This might be a strange question. Has anyone noticed changes in their dreams over time with MS?
I’ve just passed my 10 year anniversary living with MS and have been on dimethyl fumerate (Tecfidera) since 6 months after diagnosis. My physical symptoms have stayed relatively stable, though my fatigue has increased over the last couple of years - though I put some of this down to being in the final stages of completing my PhD and the increased stress.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed that my dreams have become more vivid. I’ve always had vivid dreams but until recently it was 50/50 whether I’d remember them. These dreams aren’t particularly bad or frightening, but they are so vivid and I remember them now every day. Sometimes when I wake up, I find it hard to get back to sleep as the dream was so real and can leave me feeling disoriented when I wake up.
Maybe this is just age related - I’m 48 - but I wondered if anyone else had experienced similar? Thanks in advance!
Morning VioletCases,
I’ve had vivid dreams for years, I can always remember them and some of them I wish I couldn’t, last night for instance had a terrible one that involved my husband, someone was trying to hurt him, it woke me up and I was upset, I haven’t mentioned this to him. Sometimes I’ve woke up screaming, I put a post on recently about nightmares/night terrors.
I’m SPMS, never been on DMD’s , only take Baclofen, I’ve been diagnosed nearly 18yrs, but these dreams have definetley got worse, why…who knows.
I’ll keep an eye on this post. Good luck and I hope once you’ve finished your PHD they stop, because for you it could be the stress of that.
Jean
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Thanks Jean, that’s really helpful and yes, me too, sometimes the dreams have unnerved me so much I can’t go back to sleep for a few hours! The strange thing is that I have finished my PhD, I had my viva last month and passed with only minor amendments. The dreams have started since I finished, which made me wonder if could be something neurological happening, a subtle change that affects my sleep. It will be interesting to see if anyone else has experienced the same thing. Thanks again so much for sharing your experiences.
Hi Violet C. An interesting subject! Over the last couple of years I’ve found that instead of forgetting dreams within a few minutes of waking up they do stay with me although as soon as I’ve got up and my mind has been busy getting dressed, having breakfast etc I forget about them. I’m pretty sure however that this is an age thing and not MS or the Avonex injections. I’ve had MS / Avonex for some 18 years and recently had the joy (?) of celebrating my 70th.
The dreams I do remember are just ‘dreams’ - weird and generally nice or totally neutral. I can remember a few vivid but nice (‘dream like’ ) dreams from years ago. My wife on the other hand, has lots of vivid dreams which can stay with her for hours and can trouble her. At least a couple of days a week she will feel the need to talk about her dream. Some are bad but I think that in the main her dreams just unsettle her . I think that talking somehow helps her mind put the dream to one side and forget about it.
An interesting subject!
Just seen your later post : congratulations on passing your PhD , Dr Violet 
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Broadly speaking yes I get unusual dreams, not bad ones, and I have been on Tec for 6 yrs. I get them more when I take Amertripterline. Out of interest - I had a relapse 1 year after starting Tec and no further relapses. How have you done? Any sudden changes or new lesions since starting 10 years ago?
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Thanks RC. I’ve been really lucky so far - touch wood! - I’ve had no relapses since starting Tecfidera and my most recent MRI showed one new lesion since my first MRI in 201, however, I’m going to have another MRI further down the line with dye as the last MRI was an open one without dye and my consultant needs the dye in order to work out if the lesion is active/recent or not. So all in all, pretty good going so far. Hope it stays good for you too and thanks for your help on the dream thing!
Thanks Hank, that’s really helpful. I’ve always been a vivid dreamer but this last couple of weeks it’s been every night and somehow the quality of the dreams is just different. Like your wife, I’ve had very vivid dreams and nightmares before - quite bad ones sometimes - but nothing that disorients me in the same way as some of these. They’re not even scary sometimes it’s just how real they seem. I’m not sure it’s MS related, but wondered if other people had experienced anything similar. I’ve recently started re-reading Stephen King, so maybe it’s that! 
Thanks again.
And thanks for the congratulations, it’s still sinking in! 
Can I ask in what general subject you did your PhD? ( decades ago mine was in the Plant Pathology. I remember the oral for one main reason- my supervisor must have cut himself shaving that morning and during the Oral the cut started bleeding. The external examiner wouldn’t have seen the side of my supervisor’s face with the cut. I was so nervous I didn’t know whether to tell him about the little drops of blood or to just carry on answering questions- I chose the latter although it was all a bit weird 
)
Good morning. I’ve had weird and vivid dreams for about 20 years. Some I remember ages afterwards. I was diagnosed 18 years ago aged 49 PPMS. Never had DMD’s. I’ve been on Amitriptylene for about 16 years but nothing else.
When I was still walking with stick/rollator/crutches and now full time wheelchair user, none of those ever featured. I’m always fully mobile.
I don’t sleep well, so it’s a toss up between insomnia and weird dreams every night!
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Forgot to mention in my post that I don’t sleep very well, haven’t done for years, thanks to MS and my bladder issues.
Jean
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Hey Hank, it’s in journalism, specifically the decline of local news in the UK. I really enjoyed it. What an experience on your oral/viva! I was terrified before mine and ran on adrenaline all the way through but my examiners were great and only a couple of questions unnerved me! Plant pathology sounds very scientific, and makes me think of how triffids come into existence… 
Thanks Flowerpot, it’s strange how dreams are, isn’t it? I lost someone very close to me last year and he’s been in my dreams multiple times since he died, it always makes me feel comforted when I wake up. It’s so good to just see him again!
Thanks Jean, I’m up and down with how well I sleep, but sometimes the dreams are so vivid I don’t want to go back to sleep after, like I’ve got to let them wear off a little bit!
Thanks. Just what I needed to hear.
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Yes me! Been like that a while and they were even worse on steroids. I’ve also had night terrors but I don’t remember them my partner says he can’t wake me when I do.
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Thanks FGT83, good to know it’s not just me 
Don’t worry, my particular creations were locked up deep in a disused mine (although I suppose they could be breeding down in the depths 
)
Hi
I’ve had horrible vivid dreams long before ms raised it’s ugly head. My hubby wakes me gently saying I am screaming and trembling, so obviously scared about something, but I never remember a thing, not even being woken up.
Anyone who has these dreams have my sympathy they’re awful.
Take care everyone
Pam x