Viibryd Has Anyone Else Had A Positive Experience? (Top voted first)

I am starting to get a little nervous with all the negative feedback in this forum. I was on Cymbalta for a couple of years, but when my doctor increased the dosage I started gaining a lot of weight. He decided to put me on Viibryd. I just finished my trial pack and feel like I have much more energy and can get up earlier in the morning. I feel more focused on things and I feel like my libido is finally working again. The only thing that has happened negatively is the last two days I have been under a lot of stress and have been crying. But I don’t quite know if it is the medication because I may have just had a couple of bad days. I just increased to 40mg today. I am hoping to feel even better. I have not been as hungry since I started the medication so I was surprised to see that other people said that they gained weight on the medication. Has anyone else had a positive experience on this?

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I have been on Viibryd since October 2012. I did the prescribed dosage progression, but found that 40mgs was too much for me, so I've been on 30 mgs for a couple of months.

I think my husband said it best. He said the reason you only see predominantly negative comments online is because the people who are getting positive results are feeling good and living life and not wasting time posting on internet forums! He's got a good point!

Hope this helps!

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Hi,

I love this med...it took some time to get used to dreams and stuff, but it has totally changed my life. I didn't have many of the side effects as some you have seen on here. If you look on the thread with the most replies, I have my journey all through it.

Don't get scared of other's having problems if you aren't.

Glad you are doing well!!!!

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I actually feel so much better than I have in a long time. I just started 40mg two days ago, but feel so much more clearheaded and have so much more energy. I am starting to get things done that I have been procrastinating on. I haven’t been as hungry, so I am hoping to drop some weight. I’ve been very happy with Viibryd so far.

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ABSOLUTLY. i started 40 mg a few days ago. so in 2 and a half weeks its like i woke up from a dead sleep. i suffer with major depressive disorder ten years in now .best medication i have ever been on. 0 side effects for me. i was not eating due to anxiety and depr. and gaining wieght. now i can eat and im losing wieght. i feel present in my life again.as far as tears i have them to when stressed but i feel like its good i have a range of emotions now and it is ok to be sad and cry.better than not feeling anything at all and crying.

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I started the starter pack, for PPD and now I am almost finished with the last week, 40 mg. I have felt fantastic, esp during the 20 mg week. Now it seems to have leveled off, I have noticed decrease in appitite, and more energy. I still have some intrusive thoughts that I had had before I started this med( welbutrin was my antidepressant before viibryd. ) they have passed quickly, the intrusive thoughts are usually brought on by the News or when people post abuse things on facebook, I get to thinking about them, and usually worry as to why a person would do such awful things. Mostly its about children. I used to cry and cry when I would see these. Now they pass quickly, and I feel somewhat better. If they start to get worse, then I will be sure to have my doctor reevaluatte the med dosage. I have has some digestive discomfort, but nothing severe. I have been sleeping, and have not had any nightmares, except vivid dreams. No sexual side effects thus far, and night sweats have decressed since taking this med. I take a combo of welbutrin and Viibryd. I will be sure to post more as I continue this Med.

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catinacat

I take Viibryd and Wellbutrin....

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My doctor put me on Viibryd a year and a half ago. It was the first time taking an antidepressant and it gave me my life back!! I am 'me' again!! I started with 10 mg for a week then went up to 20mg. He wanted me to remain at 20mg because most people can't handle 40 mg...it's too strong. I had side effects such as dizziness, nausea, insomnia, etc. BUT, for me, the side effects were worth dealing with. The side effects gradually got better and were completely gone by 2 months. Once the viibryd leveled off in my system (after a few months) the Dr added Buproprion (generic Wellbutrin). I'm currently on 20mg Viibryd and 450mg ForFiv0 (buproprion). I feel better then I have in 20 years!!

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There are many including me that love it....you just have to get through the first couple of months if you are having side effects.

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I just started Viibryd a week ago. I have suffered form depression most of my life and been on numerous meds. Like you, I am getting nervous reading all of these negative comments about this drug. Especially the weight gain. The only thing I have noticed so far is some nausea. Other than that I guess it is too early to tell. I just went to this from Pristiq as it was no longer helping. I too wish there were more positive feedback regarding this new med. I have a high profile job and can't afford wild side effects.

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I have been taking viibryd for appx. six months now. It is the best medication I have taken. It helps me to be sociable. And not be nervous around people. No negetive side effects. I don't know how I lived without this med. for over 50 yrs. It is truly my life saver.

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I have been on a number of antidepressants for years, the last and best one... Prozac. I tried Viibryd about 5 weeks ago. I am very pleased with the results. Im more active, social, anxiety is almost gone, and no sexual side effects. I have had no GI upset or any number of other side effects reported. I think the majority of folks read the side effects and expect them. This is the best antidepressant I've ever been on. I'm extremely pleased with the results.

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I started on theviibryd starter pack over a month ago for anxeity.10mg for 7 days then 20mg for 7 days. Then the 40 mg. After being on the 40 mg for about 10 days I started to feel very anxious and out of sorts, a little nausea too. I took 4 more pills and continued not feeling well. I decided to cut the pills in half and go back to 20mg dose. The very next day I feel good again. It is helping cope very well now after 3 days back on 20mg. My Dr. called me about another matter and I told her about it. She says well stay at 20 for a little while then try to go back up to 40. I think i'll just stay at 20mg. My body rejected the 40mg this time and I just think its way too strong for me. I tried effexor before the viibrid and 7 hours after taking it, I developed a severe headache with nausea and then vomiting. My pupils were also dialated from it. I won't take those ever again.

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I started Viibryd about 17 days ago. First 10 mgs for two weeks, then 20 mgs. I am continually spaced out, now dizzy after 4 days at 20 mgs. Tummy upset all the time. I weigh 102 lbs....does weight have any influence on how much medication to take? I am concerned about increasing the dosage as prescribed in the near future. Also, I am currently unemployed with no insurance! Is there a way to receive samples or a severe discount somehow?

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I have only been on viibryd for a week now. I already feel better. I have been on Latuda 40mg, Klonopin 2.5mg, trazadone 100mg and vyvanse 40mg for about a year but about 3 weeks ago my depression and and panic attacks got out of control. I have a high stress job and things got so bad I almost quit. I was constantly down and worried about everything. It was awful to live with. I could hardly get out of bed. I didn't shower or shave for days at a time. I begged my Dr for something that would help me quickly because I really didn't think I could survive a month of waiting for something to work. She put me on the starter pack. In a few days my worries and depression are all but gone. I have not panicked in days. I have stopped cutting myself and just have an all around feeling of well being. Will be starting 20mg tomorrow and I can't wait to get to work and see what the day has in store for me!

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Are you still on it how long did it take to work please let me know

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Stop using facebook... or at least avoid those posts. I would even consider unsubscribing to the senders of the posts.

You have control here.

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Short background:
40-something female with a long history of mild depression as well as 2 major depressive episodes. I took Effexor (Venlafaxine) for almost 3 years. It offered a little relief and pulled me out of the major episode. Recently slid into another fairly major episode although I was still on Effexor. Doc suggested that I taper off of Effexor and try Viibryd. By the 3rd day at 10mg I could tell a difference. 15 days in and now at 20mg which I take in the morning. This med has helped me more than ANY I have taken in the past 20 years. I won't be moving up to 40mg unless absolutely necessary at some point.

Viibryd Pros for me:
Depression virtually gone.
"Brain fog" from Fibromyalgia greatly reduced. Not completely gone but definitely improved.
Improvement in energy level. Not to the level I'd like but as someone who lives with Fibro/Chronic Fatigue I'll take what I can get.
More recall of dreams. I see this as a plus because they aren't nightmares.
Slight increase in libido.

Viibryd Cons for me:
HAS to be taken with food so I have to force myself to eat a few bites of breakfast. While having breakfast is good for everyone, it's something I have to make myself do. I can live with it though.
Slight headaches, which are annoying but certainly not debilitating like the migraines I deal with on a regular basis.

As this point, I consider this to be a very positive experience and my hope is that it continues.

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Hi There, I wanted to respond and share with you my experience. It was both positive and negative.

I was on viibryd for a year and a 1/2. At 1st this was a miracle drug for me because while I was on it, my ex was very argumentative and me not being one to back down, I would argue back. Viibryd helped me control my anger and respond better to situations that made me uncomfortable; like walk away when I would normally fight back or let things slide that would normally put me into a "rant and rave" mode. So for me this drug was a god send. I was happier because of it.

Now mind you, I was already a dreamer...so the dream side effects didn't bother me until later on when they became more vivid and more frequent that I felt like when it was time to go to sleep, I wasn't sure if I was actually going to get rest or if I going to be coming up with some other new awesome sci-fi movie idea. LOL! Also the restless leg syndrome got worse and worse as time went on.

So I'd say for the 1st 6-8 months, this drug was wonderful for me. I did not gain weight, I had a handle on my emotions, I was sleeping fine and I was up to 40MG for probably 5 of those 8 months until I quit and I thought everything was going well but the longer I took it, the more prominent the side effects became.

So I believe that viibryd is ok for short term, but the long term effects would make my future self tell my past self NOT to take this if I had the chance to travel back in time. The withdrawal symptoms are the worst even when you miss ONE dose by a few hours. I gained 20lbs in the last 4 months on this drug as well WHILE I was doing lite work outs 2-3 times per week, no change in my diet during this time as well.

Every drug works differently for everyone so you should monitor your symptoms closely and if you have a good relationship with your prescribing doctor... communicate, communicate, communicate. If they are working for you great, but if you are experiencing any of the side effects, definitely talk to your dr. about weaning you off because this drug, you just CANNOT stop cold turkey. I hope this helps.

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Hi Nannyforthethree,

You are not alone! My muscle wasting came after Vii. I saw a rheum. & he said I have sjrofens, lupus, or some RA...but my bloodwork came back neg. for those tests. My C-reactive protein & SED rate are high. I also feel like Vii screwed me up & has added to my PTSD from the nightmares, Sleep paralysis memories, & the horrifying discontinuation symptoms I experienced off & on for many mos. as I just couldn't get off vii until the 6th try? When the Dr. gave me Prozac. That was my miracle for finally getting off the devils drug, as you coined it. :)

How are you feeling now?

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YES! Try it!! I've been on Viibryd for just under a year. I've tried everything under the sun for many years. Combos of everything. This is the first one to have any real impact. I went from being unable to face the simplest things to being able to work on getting a job. I couldn't even contemplate that for the last 15 years. The only side effect I've ever had was a mild stomach upset when I took it with my Wellbutrin. I spread them out by 10 minutes and nothing happens. I haven't even done that in a long time and no problems. So it could be something else. You do have to take it for awhile to feel the full effect. You start out with 10 mg, increase to 20 mg then finally 40 mg. It's one of many that have to be increased during a month. Which is why you can't expect results right away. Mine was by 2 months there was some improvement. By four months it was obvious it was working. By six, we were finally convinced it would continue to work, and for the first time in 15 years I can have a life. I do take a combination of medications which include a higher dose (400mg) of Lamotrigine for mood stabilizer effect. We considered cutting that down, but it was obvious that was not an option. I've been on that for about 6 years now. It does work, for sure. I also take 300 mg of Wellbutrin, which is a long time one for me. Now Viibryd. BTW, I take if for Severe/Major depression. Now down to mild depression unless a trigger happens, then it can go to moderate.. That's happened twice this year, but subsided very quickly. Even then it's only moderate. Which after so many years of Major, it's walk in the park. I hope everyone that is like I was or even way better off than I was, will try it when the Dr suggests it. Or ask for it if you are Moderate or Major/Severe depression. We opted to try other combos before doing Viibryd because it's so expensive. Take it for at least 4 months, 6 months before you consider giving up on it. It could also It could literally save your life. It will at least give you a life. Work through any side effects you may get if possible. Tell you doctor and see if there is anything to help that if necessary. It's worth every penny to me. I'm sure it is and would be to many others You can get a discount card from your Dr along with your first month of medication. Sample. The discount card gives you up to $50 off the regular price. If they don't have it you can call the manufacturer and they will give you or send a card to you. It lasts for at least a year. Then you just get another one. Thank goodness for that. I pay the 105 (after discount) willingly. Not happily. But it is not just wanted it's absolutely needed. If you're in such serious circumstances as I was you should definitely try it. Ofen they are paired with other meds to work together for the main goal. They're not trying to over medicate you by doing that. I've heard many say they would rather not take meds and live with what they have. I don't think they've ever been at the bottom for a long time with nothing that works or they wouldn't say that. Try it. Give it an honest 6 months before you consider not taking it any longer.

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