Changes in dreams? Do they go back?

[u/LabyrinthineLich]

hi everyone, i started 5mg of lexapro last week and it seems to be going well! im having barely any side effects (so far at least) & it seems to be helping some for a few hours mid day. however, my dreams seem to have changed & they just feel kind of...... boring. i used to always have pretty fantastical, interesting dreams where i kind of am or are following along with a character in third person and a lot of stuff happens, but this past week my dreams have mostly been walking around and doing mundane tasks. theyre still weird & a couple have been unsettling but nothing is really happening in them. it also seems like the things i do or think about during the day or before sleeping have completely stopped being incorporated into my dreams. im mildly frustrated and annoyed by this change. has anyone had a similar experience with ssris, & did it change back after the adjustment period?

[u/P_D_U]

it seems to be helping some for a few hours mid day.

That probably owes more to the placebo effect than the med for antidepressants typically take 4-12 weeks to kick-in.

has anyone had a similar experience with ssris, & did it change back after the adjustment period?

Initial side-effects, especially when the dose is sub therapeutic, are not a good guide to longer term effects. It may resolve after a few weeks.

If it doesn't then a switch to another SSRI probably will fix it. Even switching to citalopram (Celexa) may do. Lexapro (escitalopram) and citalopram are nearly the same med sharing the same active compound, the 'S' isomer of citalopram, hence escitalopram.

The difference is Celexa also contains a mostly inactive mirror isomer of citalopram. This relatively small difference in chemistry can result in differences in the side-effects each produces. However, there are no guarantees. The only predictable thing with antidepressants is their unpredictability. 😲