Brintellix/trintellix Long Term Side Effects (Page 2)
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I have struggled with depression for most of my life, and am always in search of the perfect antidepressant. I work with a psych doctor who is always willing to try new things. 10 months ago I started 5 mg of Brintellix daily, within a week my mood was significantly elevated, I was sleeping better, waking up much earlier and was more motivated to do things in the morning. I went up to 10mg daily However the nausea was dreadful! I pushed through for a couple of weeks, changed to taking the brintellix at night and after a while it subsided. My mood got better and better, I had recently turned 50, and had gained a little weight, so with my new found morning energy I started working out 2times a week with a trainer, and then walking most other mornings! The walking then changed gradually to running, and after 6-7 months I was running 3-4 miles a few times a week and going to the gym twice a week. I was loving life, getting really into good shape and felt better than I had in years! Then I started getting pain in my shoulders and neck, I went for PT and it didn't help, the pain would move from shoulder to neck and down my traps, always changing. Then I started getting foot pain, which my doc said was Plantar Fasciatis from running, and extremely stiff muscles especially in the mornings. I stretched and stretched but to no avail, the foot pain turned to numbness and tingling in my lower legs, and still intermittent with the foot pain. I started backing off on exercise a bit, but nothing changed, I have been to a rheumatologist and infectious disease specialist and tested for everything but they don't know. Currently am undergoing tests for diabetes and ms and other neurological disorders, but the neurologist doesn't think it's that, and wants to blame my depression, or hormonal imbalance. Funny thing is I wasn't at all depressed when this started 3 months ago! now I am not able to even take a ten minute walk without some kind of pain. I tapered off Brintellix because I am terrified it's that, but of course I now have terrible depression and anxiety. I am starting cymbalta for depression today. My question is for anyone who has been on Brintellix did you start experiencing any of these problems after being on it for at least 6 months or more? Shoulder pain, joint pain, muscle cramping and stiffness, bottom of foot pain, numbness, coldness and tingling in feet and legs below knees, dreadfully stiff neck and neck pain. All of these symptoms change daily for me, they are intermittent, but there is never a time now when I am pain free or not stiff. I have been off Brintellix for 3 weeks now.

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My wife is on trintellix now sent home from hospital after 5 days due to major depressive disorder . She has become very afraid I am going to kill her and take her somewhere and set her off . She makes up reasons not to go with me anywhere. She told me last night she could not walk? I helped her get up and led her to the living room no problem but she still told me she could not walk

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Re: Claire from Clare (# 2)

Hi. There's nasty side effects in every antidepressant. One's like brintellix and mirtazipine are more or less guaranteed to work but when you come off it you come crashing down like a bag of s***, that's called withdrawal. The withdrawal is a million times worse than opiates and lasts far longer. It's wank. Brintellix and mirtazipine should be banned. It's highly addictive but they say its not. It's nasty dirty s***. When you feel down go for a run for a natural buzz. It's the best feeling ever especially when your suffering from mental illness. That's why people with mental illness turn to boxing. It's the best form of exercise to release endorphins and that's why people turn into fitness junkies because of the natural buzz it gives which there's no harm in that. Try niacin tablets. It relaxes you, gets rid of backaches, instantly gets rid of migraines, helps with insomnia, depression. It's a super vitamin b3. Google it. YouTube it. The reason they don't sell it in pharmacies is because they cant charge for it. F***ing brilliant.

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I have been on Trintellix for about 6 weeks. About 10 days ago I suddenly got very bad vertigo. Nothing is helping and I am looking for help.

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Re: Ree (# 7)

I went to hospital twice around the time I started taking the med. My blood pressure and heart rate were dangerously high, and doctors wondered if it was seritonin syndrome, and weren't even sure that it was the drug, I remained on the drug for 8 or more months due to amazing mental health benefits, but over that time I developed very severe crippling joint pain. I suspect that those having this type of reaction will go on to suffer more severe side effects. If I had known at the beginning I would never have continued taking this med, it ruined a year of my life, but stopping the med did make the pain go away. My psychiatrist had other patients who also returned to normal after stopping the med. however, many years later those areas are becoming painful and immobile again, and I'm starting investigations into a possible autoimmune disease which could be related, don't know yet. I suggest stopping the med under guidance of a doctor. Don't stop taking it suddenly.

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Re: Esther (# 17)

I felt the same way and was heartbroken to stop the med, but it crippled me so that I couldn't walk. Worst pain I've ever experienced. The pain went away after I stopped the medication, but years later some of those areas of my body are hurting and immobile again and I'm concerned that it caused lasting damage. It's your body, but the torture wasn't worth it for me. I took the meds for six or more months since the pain started.

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Re: Jackie (# 18)

I am sorry that you went through this. The med crippled me, but I was the happiest and least anxious that I've ever been, and unlike other antidepressants it was a natural feeling and not exaggerated or uncomfortable. I certainly went through a grieving period. I thought that it was my wonder drug.

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After 8 months in the drug I experienced hip, coccyx, lower back, and other joint pain so bad that it was excruciating to walk, even without a cane. I saw so many specialists, and no one could figure out the problem. After a few months off the med I improved drastically, and my psychiatrist mentioned that he had two other patients who complained of joint pain. Go off the med, I am sure that it's your problem. I must mention, however, that it is years later and I've developed pain and immobility in my shoulder, neck, lower back and hips. It may not be related, but I'm concerned that I'm suffering from damage as a result of the med. my psychiatrist's other patients completely returned to normal, however, so it's possible that the med just caused me to experience heightened pain in areas that were already mechanically faulty.

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About 6 weeks in I experience excruciating teeth, jaw and gum pain. No findings from my dentist. Once I stopped taking trintellix, all that was relieved in a few days. I had the mild nausea on and off initially and noticeable vision changes.

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Hi everybody. My friend started brintellix 2 months ago and in the first week of using this drug it made him attempt to kill himself twice. He also had sweats at night and depression at the worst level I have seen. I forced him to stop it by tapering off for 3 days after taking this drug for 20 days. He is better clearly now except for some cases of sweating and mood swings (withdrawal side effects?) that have been continuing after 1 month of stopping brintellix. Maybe for some people this drug is good but for others it's a disaster.

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After 5-6 months use Trintellix caused nerve like pain and immobility so severe in my groin and hips that I was unable to walk without a cane, and with so much difficulty that I'd fear ended up in a wheelchair. It was the most pain that I have experienced in my life. I also had interrmittet pain under my knee cap, and some weird sensations in my arms after 8 months use. Early in my use, I had tachycardia and high blood pressure spikes a few times that sent me to hospital, but I didn't connect that to the med. No specialists could figure out the cause. I didn't go off it until around 8 months, at which point the intense pain slowly went away over a few months but I noticed some relief in the first week. It is now years later and I have some immobility and tenderness the most affected areas remaining, but I suspect that the med was actually causing my brain to overreact to relatively minor mechanical problems that I already had and didn't notice prior to med use.

I was honestly heartbroken to have to stop the med, because I have taken just about every antidepressant and that was the only one that fully lifted my life long depression. I started planning for the future in joyful ways.

I know that this is an older post, but hope to encourage anyone who gets these pain effects to stop this med before it gets worse,

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Does the severe costipation caused obviously by Trintellix ever go away? Been on it 2 weeks on 10mg for a week, & constipation is severe, cannot handle it, increased my fiber & still no relief.

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This drug can cause low sodium and potassium maybe you should have tried taking electrolytes before and after exercise the simptoms you describe could have been that

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Re: pmbourque (# 8)

I had to stop talking it after 3 months. The shaking, the complete loss of short term memory, and then the weeping, sadness.

No thank you

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Re: Esther (# 17)

I have been off the trintilex for one week... the pain and stiffness are still there but in a scale of 1-10, it's a 4 when it was a 10+ every minute of the day while on it... down side... I feel big anxiety again... lashed out st my husband for a trivial matter... I felt the best ever while on it??

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I started experiencing aches and pains in my lower back about a month ago. Every time I get up from a sitting or lying position, I have to take a moment because of the pain. It's nothing unbearable, but it's annoying. I'm still taking the Brintellix, though. Emotionally, I feel better than ever. The last time I felt this good was before I had depression, and the aches and pains are worth it for me.

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I just started taking trintelix 8 weeks ago and I have extreme joint pain in both my knees, and ankles and feet.... if I stop taking this will my symptoms go away?

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Re: pmbourque (# 8)

I ended up being prescribed Pantoprazole to help with the GERD and nausea. It was the only way I could handle the trintellix.
I'm now a week off trintelix after tapering off over a month. My body, all my joints are achy, especially elbows, shoulders, hips and ankles. I also feel very stiff in my back and knees.
I am supposed to start Cipralex but I'm worried about how it will make me feel.
The nausea before was so miserable.
I'm eventually starting an ADD med but I need the depression under control first :(

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Re: pmbourque (# 8)

Update. I've stopped taking it due to side effects of shaking and terrible memory loss.

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I have been on a laundry list of medications. None have worked for my depression. I took lexapeo for maybe 8 months and was able to continue losing all the weight I had gained from Wellbutrin and a failed marriage.

I think (although most days that's stretching it) that once I began trintellex I began swelling in feet and lower legs. Yes tingling. Sometimes numbness. Joint pain that by now is probably arthritis. Stiffness in joints.

Then all of a sudden I gained 20 lbs in less than 2 months. Although I'm 47 I'm
Not pre mentapauseal. I'm a yoga instructor so worked out everyday and ate healthy.

Dr.'s are so clueless. They have no answers and just pass me off to another one (who like the previous ones..,has no 6th sense. If it's not stated clearly in one of their dusty old medical textbooks, then it isn't happening.

I just switched back to lexapeo. I can tell you for certain my mental condition has been spiraling downward since about the time I Began the trintellex I feel damn near brain dead.

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So sorry I'm late getting back to this. 5mg, I felt fine. 2 days later we upped it to 10, and 2 days later i was stoned ,for lack of a better word. Shaking so bad I could not write, I couldn't remember how to spell my name let alone sign when I went back in on day 4 of 10mg. We cut it back to 5mg, and
I've been fine! More energy, I'm focused, thinking straighter.

I'm taking it with 300mg bupropion, 15mg buspar, and 100mg trazodone. It's just enough for it all to work.

And I'm losing wieght!

I will keep in mind to keep up my sodium levels

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