I was reading a book on lucid dreams and it was talking about helpful supplements.  Namely, 5-htp, Galantamine, and Choline.  Has anyone ever tried these? 

Personally, I don't really need them, I'm just curious to read about other people's experiences with them.

Maybe that would explain why once in a while, for no apparent reason, I do have a lucid dream. It musta been sumthin' I et...or at least that seems likely, after reading your post! Thanks for that info. Vee

Hi Ladies,

Maybe it's just a coincidence but I do take those things in one form or another, and I seem to have a generally easy time of it with 'lucid dreams.'  (I take 'lucid dreaming' to be a code word for any conscious activities entered into while body asleep/mind awake.)

Choline is just a type of Vitamin B, and Vitamin B is good, particularly for women. I feel much better over-all taking such a supplement.

The other two I read can throw off or enhance your body's natural processes; also they can conflict with other stuff you might be taking. Long term effects aren't known yet. It might be worth doing some research to see whether you want to add those to your system. Mine are in prescriptions but Whole Foods Mkt, etc have them too, as I recall.
Enjoy  :)

Bets
I am not a doctor  :D

   

I went to a sight called Mazatec Garden and tried some of their lucid dream inducing herbs. A little on the spendy side and I did not notice enough of a difference to justify the cost.

In my years I have done everything from mushrooms to pot to LSD and just about everything else you can use to manually alter you consciousness but even Don Juan told Castaneda that although he used plants to get him out of his head they were all props and not really necessary for the purpose.

Now days I am as involved OBE and Lucid dreams as ever but I have not used anything other than ear plugs for a long while. And the neat thing is when I do have an experience I know it is real and not artificially induced. Not to mention I still have pesos in my pocket.

I am not against anything that gets you where you are going and may very well try substances again in the future.

To find the open mind one must keep an open mind...

I think melatonin works great.  Not only do you get restful sleep but you get fantastic dream recall.  I get such vivid dreams on that stuff, it's amazing.  I guess I can't say it gives lucid dreams, but I would say that it definitely keeps you in the dream states longer and deeper.  That seems to be a good trigger for lucidity, at least for me. 

Vicky

Supposedly the 5-htp works the same way as Melatonin, Vicky.  I actually bought some 5-htp today and I'm eager to try it out...I'll let you know the results tomorrow.

I've just read in another forum about 5-htp. The guys there told it has a relaxing effect and can be used as antidepressant. And some mentioned they could very much better recall their dreams. Some reported about digestion problems. The dosage they took is 25mg to 100mg per day, some added Vitamin B6, which, so they guessed, increases the effect of 5-htp. Some said they noticed an effect after a few hours, others after two days. Wiki says it's the pre-metabolite of serotonin.

It may have negative effects on the ability to drive a car.

Spooky

Rebecca,

Do you know if you have a serotonin definciency?  Or is your only reason for taking the 5-htp for sleep reasons?  I think if you boost serotonin too much, it can actually have the effect of keeping you awake. 

I'll be interested to know what effect you notice.  For myself I've noticed that taking the melatonin at certain times of the month will work wonderfully for me because of the way my hormones are affecting my serotonin levels.  But I've noticed that at other certain times of the month, when my levels are not low, taking the melatonin seems to keep me wide awake. 

Of course, these supplements can always affect people differently, so I'll be interested to hear what affect you notice. 

Okay, I just want to add that I do not have a serotonin problem and I plan to take this only when I want to concentrate and work with my dreams (and attempt lucidity). 

Anyway, last night I took 100mg. before going to sleep...maybe it was a placebo effect or maybe it really works, but I had excellent dream recall (4 dreams in one night!).  Normally, I only remember one, maybe two dreams each night but last night I had at least four very vivid dreams and remembered many details!  Unfortunately, I didn't have a lucid dream...but it's a start.

I'm not planning to take it every night.  Maybe twice a week...it was incredible!!

I would also add, that if dream recall is what you want, as you drift off to sleep, in the twilight state, softly but firmly state your intent to remember your dream on awakening.  This is a tried and true method that goes right to your subconscious.  For me, it always works.  Also, if you want to play around with that state, try telling yourself what time you will wake up without using an alarm clock.

But be careful, because stating intent in a really relaxed state is the basis for manifesting thought in the real world (magic of old).  Hypnosis to some, but really it does work.


Matthew

From my opinion, the 5-htp supplement will not help to have lucid dream, but will help to remember the night exploration. 

As 5-htp turns to serotonin, which turn into melatonin, so they help the brain to get in its optimal state. 

If the brain is low in serotonin, it distorts the all experiences we have at night.  That why dreams may look more lucid when we take those supplements, but in fact, they are just _less distorted_

by the way, 5-htp is an amazing supplement.  When it is taken on empty stomach, the effect occurs within 10 minutes.  Normally, our body build 5-htp from tryptophan, an amino-acid found in food protein.  Often, people are low in serotonin just because their diet doesn't have enough protein in it. 

Hope it helps

Hi

Phantasy Man's post reminds me of a doctor I once had said --
that when we add supplements that are already being manufactured by our bodies, then our bodies will slow or stop their manufacture of the same. They read the levels that we've temporarily artifically created and decide no more is needed.

I don't have info on which of these are already found in the body, or as PM noted, which might be derived from these, but if the doctor's warning is correct, then using the smallest dose possible would certainly be wise, so as not to throw off the body's own checks and balances.

Bets