suggestions for nightmares

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Hi. I'm new to this site. My 16 yr old son has new diagnosis of AS. He has trouble falling alseep and has nightmares every night. I've heard that Zyrtec, his allergy med can cause problems, but he has the nightmares even when he doesn't take it. Any suggestions?

My use of various drugs has showed me I will experience strange dreams when I stop
or start them (for a few days). In other word if he took the Zyrtec everyday it might
be less likely to cause nightmares. The very act of your brain going cold turkey on a drug for awhile can cause nightmares and then shocking your brain with that drug
again can repeat the process. Now if he is taking Zyrtec all most everyday then we
might consider something else.

my son is on seroquel and that's the only thing that seems to help with his sleep issues. he's had trouble sleeping for years...would only get 4 or 5 hours per night.

Thank you, both. We'll try taking the med regularly first. It looks as if I might need to get a specialist to consult with our family doc, as he is hesitant to prescribe anything on his own due to his AS.

It would be helpful if your son cuts down on sugar if he consumes a lot. Try to ask your son what triggers the nightmares. Try to put something on his likes a lot to keep him compony. Examples Stuffed Animal, His favorite video game jackect, etc. This might prevant your son from getting nightmares. Try to provide a healthy sleep routine. Try to keep the door open. Check on him once every night. If the your sons nightmare problem gets worse try to seek a psychologist.

I'm 31 years old and I need to pick out one of my special Buses to keep me company, at Night. It's been this way, since December.

Any med can cause a problem. Zyrtec is not very sedating since it does not easily cross the blood brain barrier. That being said, all antihistamines have some anticholinergic activity, and he may be more sensitive to this, hence the nightmares.
Try the meds for a few weeks. If the nightmares persist, then quit for a few weeks. If the nightmares improve, then you have your answer.
If he has tried other antihistamines like atarax or benedryl, did he have nightmares? If so, it would lead me to believe he is more sensitive to the peripheral effects of these meds. If not, then his nightmares may be his brain dealing with high school, which gave me nightmares way back when.
Nightmares can be decreased by atypical antipsychotics like respiridol and seroquel, but you need to find a doctor who can determine the source of his problem.