Dream changes following initiation of efavirenz treatment.
OBJECTIVE
The objective was to evaluate abnormalities in the quality of dreams after the use of efavirenz.


METHODS
Ten HIV patients without neuropsychiatric diseases underwent a polisomnography (PSG) study before and after efavirenz treatment, [after 10.4 (SD 5.4) days]. Patients were awoke after REM phases to record their dreams. All patients had therapeutic efavirenz plasma levels.


RESULTS
Dreams were recalled in 84% before efavirenz and 43% after efavirenz (p=0.024). There were no differences in the mean number of words per dream before and after efavirenz treatment (61.9 versus 47.5, p=0.115). The proportion of dreams with no neutral emotional content (either pleasant or unpleasant) was 37.5% in the first night and 66.7% in the second night (p=0.046).


CONCLUSIONS
There were a higher proportion of dreams with no neutral emotional content after efavirenz treatment in this group of patients. However, no longer dreams and no more dreams with negative emotional content were noted. Dream recall was lower after efavirenz treatment.
Velasco
María
M
Infectious Diseases Section, Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitario Fundación Alcorcón, Spain. mvelasco@fhalcorcon.es
Pareja
Juan Antonio
JA
Losa
Juan Emilio
JE
Valverde
José Francisco
JF
Espinosa
Alfredo
A
Gujarro
Carlos
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000480:Alkynes; D048588:Benzoxazines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D004325:Dreams / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055815:Young Adult
D000480:Alkynes; D048588:Benzoxazines; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; C098320:efavirenz