Melatonin withdrawal increases lucidity.

I've been taking moderate sized doses of melatonin for a few months now.

Here is something I posted in another thread:

Quote:

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5mg: More comfortable sleep. No changes in dreams.
10mg: Good Sleep. More vivid dreams. Dream characters are more hostile.
15mg: Fantastic sleep. Less vivid dreams but greater intensity. Dream characters are very violent and will often attack if disturbed.
20mg: Heavy sleep. Slept for 45 minutes longer than usual. Vivid dreams (about the 10mg level). No lucidity whatsoever. Reguar dream signs are ineffective. Dream characters are not violent at all.
25mg: Heavy Sleep. No lucidity. Little to no dreaming.

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For the past few weeks I have noticed that I've become desensitized to the effects of melatonin. Where I was taking 20-25mg of melatonin per night, I am now taking 5mg maybe once a week, usually not even that.

I first noticed the effects of melatonin withdrawal when I stopped taking melatonin for a couple of days. The first night that I didn't take it I had a lucid dream that lasted around 15 minutes in dream time. Last night I hadn't taken any melatonin for a few days and I had 2 lucid dreams that lasted around 1 minute each, and another where I tried to phase into the dream but didn't quite make it in.

I'm not sure if it was the melatonin or if it was just a coincidence that I had the LD's. What do you think?

Melatonin is one of those things that may suppress REM sleep. When the melatonin in your system wears off, you get a rebound in REM sleep that might make dreams more vivid. In one case, I had a family member who took melatonin on his doctor's recommendation during a stressful period. He actually woke up screaming from the nightmares he had when REM sleep resumed and refused to use it ever again.

Just an update: Melatonin withdrawal definitely has positive effects on LD'ing. Over the past week, I've had 5 LD's, 6 or 7 false awakenings, 10+ near successful WILD/phasing attempts, and the rest of my dreams are those crazy/fun/entertaining dreams. In one, I was flying a small airplane through a volcano lol...

But could anyone else that is using melatonin in moderate dosages try this? All you have to do is stop taking it for about a week. Just post here a few times during the time and let me know your results! ;)

On a side note,

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thena

In one case, I had a family member who took melatonin on his doctor's recommendation during a stressful period. He actually woke up screaming from the nightmares he had when REM sleep resumed and refused to use it ever again.

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I'm actually prescribed/suggested to take 5mg+ per night from my doctor for sleep trouble. I've never had any problems like this, but maybe your family member just had a bad side effect. Hate it for him, because it worked great for me for a while. Possibly the stress combined with the melatonin caused the side effect? :(

I have success taking a small amount of melatonin when I first go to sleep. Then, later in the night, after my WBTB, I have more vivid dreams. I've always assumed the REM rebound helps me during WILD. It feels like I enter a dream more quickly, but it may just be my imagination.