List of 45 Medications that Cause Unusual Dreams

In the last decade or so, “unusual dreams” has cropped up more and more as a normal side effect of perscription medications.  These tend to be medications somehow effect brain chemistry, such as some antidepressants.  It is unknown if these drugs cause the unusual dream or just makes you more aware of your dreams.

If you suspect that your meds are giving you nightmares, don’t just stop cold turkey.  This can cause dangerous or painful withdrawal symptoms — not to  mention the return of the symptoms you were trying to avoid in the first place.  Talk to your doctor first about tapering off.

Here is an incomplete alphabetical list of perscription medications that give you unusual dreams or nightmares.  Check out this list from NBC affiliate Channel 3 WYKC (taken from a Wall Street Journal article but my computer downloads it faster than WSJ, so there) Here’s another list by pharmacist Suzy Cohen:

1. 
   Adderall (amphetamine and dextroamphetamine): treats ADHD and may cause nightmares


2. 
   Albuterol sulfate: Asthma medication that apparently has nightmares as a very rare side effect.


3. 
   Ambien (zolpidem sulfate): Heavily perscribed insomnia drug known to cause sleepwalking, sleep driving and bad dreams.


4. 
   Amphetamine: Used to treat narcolepsy and ADD reported to help with lucid dreams and vivid dreams.
   


5. 
   Aricept (donepezil): Medication for sleep apnea in Alzheimer’s patients and dementia that seems to help patients remember their dreams and anectodal reports states it causes bizarre dreams.


6. 
   Atenolol: A beta blocker known to cause bad dreams as noted in this 1985 study.


7. 
   Atripla (Efavirenz/Emtricitabine/Tenofovir): An AIDS drug that contains sustiva, so see Sustiva.


8. 
   Avelox (moxifloxacin): An antibiotic that has at least 66 complaints of bad dreams to the FDA.  It is an uncommon side effect.


9. 
   Betaxolol:


10. 
    Biaxin (Clarithromycin): An antibiotic that has at least 12 complaints of bad dreams to the FDA.  It is an uncommon side effect.


11. 
    Bisoprolol Fumarate: Another beta blocker known to cause vivid dreams.


12. 
    Bystolic (nebivolol): Yet another beta blocker that sometimes causes “weird/vivid dreams.”
    


13. 
    Carbidopa: See Levodopa


14. 
    Carvedilol: Another beta blocker, etc


15. 
    Chantix (varenicline): This is perscriped to smokers to help them quit.  The manufacturer claims that Chantix blocks nicotene receptors in the brain so that a smoker does not receive the same amount of pleasure smoking.  The Internet is loaded with anectodal weird and bad dreams that patients claim to have experiences while taking Chantix.  “Changes in dreaming” is one of the most common complaints about Chantix.


16. 
    Cipro (ciprofoxacin): An antibiotic where “nightmares or abnormal dreams” is a side effect listed as serious enough to warrant telling your doctor.


17. 
    Coreg (carvedilol): Another beta blocker that can cause strange dreams.


18. 
    Cymbalta (duloxetine): An SSRI antidepressant where scary or weird dreams is a common side effect.


19. 
    Depakote (divalproex sodum): A seizure drug often perscribed for people wuffering from migraines.  An uncommon side effect is abnormal dreams.


20. 
    Dramamine (Dimenhydrinate): This is an over the counter (OTC) drug for motion sickness that some people claim causes nightmares.  Never did for me, though.  This is a rare side effect.
    


21. 
    Effexor (venlafaaxine): An SSRI antidepressant where scary or weird dreams is a common side effect, according to this study.


22. 
    Labetalol: A common beta blocker that sometimes causes nightmares or strange dreams.
    


23. 
    Lamictal (lamotrigine): An anti-seizure medication that tries to “reduce abnormal brain activity.”  Weird dreams are a common side effect.


24. 
    Levaquin (levafloxacin): Another antibotic known to sometimes cause nightmares or abnormal dreams.


25. 
    Levodopa:  This is used to treat Parkinson’s disease.  Bad dreams are common when on this drug.  A 1978 study noted that about 30% of patients studied reported bad dreams.  This happened with and without the patient also taking carbidopa.


26. 
    Lexapro (escitoprolam):  Another SSRI antidepressant where bad or unusual dreams are common side effects.


27. 
    Metoprolol: Another betab locker known to sometimes cause “strange dreams.”
    


28. 
    Nadolol: Another beta blocker, etc.


29. 
    Nebivolol: Another beta blocker, etc


30. 
    Nicotene transdermal patches: OTC smoking cessation device is thought to cause unusual dreams in this 2006 study.


31. 
    Paxil (paroetine): GlaxoSmithKlein’s SSRI antidepressant noted for causing suicidal behavior in some young patients.  So, if a get nightmares while taking it, consider yourself lucky.  You’re still alive. Uusually, doctors will try a “softer” antidepressant like Prozac before trying Paxil.


32. 
    Pindolol: Another beta blocker, etc


33. 
    Prazosin: Blood pressure medication thought to decrease nightmares in PSTD sufferers.


34. 
    Propranolol: Another common beta-blocker (sometimes perscribed off label for migraines) that can cause nightmares or vivd dreams.
    


35. 
    Prozac (fluoextine): Perhaps the most perscribed drug in the world, this SSRI antidepressant has been known to cause unusual dreams.  (Not with me, though.)


36. 
    Ritalin (Methylphenidate): Yeah, THAT Ritalin.  Thought to cause nightmares.


37. 
    Straterra (atomoxetine hydrochloride): Medication for AD/HD reportedly can cause nightmares.
    


38. 
    Sustiva (efavirenz): Used to treat AIDS and thought to cause nightmares.  I’d think the nightmares would be a relief, quite frankly.


39. 
    Tamiflu (Oseltamivir): Treats influenza in children butuk  researchers note that it can sometimes cause nightmares.


40. 
    Topamax (topiramate): Medication for migraines and epilepsy sometimes linked to nightmares.


41. 
    Wellbutrin (bupropion): Yet another SSRI antidepressant linked to bad dreams and nightmares.
    


42. 
    Xanax (alprazolam): Bad and vivid dreams are a very uncommon side effect for this anti-anxiety medication. I did have bad dreams when on Xanax, but I have bad dreams seemingly every night.


43. 
    Zocor (simvastatin): A common statin which can helps lower blood pressure but also cause nightmares and abnormal dreams.


44. 
    Zoloft/Lustrene (sertraline hydrochloride): A common SSRI antidepressant used for a variety of psychological conditions and some off-label ailments, including menopause and some heart conditions.  Sometimes the dreams are described as “vivid” which I’m not sure is a bad thing.  This 1999 study looked at one woman taking Zoloft who had dreams of being attacked.  That’s a bad thing.


45. 
    Zyban (bupropion) : See Wellbutrin

Well: Doctor Groups Issue List of Overused Medical Tests

AppId is over the quota

In an effort to change entrenched medical practices, 17 major medical specialty groups recommended on Thursday that doctors greatly reduce their use of 90 widely used but largely unnecessary tests and treatments.

This list of “don’ts” builds on 45 recommendations made last April, under a broad initiative by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation, in partnership with the magazine Consumer Reports.

“As you look through the lists, a lot of these were mea culpas,” said Dr. Eric Topol, chief academic officer of Scripps Health, a health care provider in San Diego. Dr. Topol was not involved in creating the new recommendations. “The literature had supported these recommendations, but until now they were not sanctioned as no-no’s by the professional groups,” he said.

Some of the recommendations reinforce existing guidelines, but others aggressively go after procedures that have little evidence of benefit and may cause harm, yet are still practiced on a daily basis.

For example, the American Society of Echocardiography recommended against using echocardiograms before or during surgery for patients with no history or symptoms of heart disease; doctors routinely perform this test. The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging urged physicians not to perform routine annual stress testing using a nuclear heart scan after coronary artery surgery. This is also a routine test, and it exposes the patient to radiation equivalent to 2,000 chest X-rays.

“Many of these tests are wasteful, and they could put patients in danger of harm without any benefits,” said Daniel Wolfson, executive vice president of the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation. “The goal is to begin to change attitudes both from the public side and the physician side that sometimes less is better.”

Each medical specialty society participating in the foundation’s initiative has offered up five procedures that patients should question. “That’s a key point. I don’t think they’ll have any impact unless patients get activated,” Dr. Topol said.

The new list includes recommendations against inducing labor or performing a Caesarean section before a woman’s 39th week of pregnancy, unless it is medically necessary. Scheduled Caesareans and inductions are commonly performed for convenience, but delivery before 39 weeks is associated with increased risk of learning disabilities, respiratory problems and other risks to the baby.

The American Academy of Pediatrics urged doctors not to automatically use computed tomography, or CT scans to evaluate children’s minor head injuries. According to the report, approximately 50 percent of children who visit hospital emergency departments with head injuries undergo a CT scan, exposing them to radiation. Other groups also called for reductions in the use of CT, PET and M.R.I. scans for a variety of ailments.

Several physician groups recommended against prescribing antibiotics for common respiratory illnesses, including sinusitis, sore throat and bronchitis. The vast majority of these illnesses are caused by viruses, not bacteria, making antibiotics pointless. The pediatrics group also said not to treat children under 4 years of age with cough and cold medicines. Studies have shown that these products have little benefit and may cause serious side effects in children.

The American Geriatrics Society recommended against using feeding tubes in patients with advanced dementia. These patients should be fed orally. Tube feeding is associated with agitation, increased use of physical and chemical restraints and pressure ulcers.

Other notable recommendations include:

· Don’t use opioid or butalbital treatment for migraine except as a last resort. Frequent use of these drugs can worsen headaches.

· Don’t routinely treat acid reflux in infants with anti-reflux therapy. There is emerging evidence that it may be harmful to infants in certain situations.

· Avoid routine preoperative testing for low-risk surgeries without a clinical indication. Most pre-op tests turn up nothing unusual and don’t lead to better outcomes.

· Avoid using medications to achieve tight control of glucose levels in most adults aged 65 and older with Type 2 diabetes. Moderate control is generally better.

· Don’t use benzodiazepines or other sedative hypnotics in older adults as a first choice for insomnia, agitation or delirium. Studies consistently show a doubling of risk of car accidents, falls and hip fractures in older adults taking these medications.

· Don’t perform annual Pap tests in women 30 to 65 years of age who are not at high risk for cervical cancer. The Pap test should be performed every three years in women aged 21 to 30, and every three to five years for women aged 30 to 65.

View the original article here