I started taking Arteminisin to treat Babs a few weeks ago. Since then I have been having regular terrifying nightmares. I did make the connection (eventually) between the med and the nightmares, but didn't realize this was going on for other too.

How many of you have experiences this, with Arteminisn or other meds? Does it continue? What does it mean???

Sorry, I have no idea what is going on but I did have horrible nightmares when I was first ill. Seemed like it took years for them to go away and my pleasant, funny dreams to finally return.

This article I'm posting here is about a loss of dreams, not nightmares. However, I thought it was interesting in that it determined where the dreams were generated, in the back of the brain. So, that said, maybe it's simply the release of toxins in the brain, specifically the back half, causing the nightmares? That's just a wild guess but I had brain inflammation and nightmares.

Wishing you sweeter dreams in the future.

Angie

Where dreams are made
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5955549/

Sept. 10, 2004

WASHINGTON - A stroke that robbed a woman of her dreams may help pinpoint where and how dreams are born in the brain, scientists said on Friday.

They found the stroke had damaged areas deep in the back half of the brain, which is involved in the visual processing of faces and landmarks.

Writing in the Annals of Neurology, they said the finding suggests that this area was crucial for dreams.

``How dreams are generated, and what purpose they might serve, are completely open questions at this point,'' said Dr. Claudio Bassetti, a neurologist at the University Hospital of Zurich in Switzerland, in a statement.

``These results describe for the first time in detail the extent of lesion necessary to produce loss of dreaming in the absence of other neurological deficits. As such, they offer a target for further study of the localization of dreaming,'' added Bassetti, who led the study.

The 73-year-old woman also lost some of her vision, Bassetti and colleagues reported.
That came back but then her dreams disappeared.

They studied the patient's brain waves as she slept and found no disruptions in her sleep cycle.

The woman has recovered some ability to dream, but they are less vivid, the researchers said.

After 20 months of lyme treatment, I just don't get them anymore - thank goodness!

I had really horrible nightmares every night, and a couple episodes of sleep paralysis, during the first few weeks of rocephin. And then it just stopped. Now it only happens very infrequently, usually during a nap and not as bad.

My guess is that this is a kind of neuro herx, which I hope is killing stuff off. I hadn't really had serious neuro stuff before.

One interesting thing, I actually learned to recognize that I was in a nightmare, and while it didn't necessarily wake me up, it sort of made it less scary (if that makes any sense).

I had a dream I killed a woman. It was awful.

I guess it IS from toxins mobilizing in the brain. Scary....It was validating, reading about this, though.

An imbalance in neurotransmitters could cause nightmares, and they could be thrown off by many things. With any extreme new symptom, its always good to check in with the doctor.

I 1st tried the artiminisin for 3 days in Nov. The rxn was too strong and I had to stop. Then I started it back up Dec 17 and have stayed on. During the 1st try the nightmares made me think I was going completely crazy!! It wasn't until Dec 18th that I realized I have the nightmares when I take the med. At least they aren't nearly as often now. I'll ask my dr about it when I see him again.
Feel free to add more info if you have it on the subject...