29, 2017

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I started taking this medication in August 2017 after having PTSD for 14 years. I had to get an increased dosage to 2 mg due to a really bad PTSD attack. I have been noticing a lot of calmness, but I occasionally have my nightmares, but not as intense as they used to be. I recommend this to people like me that took them years, even decades, to be put on medication. BTW, DO NOT DRINK CAFFEINE WITH THESE MEDS BEFORE YOU GO TO BED. YOU WILL BE UP ALL NIGHT."

• Wil...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 24, 2013

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "They do work to stop nightmares, all dreams in fact, but the dose of 3 per night before bedtime makes me sluggish and tired in the day, lack of energy. If I come back to 2 at bedtime, I lose the tired feeling in the day but have nightmares, not every night but sometimes. I do think this is a pretty good medicine for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, though, as there are not many side effects. I read where like 7% experience what I do in being tired, lack of energy. If it were not for that side effect, this would be wonderful for me. This is by far one of the best meds I have received from the VA for PTSD, even with the side effects."

• Pol...
• July 8, 2011

Prazosin for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I have had my pulse rate go way up and my blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic, go way down. My heart was pounding. But I find that with this medicine I can sleep a bit more, and I had to quit taking my lisinopril in the morning. I still have nightmares, but I can wake up and say to myself, oh good, I'm not there anymore, and it was just a dream."

• Pea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 17, 2021

For Anxiety and Stress "My nephrologist prescribed this to me, 1 mg at bedtime. Tonight is the first time trying it, and within 2 hours, I started having a severe panic attack, with blood pressure 135/100 and a 130 heartbeat. Needless to say, this isn't fun. I suffer from failing kidneys, anxiety and stress, nightmares when I do get to sleep, and insomnia due to not wanting nightmares, probably... as well as a lifetime of PTSD (non-combat). What's worse is it is recommended not to take Ativan with this medicine, which is the anxiety med I have that WORKS. I wish my doctor told me more about the medication other than it gives people funky dreams. He did not tell me that this medicine interacts poorly with half of my medications. Oh, and suicidal ideation became a lot stronger."

• Mou...
• April 4, 2016

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "PTSD trauma nightmares & BPH. As dosage was slowly increased from 1 mg to 4 mg before bedtime, I went from 3-5 nightmares per night (triggering panic attacks that made it impossible to go back to sleep) to none. I now have weird dreams. I can deal with weird. Upped to 5 mg to help with BPH. It worked for me."

• C-N...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 10, 2015

For Nightmares "Started prazosin last December for PTSD and nightmares/night terrors. Tried doses 1-6 mg (as high as the psych would go). My nightmares started to slowly increase, and now, I suffer from chronic nightmares. Also started an increase in PTSD-related flashbacks and hallucinations (auditory and visual). Told the psych, and she had me stop it entirely, and I cannot shake the nightmares. I feel like I wasted so much money on a POS med that dumped all the adverse effects on my system. 0/10, would NOT recommend!"

• Kat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 14, 2021

For Anxiety and Stress "I was given prazosin for PTSD and anxiety. Childhood trauma and 4 recent family deaths that traumatized me again. Took first last night, and stood up an hour later and felt very faint, been up all night on and off, and when I did sleep, I had a huge nightmare with my screaming again. This morning, I feel very hung over with a headache and still some shakiness - this is all because I had to move out of state and my new family doctor stopped my lorazepam and made me suffer needlessly (everything else has massive side effects and all SSRIs cause heart palps). Good luck, this stuff is too scary."

• amj...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 10, 2019

For Nightmares "I have been taking this medication, prazosin, for less than a month, have worked up to 5 mg over the weeks. I have never had worse or more vivid nightmares ever, and now it seems that I feel I'm still awake when they are happening, and I cannot wake up and stop them. My partner has told me that she has never seen me in so much distress since taking this medication. Even last night, I felt as though I was experiencing hallucinations and sounds of static in my head. I thought I was awake but unable to communicate my need for help, my partner said I was clearly sleeping and in distress. I awoke feeling like I was having a heart attack. I'm not sure what to do now."

• So...
• December 23, 2015

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I've had ongoing PTSD for the past 15 years, including nightmares almost every night. My neurologist finally started me on prazosin to see if it would help me get any sleep. I had to go up to 4 mg to make the nightmares stop. I tried to go back down to 3 mg but had nightmares, so went back to 4 mg. After 2 months at 4 mg, I'm back to not sleeping well and having nightmares 4-5 nights a week. I'm concerned that I will continue to build up a tolerance and it will become less effective. I did have one incident where I got up in the middle of the night and passed out, remaining unconscious for over 40 minutes. I have to really watch out for low blood pressure when taking any BP-altering meds like this. A salty snack before bed seems to help."

• jay...
• July 17, 2013

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I have been on the prazosin for 4 weeks. I started on 1 mg, and after the first week, I went to 2 mg. I'm still having nightmares, and I'm exhausted during the day. I've also gained 9 lbs since starting it. I'm very frustrated. I haven't had any other side effects, like dizziness."

• Lac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 27, 2018

For Nightmares "I started on one mg of prazosin two months ago. My PTSD is slightly better, however, my nightmares became more vivid. I do feel better throughout the day but have fainted twice from the drug lowering my blood pressure. I’m also taking ten mg of Lisinopril each evening. The fainting experiences were frightening as I hit my head and awoke with blood coming from my right eye area. Left a scar. I could not move but lay shaking, sweating, sick to my stomach. Second episode I fainted, but I knew I was going to, so I tried to sit down on my couch. I did faint, but what woke me was I was vomiting profusely. That scared me as I could have died from my own vomit had I been flat on the floor. I’m weaning myself off of it as this drug is too much for me. It is very powerful. Granted, we are individuals who have different reactions. It’s great that it works for some, but I’ll take the nightmares over the drug as I am very frightened of it. Just not for everyone."

• Tim...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 20, 2019

For Nightmares "I've had nightmares what seems like forever from a couple of highway accidents I was in. I had a stroke 2 years ago and was put on Prazosin to lower my blood pressure. Just 2 mg in the evening helps me sleep with no nightmares or crazy dreams. I highly recommend giving Prazosin (Minipress) a try."

• Ale...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 18, 2019

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I was on Prazosin from 2015-2018. I found it minimally helpful. At first, I had no nightmares or panic attacks. Within 3 weeks, I quickly reached the max dose of 35 mg. I have had PTSD since I was a child and in and out of institutions since I was 15. I would not recommend this medication to any of my friends."

• R J...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 24, 2022

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "Excitedly reading positive reviews, I felt sure prazosin was just the thing for my chronic PTSD - nightmares making me dread sleep, anxiety, depression, paranoia - and it would improve my BPH and hypertension! “Silver bullet” (as someone wrote) for ailments ruining my life! But I was badly mistaken - for me, more a “wrecking ball”! Took 1 mg prazosin before bed for a week, and every time, an hour or so after dozing off, I'd wake up gasping for breath, hot prickling all over my body, loud tinnitus, heart pounding out of my chest, with nausea and blurred vision. Blood pressure would then be around 160/100, HR 75 (before prazosin, only about 135/85, HR 55). Couldn’t go back to sleep until I took lots of acetaminophen, amlodipine, and Xanax (really trying to taper off, but prazosin ruined it). I'd get up in the morning with bad swelling in calves and ankles (much worse than usual, only amlodipine). Truly happy for people for whom prazosin is a great help, but it’s definitely not for some of us!"

• Jas...
• January 26, 2016

For Nightmares "It worked OK the first couple of nights, then terrible, sweat-soaked nightmares returned, but they go back and forth. I was instructed to stop taking it a week after I started, and now my nightmares are on and off. I told my mother today that I think it was a placebo, but even if it is, I'm very happy it slowed the night terrors a lot."

• Dis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 16, 2021

For Nightmares "I have a rare disorder, REM sleep behavior disorder. I was wondering if 'Unsettling dreams,' who posted on April 13, 2020, might also have REM sleep behavior disorder. Talking, yelling, and acting out dreams are symptoms of the disorder. Please see a neurologist about this. My neurologist prescribed prazosin - 1 mg., and I tried it last night for the first time. I still had nightmares, but I'm hoping it will work if I take it for a while. I've also read that clonazepam may help with this disorder."

• cas...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 20, 2023

For Nightmares "I started taking 2 mg a night for my PTSD nightmares. I thought that they weren’t really doing anything, as I was still having nightmares. The doctor upped my dose to 5 mg and boy was I wrong about it not doing anything. I had the worst string of horror-induced sleepless nights of my life. I’d sleep in 3-hour intervals, always ending with me being jerked awake by some new terror. Some nights I’d sleep just the 3 hours. Some nights I’d have multiple nightmares in one night. Needless to say, those pills were going down the toilet. I really gave it a try because it apparently works for other people and I really could use some dreamless sleep, but uh lol sadly, no. Guess me and my nightmares will have to go it alone."

• Mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 12, 2022

For Nightmares "Dr. prescribed it for me last week to help me sleep. Other sleep meds I recently tried have given me nightmares, so I only took one or two nights. First two nights were great on Prazosin. I slept well. Only up 2x to potty. Last two days, I've felt very drugged all day. Only 1 mg. I took Ambien for about 15 years, and it was a miracle drug! Then it wasn't as effective, so Dr. added Trazodone. It helped for 2-3 years, but then I was ravenously hungry, even if I'd just eaten before bed. Then I'd wake up 2-3x a night and would have to eat something to be able to fall back asleep. I am diagnosed with PTSD, but it's been years since it's been bad, so it was worth a try since other meds (non-narcotic) gave me nightmares. It's worth a try. Just not for me long term. I can't take a controlled sleep med (like Ambien). I take 2 narcotic pain meds, and if I take a controlled night med, I have to give up a dose of pain meds, and it's not worth it."