Viibryd Side Effects (Page 4) (Top voted first)

What if any side effects are people experiencing on viibryd

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Jane we call those Brain Zaps and I was getting them frequently and so strong I thought it would short circuit my brain and kill me. After I stopped taking Viibryd the brain zaps continued for nearly 3 weeks but did diminish in how strong they were, I to found it extremely scary. I consider Viibryd an extremely dangerous drug. I was on it for 5.5 months at 40mg and had to stop it over night without weaning off because I thought I was going to die. And I am not exaggerating.

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i have had depression all my life.im 55. 22 is wen i started meds. panic, social, major,u name it they said i had it. pills,ect,hospitals,5 x trying to kill myself. i hate it ihate it so bad,,,,,it waits for u everywere. its like a plauge. i have 2 wonderful boys i love so much. all i do is hurt them. who could possibly understand this plauge.its not fair. and it never gives up.. im in a class i was impatient at christx. tried to bail out again.never fn works.young people in this class well they stuck me in the rong rm.because the 1 girl said,,,if i keep taking my meds allmonth will i b better......i about s***...no honey u ll never get better...we all should live on our planet called the land of doom...but enough of that,, i am so piss off at this viibryd crap,,, how many times do we have to b there guiny PIGS,,,,,I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN SO MUCH PAIN GETTING OFF SOMETHING IN MY WHOLE LIFE.how about u.my back my elbow my hips i CRY EVERYDAY because of this pain im in. and my stupid shrink tells me he cant give me any pain pills. O EXCUSE ME what are zanx valium colonipin adavan shall i go on. who gives a s*** after taking all that wonderful stuff. im so done with people doing this to us, this has screwed my whole life up i can hardly stand up this pain better go away. it willb4 days tomorrow im off of them. i went 40 20 10 weekly thats what the man said but im still crying and still in much pain..

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I could barely walk as well, I stopped Viibryd immediately when it got that bad and slowly I started walking normal again. Doctors are not always right, infact many times they are guessing and your the guinea pig. Stop the Viibryd and you will get better, find other solutions for depression.BBE

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I am looking for answers of why I am so much unlike myself for almost a year now. I have major depression with suicidal idealization with a hospitalization in 2006. Antidepressants usually quit working for me after a year or two, I have used everything on the market. I was estatic when a new med, Viibryd, hit the market last year. However, I have had a huge personality change over the past year and I feel like I have aged 20 years physically. I never put 2 + 2 together till I started searching info on Viibryd today. I have to ask myself, is it just time to move on to another medication or has THIS MEDICATION really messed me up. Although I always seem to find less joy in life than most people, I have become a hateful person! I can't stand being around family and friends. Everything and Everyone irritates me to the point of me being rude and reclusive. My poor pets have gone through hell; yelling and screaming at them constantly. My husband and sister avoid me like the plague. I have heart disease and when I get symptoms I avoid seeking help hoping that I will die from a heart attack. To be honest, I have no idea what a "brain zap" is, which I have read alot about in these posts. But, I sweat CONSTANTLY, can't sleep because of feeling feverish (which I am not), energy is GONE. I am 54 years old and my 77 year old father and 87 year old father in law are more active than I am. I have an old back injury (25 years) that flares up from time to time, usually easily managed with a couple of Chiropractic visits. However, I have now had a flare up that started in Nov of 2011 and I am still having issues in May of 2013. I wish there was a medication that I could take long term to help my major depression that didn't have all this other side effect issues. ....... In fact, I had a suicide attempt several months ago while on Viibryd, so I have to ask myself, why am I still on this!

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I had the same zaps and nightmares. At first it was when I missed a pill, then it happened even when I took the pill. I had to go off of the viibryd. I think it shouldn't be on the market. I'm soooo happy to be off of it.

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hmm,,,,wondering who would think my post wasn't helpful. Maybe a drug company who wants to keep poisoning the trustful, unsuspecting people like us who have our bodies and minds altered by these horrible drugs that should be off the market?!

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Don't be too hard on yourself; it's not you right now. This is the pill aka the poison and it;s unfortunately taking over your body and mind. I know first hand and I couldn't control my rage and irritability no matter what I tried. I wanted to just run away from myself but as you know, that's not possible. Things will get better in time. I know it seems very bleak right now and that you have lost all sense of who you once were but it WILL come back once this sh*t is out of your system. Just ask your family to be a little patient a little longer and maybe ask them to read these multiple posts. It just might help. Have faith for there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Lori

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coming off of any anti-depressant cold turkey is dangerous. Even though I was hospitalized with serotonin toxicity from the Viibryd, I had to first cut the dosage in half..from 40 to 20 and then the next week down to ten and the next week to 5mgs for a few days and then stop. Coming off of psychotropic meds can be just as dangerous as taking them. (that is what anti-depressant are) They have tried so many different ones on me and the results has always been the development of more pain in my joints, nightmares, and headaches, but the Viibryd was the first one to cause serotonin toxicity. I am taking a pure form of 5HTP now and starting to feel better.

Unfortunately, the doctors don't read or have time to actually read or research in depth the dangerous side effects of these drugs.

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I wonder why you even looked up this site; if your concider most ppl that post here to be insane in sharing their experiences, you would do well to avoid the site. I, like the majority of posters, had sever side effects from this medication. I have been dealing with depression for about 30 years, taken every antidepressant on the market at some point, even repeated some meds after a long break, and NOTHING made me feel as bad as Vibryd did! When I stopped this medication after 10 months, it was like climbing out of a black hole that was WORSE than my chronic major depression.

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I'm sorry you've had such a tough time, Alexandria. Surely many of us also battling depression can relate to that. My frustration with these forums and feedback websites is that so many post opinions as fact. Consider these examples from your recent responses:

"Anyone taking them can find at least one or two side effects that they can identify with from taking these types of drugs."
Not true. I've and two of my friends have compared notes on several antidepressants. At least three presented no side effects for any of us - Welbutrin, Lexapro, and Cymbalta.

"5htp...the pure kind you can find on line from Jigsaw Health is a safer organic anti-depressant than any drug doctor can prescribe."
As mentioned before, 5fhp has a warning list of side effects as long or longer than many commonly prescribed AD's.


"Too all those that are taking it..it almost killed me with serotonin poisoning..it is also being investigated into ties to cancerous tumors in the stomach."

To be fair, the serotonin syndrome was listed as a possible side effect in the literature from the manufacturer, so it's one of those things you must have taken into consideration before starting the drug. It is a listed side effect of MOST SNRI's and SSRI's! It could just as easily have happened with St. John's Wort from your local nutrition store. Consider this from RXList -

"The development of a potentially life-threatening serotonin syndrome has been reported with SNRIs and SSRIs, including VIIBRYD, alone but particularly with concomitant use of other serotonergic drugs (including triptans, tricyclic antidepressants, fentanyl, lithium, tramadol, tryptophan, buspirone, and St. John's Wort) and with drugs that impair metabolism of serotonin (in particular, MAOIs, both those intended to treat psychiatric disorders and also others, such as linezolid and intravenous methylene blue).

As to the claim of Viibryd being investigated as a carcinogen, here were the results of the study (It took 5.5x the dose to see an increase in mice) :

"Carcinogenicity studies were conducted in which B6C3F1mice and Wistar rats were given oral doses of vilazodone up to 135 and 150 mg/kg/day, respectively, for 2 years. These doses are approximately 16.5 and 36 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) of 40 mg, respectively, on a mg/m² basis.

In mice, the incidence of hepatocellular carcinomas was increased in males at 16.5 times the MRHD; this finding was not observed at 5.5 times the MRHD. The incidence of malignant mammary gland tumors was numerically increased in females at 5.5 and 16.5 times the MRHD, with statistical significance at 16.5 the MHRD; this finding was not observed at 1.8 times the MRHD. Elevated prolactin levels were observed in a 2-week study of vilazodone administered at 5.5 and 33 times the MRHD. Increases in prolactin levels are known to cause mammary tumors in rodents.

In the rat study, vilazodone was not carcinogenic in males or females at doses up to 36 times the MRHD."

And finally, I would be curious which AD's work without side effects. I have found no research that such a medication or supplement exists.

"I will never take ant-depressants again..they are dangerous and there are organic alternatives that work without side effects.

So my point in all of this is not to deny that people have side effects from AD's. I got so depressed from an MAOI that it made me almost suicidal. That's a pretty bad side effect. But I can only report my reaction... not make sweeping generalizations about all things related to anti-depressant drugs. My opinion is not fact. What clobbered me could be a life saver for you.

Best of luck to you and everyone going forward in trying to manage this. It's tough.

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I was put on Vii for depression. I had similar side effects; restless leg, constant bathroom runs, trouble sleeping. But one truly scared me. I'm not sure if it is caused by the medicine but it never happened before I took this. I was on the couch and heard a strange noise, a mix between rushing air/water and a buzzing noise. There was bright electrical flashes combined with "brain zaps". I remember asking my husband what was going on and my brain suddenly felt like I was...electrocuted. My teeth slammed together, my body jerked violently (I was only vaguely aware of it) and I went tense for what seemed like a long time. These episodes happened several times always proceeded by the noise and "brain zaps". I have been off this medicine for half a year now but I still continue to have these "brain zaps". Again, this has never happened before taking this medication. Has anyone else experienced something similar?

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I've been on this drug several months and the longer I 'm on it the worse all the symptoms get! Last night I dreampt all night and I am worn out! I too wake up seeing dark figures moving around in our bedroom. Then they stop and stare at me. I have the aching joints. Feel like I am developing arthritis. I have constant diarreha. I shock myself at the degree of anger I am capable of! Not my normal demeanor at all! Experiencing paranoia. My memory is deteriorating at an alarming rate! My mouth tastes like it does when you have bad breath all the time. When I don't take it on time in the morning I start yawning and can barely stay awake. Then if I take it later I can't sleep at night. If I don't take it I have very detailed emotional dreams. If I wake up and go back to sleep they start right where I left off. I have wakened my husband kicking my feet on the mattress or making enough noise to wake him up. I am right back where I started as far as the depression and anxiety goes plus I now have all these other things wrong. I feel like it is disconnecting me from my old self. It started off with a bang-I thought I'd found the best solution to my problems with depression. Almost felt like taking Speed. I should have known better-it was too good to be true! I will be calling my doctor tomorrow to get off this drug! Thank you all for sharing your experiences! I thought I was going crazy and you all validated it was this 'devil' drug!

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That's what this drug did to me. I will literally terrorized by it...I was hospitalized with severe depression after going off this crap and when my doctor started talking about medications I just lost it...it scared me to death. I have NEVER been afraid to take medication.....worst experience ever. This stuff should be removed from the market.

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The drug company certainly does not list the side effects people are having from this drug. The FDA would have never let them release it.

Does anyone know other webites that are talking about this?

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Karrie and Scooter (and anyone else interested),
Here's a quick follow up to a post I wrote in November that may be helpful to you if the Viibryd quits working as it did for me. I was one of those that experienced only annoying side effects from the medication and nothing long term. But it did lose its efficacy after several months, and the stomach discomfort became bothersome.

After a lot of research, I found that some doctors were prescribing ADHD medications for depression patients. I don't have a great deal of ADHD symptoms, but I was intriqued with many of the similarities in how many patients described the depressive part of the condition on various forums and how I personally felt. My psychiatrist was willing to give it a try.

I started with a low dose of Concerta, and the effects were immediate. Unbelievable, really. Since that time, she has changed me to Focalin (comparable dosage) which is a similar drug but has a different release cycle. The depression is gone. Let me repeat that: After more than 15 years of trying nearly everything, the depression is gone! I'm still getting no negative side effects. And best of all, this is a drug that I can stop at anytime. If I just want to relax on a Sunday, I don't take it that morning - no problem. My life isn't perfect, but I am 100x more functional... and that makes me happy.

Best of luck.

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I have taken Viibryd for six months now 40 mg. The stuff is GREAT for my depression, but the brain zaps are out of control. I now can not sleep because I am afraid of the zaps. They are now starting to happen during the day. Had MRIs and multiple specialist visits who told me nothing , but that I was healthy. Then I started to research and found these groups. I am now weaning off of Viibryd and this has been a living hell. Warning research any drug before you blindly take it. Do not trust that your Dr. Knows everything about the drug they are about to give you.

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Reduced Viibryrd from the 20mg to 10mg and feel so much better. Have energy, been painting several rooms. Knee joint pain went completely away.

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I swear this is the meds of the devil

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I too have experienced this sleep paralysis to the point of it even happening while I am completely awake. I never had an episode of sleep paralysis in my life prior to taking viibryd. I've noticed I'd have more frequent visits of sleep paralysis when I took the meds inconsistently. If you're going to remain on the medication take it as soon as you wake up and relatively at a similar time. I am 24 years old and have had joint pain ever since being prescribed viibryd. I quit taking it about two years ago. The night terrors were too unbearable. Either it made me completely schizophrenic or I was really seeing those shadows at night when I was paralyzed. I still to this day do not know. I haven't seen them since about 3 months after stopping viibryd. Look I hate bible bumpers .. and I'm not really a religious person.. But the only way those night terrors would go away was if I prayed and told them I was not afraid. I don't know if this is just some mind over matter crazy psychological phenomenon, or perhaps the medication just made me turn into a total headcase while I was on it... I know I may be a rare case and everyone is affected differently, but if I had to give advice from my experience: I would say get off the medication as soon as possible and stick to conventional SSRIs or perhaps nothing at all (certainly a better option than the things I've experienced on viibryd). Regardless, under any circumstance, DO NOT quit viibryd cold turkey, and talk to your doctor about how to taper off safely. I quit cold turkey and at one point had to be admitted to the ER with a blood pressure of 81/62, and my whole body had uncontrollable tremors. I know this sounds quite dramatic, but nevertheless it is completely true. I wouldn't give this drug to my worst enemy, and I still sleep with a nightlight next to me even two years later in fear of those things I saw on viibryd.

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Kristene, Go to a behavioral nurse practitioner or a psychiatrist who will give you free samples of Vybriid

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