Lucid Dreams Associated with Pregabalin: Implications for Clinical Practice.
Meghan F Haas, Jessica Latchman, Ann M Guastella, David S Craig, Young D Chang
Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy June 27, 2022 DOI: 10.1080/15360288.2022.2081754 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A patient with multiple myeloma taking methadone for neoplasm-related pain |
| Interventions | Pregabalin Methadone |
| Dose | pregabalin 50 mg orally three times daily, increased to 100 mg orally three times daily, then decreased to 75 mg twice daily, then 50 mg twice daily |
| Duration | Pregabalin increased five days after initiation; dose decreased on hospital day 13; further decreased five days later; continued five more days then discontinued; lucid dreams resolved after discontinuation |
| Topics | Lucid dreaming |
| Keywords | Humans Methadone Female Pregabalin Cancer pain Lucid dreams |
| Key findings | The authors report that a patient's lucid dreams persisted when methadone was reduced but resolved after pregabalin was tapered and discontinued, and propose this as the first reported case of an association between pregabalin and lucid dreams. |
Abstract
Here, we describe a case of a patient with multiple myeloma who reported symptoms of lucid dreams. This patient was taking methadone for neoplasm related pain. The patient was also taking pregabalin which was initially started at dosing of 50 mg taken orally three times a day. Five days after initiation of pregabalin, the dosing was increased to 100 mg taken orally three times daily. The patient developed lucid dreams during a hospital stay and methadone was initially thought to be the cause of her lucid dreams. Methadone dosing was decreased with no success, and her lucid dreams persisted. On the patient's thirteenth day of hospital admission, the pregabalin dose was decreased from 100 mg three times a day to 75 mg twice daily. Five days later, the pregabalin was decreased from 75 mg twice daily to 50 mg twice daily. Pregabalin was continued for five more days and then discontinued. Resolution of the lucid dreams occurred following discontinuation of pregabalin. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of an association between pregabalin and lucid dreams. Given that pregabalin is a widely used medication, we found this case to be relevant to describe this unique presentation.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on lucid dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming as a Learnable Skill: A Case Study The author | 1980 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Lucid Dreaming as a Treatment for Recurrent Nightmares People with recurrent nightmares | 2010 | Case study | n = 5 |
| Lucid dreaming: Correspondence between dreamed and actual events in one subject during rem sleep A lucid dreamer | 1984 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Lucid dreaming treatment for nightmares: A series of cases. Participants with nightmares | 2003 | Case series | n = 8 |
| Nightmares in the Context of PTSD Treated with Psychoeducation Regarding Lucid Dreaming 39-year-old male with a history of suicide attempts and psychiatric admissions | 2010 | Case study | n = 1 |