Anti-depressives

hey! Me again...
Maybe I should have posted this on my introductory post :S... Anyway, I've been on anti-depressives for about an year now and I've been increasing the dosage since then (finally it seems to work :) - 2 Cymbalta and 2 Lamictal a day). And I think that I begun to remember my dreams clearer when I was on Cipralex(prior to Cymbalta), maybe because I slept more. Anyway, I'd like to know how these anti-depressants and anti-depressants in general affect dreams and dream lucidity... And if it's going to be different when I stop taking them...

thanks in advance ;) hugs

Many anti-depressants ( such as Cymbalta ) increase serotonin level, which represses REM and dreams. This however this sometimes causes and REM rebound effect: REM is repressed during the first time of the night, and during the later part of the night when the anti-depressants effect wanes, REM is increased as if to compensate for the reduced REM during the first part of the night, and causes unusually vivid dreams. This effect can vary depending on the type of drug, the dosage, and the time you take it.

If you stop taking Cymbalta, then you may experience REM-rebound for a few days with vivid dreams, and then it will be back to normal.

However, it is not known how Lamictal works ( At least according to wikipedia ), so I cannot tell you if it will affect your dreams, but vivid dreams is listed in its list of possible side effects, so I suppose it probably does not repress dreams if taken by itself.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't serotonin get converted into melatonin during the night, which means that you'd be effectivly increasing your melatonin levels while asleep and therefore have more vivid dreams?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Emerald Wolf

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't serotonin get converted into melatonin during the night, which means that you'd be effectivly increasing your melatonin levels while asleep and therefore have more vivid dreams?

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Melatonin inhibits REM, and may cause REM-rebound and vivid dreams after its levels go down.