How much time do our dreams take?

My beta-blocker, proprananolol, is giving me very vivid dreams that take up my entire night's sleep. It's very tiring. Does this fade with time?

• It feels as though my brain is literally going through a work out all night long.  Dream after dream with vivid details that very closely mock real life.  It could be simple things, like chatting with someone, or moving furniture or dealing with a simple problem.  But the dreams never stop.

• Answer:

  I'm afraid this is a well known side-effect of this  lipophilic (so can penetrate the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_brain_barrier and enter the brain) beta-blocking agent.  These vivid dreams won't go away as long as you're on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propranolol. Depending on what you're taking propranolol for, there are many other drugs which can be substituted for it, e.g.: -against high blood pressure: a beta blocking agent is a bit obsolete, we would prefer a long acting thiazide diuretic preferably chlorthalidon or indapamide -against palpitations: any other (in your case non lipophilic) beta blocking agent would be suitable, a very well researched, old and popular is e.g. metoprolol -against stress: try another beta blocking agent -against migraine:  the beta-blocking agent http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atenolol which won't pass the blood-brain barrier so won't cause nightmares nor vivid dreams.