Sleep Paralysis W/ Hallucinations (Page 11)
(Newest replies 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?

REPLY

REPORT

Dear Mandy,

You're not alone! Obviously, as you've probably read...our stories are similar. I just contacted Forest Lab. & reported what I went thru & mentioned this web site. The gal was very nice, took down all the info, and it will be referred on. Last thing I told her was I really think the drug needs to be taken off of the market, because there have got to be so many suffering w/ SP & not knowing what is going on. I URGE you ALL to contact FOREST PHARMACEUTICALS & report your side effects!

Mandy--stay strong, but from experience, I would stop the Viibryd cold turkey & I was told that I could have taken up to 4 Xanax if I had side effects. I never took more than 2. And take Prozac instead. It worked for me!

Here is the info for you all to reach Forest Lab...

Forest Pharmaceuticals c/s 1-800-678-1605

Viibryd®
(Vilazodone HCl)
Patricia Li
Cohn & Wolfe
21x-xxx-xxxx {edited for privacy}
viibryd.com/

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hate Viibryd-scarred for life from the night paralysis episodes. Thank God I finally made the connection and am now on a new drug. I thought I was losing my mind for good!! Don't want to think what it is doing to my brain that would cause these episodes. Mine were exactly as described here by others. It was such a huge relief when I found this forum and people were describing exactly what hell I was experiencing. I would wean yourself off and try something different. Who wants to live their life terrified to fall asleep? It's like a horror flick!! Good luck :)

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

28 yr old female here. Well, I just put my kids on the bus after having a horrible episode of nightmares/sleep paralysis. Background? I've been on almost every antidepressant known to man except for a select few. I've also been known to have a few episodes of terrifying sleep paralysis thru the years when not even taking meds, but haven't had one for quite some time.

My first week on the titration pack of Viibryd, I felt pretty good. Had energy. Had weight gain which I have anyway because I have Systemic Lupus and have been on Prednisone for over a year now. I was up cleaning and humming, in an unusually good mood. That was at 10mg. The second week at 20 mg, all was well. Still felt good. Thought maybe this was finally the one for me. The one that was gonna get my life back on track. Well, by the time I took the last 2 in the titration pack (2 weeks at 40mg daily), I've had a rough couple of days.

Strangely similar to some other descriptions here. The first night I was late taking my med, and the second night I had run out of Viibryd altogether. While falling asleep, I felt brain zaps. Like a shock to my brain when my eyes was closed and I would either see a bright light, just around the time I would drift off, suddenly a bright light, like a light bulb just bursting in my face popped really loud and made a roaring noise and I startled awake. This would do this each time. Either it would be the bright light or I would just see like I was falling down a black tunnel and I would jump awake and during this time, my hearing would go out. I couldn't hear anything around me. The TV, the AC running. It was just a void. Just really strange. So, I've also had insomnia and anxiety and finally had to make myself to sleep this morning. I lay down and cuddled up to my boyfriend as he slept which usually relaxes me and helps me drift off peacefully. Well, several brain zaps later, I fell asleep. I woke up about an hour later when he was getting ready for work and he had turned the lights on. When he had told me bye and left the room, he turned the tv and lights off (I usually keep the tv on, I can't stand to sleep in a pitch black room), but I was sleepy anyway, so I just closed my eyes and drifted back off, but a couple minutes later it was like I heard whispering beside my head, woke up, and looked over and could faintly see the outline of the pillow because the sun was just beginning to come up but the room was still mostly dark. Anyhow, the voices were coming from beside my head near the pillow. I didn't see anything but I felt an ominous presence and was terrified. The voices were whispering. Then suddenly, it was as if these tiny demons jumped into my head thru my left ear and I began having this nightmare. I was trying to escape. This weird evil man was holding me captive in this dark place and every time I'd try to leave there was an electric shock to my head and I begged him to let me go. He would just keep zapping me. I was struggling to wake myself up, but couldn't snap out of it. Then came the music and this really freaked me out. Never felt more like I had lost my mind in my life. I was hallucinating apparently but there was this music playing in my head. Like an old timey song, akin to "Crazy" by Patsy Cline (of all songs), but it was like that kind of tune, that's all I could hear. It was loud and clear, yet had that crisp sound, like it was playing on a record player.I saw his mouth moving and laughing and people were talking and I was screaming NO! NO! NO! STOP! repeatedly but these 2 songs were just playing non-stop in my head. I could hear the words and everything, but that's all I could hear. It scared me so bad, I opened my eyes and realized I was still paralyzed and fought with all my might, closed my eyes and then the mans hands were over my mouth and nose and he was suffocating me! I actually felt like I stopped breathing and when I woke up, I was gasping for air and trembling. An hour later, I'm still shaking. This has been the most horrible side effect I've EVER experienced from a pill. Every single time in my past when I've had an episode of sp I've been on my back. This time, I had it on my side. The night before that, I had a dream I was running through these dark woods, tripping over underbrush, being chased by something big and dark and evil. I was running in the middle of the night on the side of a hill covered with fallen leaves. Can't remember what else happened. So, here I sit, having had to take a blue xanax, head hurting, going on one AWFUL hour of sleep (if that) and terrified to try to go asleep again. The kids are at school. I'm going to take another blue xanax to sort of "knock myself out" if possible, but I'm afraid to do that because I may sedate myself so much that I'm TRAPPED in a hellish dream again. This sucks! All because my idiot Dr. didn't get my Rx filled on time. I am calling first thing this morning, but at this point, I'm wondering if I even wanna continue taking this med. It was helping with the depression but if it's gonna send me to hell everytime I go to sleep, it's NOT worth it. I don't know what's wrong with this med or what it's doing to people's brains, but it is FREAKY!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

SO glad you got off of Viibryd and switched as I reccommended to everyone else. I had to take the initiative and tell my doctor I wanted a new SSRI after researching Sleep Paralysis for weeks and learning that SSRI's are the best treatment for SP. Viibryd is supposed to be an SSRI, but whatever it is, it's nothing like I have ever taken when it comes to an antidepressant. I want to be very clear, I wasn't getting SP due to withdrawals, I was getting SP as a SIDE EFFECT of taking 20mg of Viibryd.It started off as night terrors, then mild sleep paralysis with terror and feelings of evil. Then, I had what felt like a full blown OBE with sleep paralysis for about a minute or two and had had ENOUGH.

I switched directly to Citalopram (Celexa) and haven't had a SP episode since that next day. I was having about 7+ episodes a night after being on Viibryd for 4 months. If Viibryd works for you, fantastic. If you're one of the ones who gets SP as a side effect.. talk to your doctor NOW about switching.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I AM GOING TO PUT THIS IN CAPS.....BECAUSE IT'S THAT SERIOUS....BUT SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY MESSED UP WITH VIIBRYD! As I've commented before, I took Viibryd from Aug. '11 to early July '12. It took me several tries to get off of it. I did start to feel cranky (but heck, could have been PMS!) & went back on. Then in Dec. 2011 I tried to wean & I was standing in my son's room at his dresser & out of no where I felt like my brain was being pushed on my left side of my head (the side I always felt side effects on) & the room slanted to the right & I quickly sat down to think that I could have been knocked off my feet. That kept happening sporadically as I tried to cut back my doses, slowly. Then one night after not taking my dose at all, came the SP. Before that happened, I did have a dream about hell a week or so prior that was so upsetting that I don't even care to detail it out. The SP made me feel like I was having seizures...not sure what was going on, I missed my child's school function the next day :( (and the teacher rudely asked me where I was--little did she know I had a night of HELL) & I saw the Dr. Who has always been perplexed by the SP, because I guess he's never experienced it. After several mos. of more SP, and getting down to 20 mg., my Dr. made the BEST decision for me in my life & had me take Prozac (20 mg). is all, to get off the Viibryd. I took Prozac that 1st night, even though he said to wait until the next day. I was DONE with Viibryd. It greatly saddens me to think others are experiencing SP with Viibryd. Thankfully though, it didn't cause brain damage-- that I know of. LOL I took the Prozac on and off for a few weeks, didn't like how it killed my libido & have been off of Prozac too. Prozac isn't too bad of a SSRI, but there were a couple of days where I felt like something was in the water making me too subdued. Thankfully, someone else posted about taking another SSRI to get off of Viibryd. Which gave me hope. :) I do not know your level of depression, so please see the Dr. before you wean or stop Viibryd. Let me know if there is ever a lawsuit against Forest Lab. I AM IN!!!!!!!!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Oh I forgot to mention I'm only taking 20 mg of viibryd this whole time, it seemed to be helping well so my md never increased it. I tell you though this sp stuff is terrifying. I see the most disturbing images in my head. I seriously didn't even know I can imagine shut this horrific. It's also horrible bc I've started being able to moan and even managed to get out help me once. My 11yo daughter sleeps with me and it scares the crap out of her. The other night I was being strangled in my nightmare and she was still awake. She said I was gasping for air and she waked mee out of it and I came out coughing and couldn't breathe. I'm so scared that I'm not going to wake up one day. The stuff is scary. Then I also hAve constant falling dreams and when I hit the ground that's when a sound like a lightbulb goes off in my head and a light and I wake up. This just started about three weeks ago and has happened four times. I thought I was having a stroke or something, also been hallucinating when I wake from the nightmares. Seeing terrible s***. I really thought I may be going nuts. I typed in hallucinations and viibryd and found this thread. It's crazy this med is causing these symptoms in Others

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Yes, I have Terrible nightmares and I know I'm dreaming but I can't wake up. Then when I do I have hallucinations. They are very scary. I've been taking viibryd for about six months. It started about two months after. They have become more frequent. I also take remeron (a different antidtpressant) for sleep sometimes. I have nOticed if I take the remeron at night I don't have the hallucinations or nightmares/sleep paralysis. The images are so bad And also would be loud bang in my head that would wake me out of my sleep. It's creepy. I'm 34 and have taken many different antidepressants and no other has done these things but I didn't feel any of them helped with the depression except this one. I dk but it sure is scary/creepy

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

How are you doing? Sorry to hear about all the side effects. From personal experience, I'd avoid Viibryd. It took me 3-4 tries to wean off of it (due to side effects) which I've wrote in great detail here. My problem now is a constant jaw ache. I used to grind my teeth during childhood. And then never had problem until going on Viibryd. Except I didn't realize I was biting down constantly. I suddenly started having wicked nerve pain in my top left tooth. So thinking I needed a root canal, I saw the dentist. He couldn't find anything wrong with my teeth, except he said I am showing the compacted tooth wear from obviously clenching my teeth. I told him that I didn't think I was doing that, then he and I were talking, and he & I both caught myself doing it! Omg--embarrassing. I told him I had noticed a ridge that developed at the top of my eye tooth/left side. I can sort of think back now to perhaps the constant relaxed feeling that my back jaw felt while taking Viibryd, because I am wanting to bite down on something to relieve my jaw stress. (lol :o ....) seriously though, I'd like to squish my teeth and jaw into something soft and gel like. But thinking that might be like giving heroin to a heroin addict. I know it's a side effect of going OFF Viibryd because my dr. had me take Prozac to get off the vii & I at first blamed it on the prozac. I might try the cork in mouth trick (dr. oz mentioned to do that while in heavy traffic). Trying to avoid Prozac as it killed my sex drive & my husbands too! Weird. He is trying to stay off of Celexa, for that reason. We both take Wellbutrin though. He's on 150 and I take 300. Btw....sorry to change the subject on the previous post, but I wanted to mention that the few times I tried trazodone, I felt like I wasnt breathing in my sleep & kept waking up in a panic. Not sure if your dr. made the right choice in giving you vii w/ those other meds. Let us all know how you are doing!!! :)

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I took viibryd for the first time yesterday at lunch. Yes less than 24 hours ago. I went to bed last night after taking my sleeping meds. I take trazadone, ambien And vistril. I'm hallucinating!!! They want me to go to the er. I am only on 10mg. First time ever taking it!!! Never will I take it again! The hallucinations are so bad I jumped out of bed thinking I heard a dog bark and Mu door being knocked on!!!! I don't even have a dog. Just four cats. So my friendliest kitty is keeping me in check till I can call the dr. Wish me luck, send good thoughts or pray! Please!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Thank you for posting all that info! I had no idea that 'EHS' was documented! Like I've mentioned before, I began having them while weaning off 40 mg. of Vii (after only 4 mos. of being on the med). I had the mini explosions in my head and then the big one that felt like someone threw a soft ball at my forehead. Hopefully all that is long behind me. Yet, I feel badly for anyone going thru the particular side effects from Vii. I have spoken w/ my Dr. on several occassions about Vii & how I was told that Effexor is similar to Vii--per neurologist after I told her about pharmacy accidentally giving me Effexor years ago & all I could do was try to sleep it off, while having terror filled dreams & sensations. He said it is sort of similar. Similar enough! I DO NOT BELIEVE that Vii is an anti-depressant. It acts in different ways. Mainly because of the Buspar it is combined with. And again, as I've said before, I took Buspar off & on again for a year + (dr's suggestions) & never really knew what that drug did for me. Someone once commented on a Buspar blog that at their highest dose they felt like they could stand on top of a building & jump off & survive? Or it would be fun?! Who knows, but I never took anything more than 5-10 mg. 1 to maybe 2-3/x's day. Once I had taken 15 & felt weird. The drug made my lungs feel like they were surpressed & a bit lightheaded. But I do wonder if taking Buspar helped me want to exercise & stick with it. Ever since I started on Viibryd in 8/11, I stopped exercising. So long story short, that's what I have to say about Vii. Now....2 wks. ago my Dr. prescribed me 20 mg. of Prozac to put an end to SP. I've only skipped a few doses & later taking it...because I begin to 2nd guess my depression. I began to notice that w/o the Prozac my body was hurting & more sensitive when bumping into things. My pain tolerance was lower. Weird. So I guess when I was bumping into things & wanted to throw something & internally scream, that's when I figured I'd better stay on the Prozac. LOL My onc. thought I was very anxious at my last visit...I had been taking 150 mg. Wellbutrin for 1-2 weeks, & have since bumped it back up to 300 mg. (my usual). I am sleeping ok @ night, with help from 5mg. Ambien (or not...which is rare though). I have noticed my need for Xanax has vanished since on the Prozac for a continuous week. I've been taking the Wellbutrin in the am and then Prozac in the evening. Probably the best I can do. So have hope guys...it sounds like switching over to a true SSRI will STOP the nasty SP, etc. that comes with Viibryd. Viibryd comes with it's own electric shock therapy! Wouldn't that be something. It sounds like something our Gov't would do. ;) Prozac has that feeling like there's something in the water. LOL Maybe I mentioned before about the concentration camps. Oh meds....can't live with them, can't live w/o them! :O

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Exploding Head Syndrome
I know this is not SP but many have mentioned EHS versus SP and hope this helps. I'm new to EHS and SP (last 2 out of 3 nights with 7 or so episodes as I try to fall to sleep and yes, thought I was having mini TIAs) and have been on 40 mg of Viibryd, Adderall, Klonopin. Exploding head syndrome is a rare and relatively undocumented parasomnia event in which the subject experiences a loud bang in their head similar to a bomb exploding, a gun going off, a clash of cymbals or any other form of loud, indecipherable noise that seems to originate from inside the head (mine is loud electrical buzzing). Contrary to the name, exploding head syndrome has no elements of pain, swelling or any other physical trait associated with it. They may be perceived as having bright flashes of light accompanying them, or result in shortness of breath, though this is likely caused by the increased heart rate of the subject after experiencing it. It most often occurs just before deep sleep, and sometimes upon coming out of deep sleep.

Attacks can increase or decrease with time, and can disappear for long stretches at a time, or entirely, of their own volition. Subjects often feel fear or distress after the incident.

People over the age of 50 are most likely to experience exploding head syndrome. Women are at a higher rate of experiencing it than men. It has been reported in people as young as 10 years old.

Exploding head syndrome is thought to be highly connected with stress and extreme fatigue in most individuals. What actually causes the sensation in individuals is still unknown, though speculation of possible sources includes minor seizures affecting the temporal lobe, or sudden shifts in middle ear components.

As exploding head syndrome is not dangerous, and does not have a drastic effect on sleep, many individuals do seek help for their symptoms. It will first be necessary to consult with a doctor regarding your sleep and medical history to ensure that what the individual is experiencing is actually exploding head syndrome and not something else. Similar experiences have been known to be brought on by certain medications or drugs.

One medication that has been used to treat exploding head syndrome is clomipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant.

If stress is causing the episodes, it is advised to either seek to clear the problem. This could include reading, yoga, relaxing music or a hot bath before bed. These steps have also demonstrated to have positive effects in achieving quality sleep in general.

If the disturbances are the result of sleep deprivation, it is recommended to institute a more balanced routine that includes a minimum of 6 hours of sleep per night. If sleep deprivation is being caused by other sleep related disorders, these should be evaluated.

Wiki has a better write up:
wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_head_syndrome

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

is

i am happy to report no more SP - i have been sleeping on my stomach or side and being careful not to watch violent programming on TV before sleep - my dreams have been vivid but not too crazy or violent - i am continuing on 40 mg. of viibryd/day and have had good results w/ no wild mood swings - i am able to have kinda recurring dreams recently which is kind of interesting - i have been able to take kind of like mini naps in the afternoon that give me brief and sometimes profound glimpses into my subconscious - i would not wish SP on my worst enemy - I hope any of your who have episodes out there - please do any ritualistic thing at bedtime you need to do to calm your mind and put yourself into a peaceful frame of mind - pamper yourself and your body and let go of any anxiety , problems, or concerns until you can deal with them in the morning - godspeed-

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I just started week 4 of this drug. Week 1 was horrible, week 2 I felt numb. Week 3 I felt great. Last night, first day of week 4? I feel horrible. I can't sleep, but I don't feel energized. I feel exhausted. I experienced a night terror last night which was pretty bad as I was already having trouble sleeping. This made me want to stay awake.

I was having a nightmare that someone was trying to break in. My room suddenly looked huge, the window had a silhouette of someone trying to break down the window with a chain saw. I was paralyzed, and I was crying for help. Somehow I managed to break free from it but I was terrified to fall back asleep.

Going to see the doc. soon. This cannot me good for me.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

YES! ROARING in my ears! I wasn't sure on how to describe that. How strange is it that someone else has experienced this too!? I never felt like I was going crazy, because I knew it was all from Vii. The roaring sound hit me several weeks ago just before the SP was kicking in. It's like this intense feeling in your ears, maybe like what one would feel if being sucked down a swimming pool drain. Uncomfortable and sudden, over and over again and MADE my FACE flinch! The more I thought about it, after it first started, the more would roar into my ears, deafening me for a moment. It began to happen another time after that recently, but I did my best to make it go away. I feel like one can never tell which side effects will hit (or timing), but maybe having white noise or music on all night would help? WTH is wrong with this med? I did see my Dr. last week & he was perplexed about my complaints about Vii. I guess until you experience the awful side effects, it's tough to relate to. He did suggest I take Prozac to nip Vii's side effects in the bud. So after a week + of taking about 15-20 mg. of Vii, I successfully switched to 20 mg. of Prozac for the past 3 days. But then I was starting to feel numb from the Prozac & so I didn't take the Prozac today. Confident that I'll sleep well tonight. Praying so!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I didn't read all of the posts above but I wanted to share my experience. I have been on antidepressants of one type or another for over 20 years. Vibryyd messed me up! Hallucinations, sleep paralysis, roaring in my ears while falling asleep all led me to start feeling like I was going crazy. I had such a tough time getting onto the med (got really sick) that I was scared that getting off it would be worse. I was on it for 6 months. The first month or two I felt really positive effects on my depression but after that- it was terrible. Something is messed up with this drug. It was terrifying! Good luck!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I said this earlier, but I highly reccommend to you that you switch from Viibryd to another SSRI. I've had 2 straight nights without SP since switching to Celexa. I went from 20mg of Vii to 20mg of Celexa and I think it's getting rid of the SP. Good luck, guys.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I should add that yes, cuddling with my dog while going to sleep DID keep SP away a few mos. ago. The problem is though, that one never knows when it's a SP night. And my dog doesn't always want to sleep next to me while I hold HIM down (lol) just so I can avoid my SP. Woof.

Also, don't look up IMAGES of Sleep Paralysis on google, because that's probably how the 'creature' that I somewhat saw/envisioned came to mind to begin with. You just don't want to see that. It's like scary movies. They can haunt you for years if for not a lifetime. My husband and I still joke about the movie Event Horizon. We hadn't even met when that movie was released & we both have stories of being freaked out. There's another movie that was released in about 2000 about a serial killer & his altar ego? creature self....he's tall....standing on a stage?....and then the horses...& images of them being spliced like MRI images. WTF. LOL I do not watch scary movies or commercials, if I can help it. Gosh, I am such a wimp. :P But then again, it just feels like maturity....or age!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I thought I was out of the woods from SP. Last night I took my (approx. 15 mg) Vii much later than I normally would, I also took a generic Zyrtec for my recurrent head to toe itching/allergies!?, & because it was so late, I didn't want to take my frequent dose of 'almost' 5 mg. of Ambien & instead took a .25 Xanax to help calm my immune system faster, because the itching/allergy problem was revving histamines thru-out my body. I was laying in bed feeling wide eyed for quite a while. Then, obviously on my empty stomach, the Vii began working. Sometimes I can just feel it. It's almost like my blood feels a little carbonated for a few seconds. Hard to explain. Maybe it comes from more of a stomach feeling. I can't put my finger on it. (I will share though that since I cut back to the 20 mg. or less of Vii, my stomach isn't as bloated anymore, but the constipation issues did come back--Vii used to act as a nice 'regulator' for me, but I did gain 30+ lbs. on Vii!) So about the time I was feeling dozy, I also started to feel like my body was turning into cement & began to panic even before I knew it was SP, that I was dying! Now I don't know how much this has to do with my being aware that my cancer, while in remission, might come back & that's how I might spend my final days, but the hardened feeling of my body & feeling like I couldn't breathe, became very upsetting for me. I was in a downward spiral that I couldn't get myself out of. For every min. of going in and out of 'now', what I was realizing as a form of SP (exaccerbated by the Zyrtec & Xanax combo---guys, don't do this....as they both cause sleepiness) it just kept on feeling worse and worse. I was hanging onto a thread for my life, just enough to stay mentally awake, but not alert, awake enough to try to keep my respirations normal (they probably were, but Vii induced SP was playing tricks with my mind) & when I finally could, I began grabbing, pinching, scratching, yelling out.....for my husband to "HELP ME........HELP ME.......HELP ME" over and over again. He said he did feel me squeeze his arms & speak out & that he did try to gently wake me. But it wasn't enough for me. I was still a prisoner of SP, while I could feel him stroking my back. If this happens again, I am going to force him to get me out of bed and stick me in a warm shower (even cold would be more delightful that SP) in order to truly break the SP cycle. How our mind & body breaks thru that cycle of sleep & then we are able to sleep, one will never know. How do we avoid SP? What are the tricks? Because from everything I've understood about SP is that it occurs more during REM sleep...a deeper sleep. So does SP happen to everyone immediately with sleep? I do not know how to 'sleep' tonight. I feel like I don't have much of a choice & I'll be waiting until Mon. am to take the 'new' 10 mg. of Vii. Because I am in the final stretch of weaning. Praying the SP stays away tonight & that the left side of my head vibrations & brain PoPs/explosions stay away! I'll keep you posted! I also see my Vii prescribing Dr. Mon. I'll let you know what he has to say about other's Vii side effects! MY WARNING TO ALL IS THAT IT'S A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THIS DRUG IS TAKEN OFF OF THE MARKET & I WOULD AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS! I personally am not one that has issues with side effects from meds. Vii has hit me like a ton of bricks w/ the SP. But of course, during the day, I wouldn't know that I am on an anti-depressant. That's why people like it. But it seemed to only work the first couple of months. I had felt a great surge of energy & my libido was fine. Then it was a slow onset of weight gain & just feeling like I wasn't on an anti-depressant. All it did for me was make me feel CONTENT. Which is good, but I NEVER FELT HAPPY. I only felt some surges of happiness when cutting down to 20 mg. Once the horrible side effects went away (on my 3rd attempt at weaning) other than the SP. It baffles me that the head explosion feelings would go away. And it worries me too. Did certain parts of my brain fizzle out from the med? Is my brain forever damaged to how I react to positive stimuli? Will I feel blah forever? I am not one to feel blah, but admittedly, I do. I do wake up depressed every morning. Even my 300 mg. of Wellbutrin that in the early months used to make me want to wake up and sing a tune (lol) went away. So within the past week, I had went to 150 mg. of WB. I am convinced that I need a huge break from all meds. I keep a close eye on my irritability issues (mainly from PMS), which Vii did seem to CURE completely & just take the horribly addictive Xanax to help me relax. I am ADD & have OCD tendancies. If my OCD 'fears' start revving up to the point that I can't focus & feel awful several times a day, then I will need to be on some sort of SSRI. Any suggestions? I had someone recommend Klonopin? to me recently, but the side effects sound awful. I feel I only suffer from social anxiety in highly stimulating environments. When there is too much going on to focus. I literally will have a hard time HEARING people or FOCUSING on what I need to be focusing on. Just writing this makes me laugh. Many years ago I tried Ritalin for a few days & wasn't prepared for the side effects. Interestingly enough, the makers of Wellbutrin have had to eat a huge lawsuit because WB was advertised to help with weight loss, libido, cravings, & focus. Well guess what....it does. For me anyway! WB is my Ritalin! On that note....again, I'll keep you posted on 'everything!' Please do the same! Together we can all successfully wean from Vii!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I hate hearing all of your stories because I know exactly what you're going through! This medicine turned my life upside down and I'm soo glad that I decided to wean myself off of it! I've been sleeping like a baby since getting off of vii! Also, I had started losing tons of hair on this med and finally that has stopped. I definitely would never recommend this med to anyone!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hello everyone.. I just wanted to post my experience with SP and Viibryd in hopes that it may help others. I have experienced SP before, once in a GREAT while (maybe a few times per year) but since starting Viibryd I have had SP occurances increase dramatically. I started Vii about 4 months ago with no problems except increased depression at night. About 2 weeks ago, nightmares and night terrors began which eventually turned into Sleep Paralysis. Since then, every night it seems the SP gets worse. With the exception of a couple of nights, I have had SP every night up to 10 or so times a night as I am trying to fall asleep. I would say the episodes are spread over about 2 or so hours as I am going to sleep. I read that anti-depressants are a very successful treatment option for those who suffer from recurrant sleep paralysis. This had me confused. Wasn't Viibryd ALREADY an SSRI? Puzzled, I did some research. Seeing as Viibryd is still very new, and it also acts as a medication such as BuSpar, maybe it's different then the rest of the SSRIs. After all, I've been on just about every other kind of SSRI for depression/anxiety and I have never had this happen before. I decided to switch to a different SSRI. I asked my doctor and he switched me back to Citalopram (Celexa). I know that anti-depressants can drastically reduce or even eliminate SP because I read this on several different articles. I took 20mg of Celexa at 8pm last night instead of my Viibryd and guess what? NO SP. I woke up so happy I could cry. I literally hugged my bed and said "I love you again!" I really hope that the SP reduces or completely stops now. I am starting to get more confident that Viibryd is to blame for my recent SP problem. It was so awful.. terrifying.. exhausting.. DEPRESSING. Please, it's worth a try to ask your doc to switch you to Celexa or Prozac, since especially Prozac is specifically mentioned to treat cataplexy and sleep paralysis. Good luck, guys! If you like, you can email me.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I have done a lot of research on this drug all over the internet for the last week because it's been the absolute wo...

2 REPLIES

After reading the post sleep paralysis w hallucinations I felt omgosh Iam not the only one, also scared to be on this me...

6 REPLIES

I only missed my dose by a few hours. I lied down to go to bed and it was like I was tripping on hallucinogens. Everythi...

2 REPLIES

I just need to know if itis safe going to sleep when im hallucinatin of a teva 74. I just took half of pill ## Hello, Jo...

1 REPLY

I've been on Lunesta 3 mg for about a week now. The bad taste is Horrible (!), but twice now I've had what I thi...

2 REPLIES

I took only 3 of my script. The first night it was like I was sleeping in cotton candy. Night, I was paralyzed physicall...

5 REPLIES

my son was on vyvanse for a year his doc raised his dose he started hearing voices and we lowered the dose. he was off t...

37 REPLIES

How frequent are hallucinations while taking lexapro? Has anyone experienced this side effect? I am taking lexapro for a...

2 REPLIES

Hello. My mother (77 yrs old) has been prescribed Ecosprin AV 75, Hosit and Calcium. She's been having it regularly ...

1 REPLY

been on simvastatin for about 12 years during that time have had nightmares sleep problems and the most awful episodes t...

1 REPLY