Nicotine Patches Inducing Very Vivid Dreams

**MadMonkey** · 03-20-2022 02:58 AM

Recently my girlfriend and I quite smoking and we are using nicotine patches for nicotine replacement therapy. The patches are giving us both the side affect of having very vivid dreams. I'd like to start by saying do not use nicotine patches for the purpose of lucid dreaming because nicotine is addictive. However, if you are prescribed them then it will be a good time to do a lot of high quality journaling.

I have gotten lucid dreams a few times from the boost in vividness. However, I lose stability often and it turns into DEILD chains of short lucids. I actually have been preferring the non lucid dreams because they are long at I get very invested in the narratives.

**Summerlander** · 03-23-2022 06:36 PM

Congrats on quitting! It is true that nicotine can cause vivid and sometimes lucid dreams (or both)... But this effect soon dwindles as you develop a tolerance for the patches.

The upside of nicotine is that its molecule closely resembles that of acetylcholine—which actually binds to nicotinic receptors in our brains. This can promote focus and increase the likelihood of lucidity slightly. However, if you are a habitual smoker and think finally you found a reason not to give up cigarettes, overtime it loses its effect.

You are better off promoting your acetylcholine levels through a good diet or directly using supplements such as Galantamine.

**MadMonkey** · 03-25-2022 01:14 AM

The dreams I have have been long, vivid, and devoid of pleasure. I am constantly being followed, attacked, or disapointed in these dreams so I think I'm going to stop the patches. I have no cravings for cigarettes so I I'm quite for good finally!

**Summerlander** · 03-26-2022 05:01 PM

Congratulations!

By the way, should those emotionally charged dreams persist, try not to resist them and start recording them. Being pursued and attacked could be a useful recurring pattern in dreams; in other words, such events could be potential dreamsigns especially when they are more likely to happen in dreams than in waking life.

Don't worry about such dreams as the mind tends to conjure up worst-case scenarios. In our evolution, we always had to prepare for the worst so our mind makes things worse than what they actually are. It's quite normal. In order to survive in the savannah, better to assume a false positive than a false negative when it comes to potential danger. No wonder our species wrestle with anxiety and depression.

Lucidity, however, can bring some balance, clarity and equanimity of mind. A reminder that it is all you ...

**MadMonkey** · 03-26-2022 10:30 PM

Long vivid dreams have continued and I think your right that I should take advantage of it. I have become very good at shooting guns in these dreams. its like time slows down so I can aim every shot so I have been winning gun fights against multiple opponents. It used to be that guns would malfunction or be duds in my dreams. I think being in gun a fight will be my next dream sign to look out for. Fun!