Galantamine Information, Research, and Supplies

I. Original Research by Dr. Sparrow and his Colleagues

Dr. Sparrow and his colleagues have conducted original research into the effects of galantamine on dreaming and lucid dreaming. If you are interested in reading about the work we have done, please read:




II. Guidance on Use of Galantamine
Excerpted from Lucid Dreaming Supplements Guide, Copyright © 2011-2015 Nathan Lockhart


It is always best to ask your doctor about taking galantamine before you start. While the side effects are minimal, as a rule, there are some counter indications for people with particular health problems.
So always check first!


When and How Often Should You Take Galantamine?

It is best to take galantamine between 3-5 hours after bedtime, when you naturally wake up after having some good deep sleep. Otherwise, you will need to set an alarm clock. I do not recommend taking galantamine at the beginning of the night unless you do not mind the possible experience of lying awake for a couple of hours before falling asleep. Also, most lucid dreamers, including very experienced ones, do not attain lucidity so early in the night, even with the aid of galantamine. I suggest starting out with one 8mg cap. However, if you are extra sensitive to substances, you might consider starting out with a 2-4mg dosage.
Galantamine has a half-life of approximately 7 hours. So the effect mostly wears off during the night, and allows you to take it up to a couple of times a week without losing its effectiveness for lucid dreaming. It is recommended that, at most, you take galantamine once every 3 nights, as the body will adjust its production of acetylcholine downward in response to raised levels. For this reason, the effect on lucid dreaming will be significantly reduced if you take it too often. My personal recommendation is that you start out taking galantamine no more than once a week until you acclimate to its effects.


Mindset Is Very Important for Lucid Dreaming Success

Again I emphasize, when taking galantamine it is very important to have a mindset for lucid dreaming. Galantamine will greatly increase your chances of lucid dreaming if you are already practicing the things necessary for having a lucid dream, such as recalling at least one dream per night, practicing MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreaming), and using the napping technique.

Possible Side Effects

Without the proper mindset, galantamine may only give you very vivid dreams, or even nightmares. At first, I recommend taking galantamine only on nights in which you do not need to work the next day, until you are familiar with how it affects you. Except for stomach upset, which in most cases can be easily remedied, it usually does not cause most people any significant problems. However, there are a small percentage of people who react so strongly to galantamine that a normal dose can be close to an overdose. These people often have high sensitivities to other substances. I strongly recommend checking out the possible side effects. If you are uncertain of your tolerance, start with a low dosage such as 2-4mg, or less.

Counteract Potential Stomach Upset

Galantamine is well known to cause nausea due to raised acetylcholine levels. When taking galantamine, it is highly recommended that you eat a small amount of cheese, or nuts, to counteract any possible stomach effects. It is also recommended that you take a couple of caps of ginger root which is excellent in countering any stomach upset in combination with the aforementioned foods.

Melatonin Complements and Enhances Galantamine Dreams

On the nights that you take galantamine, it is highly recommend that you take at least 3mg of melatonin 15-30 minutes before bedtime. I often take 15-20mg. This will aid you in getting deep sleep and will help to counter the wakefulness effect of galantamine. Your first time around, you should probably stick with 10mg or less until you are familiar with the effects of this concoction.

Paralysis and Other Odd Sensations

As for the experience of taking galantamine, WILDs (Waking Initiated Lucid Dreams) as well as DILDs (Dream Initiated Lucid Dreams) are common. If you have never experienced a WILD you would do well to read up on it. They can be a really wild ride, especially galantamine induced ones. In the extreme (not the usual occurrence for most dreamers), you may find that while falling back to sleep your body is suddenly paralyzed and you cannot move, weird creatures are holding you down and sitting on you, you are being zapped by electricity, or are experiencing major vibrations, etc. If you misunderstand what is happening, this can be pretty freaky. What is happening is that you have just entered REM sleep with a high-degree of awareness. you may still feel your physical body to some extent, but are actually dreaming all this other “nonsense”. So if this ever happens to you, do not mistake it for reality. But conclude you are dreaming, and get up into the dream disconnecting your dream body from the feeling of your paralyzed physical body, and continue on into a lucid dream.

Countering the Feeling of Paralysis

Rolling over in your dream body and onto the dream floor is one of the better ways to disconnect from the feeling of paralysis. Not to worry, your real body will remain paralyzed in bed. If you cannot manage to roll over, imagine yourself standing up and you may find yourself suddenly standing straight up in the dream. If you still cannot move your dream body, imagine floating above your bed or to where you want to go.

Paralysis Is the Result of REM Atonia

When we enter REM sleep our body is automatically paralyzed (REM atonia), or we would find ourselves acting out our dreams in the physical world causing peril both to others and ourselves. This paralysis is a very natural occurrence. Though, usually we are not conscious of it. So when we become fully conscious of sleep paralysis, it can be a little frightening. But in actuality, we have been through this thousands of times before, even as a baby. And we survived it every time. It is only that we usually are not aware enough to have any memory of it.

Excerpted from Lucid Dreaming Supplements Guide, Copyright © 2011-2015 Nathan Lockhart