Meds & Bad Dreams

[Maine]

I'd like some advice if people are willing to offer.

Bit off a background on the subject, for about six moths at the start of the year, i went through a stage of physically draining depression caused by anxiety. I was chronically ill with fatigue, unable to concentrate or stay awake longer than six hours. many scans and blood tests later, I've started a round of mild medication to keep the anxiety under wraps.

It has worked fairly well, I still need a little extra sleep, and it's hard to concentrate sometimes, but it's calmed down a lot anxious tendencies i didn't even know I had. But i'm able to complete tasks and live life normally.

It has had a complicated side effect though; I have the most vivid and awful bad dreams. It's like all the anxiety from the day gets bottled up and released as I sleep.
I've had horrific dreams every night since I've started the medication. I won't go into detail, because most are extremely graphic, but they include: Acts of terror or horrific scenes, witnessing of extreme violence, and extreme emotional outbursts.

They can be really scarring and draining and I feel like my sleep is far more disturbed than it should be.
But I don't know whether to tell my doctor, because other than that, i'm functioning normally in waking day, and I can't afford for that to change. I was reluctant enough to go onto medication as it is.


Any thoughts on what I should do? 

[Hycanith]

I have no background on that kind of subject, but you should probably see your doctor and ask if strange dreams are a common side effect of the drug. If they are really bad, then you could always ask to try a different medication.

[kalan]

I dont have experince with medicine induce dreams but i do know about bad dreams. About a year and a half ago i started having dreams that would wake me up in cold sweats, i went to a VA doctor and he put me on sleep aids thats helped unbelievably well. However i dont recommend starting any sleep aids, even otc ones, with out talking to a doctor first as there is no way of knowing how they will react with other meds

[anoni]

There is nothing you shouldn't tell your doctor, you should tell him/her about your dreams and hopefully she can prescribe a different medication or adjust the dosage.

[Trixsie Vixen]

Temazepam is well know for this, so if that's the medicine you may need an alternative.  It is also bad if you have it then must stay awake unexpectedly.

Diazepam does cause vivid/bad dreams sometimes (but more rarely) too but they taper off thankfully.

It really depends on what it is and any other meds too.  Feel free to PM me dude.