Sleep Paralysis W/ Hallucinations (Page 3) (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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Unbelievable!!! How is this happening!? One story after another here. And with your story, I do remember during one of the 1st SP attacks after being on 40 mg. for 5? mos. I too felt like I was raped. I've joked around before about Viibryd having some sort of Viagra component. 'That' only lasted the initial 30 days on the med. though. But there is something really 'off' w/ this medication that it is affecting our brains enough to put us into a trance & then into a horrific sensory overload. The more stories I read here, the more concerned I get. What if there is long term damage? I am still very new to anti-depressant med. I was put on Zoloft 4 yrs. ago. I never had major issues. Then I tried Prozac for a few weeks & was too sleepy. I am so thankful that I haven't had the brain explosion sensations or dizziness while only taking 20 mg. But yesterday & today I felt my jaw do a weird twisty turn motion that hurt! And my jaw still hurts. Different subject, but w/ side effects, I think I was clenching my jaw on Viibryd & didn't realize it. I began having tooth pain, saw the dentist, he noted it was from clenching my jaw. A few of my teeth have ridges that developed within the past year, which is damage from clenching! My recommendation to everyone is to start weaning really slowly off this medication. And avoid Effexor, because I guess it's similar? (per neurologist). My neurologist did say I could take up to 4 (.25) Xanax while weaning off Viibryd, but the most I've taken is 2. I hate that I need medication. :( My ADD is worse since going down to 150 mg. of Wellbutrin. Feeling so unfocused lately. So back to SP. At what point do we speak up & let Forest Lab. know our SP symptoms?

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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.

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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!

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if you have never been on any anti deppressive medication before you should not have been started with this. i have maintained illness with anti depressants for 10 yrs . i am at a place of major depression i have been off any treatment for 2 yrs and have tryed several antidep. in the past few months without effect and now am willing to give this drug a try.but out of experience no matter what the drug if your treating the right symptoms it wont work. and no body not even your psych knows your chemical make up. i am so tired and hopeful that this will work for me but bottom line do nt give up.

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I am almost speechless to express the horror Viibryd put me through. And I thank God that others have voiced similar experiences on this forum. I thought I was alone in this. The doctor prescribed Vii after having been on Zoloft for several years. Evil spirits came and went from my bedroom during the night. I had totally lucid conversations with some of them, some posed as deceased relatives, some posed as angels. I was molested. At times I could feel one, or several push themselves into my body. I would do everything I could to push them out, while in an extremely lucid dream, like in an "Alice in Wonderland" state. Once I was whacked in the head with a piece of wood. I saw it coming and I felt it as if it were real. I heard the "crack" when it hit my head. I flew up out of the bed. On more than one occasion there were what I can only call "hell flies" in the room. They sounded like amplified flying gnats that flew right into my ear, again and again, so loudly that I would scream. I prayed so hard... Such a f* incomparable nightmare. I saw evil spirits literally fly in the window and take the form of a person right before my eyes. One night I thought I was either having a seizure or passing away, with a loud buzzing sound filling my head, unreal. Every night I felt as if I was in a trance state that I couldn't snap out of, experiencing demonic s* that could never happen to a normal brain. It even overflowed into the day. I was constantly zoning out and hearing voices. I felt like people from hell were surrounding me at times. I was convinced I was dying. I just knew it. I also felt that at times during the night my breathing was being deliberately cut off. I would gasp for air, fall back asleep and it would happen again. I frequently took Diazepam to sleep. My doctor said there was no way it could be the Vii causing such symptoms, so he added Abilify as an antipsychotic, without even lowering the dosage of the Vii. Finally, I went to a therapist who promised me it was the Vii, and to wean down immediately. She called the psychiatrist, who still disagreed. I went completely off of it over a 2 week period. The withdrawal was awful. I went on a high dosage of 5-HTP at the same time to put something as close to my own serotonin as possible into circulation, which I still take. I'm 99% better, but have a degree of PTSD just from taking that medication! Viibryd needs to be off the market entirely. There is literally no redeeming quality whatsoever that could justify the possible side effects. Seriously, even if it cured some fatal disease, a person would rather be dead than suffer from hell flowing into their brain.

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No rudeness intended..

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yes weaning has been difficult, my brain felt too weird without any at all, like really strange sensation in my brain i cant even describe it, so now am back on 20mg daily and doing ok. no depression on this dose.

the sleep paralysis and nightmares - its really a crazy side effect, not to sound like a nut job but it really feels like you're in contact with some truly evil other dimension when you have the horrible hellish nightmares!

anyway, dont want to give anyone a false sense of security, but all of those side effects did go away after about 6 months. to be honest i'd rather have occoasional contact with the gates of hell than have gained all this bloody weight!!!

any advice on weaning? i don't really want to start another drug if possible.

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My new medicine is making me crazy!! I have been taking Viibyrd for about three weeks. First of all I accidentally forgot a dose, it's hard to explain the feeling, unless you have experienced it yourself. My 'brain' felt wonky. I was having trouble focusing, like the world around me was moving but my eyes couldn't keep up. I was emotional, irritable, and normally I am a pretty passive person. Easy come easy go right?? Well not that day, but I haven't missed a dose since. Last night, however, scared the living crap out of me. I was laying in bed, at that stage where you can feel your self drift off... then I started hearing laughter. At this point I am thinking what the hell, I'm tired not in the mood for a midnight laugh-fest. So as I am about to elbow my husband and tell him to go back to sleep all the ambient noise from my house felt like it got vacuumed into my ears and stopped (imagine Ghostbusters, and that Proton Pack, my ears were the Proton Pack) then I heard the evilest demonic laughter I can not put to words how deafening loud it was. I opened my eyes and I start chasing shadows around the room. Anyone who has been in my apartment can verify that even in the day my bedroom is pitch black, so what light source is casting shadows??? I was so scared, I got up and checked on my kids, lol, and as soon as I was up on my feet the shadows and laughter stopped. Anyway, my point is my medicine is the only thing that has changed in my recent life and I'm 100% sure that is the cause of this freakout. I really hate explaining all of this to the doctor, I feel insane confessing this to you. I am wondering is this only the beginning or if I tough it out will it get better? I can't tell if it is working on my depression. There is no 'happy pill' I am not going to get a cure to be a bright and shiny happy soul. I am in this monotone state always, I still worry obsessively but that's got no cure either. I just don't know what to do. There is more to life than feeling oppressed by yourself. Anyone that may still be reading this have any advise for me, I would greatly appreciate it.

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So glad you're doing better OP! But I'd like to add that I have LOTS of experience with antidepressants, and Viibryd is the only one that I have ever experienced this with. Same goes for almost everyone else out there, including everyone I've personally spoken to. In fact, Celexa and Prozac seem to cure SP altogether. Look it up! It's true :)

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I told my doctor exactly what it did to me. He had me on 40mg at the time. The exact same things happened to me too, with the addition of sleep paralysis.
He bumped my dosage to only 20mg and I have never felt better. I've been on the 20mg for 2 months now and have experienced absolutely NO side effects. Which completely blows my mind because the 40's were an absolute living hell.
I have depression and severe anxiety.

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My advice to you is to read Mimi's post again & see if she sounds supportive.

I am here to share support to all those who visit this board (one of many) because they are terrified. And Prozac is an instant solution to stop the SP. And, lol, Prozac doesn't make most people feel 'wonderful' like you are stating the Viibryd does for you.

And my God....if you've had brain explosions & SP since a child, is it really a good idea to be on this med? Your brain, your call. Guess I am lucky to say that I've only experienced the SP on Viibryd.

Do you really want to promote such a scary drug?

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??? Is,

Why are you so dead set on pushing Viibryd on people when the SP, Hellish like nightmares, auditory hallucinations, wave like sensations thru one side of the brain, seizures, & brain explosions (more than a 'zap')..... are what too many are complaining about.

Everyone else....I will continue to speak the truth about Viibryd. :).

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Hi everyone! I just want to add that I've been doing a lot more research on other's experiences on Viibryd & it's just one demonic nightmare story after another. As you can see, unfortunately there have been some words exchanged with someone who lurks on this particular thread because she believes she can stroke our foreheads & convince us to continue on Viibryd & be optimistic! Not her exact words, but you get the idea. Mimi was heartless & I am wondering if she works for Forest Labs. Btw, watch the movie Side Effects. Interesting movie regarding drug co, etc. And just to clarify, I was successful w/ switching to Prozac to get off of Viibryd, but hate the Prozac. It does what it is supposed to do, but kills the libido. Lol. I remember all too well the burst of energy I had when starting Viibryd. And so now I realize that I was not communicating w/ 'Is'...but with Viibryd. Viibryd is a mind control med. like no one has ever seen. That's why there are so many stories of fear & impending doom when missing a dose, & --exact words from others-- and also the feelings of wanting to get off the drug immediately, because no human being should have to endure brain wave sensations, hearing gun shots & feeling them in the brain....or getting smothered by demonic creatures. :( I will never forget or forgive Forest Labs. And here is a post, copied & pasted from another Viibryd forum on here. This guy is a paramedic. His story is exactly like mine.

Viibry Nightmares - Battle Medic

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Thanks for your reply. That's what I was thinking, that you had said you were doing great on the Prozac. And then I thought if you had meant split the dose, then maybe by taking both, Prozac & Viibryd, that the Prozac would prevent SP & boost libido. :) I hate taking the Prozac. It's never a good feeling knowing that it's going to just make my mood FLAT. But I worry less & don't wake up with panic attacked, thanks to my cancer past. I'll have to google this.

As a side note, I've never posted about a medication before or cared to follow posts. But I went thru so much hell with the Viibryd side effects that I still feel the need to find out why those particular side effects are happening. I personally feel that everyone will have SP & night terrors on Viibryd. And I guess until I hear from Dr's that this med. has this common side effect, then I'll continue on supporting others.

It makes me sad what Mimi to Most wrote. I don't follow positive Viibryd posts & share my story. So it took me by surprise to hear of people downplaying many people's horrific stories, by stating that people are predisposed to SP?! How is anyone to know that. I think for many, we've never had SP before or the other really strong side effects.

And I mean STRONG debilitating side effects.

So how many people follow theses posts, but have moved on from Viibryd? Do you feel compelled to help others too?

: ). Thank God for this site....or we'd all think we were all alone!

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I have to disagree. Not everyone will experience SP on Viibryd. It's like any other medication. Some people respond well, and some people don't. I am no longer on Viibryd because it caused severe SP. Prozac stopped the SP because it is an SSRI and SSRI's help regulate sleep cycles. When someone is getting SP upon falling asleep, they are going into REM sleep too soon. SSRI's inhibit REM sleep in most people.

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I'm very curious as to how many of you are experiencing the SP as you are falling asleep, and how many are waking up from hours of sleep and then experiencing SP. It will really help my research if you all can tell me :)

Also, before taking Viibryd, did you experience SP more than a few times per month in the past?

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I am concerned that this forum is dominated by some judgemental posts, and that I fear posting my experiences here because of some quite judgemental and rude sounding replies. It is unfortunate that this space has become something of a war ground. We should all be able to talk freely, positively or negatively about our own experiences without fear of being judged by strangers over the internet. I would encourage others who feel that they are being attacked on this forum to report abusive posts so that they may be monitored in future.

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I experienced it when falling asleep and I never in my life had it happen before and never again since going off. Most terrifying 3 months ever.

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Is,
I am following a low carb, high protein diet and it seems to be doing the trick. I also completely cut caffeine after 10 a.m. So I have my morning cup of coffee with a high protein breakfast and one more cup if coffee and the quit caffeine for the day.

I mention the exercise because it is helping with sleep which has always been an issue for me. I have always walked in the evenings, but I added some intense cardio and weight training and its like it is "wearing me out!" So, when bed time is hear, I am tired from the activity of my body instead of the mental exhaustion that I normally have.

Sorry it took so long to respond. I didn't feel like I was being at all abusive but some folks took it that way, so I stayed away. I'm just not very touchy so it's hard for me to realize that someone may feel "abused" by my brutal honesty.

Anyhow, I think with the proper combination of medicine, good diet and exercise, Viibryd is a good fit for me. Clearly, it won't be a good for for everyone, it's not a one size fits all therapy for sure!

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Ha....well forget about going off my Wellbutrin. I know that is why I was so sick this weekend. Dy daughter always gets mad at me when I do this....oh back on it and feel soooooo much better! Wellbutrin and Viibryd seem to be the magic for be....course I do take .5mg of Xanax.

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