What the study authors found was that taking antidepressants tends to make both depressed and non-depressed individuals remember their dreams less often. This effect was most prominent for people taking a class of antidepressants called tricyclic antidepressants as well as the monoamine oxidase inhibitor called phenelzine (Nardil), and less commonly found in people taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Tricyclics are older antidepressants that inhibit reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine. They include such medications as amitriptyline (Elavil), clomipramine (Anafranil), imipramine (Tofranil), and trimipramine (Surmontil).
Antidepressants belonging to the SSRI class, as well as serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), were found in the review to intensify dreams and increase how often people reported having nightmares. Examples of SSRIs include citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft). SNRIs include such medications as desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), duloxetine (Cymbalta), and venlafaxine (Effexor).
Tricyclics, on the other hand, tended to produce more positive dreams while withdrawal of antidepressants usually caused an increase in dream recall and more frequent nightmares.
Source: Dreams Jolting You Awake? It May Be Your Antidepressant
