Viibryd Nightmares (Page 3)

HI I am on Viibryd for 4 months now and i have these terrible horrific nightmares that i am dyng or sufficating a kind of sleep parasis and it happens a few times a night to where I am aware this drug is causing it. However it happens maybe once a week or once every otherweek so should i just stay on 20 mg i decided to bring it down and go on prozac but i want to make sure i am making the rght dec w doctor of course. I have been on cymbalta 2 years and ristiq 2 years prior and they were terrible to get off i notice that if i am 2 hours late for viibryd i have a night of hell with the nightmares. Does anyone else? Is viibryd going to be a nightmare to get off im very nervous. ;/

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Actually Google Viibryd and nightmares. From what I've read it isn't uncommon while on Viibryd

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Wow! Battle Medic hit it right on the nose for me! I am awake now because of TERRIFYING and VIVID dreams. I have been on Viibryd for about 6 months. Overall, my mood is stable and I feel like myself again. Months ago, I had one of these night terrors. It was the most terrifying night if my life. I also was reduced to praying for my soul because of demon like beings. I have had the "wave" you describe in my brain and it is not bad. I just had my second completely terrifying dream. I felt paralyzed and unable to wake myself enough to stop the nightmare. I am so "out of sorts" over these 2 experiences I do not want to go back to sleep. I have felt good on this medicine but, I knew if I had one more of these nightmares, I would not be okay with continuing it. I will be asking my doctor to help me taper off of it altogether. These night terrors and feeling of sleep paralysis are more than I care to deal with. I am grateful you took the time to talk about your experience because it has helped me to know someone else "gets it". It's almost too much to be able to explain to others, you did that very well! I am afraid to go back to sleep! Thank you for helping me know I am most likely not losing my mind!

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Hi ... So sorry to hear that you are another witness to Viibryd's demons! (To put it nicely). All we can do is continue to speak out at this point.

I know a lot of info is out there, so I just wanted to say again what my Dr. prescribed to get me off of Viibryd. It was Prozac. I had gotten down to about 15 mg...by trimming down the pill & he prescribed 20 mg. of Prozac. I wasn't thrilled to try it, but it was my only hope. Vii is short acting. Pro is long acting. I took the Prozac that nite, rather than taking another Vii & waiting until AM to take the Prozac. I couldn't withstand any more sleep paralysis. It worked! i haven't had it since!!!!

And the pro takes a while (weeks for some) to work, but I felt like "something was in the water" right away & I no longer had any Vii discontinuation symptoms. I at one time felt like I was hit in the forehead w/ a baseball while napping in a recliner (on Vii). I was tortured physically & mentally on Vii.

Prozac is easy to wean off of. For most. I didn't have any problems. But went back on it for the dep/anx & it just eventually became obvious that it wasn't working for me.

And that's about all on my life on Vii. I was about at the 6 mo. mark when things got awful for me too.

Def. see your Dr!!! ASAP!!! And read the comments under Viibryd & Sleep Paralysis!

Good luck!!! You'll get thru it. There are coping techniques mentioned in the other section mentioned above. Like don't sleep on your back & hold a dog ? while you sleep! If you have one!

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I've been on 40mg Viibryd for about 6 months now. I did experience all those symptoms -- terrifying nightmares, insomnia, etc -- when I was weaning into it and even beyond. But with a lot of experimentation, I've stabilized myself so that I don't have those side-effects anymore.

Here's what works for me:
1. Always take it at the same time of the day. RELIGIOUSLY. Even an hour late can have side-effects.
2. Always take it in the MORNING. Viibryd tends to make me a little hyper for the first few hours after taking it, and taking it at night is a disaster for sleep and nightmares.
3. Always take with food. I usually take it just after breakfast. It can upset the stomach sometimes otherwise.
4. Try your darnedest to NOT sit on your butt for the first few hours after taking it. No, you don't have to run a marathon, but getting up and moving around every half hour or so really helps work off that initial buzz. For me, it can be as simple as doing a few loads of laundry, taking a walk, or cleaning a room in the house. But if I just sit there in front of my computer, I.... don't feel right. Restless and icky.
5. Yeah, the afternoon sleepies do hit, but try your best not to succumb to a nap. Drink coffee, tea, go for a vigorous walk.... whatever. Taking a nap is a recipe for screwing up nighttime sleep and will usually bring on nightmares. If the fatigue is overwhelming, try to make it a 'cat-nap' only. Don't lay down but try to just nod off for a few minutes in a chair with the TV on. It will keep you from going too deep.

I really love my Viibryd. It had done wonders for my mood and energy level; I finally feel 'normal' again. With a little experimenting, I think folks can find a good balance to minimize or eliminate the side-effects.

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Absolutely. Hmmm... I am usually better at realizing where my symptoms originate. Never put these together. Nightmares are regular as well as the following morning issues. I am realizing that this has caused a fear of sleep these days. I do not think I can wean off. 40's to 20 for five days and I'm ready to release that nasty beast of "mddication." I am supplementing with herbal meds which are working pretty well as I have cut back. No use for these terrible chemicals and symptoms which accompany them any longer. I am going to take my turkey cold this time. Lol.

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I too have these nightmares, where you can't wake up, even though you try. It only happens when I forget to take it at night, take it too late, or without food. Other than that I feel great on it

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Yes, that's called Sleep Paralysis. Everyone has this while sleeping, so we don't act out our dreams & hurt ourselves. But for some reason, which I hope Forest Labs is figuring out, their Viibryd is causing many to immediately fall into 'SP' & it can be a seemingly never ending cycle dozens of times for 1-2 hrs. By then, most have been raped, smothered by demons, burned, pinched, feeling cocooned/unable to move, you hear yourself scream, but it's only in your head, and the visual & auditory hallucinations are also terrifying.

I was taking 300xl of Wellbutrin while on Viibryd. No one told me not to. WELL....after feeling so dull on Prozac for mos. I started Cymbalta. Continued to gain more weight, & only felt the benefits from back pain relief & it works perfectly for GAD. But makes me too tired during the day too. So I tried cutting back. I've read the Cymbalta horror stories w/ weaning. So...after not being able to wean, I got so fed up w/ feeling tired all the time & took a 150 Wellbutrin for a couple of days. I felt a little loopy, so stopped. Weeks later, fed up with fatigue & took an old 300 XL of Wellbutrin. I was fine the 1st day. Didn't notice side effects. After the 2nd dose though, I was trying to nap & all of a sudden in my dreaming, I woke up to a blinding ORANGE light and my head jerked forward so fast, involuntarily, and I felt and watched a huge ball of orange light explode, which felt like my whole brain.

So there you have it folks. I don't recommend mixing Wellbutrin w/ any SNRI, as they already work in Dopamine, I haven't taken WB since & have cut down to about 20mg. of Cymbalta/nite along w/ taking a 20 mg. of Prozac EOD. So far, feeling good. Xanax too, as needed.

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I've been on viibryd for about a month, when i got to my first week of 40 mg within 4 days a began having these crazy scary nightmares! My first one I was being suffocated by my blankets and I couldn't move or get away. Shortly after that falling back asleep I was drowning someone with no face wearing white was drowning me... When I woke up I was so freaked out! I was breathing fast and couldn't go back to sleep.... After talking to my doctor she told me to go down to 20 mg which I was fine on the first time its been 4 days...I've dreamed of dark angles flying around a dark sky and green lightening flashing.... Wake up short of breath feeling frozen....my husband woke me up the other night asking me why I was crying I didn't know I was until I felt my face. I knee I had dreamed I was in the fetal position and I was floating and there was something lurking around I couldn't see just candles.... I couldn't move I couldn't breathe! Tonight I feel asleep for like an hour on the couch and dreamed I was hiding had mouth and demons were looking for me.... I tried to call out realizing I had no mouth.... Looking to run and there were so many hands trying to grab me... My husband woke me up and told me I was scaring our 5 year old....he told me it was like I was trying to scream but I made just a soft sound and was kicking around... I feel out of it at times during the day unrested, light headed, head aches, on edge or moody at times very sensitive one minute then shortly after snappy or shut down. I've never had side effects like this before! I've been on lexapro, effexor xl , and I'm on wellbutrin cl right now... I want to just stop taking viibryd these nightmares feel and are so terrifying :( my husband has notice too that im at times moody, sad, snappy, zoned out extremely tired

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i have been taking viibryd for about three months now and the nightmares that i am having are intolerable. I wake up terrified and am scared to go back to sleep. in my dreams i am aware that i am dreaming and try to wake my self up but am unsuccessful . i feel like i am going insane. i get trapped in my nightmares with no choice but to live them until i somehow wake up.

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I would love to know what u decided to do? I love the better mood and it's so hard to give that up but the horrid nightmare like u described makes me so scared to sleep that I've just decided to wing myself off the medication. All I've had so far is the sample pack so it's a strong drug! I've been taking 10mg so I'm thinking every other night and then every three night, then every four nights till it runs out.

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Omg.....I have been on the Viibyrd for a month and I just started (2 days) and I'm having demonic dreams. Very graphic and disturbing I'm afraid to fall asleep. Snakes, Knives, murders, guns just to name a few disturbing things. I will call my doc asap.

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Last night was the first night I dealt with the fear of going to sleep, the brain jolts and loud noises in my ears. It was also the first night I found this forum. I was finally able to go to sleep after eating and taking klonapin. After reading some great ideas I tried taking it earlier today with food. I then slept the majority of the day.... I'm already ready to go back to bed for the night, I still want to give the viibyrd a few more months, I've tried so many meds I'm not sure what I could afford to try next, as it is I can't afford viibryd...thanks for the advice given out there, its good to know you're not alone :)

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I also have had very vivid dreams on Viibryd. I've been a vivid dreamer my whole life, but these are something else! A couple times, I have had dreams within dreams within dreams -- and then I realize (while asleep, within the dream!) that I'm three levels down and could be incepted at any moment! And I wake up, terrified. Lol! In general my dreams feel like action movies, and even when they are scary, they're more like horror novels than nightmares - they're not about me, just something I'm watching happen in my brain? If that makes sense? Anyway, I used to kinda of like the dreams, but I recently went back on Adderall and now the dreams are even more tiring and restless. I'd like to just sleep all night for once.

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned visions, sounds, and falling/spinning sensations before sleeping. These aren't anything to worry about, they aren't crazy. I've had them my whole life. I think they just go along with being a vivid dreamer.

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I have been taking for over a year now and also had insane nightmares in first few months of starting, but the nightmares do subside. This drug has helped me so much, I just kept taking and eventually the side effects do go away. It has really changed my life . I am taking for anxiety.

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The sleep paralysis & nightmares started for me after 4-6 mos. and were not letting up. If Forest Lab came fwd & put a warning on this med about SP, seizures, exploding head syndrome, demonic dreams, etc. and said that in x amt. of cases, these symptoms went away after 12? mos. of continued treatment, then maybe some would consider sticking it out. But for many, the horrible memories made by this drug are enough to wean off & wait for a legal suit (per state).

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I just started taking this medicine 12 days ago. I had not taken any prior anti-depressant meds. The 10 mg doseage was fine, but the 20 mg doseage started making me have scary, obsessive thoughts like falling down stairs. At night, when i close my eyes I see monsters and demons that are suffocating me. My skin crawls like an acid trip and I have a bad headache for days. Im done:(

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Omg,
I experienced the same Nellz. It was literally like I was in a hellish nightmare! !! Please know that it'll only get worse. I wish I could leave my personal email for you.

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I have just had a dream like that. I am terrified to go back to sleep. The demon not only hurt me but my children and possessed my husband who in turn came after me. I kept crying out and couldnt wake up... i usually take it at around 5-6pm with dinner. Tonight i missed it and took it as soon as i remembered at 1:30am... i just woke up my husband with a blood curdling scream, i had tears streaming down my face couldnt catch my breath and it took me a while to realize i wasnt asleep anymore. On top of these horrible nightmares i also get the part where if im in a nightmare its hard to tell if im awake or still sleeping!
I will never miss another dose, this was awful!

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Please don't miss another dose. I had to stop taking it. The demonic dreams were enough for me...I hope this helps you...
Is this your first time experiencing the dreams?
What dose are you taking?

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For me no they have been going on for a month or so but its not all the time. I am on 40mg and have been on it since March. Last nights was just the worst.

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