Hello, I come with a question.

Hello, as you can see I am new here. My name is Sarah, and i'm 14 years old. I've been reading up on Lucid dreams for a quite a while now, and i've decided its something I really want to make an effort to learn. I think dreaming is the most incredible thing, and I I'veglanced at this forum before, and you guys seem like some pretty cool people, and i'm happy to be among you :)

To start off, I have a question. Being an insomniac, i'm currently (and unfourtunately) taking sleeping medication (A low dosage of Seroquel) and i'm guessing that it probably affects my sleeping cycle and REM sleep. Does anybody know how so? Anyone with prior experience on sleeping medication, and its effects on dreams...
Thank you in advance.

:welcome: to Dreamviews, Sarah! You're right, there are some pretty cool people here! (mostly me :cooler: )

As for your question, yes, sleep medicines do have an effect on your sleep cycle. I take Melatonin myself, and it increases the vividness of your dreams, thus giving you more of a chance of having a lucid dream.

To get a better explanation, check the Attaining Lucidity forum for stuff about sleep medicine.

Hope this helps! :D

Thank you for the warm welcome suttsman. I did used to take melatonin (before the time of psychaiatrists) I loved it, it made my dreams fantastical. And thanks for the tip, i'll be sure to check it out :)

:welcome: Sleep medications may slow down your progress, but you still have to have REM sleep so lucid dreaming is possible.

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Originally Posted by leftershmefter

i'm currently (and unfourtunately) taking sleeping medication (A low dosage of Seroquel)

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Have you tried any natural remedies, such as Valerian? Pharma should be the last resort. The industry certainly doesn't exist for the benefit of our health!

Or instead of treating the symptoms, you might want to think about the cause. Most of our health problems stem either from the junk food and drinks that we pollute our bodies with, or from the unnatural lifestyles and pressures that are forced upon us by "modern" society.

I found when I took sleeping medication my dreams were really messed up - like vivid and random - I forget what it was now I had, but depending on what type you take might have different affects.

Hello and welcome to Dream Views.

I took melatonin before and it doesn't do anything good for me. I now only take it when I'm in dire need of deep sleep.

Other sleeping aids I took before I joined this site, one med perscribed by my doc, did nothing but offer dreamless sleep and left me still feeling drowsy in the mornings.

I think almost any sleeping aid will have some sort of effect on your dreams one way or another.

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Originally Posted by Astrius

Have you tried any natural remedies, such as Valerian? Pharma should be the last resort. The industry certainly doesn't exist for the benefit of our health!

Or instead of treating the symptoms, you might want to think about the cause. Most of our health problems stem either from the junk food and drinks that we pollute our bodies with, or from the unnatural lifestyles and pressures that are forced upon us by "modern" society.

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I have tried a few natural remedies, none of them have done anything for me. And as for the medication, it wasn't entirely my choice. Still being child, my parents think they are entitled to shove whatever drugs they want down my throat, without my being difficult about it. I never wanted to start on meds in the first place, its done absolutly nothing beneficial for me. :?

You should definitely try to get them to give you something other than Seroquel. I just looked it up, and apparently it's not designed as sleep aid (although doctors often use it as one, since one of it's side effects is that it acts like a sedative), it's designed to treat diseases like scizophrenia. The National Institutes of Health actually reccommend that people under 18 shouldn't take it, as they say that teenagers under 18 who take it "may be more likely to think about harming or killing themselves or to plan or try to do so"

I also found that it's known to have bizarre and significant effects on dreams, although what the effects are vary drastically from person to person. These could either make lucid dreaming much harder, or much easier, since some people can't ever remember any dreams on Seroquel, while others have unusually vivid dreams. However, if it's not affecting your dreams in a way that you can notice, it's probably not affecting your dreams in a way that will affect lucidity.

Here's the page I found on Seroquel's effect on dreaming.

Hey! :welcome: to DV!

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Originally Posted by leftershmefter

Still being child, my parents think they are entitled to shove whatever drugs they want down my throat, without my being difficult about it. I never wanted to start on meds in the first place, its done absolutly nothing beneficial for me. :?

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Other people only have as much power over you as you allow them to have. I don't care who they are. Have you tried telling your parents that you don't feel the drugs are working and that you'd prefer to explore alternatives (perhaps including changing your diet, etc)? When I was younger, I always tried the "reasonable" approach first. If others were then unreasonable, however, I knew I had a choice... either put up with the oppression or endure the conflict which inevitably comes from standing up for oneself (I usually chose the latter). Parents have a duty of care, but nobody has the right to dictate what another human being must absorb into their own body.

First you've got to get mad :mad:. Then just open your window and let it out!

Dr. Vincent Bellonzi on Big Pharma.

Hy

I'm new here and I've just read for the first time about Melatonin being used against insomnia (as you guys wrote). I know that Melatonin is a substance produced by your own body and that it reaches a low level mostly during/right after winter which is what makes you feel tired and weak. Well, suppose you guys know that stuff.... now to my question:
If you DON'T have any sleeping problems and want to use Melatonin just to enhance your dreaming activity, couldn't that cause troubles with your natural Melatonin level?

I take melatonin regularly. It may just be a placebo effect but I feel like I fall asleep faster. I've heard of it dramaticly helping others with their recall but it hasn't done that for me.

Thanks for the answer!
I really didn't know one can take Melatonin. I mean 'course you can but I didn't know it is actually done, just never thought and never heard of it.
Can I ask whether you got to it because you were suffering from insomnia or is it like taking vitamins for you? Don't get me wrong with my inquiry... I'm just curious 'cause I have a little thing for chemistry, always had.