Dr. Mark Mahowald notes some unusual and disturbing side effects in sleep caused by antidepressants, some temporary and some permanent. In particular, antidepressants are the leading medical cause of REM sleep behavior disorder, where people act out their dreams and can end up seriously injuring themselves. Additionally, antidepressants cause abnormal eye movements during non-REM sleep (what sleep specialists informally call “Prozac eyes“) and this side effect is permanent.
Mark Mahowald, M.D., is a neurologist and medical director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center and professor for the University of Minnesota Medical School.
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