Antidepressant related nightmares

[jess334]

Does anyone have any opinions? 

My psychiatrist has just changed to from one antidepressant medication to another because the first had stopped working for me.  Its day four and I've had two nights of repetitive nightmares.  From about 2am to when I get up at 7am, I wake up every 30 minutes after this dream where I already am awake and can hear something in my house, but I cannot move to check if there is anyone there.  Eventually I wake up, but I am so tired that I can barely keep my eyes open, so I fall straight back into the dream.  Its even hard to tell when I really am awake after my alarm goes off.  

I know medication can cause these vivid dreams, but I want to know if anyone has any experience with how long they last. 

Because I'm still switching medications (reduced in the morning) I can only take it at night, at least for the next two weeks.  

[The_Real_David_Charles]

Dear Jess,

Withdrawal from one meds can trigger lots of side effects.   Starting another set of meds can trigger lots of side effects.    Perhaps you should keep a note of what's happening for the next psychiatric appt ?   But if the second drug is too uncomfortable for you guess what the next thing will be ??????  Yep, a 3rd set of meds.  And so on.

The sleep specialists reckon if you can't get back to sleep within 20 mins that you should stop fighting it and get up for a bit.  Then try again.   Just to break the circuit.  Sometimes I take my dog out at 2am !

At least your psychiatrist isn't in your nightmares.  Yet.   Lol.

Adios, David.

[Vegetarian Marshmallow]

This is probably completely the wrong tree, but your post reads to me like it could be a description of sleep paralysis by someone who's never heard of sleep paralysis.  I've never taken medication, but I get that every now and then.  Seems to be when I fall asleep worrying about something heavy (what am I doing with my life, why doesn't she love me, etc), and I'm lying on a particular one of my sides (I keep forgetting which side it is until it happens again and I remember "oh yeah..").  I'm kind of used to it now, so it's not actually that unpleasant, despite the paralysis and the apparently-built-in feeling that there's someone in the room who means you harm.  I think of it like watching a horror film.  Also, when I get off to sleep again after one of these things, I always have a lucid dream, which is always fun.