[sweetmadness]

I've been on Abilify for a very long time, about six years or more. Now, at 24 if I miss a dose I get insomnia, chest pains, and terrible bouts with PTSD seeming nightmares. I started Hydroxazine/Vistaril. Vistaril is a very weak acting anti-psychotic and anti-anxiety medication. It's supposed to help obsessing and neurosis too. I took three pills yesterday, and was contemplating how I've been on Abilify so long and need to get off it. I had an energy drink during the day, and I was feeling a bit manic as I was falling asleep. It was in a good way though, I had thoughts about life and space travel that I was in control over. It was nothing serious.

Then I woke up, and it could in part be caused by this train that runs by my house, by a lucid nightmare where a dark presence was trying to take me over. It was very realistic. I was fully aware of everything, as well as losing control of my physical body by some cruel sentient force. If I asked it why it was doing this to me, it would get angrier and push more hate and pain toward me. That's the weird part. So I woke up finally, and I took Abilify and it stopped. It's been exactly one year since it stopped happening. It's been happening for about three years.

[wisedude]

Some medications have caused me truly horrific nightmares- one was Effexor.

One horrific nightmare I had on that I dreamed that beings from another dimension were invaliding my mind through the "spaces" in my thoughts, my "speculative ideas" had opened a window through which they could attack me. They were there, always there and waiting for my death. There purpose was to torture me and it was my destiny to be taken by them and kept in horrific torment for all eternity. I mean that is only a brief overall of the dream.

I woke up terrified, and feeling disorientated. I walked around the house and the ideas were still in my head, I was terrified they were coming for me. I did not feel real, even though I was awake, I felt totally disconnected from my surroundings, as though I did not know what I was doing, I felt confused.

It took being awake for a while for these thoughts to go away.

I had various, extremely intense 'hallucinogenic" nightmares on the stuff, visually very intense psychedelic scenery but of a horrific nature. I felt like I was going insane.

I went off that medication, and have never experienced the same things since.

[sweetmadness]

Hmm, so maybe it's depression related? I get really depressed during this time of year. I decided though that it has to do with the new medication, Hydroxazine. I took that before bed which was the wrong way to take it apparently. It's an anti-histamine. Not sure if those cause nightmares but I'm going to look it up.

Thanks for sharing too. I think Bipolar people often are sensitive to certain SSRI's. I don't take SSRI's and my psychiatrist specifically won't put me on them.

I took Lexapro and it seemed to be fine, but I don't really recall what I was like on it. I just know that I was taken off it. I had started drinking a lot, was really outgoing etc. I did however lose a lot of weight. SSRI's tend to make me a bit manic. Which means if I'm upset it's ten times worse.