Viibryd And Severe Joint Pain

I was on viibryd for a year and a half. Soon after starting the medication (40 mg) I started having aches and pains in my joints but I didn't think anything of it because I had recently had ankle surgery and attributed some of the discomfort from that. As the pain in my joints spread I became more concerned as I have Crohn's disease and there is arthritis that is related to Crohn's disease. So as the pain and inflammation increased I went to see my GI DR. and he felt it was Crohn's Arthritis and started me on Humira. Well this didn't help and the joint pain and inflammation continued to progressively get worse. So I was referred by my primary to a Rheumotologist and was started on heavy doses of Prednisone still with the diagnosis of Crohn's arthritis. This brings me up to 1 year on viibryd. At this point the inflammation was literally in every joint in my body including the bottom and top of my feet and palms of my hands and forearms. My hands and elbows and shoulders and knees and neck and ankles and feet I mean literally everywhere. I was now switched to Cimzia a stronger immunosuppressant and was still taking steroids and using Vicodin for pain and Trazadone to help with sleep. I again continued to get worse with no end in sight. I had to quit my job as I could barely walk and holding things in my hands was excruciating. I then went to see a specialist in Crohns Arthritis as this is still the dx. He had no idea what was going on but he felt it was not the Crohns disease like everyone else did. He ran every test that had already been done and more. He asked me to give him some time to review info and come up with something to help me. Well what he came back with was a true shock to me. He felt my pain for the past 1 and half years was caused by the anti depressant viibryd. He felt I should come off of this with my primary doctors assistance and see how things went from there. I did this and slowly things have gotten better it has been 6 weeks now completely off meds and I feel about 80% better. I have had a couple of relapses with my hands and some on my feet and elbows but I feel so much better. I was able to stop the immunosuppressants and cut way back on my pain meds and prednisone. I know it was the Viibryd that caused this and I am so glad after suffering for so long that the doctor was able to figure this out. I was so hopeless at one point I literally thought about suicide cause the pain was so horrible. I now have hope and know that in time I will be better. If anyone else has experienced this please let me know. I highly suggest that this med not be taken. I want to add that the pain is absolutely excruciating that the swelling is horrible and it literally effects absolutely every avenue of your life. I have literally spent thousands of dollars on medication and doctors and tests! I haven't been able to work and doing things with my family has been limited. I wish there was someway to get the drug company to answer for this!!

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Hello, Christine! How are you feeling? I am very sorry about what you've been through and I sincerely thank you for posting this to warn others that may find themselves in the same situation.

Unfortunately, there is no way to make the drug company accountable, sadly enough. As long as they weren't deliberately trying to hide that fact that this could happen to someone, regardless of how rarely it may occur, they are considered to have done nothing wrong.

Learn more Viibryd details here.

I had a very similar experience when taking Morphine for pain management, over a period of several years, I never realized that the analgesic that was supposed to help, was actually causing joint inflammation that was making things worse. It turns out that it's a very rare side effect that most people aren't aware of…..and just like you, after I stopped taking it things gradually started to improve, though it did take quite awhile.

Has anyone else experienced such a problem with Viibryd?

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Christine, Our stories are very similar. I had (right) ankle surgery July and Oct of 2012. This followed up with a month of physical therapy. A new family doctor put me on Viibryd 40mg - the last part of November 2012. Everything was fine at first. I finished my physical therapy in early January of 2013. I was somewhat sore in the ankle area for a couple of months. It improved and I was thrilled. Around the end of March 2012, I started to have a bad ache in my right hip extending to down my outer thigh and often hurting in the groin area. I figured it was just my body healing some more. It continued, and it got worse. Again, I thought I was just healing. So I put off seeing a doctor until Oct. 2013, she thought I may need further therapy. She did not think it was caused by my previous broken ankle, but said it appeared to be coming from my hip. I was sent that day to have Xrays taken of my hip. It showed nothing broken or out of place. Some arthritis, but normal for a 62 year old male. The next step... back to a 3 week round of physical therapy which did not help the pain. The therapist suggested I return to my family doctor. I did. I had an MRI done on
Dec 15th 2013. Again, it was inconclusive. No breaks or nothing out of line or obvious.. As it stands now, I am being sent to an orthopedist Jan 14th, 2014. The pain is still there. It is so hard to get up and get moving. I feel like an 80 year old man some days. Before this, I was very active and had no pains at all. At night, I now toss and turn constantly - because my upper leg, above the knee, throbs like a toothache. I sometimes have to literally pick up my right leg to get it moved in the bed so I can turn over. I pray this is caused by the Viibryd 40 mg. I take daily. Was glad to see that someone had a very similar problem that I am having. I will let you know what I find out next. Please keep me informed. Dan

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Yes Verwon. I posted a letter to Christine. Hoping it will appear shortly.

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Thank you for sharing Dan. Good luck and let me know how things go for you.

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Hi Dan-

Do you have an update from last year regarding your pain issues? Did you stop the Viibryd? Have your pain issues subsided?

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i found out I was D deficient and started taking 4000 D3/day and my aches subsided about 3 weeks after starting the D. I highly suggest everyone get their D tested before stopping their meds.

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Hi Dan- can you update is on your pain? In April 2015 I reported my pain had subsided after taking Vit D3 (I was found to be deficient). It's now Sept 2015 & I've been having body aches again for a month. My shoulders & hips mainly. Elbows occasionally too. X-ray of tailbone was fine. Seeing a Rheumatoligist. Preliminary bloodwork negative for arthritis (I'm 44). ANA negative. CRT & SED rate slightly elevated (blood test markets for inflammation) but I am overweight & that can contribute to inflammation.

I've been on Viibryd since Jan 2015. I only take 10mg bc that worked. Rheumatology does not think its neurological (I've feared MS). Never had these pains before Viibryd and the only other med I take is a BP med (Lotrel), which I've taken for 7 yrs.

Hope you'll respond or maybe someone else w/a similar experience that improved.

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Re: Verwon (# 1)

What?? Are you serious? How many drug companies do you know of that hasn't got a back up to get off? This stuff is a painful nightmare!!

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I am so glad I found this post. Things just "clicked" for me. I suffer from major depression. I've tried almost every medication known to man. Different combinations, off label, ECT, EMDR, thr list goes on and on. Now, I do seem to have odd reactions to quite a few medications. Like the side effects that .00001% of the trial people have. A common one I have is the urinary retention with a TON of medications. I never had this problem, only on like percocet or vocodin and I found that out the hard way after having babies and ending up in the ER and getting sent home with a catheter, no one knowing really why I couldn't pee, just that I couldn't. In the past year I have probably tried 10 medications. All different issues, quite a few the urinary retention. I was so excited when i found the savings card for 12 months of the viibryd for $15/mo as my Insurance won't cover it. I was excited when I started taking it and I didn't seem to have many side effects.at first I could pee! I wasn't waking up covered in sweat, no migranes. Ya, I had the severe diarrhea (severe!) And the constant nausea. Oh God, it was worse than morning sickness back in the day. I thought, maybe this is a tricky way to help me with my weight loss goals. From the 50lbs that Seroquil strapped to my body when I tried that one. Thst was at 20 MG. I upped to 40mg and I had the weirdest side effect.. my breasts hurt like I was nursing a newborn all day every day. I kept thinking other reasons that could be happening, not the viibryd. Then I started my period back up. I have an IUD in and have t bleed for as long as I can remember. Anyway, I backed down to 20mg to see if that was the case, and it was. A few days later it felt better. Stayed on the 20mg though. Little by little though I was noticing my joints starting to hurt. Again, at first I didn't put 2 and 2 together.. I thought maybe inwas holding my phone too much and my hands were hurting from that. Then I blamed it on my weight, I just recently moved, so I blamed it on the constant packing, unpacking, etc.

It was so bad I would cry washing dishes, changing laundry, walking, my feet would kill, my knees, I thought it was the way I was sitting but today at work I was unable to hold a pen and even write. I can't do anything for myself right now. I.havent seen many instances that viibryd is linked to joint pain but am here to totally 100% announce its real..im.stoppping the med and I hope it clears up because I have a lot to do and this is excruciating

If you have any questions comment and I will respond

But keep an eye out, my friends, it's a real side effect.

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