ArticleCase reports in neurological medicine2026
Vivid Dreams and Nightmares as an Adverse Effect of Beta-Blockers in the Treatment of Episodic Migraine.
Article in Case reports in neurological medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Dronabinol for nightmares in post-traumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled trial.Nature medicine · 2026Trial
- Beta-Blocker Use and Self-Reported Sleep Changes Among Medical Students in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Is There a Relationship Between Movement and Sleep Disturbances in Essential Tremor?Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Vivid Dreams and Nightmares as an Adverse Effect of Beta-Blockers in the Treatment of Episodic Migraine.Case reports in neurological medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Beta-adrenergic blockers are effective in migraine prevention but can induce neuropsychiatric side effects, including vivid dreams and nightmares. Their lipophilicity allows penetration of the central nervous system, where β1-adrenergic blockade may disrupt REM sleep, alter noradrenergic activity, and suppress melatonin secretion, contributing to emotionally intense dreams. While reported in cardiovascular patients, this adverse effect remains underrecognized in migraine therapy. Adult patients were identified from those seen in the outpatient department of the Clinical Hospital of University of Chile in Santiago between 2022 and 2024. We present three cases of patients with episodic migraine with aura who developed distressing, recurrent nightmares after initiating propranolol, or metoprolol. Symptoms emerged shortly after treatment initiation and resolved upon discontinuation. Nightmare content involved emotionally distressing themes, leading to significant psychological discomfort. Clinicians should be aware of vivid nightmares as a potential adverse effect of lipophilic beta-blockers in migraine prevention. Understanding this may enable patients to tolerate the symptom. If it impacts adherence and/or quality of life, a treatment change will be needed.
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Registered trials
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