SSRI's and Lucid Dreaming

Has anyone had any legitimate experience taking SSRI’s? If so, what where the effects on your dreaming and/or lucid dreaming?

Good to see you around again Davion! :happy:

what are SSRIs? I suppose I could google it, but what is your explanation?

Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor. Examples are prozak, klonopin, zoloft, etc. They are generally seen as anti-depressants or mood enhancers. Their action is to stop serotonin from being metabolized before it can enter the brain, more or less. Since serotonin and melatonin constantly chase each other around, I’m just curious as to how a SSRI would effect dream recall.

That totally excludes me. :grin: I’ve heard of some nasty side-effects from serotonin based meds such as these. :bored:

From my experience, fluoxetine (prozac) causes little drowsiness, and decrease of vigilance and awareness. Consciousness during vigil is a little bit weaker; it’s the same during dream states. So it affects slightly dream lucidity and dream recall. Nevertheless, you can have LDs.

Thanks for the input. I was considering trying sceletium tortuosum as a LD catalyst, and was curious whether the ssri effects would be harmful to the process.

Prob dosage depending influences also, related to lds, and i think the brain will addept to!

Hi Davion all ok with you?
Hope so! My greetings to you, Jeff

I haven’t noticed any affects from them in my dreams

I do not think the SSRI’s will have a major impact on your dreams or your chances of lucid dreaming. However:

Is not an ssri. It is a benzodiazepine and might have an impact on your dreams. I used to take Xanax (same family) and I was still able to lucid dream but, others have had different experiences. Everyone reacts to chemicals differently.

I found this article that says they definitely have a negative effect:

Here’s the whole article:

https://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/pinealstory2.htm

I have been on SSRI’s and had little to no effect on my lucid dreaming. If I remember correctly, I had an increase in lucid dreaming.

Actually vivid dreaming and or nightmares is one of the chief complaints with SSRI’s.

I’m taking Celexa, an SSRI, and am I’m finding this to be the case- an increase in lucid dreaming. I’ve also had some very vivid and disturbing dreams (the ones I can remember). I’ve had an increase in sleep paralysis- which I don’t mind b/c it’s kind of a entry way for lucid dreaming.