Sleep Paralysis W/ Hallucinations (Page 10) (Top voted first)

Has anyone else experienced sleep paralysis accompanied by hallucinations since starting viibryd? I have been on the medicine for about 4 months now and for the last 2 1/2 months have had several very scary episodes of sleep paralysis... I have never been on a anti-depressant before and never experienced sleep paralysis until i started this medicine. I am a 23 year old female and i take no other meds except a daily multi-vitamin. Ive noticed that if i accidentally miss a viibryd pill i have sleep paralysis... but have also had it on occasions of not missing a pill. It occurs about once a week... its to the point where i dread going to sleep at night in fear of sleep paralysis, but the hallucinations that come along with it are what I dread the most. Has anyone else had a similar experience with this medicine?

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Hi 'me again' :)

Totally forgot that you are weaning due to weight gain. Just take it slow. If you haven't had SP, then maybe you won't have the sort of common wave like sensation on the L side of the head or brain explosions. But they do go away! At least you know what to look out for! I had no idea it was happening to others when it hit me.

:)

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Marie, I haven't heard anything about the B12 connection, but I did read that an electrolyte deficiency may contribute. Also, research is showing that by blocking certain receptors, we are able to completely prevent SP from happening in, well, mice. lol.. But it's more evidence to those that are feeling like victims of attacks, that this is nothing more than an abnormal symptom of a sleep disorder, or in our case, a symptom of something (Viibryd) messing with out sleep patterns.

It's important to note that most SSRIs such as Prozac, Celexa and tricyclic antidepressants like clomipramine, have been shown to drastically reduce, and in some cases eliminate sleep paralysis. Which calls into question why a drug that is labeled as an SSRI (Viibryd) is actually not only preventing people from getting SP, but also seems to be causing it. It's a very new drug but the action should be familiar right? That's what I just don't understand.

People who are predisposed to what we call "Isolated Sleep Paralysis" seem to be affected on a much more intense scale by SP caused by Viibryd than those who have never or rarely experienced SP in the past.

In my case, the SP on Viibryd didn't start until about 3 or 4 months into the treatment. I had experienced SP in the past, but only a few timnes. It started happening every night, up to 10 times per night and usually within the first 2 hours of falling asleep. At this point I had no idea that the Viibryd was causing the SP, so after reading that SSRIs have been shown to stop SP, I upped my dose from 20mg of Viibryd to 40mg. That night, I experienced repeated attacks of SP and even felt like I was leaving my body and walking around the room. I realized that when I increased the Viibryd, my SP got worse too. The next day I requested to switch to Celexa, and that night the SP stopped completely. I did have to switch from Celexa to Prozac, however, because the Celexa was causing heart palpitations in a bad way!

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Repeating myself here, but I was the 1st patient my Dr. gave Viibryd to. I was only on Wellbutrin, occasional Xanax (.25) & then roughly 3-4 mg. of Ambien at nite. If there's some counter action between those meds & Viibryd then I hope that Forest Labs can figure it out.

I never watch scary movies so the visions that came with Viibryd didn't connect with my imagination. My nightmares always seem to be about airplanes falling from the sky.

I also didn't care for the very intense libido that came along with Viibryd for the 1st mo. Then that went away. Lol. It was nauseating to the point of feeling like I would pass out. Viibryd worked a little too well. That's why I joked in the past about Viibryd like Viagra. For women. hahaha.

I wonder how a low dose of Prozac would work w/ Viibryd? Given at night. Maybe just 10-20mg. Is that enough to stop any SP? But then how to avoid the brain explosions?!

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Well, you have to be really careful about adding another SSRI into the mix. You put yourself at risk for serotonin syndrome. Actually, now that I think of it.. Viibryd might have an adverse effect on serotonin levels on certain people.. hmm.. but this is just me thinking out loud :)

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I just read so many SP stories just by googling that I'll never need to read another one. So repetitive. Many occurring after 2011, but no one specified any meds. It's worth researching as there are tricks to break out of them. Here are some ideas....

1. Counting to 20+
2. Blinking eyes
3. grimacing
4. sleeping on side (not back!)
5. Wiggling fingers & toes
6. Inhaling or exhaling? while quickly trying to lift arms & legs
7. Panting sounds (lol...yes, weird!)
8. Avoiding caffeine
9. Reading, relaxing, music b4 bed
10. Keeping eyes closed (but scientific data unsure if eyes are really even opened during a SP attack)
11. Relaxing & not fighting it (yes, hard to do!) & evil hallucinations can be controlled by our minds, even when we think we can't, & demon can turn into something pleasant (yeah, probably hard to imagine)
12. Last one from memory.... Buy a HEART RATE MONITOR and wear it to bed. Set it at the walking level, but could vary for people. It will VIBRATE & wake you up if your heart rate increases. Studies have found that the HR increases during SP.

And attachments can be purchased for iPhones, etc.

One of the other things mentioned by someone with more environmental beliefs is to not sleep near many electrical outlets. :P

It sounds like I met the Incubus from what many other have to say. And that dark cloaked man that has been seen around the world. Possibly other dimensions have been reached, depending on beliefs.

I'd like to think of the experiences as over though & that it was just a blip in my REM cycle.

But freaking scary & there's no mistaking that it was brought on by Viibryd! (but is more of an issue w/ SRNI's ?)

Day 4 on Cymbalta & fine. Our very sensitive dog was barking like crazy the other night. Maybe she's keeping the evil elves away?! Haha.

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Marie, awesome suggestions. The two things that always help me are:

1. Get up and walk around before going back to sleep! This seems to break the cycle of falling right back in SP once you get it once. Get a glass of water or something :)

2. Close your eyes, if you can. When I feel the SP, I always close my eyes because then I don't see anything weird. Your will automatically go into "panic" mode because you are stressed out, and so you will see stressful things. Research has shown that when people first wake from REM sleep, (the stage where SP occurs) they are almost always experiencing negative emotions. I can cite that study if you wish.

Except once I saw a clown, and he said "I'm on crack." LOL

That was weird.


Avoiding caffeine after 12pm is also highly recommended.

Regulate those sleep cycles, that's the best thing you can do for yourself!

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Something I read and have mentioned on here is that a persons touch will release you from sp. I sleep with my dog and have had great success. I told someone else on here and they also said that it worked for them.

Also, laying on your side helps to prevent sp.

Found sooooo many articles since the last time I looked all this up. Below is an excerpt...

What Happened?

Your body couldn't move because your body often can't move when you're asleep. In REM sleep, for example, many of your voluntary muscles are atonal (the muscles have no tone). Sleep researchers think that REM atonia happens so that people don't act out their dreams. In essence, sleep paralysis occurs when your mind and your body don't wake up at the same time.

Terrifying

Sleep paralysis is “normally harmless,” but that doesn't mean it's the greatest experience in the world. In fact, many people who experience sleep paralysis report being terrified. My research on sleep paralysis, conducted with Al Cheyne and Steve Rueffer, repeatedly found that many sleep paralysis experiencers were deeply disturbed and scared by what they felt and saw.

The Sensed Presence

The sensed presence certainly doesn't make the experience any more enjoyable. A lot of people who experience sleep paralysis feel as if some evil person or entity is in the room. When I researched sleep paralysis with Al Cheyne and Steve Rueffer, we concluded that people sensed a presence because of a sort of short circuit in the brain. It looks like the part of your brain that ‘lights up' when a threat is detected becomes active even though no threat is detected. So, you have the feeling that someone/something means you harm when, in fact, nothing is there at all.

Difficulty Breathing

Being unable to breathe is probably tied to the paralysis. You have anti-gravity muscles that help you breathe. When you're in REM, your anti-gravity muscles are sluggish. You really can breathe, of course. It just feels like you can't. Believing that you can't breathe only adds to the terror.

Seeing Things

Some people hallucinate during sleep paralysis. They see all sorts of strange things. The hallucinations are happening because part of your brain is still in a dream state. Instead of seeing those weird and wacky images in your dreams, you're seeing them in the room with you.

If you've experienced sleep paralysis, you might be worried. Please don't worry. Remember that it is common and, as far as anyone knows, a sleep paralysis experience does not mean that there is anything medically or psychologically wrong with you.

How to Stop/Avoid Sleep Paralysis

That's all well and good, of course, but how can you avoid and/or stop sleep paralysis experiences? There are a few things you can do:
1.Avoid irregular sleep patterns and get plenty of sleep. People who are sleep deprived or who have unusual sleep patterns (like shift-workers) can have disturbed REM sleep. Because sleep paralysis is a ‘malfunction' of REM, disturbed REM sleep probably makes people vulnerable to sleep paralysis.
2.Don't sleep on your back. Data that Al Cheyne, Steve Rueffer, and I collected indicate that people who sleep on their back experience sleep paralysis more often. Of course, maybe people who sleep on their back are the kind of people who experience sleep paralysis. But, might as well give it a shot.
3.I've also seen it suggested that you should try to move your facial muscles.
4.Someone else touching you might bring you out of it, but this has yet to be confirmed.

The number one thing to remember is that there is nothing truly wrong. If you find yourself experiencing sleep paralysis, you might try relaxing and taking in the experience. Remind yourself that sleep paralysis is nothing more than a ‘waking dream.' You'll be truly awake soon enough.

Also.....

This is pretty interesting....puts things in perspective......

http://www.realitysandwich.com/sleep_paralysis

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Hey Mimi!

Glad you came back! I didn't think you did anything wrong but tell someone the truth. And I have reported the abuse...definately not from you...lol.... Thanks for the advice on diet and exercise. I am back on the Whole 30 and the gym. Doing good actually. I haven't had my Wellbutrin in a few days. Hoping to go off it. We will see. But the Viibryd actually saved my life!!

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Oh and Mimi....I am also still low carbing during the week. I just use the Whole30 diet as a base.

Glad you are doing well!!!

ls

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I was off & on the Wellbutrin for years. I had heard it was hard to stop, but never had w/d symptoms....other than irritable & becoming so outspoken that I can't even tell you how many 'love note' (ha!) emails that I composed venting about this or that to my poor family. I know the racing thoughts are normal for women & we get PMS'y...so I can't say that the times off of WB were bad. While on the WB I still felt the same on or off, but found I didn't feel the need to vent to others as much.

We're you crabby w/ your daughter? Lol. Or is that an understatement?

I oddly enough stopped the WB cold turkey (Prozac too, except for 1-2 days of a 20 mg) when I started on the Cymbalta a week ago. And I am feeling GRRRRrrrrrreatttt! (like Tony the Tiger....jk).

But Cymbalta really seems to give me that contented feel like Viibryd did for me & I think it works like WB too. Actually working on Dopamine levels too. Isn't Viibryd like that too? I guess I know if I ever start to feel like I am dragging on just Cymbalta, then maybe I could add WB back in.

I am finally feeling pain relief that I've been suffering w/ for many years. Cymbalta has been a wonder drug so far. And no nightmares. I take it after dinner or with a later pm snack. And what's really amazing is that it has stopped my sponolythesis pain. Then read that it helps w/ low back pain.

Viibryd didn't help with pain.

Googling Cym. vs. Vii. now so I can figure out what the diff. is again. I was also given a new script for Gabapentin (Gralise) for neuropathy pain but am waiting to see how much the Cymbalta covers. Can't wait to be able to go for walks again!
:)

Hope Forest Labs is tweaking Viibryd to cut out the SP side effect! Anyone else still on Vii & living w/ SP & nightmares? Or the gigantic brain zaps/wave feeling?

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Marie,

Unfortunately, I believe Forest Labs has yet to even officially acknowledge SP as a side effect of Viibryd.

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My God that took my breath away. I've been looking too. At least for Cymbalta they note: nightmares.

Yet I haven't had any. Knock on wood.

I think Cymbalta works a little like Viibryd. But darn, haven't had as much motivation as I did on Viibryd. Which leads me to believe that Cymbalta works better for anxiety. Which makes sense, because of the anxiety-pain-depression connection.

Come on Forest Labs. It's time to acknowledge SP. People....keep speaking out!

And post if your Dr. acknowledged hearing about the SP or brushed YOU off too? The only Dr. that was aware was my neuro. She was quite pissed off about the Vii side effects (discontinuation) & showed me the similar name on a sample packet of Effexor. Which creeped me out due to a past pharmacy error in giving me 150mg of Effexor instead of 75 mg. of Wellbutrin! I had scary hallucinations for 24 hrs.

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My psych doc completely ignored me when I talked about the sleep paralysis. He just redirected the conversation and said he "never heard of that from the other patients"

It made me feel like I was even crazier and that maybe I was being attacked by demons. which made the anxiety worse, which made the SP more frequent and intense.

I'm also wondering if anyone else has trouble with insurance? my BC/BS insurance would not cover Viibryd, so my psych doc just kept giving me samples of it for an entire YEAR! then I wrapped up with the counselor and psych doc decided we should be done too. abruptly. right on the one year mark.

I asked how I should keep taking this medicine my insurance won't cover?

He said, "I'm sure you can find another office with samples"

No referral. No meds.

I'm afraid to come off and I'm afraid to stay on. I found a new psychiatrist, I'm hoping he has some ideas.

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I am going to see my Vii subscribing Dr. next week & ask him again if he's been hearing about Vii & SP from patients. I was his 1st patient on Vii Aug. '11. Here I am, 2 yrs. later, still waiting for some acknowledgement from Forest Labs. Maybe I'll call them again. I wouldn't have taken Vii had I known about the potential side effects.

RedBox that movie 'Side Affects' btw. :)

I still feel that the brain explosions were severe enough to warrant an investigation by the FDA or into the FDA-Pharm. Co. Forest Labs and they need to provide an explanation explaining why this is occurring MORE with Vii & much STRONGER than brain zaps. Is there any connection between shock treatment and a manufactured drug induced shock treatment? I am not saying that shock treatment is a bad thing. I am just wondering what Forest's explanation would be? And I want a full on explanation in writing as to what the difference is between shock treatments and drug induced brain zaps (big or small). How do those work in the brain? Any similarity? I am not implying that the gov't is out to get us, I've never believed in anything like that. I just want Forest to acknowledge the hundreds to thousands of SP stories written about online & then as Oriyah states, list Sleep Paralysis & demonic hallucinations in the Viibryd side effects.

Then I'll go away. :)

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....because I really felt like I had seizures the 1st night of SP. And the next day I'd always feel weak & my spine hurt. Like CSF had been affected. Don't some illegal drugs affect the spinal fluid?

And watch YouTube videos on bath salts & Molly. I am sure kids are already abusing Viibryd. IMO, it would be more like bath salts if taken in high doses. Because of the evil hallucinations. Just watched enough Molly videos recently to see that the MDMA is mostly seratonin. (Scary to hear that most of this crap is coming from China! And that fertilizer is used most often....or just caffeine).

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I tried a few things and am starting to get unhappy with the side effects of viibryd; mainly libido. When I went off Cymbalta and something before that I had the zaps and then I took Prozac for a few days, lowest dose to help until the Cymbalta was out of my system.

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I have read some of the posts here (This is a long thread surprisingly) but am I the only one who is not upset by these episodes? I can recreate them every time I do not take a pill before going to bed at night. The first time it happened was during the 10mg trial and I wouldn't call it sleep paralyses. I described it as lucid dreaming which I had heard about through a friend. I had a familiar dream in which I could not only interact but go much further in and when I woke up in the morning I remember almost everything about it vividly... I was in no way upset I actually liked revisiting that dream from so long ago.

The next time I knew what was happening and woke up. I had by that time finished the trial and come to the conclusion 40mg was too much and even 20mg had taken some adjustment. I just simply woke up shortly after going to bed (maybe 30 to 45min) and took my pill everything was fine.

This last week I had finished the trial pack after taking the 40's and cutting them in 2 until the last two feeling I was returning to being upset and 20mg might not be enough. I had taken the 40's for maybe a 5 days and it was giving me side effects such as strange headaches so I decided to stop and clear my system for a day or two then start again with 20mg and see how I felt.
I once again entered the same dream state and while it was a different dream it was again a dream I have had before. However this time after waking up early in the morning I went back to sleep and reentered the same dream. Again nothing upsetting the dream is one I can remember and I enjoyed going to much further with it.

However from this morning on I have felt woozy, not myself and the desire to not be awake but get back to the dream... this is where I have felt something is not right. Just sitting I feel like I am moving but I am not. I want to go back to sleep but I am at work so I refuse to allow myself to. Caffeine does nothing.
It’s not like I can tell my Doctor about this, I do feel that 10mg had the best effect and that's where I should be... I guess I can cut up my 40's and see but honestly I am also torn by the fact that I really enjoy these dream states I enter. I honestly feel it’s more of a Lucid Dreaming state, I hate to wake up honestly.
I have told my wife somewhat but honestly it’s hard to talk to anyone I know for fear of how they would react.

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I have been on Viibryd for about 8 months I find that if I miss a dose I too fall into a very lucid dream state. I actually feel like I'm semi- concious and while I'm having these dreams I am somewhat aware that i'm sleeping and its not reality. I can snap myself out of it and wake up but as soon as a fall back asleep minutes later I'm right back in the same dream. I wouldn't say they are nightmares, its more of an annoying thing. I find that by the time I realize I have missed a dose and I take the pill late it takes about 3 hours for the pill to get into myy system and these dreams stop and I have a "normal sleep:.

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Isn't it ironic that Viibryd came out in summer 2012 & since then we've had 19 mass shootings and a Zombie Apocolypse?! Hmmm. Forest Labs, scientists, & media... please tell us what the effects are of someone abusing their usual drugs (which BATH SALTS & MOLLY are new) & the "possibility" of someone also taking Viibryd. Just throwing this out there!

I don't believe my update posted about my Dr's office visit. iPhone glitch. So I am unsure if I was just the lucky one (ha) or my Dr. thought that because I've had chemo, Zoloft, Buspar, Ativan, Ambien, Trazadone, Percoset, Vicodin, Wellbutrin, Xanax, Gabapentin, and numerous surgeries that he felt that I would make a nice guinea pig for Viibryd, because I was his 1st patient to start on it. And he had a blog talking about it. Shrug. I've been thru so much and am a mentally stable person...just deal w/ anxiety & chemo side effects mainly thx to cancer past. I have no skeletons in my closet of abuse, raised on a solid foundation, have faith in a higher power, etc etc. So no tics, bipolar, etc.

And guess what....Viibryd is the most !#%^*!!! up drug EVER!!!!

The paranoid gunman at the naval base had insomnia. Actually went to the ER because of it. (Wow!) He had sensations, like waves, and conversations that came into his brain. Please media...tell us what he was on. But that info is never shared.

Just be careful everyone. I do not believe the gov't is out to get us. I do not believe in mind control programs that my husband has heard about & I just have to laugh.

I was reluctant to try another SRNI after Vii, but I HAD to get off of the Prozac. It did make me feel really low at times. I feel like I need the SRNI. It just works better. I actually realized this after the slightly :\ neg. posts a couple of mos. ago. I became envious of that 'I am content' feeling that a couple Vii users were obviously explaining thru their posts. That's how Vii was for me, the good. I was content.

Cymbalta has erased by back & neck pain. So crazy!!! It vanished. I have Spondolythesis in my lower back. It has stopped some of the OCD....my mind is still racing though at times. It can cause the inability to urinate. And with an over active bladder already, this is annoying. It seems like when I try to focus on relaxing my bladder, I get more racing thoughts. Nothing out of the norm for me. I am more carefree & has helped with my anxiety. I take it with food late at night. Have never had any jerky movement side effects ive had w/ other meds. or brain zaps. But brain zaps are a d/c side effect. Prozac made me tremor something awful. Like it brought out the essential tremor that I am genetically pre-d to! It's in my L hand & so much more mild now! Prozac will make you want to get a divorce to your beloved spouse. :P Crazy!!!

Libido is wayyy down but better than Prozac!!!

All for now. Please everyone still on Vii successfully. Just understand that this main thread is about the neg. side of Vii.

:)

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No nothing of that nature, lol but if that happens I am sure I will not be disappointed. There have been a few dreams over my life that I have at times gone back to (at least that is the only way I can think of to describe it).
One is of a house in a big field, I always remember that its a two story with a big loft and roof top patio. Its something you would imagine as a vacation or place to get away and relax in the middle of no where. Very peaceful lots of exploring and that's mainly what happens in that dream.

The one's I revisited I can now only remember the second I told my wife the first one maybe she remembers that one. But I just remembered the location and having done this before. Kind of like that moment where you have been trying to remember why this felt so familiar and everything hits you. Then from there I just carried on with the dream. It was more of a Detective's story I guess is how I would word it. Only SciFi... lol Probably a typical guy's dream.

I have been cutting my pills now into 10's or as close as I can. However I have been really moody these past few days to the point of being mean. Its strange. I was hoping I just needed to give it time for the 10mg to become the norm again but right now I still find myself concerned. If it has not gotten better by next week I am going to have to talk to the Dr. or go back to 20mg which I don't want to do. I am just hoping its an adjustment from going down in dosage.

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