# Wellbutrin and vivid dreams **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 30, 2014, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellbutrin-and-vivid-dreams/699971 "2014-09-30T13:53:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Osiris\_the\_1st](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9de0a6/32.png) [@Osiris\_the\_1st](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osiris_the_1st)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellbutrin-and-vivid-dreams/699971/1 "2014-09-30T13:53:15Z")
I’ve recently begun taking Welbutrin XL and about a week and a half in I’ve started having some very vivid, sometimes disturbing, dreams. I don’t remember the events of the dreams except in the vague way you remeber any dream, but do remember the emotion attached to it. The disturbing ones seem to have to do with defending something or someone against some outside possibly supernatural threat, while being unable to escape. Like say a house surrounded by zombies. Anyone else have similar experiences with Wellbutrin or other medications? ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellbutrin-and-vivid-dreams/699971/2 "2014-09-30T15:43:41Z")
I took it to help with smoking cessation once, and didn’t experience any abnormal dreams myself. On the other hand, on a couple of occasions I accidentally left transdermal nicotine patches on overnight, and had seriously nutty dreams. I sort of wonder if you might be experiencing the same thing, but misattributing the cause. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellbutrin-and-vivid-dreams/699971/3 "2014-09-30T16:45:26Z")
I don’t remember my Wellbutrin dreams (I also tried using it for smoking cessation) but I did have the worst panic attack of my life while taking it. I went on Chantix a few years later and it absolutely did knock my dreaming brain for a loop. The dreams weren’t actually too scary or panic-y, but definitely vivid and exhausting. I wouldn’t be surprised it Wellbutrin did this, too. Heck, sometimes I have crazy dreams after taking a Benadryl at night, just because I’m sleeping so soundly! ---
**Author:** ![Osiris\_the\_1st](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9de0a6/32.png) [@Osiris\_the\_1st](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osiris_the_1st)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellbutrin-and-vivid-dreams/699971/4 "2014-09-30T16:48:18Z")
> [@Kyrie\_Eleison](#): > > I took it to help with smoking cessation once, and didn’t experience any abnormal dreams myself. On the other hand, on a couple of occasions I accidentally left transdermal nicotine patches on overnight, and had seriously nutty dreams. > > I sort of wonder if you might be experiencing the same thing, but misattributing the cause. No nicotine patch. ---
**Author:** ![CraterLayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@CraterLayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CraterLayer)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellbutrin-and-vivid-dreams/699971/5 "2014-09-30T17:41:38Z")
I know the feeling, but it would work both ways with me. I could wake up feeling great, and know it somehow related to my dream, with vague recollections, and also the opposite would happen and I’d wake up and wish I didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellbutrin-and-vivid-dreams/699971/6 "2014-09-30T18:05:26Z")
I was on SSRI’s for a short time, and I noticed vivid dreams, also. So I don’t think it is that uncommon of a side effect. Probably nothing to worry about. J. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellbutrin-and-vivid-dreams/699971/7 "2014-09-30T18:18:58Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > I was on SSRI’s for a short time, and I noticed vivid dreams, also. So I don’t think it is that uncommon of a side effect. Probably nothing to worry about. > > J. Wellbutrin is not an SSRI. I have pretty great dreams all the time but I don’t remember them starting when I started taking Wellbutrin. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellbutrin-and-vivid-dreams/699971/8 "2014-09-30T18:57:41Z")
Kind of the opposite for me. I take Effexor, and I forget to take it I find myself in a waking dream state that night. The moment I close my eyes my consciousness is flooded with dreamery, but I can’t sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wellbutrin-and-vivid-dreams/699971/9 "2014-09-30T20:39:28Z")
Damn. I’ve been on Wellbutrin for years, for dysthymia, and never had particularly vivid dreams. I miss _all_ the good side effects. I did take Effexor for a while. It worked like a charm on the depression, but killed my libido stone-dead. Juliana Margulies getting an oil massage from Karen Gillan couldn’t have gotten a rise outta me. Had to knock that shit off.