You’ve just awakened in bed, dripping in sweat. Your breathing is labored, and your hands are clammy. The images are still firmly planted in your brain: a furry purple monster was just chasing you through McDonald’s; you finally escaped, only to find yourself naked-and face to face with a two-headed buffalo in the middle of Times Square. Fortunately for you, this was just a bad dream. Too much pizza before bed perhaps? Not exactly. There is a chance that one of your prescriptions is to blame for the vivid nightmares you’ve been having…
Aricept (donepezil)
This is a medication used to treat Alzheimer’s disease. But it has also been found to ease sleep apnea in people with the condition. However, in addition to encouraging bizarre dreams, it also increases the recall of them.
Coreg (carvedilol)
This popular beta-blocker is used to treat congestive heart failure (CHF)-but is also known to induce strange nightmares.
Zocor (simvastatin)
If you’re taking Zocor (a statin), the good news is that your cholesterol has probably been drastically lowered. The bad news is that statins (cholesterol lowering drugs) have been linked to quite a few sleep pattern changes. Not only could you see “purple monsters” in your dreams, you might wake up tired.
St. John’s Wort is an herbal medication used to treat mild depression. Most people choose this treatment as an alternative to taking antidepressants. Though the herb is gentle enough that it can be prescribed for children, some claim that it can cause bad dreams.
Bystolic is also another popular beta-blocker that is often used to treat hypertension. Some physicians have advised patients of a few side effects, namely that it may impair one’s reactions or thinking. Unpleasant dreams can also be induced.
Prozac (Fluoxetine)
Prozac has been a controversial medication for quite some time, with scary dreams being on the less intense side effects; some allege that violent and suicidal thoughts are an accompaniment-in addition to night sweats.
Tamiflu (Oseltamivir)
Many parents are concerned about the shortage of the H1N1 vaccine for their children. As such, some are turning to Tamiflu as an alternative. (It slows the spread of the normal flu virus.) Interestingly, this drug has been linked to both bad dreams and insomnia.
Topamax (Topiramate)
If you have migraines, you may find that the headaches are actually more pleasant than the extremely realistic nightmares you may experience as a result of taking Topamax. Some users have ceased taking the drug at night (opting for daytime doses) for this reason.
Strattera (atomoxetine hydrochloride)
This popular medication for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has caused disturbances in sleep for some patients. But many parents of children with ADHD claim that Strattera has caused rather intense and frightening nightmares.
Dramamine (Dimenhydrinate)
You might pop one of two of these to curb nausea on your next Carnival cruise. As with many different kinds of medications, this one on rare occasions may cause nightmares. But take too many doses, and you might experience what is known as a “Dramamine Trip”-hallucinations and all.
