Viibryd Working Great For Me

Updated

There's so many scary posts written here that I just wanted to share my own experience so that those considering Viibryd know it can be a positive benefit. My wife of 20 years let me know that she wanted to leave me, I dealt with it fine for a while but then went into deep depression and had severe anxiety that prevented me from sleeping for 4 days. My doctor prescribed Viibryd for my "situational depression". It took 3 days to kick in, but once it did I started feeling much more like my old self. I was still feeling depression, but able to handle it. After 7 days I went up to 20 mg per the regular schedule and wow, I feel like my old self, but even better! I'm more positive than I've been in a long time, find it easier to laugh, and am no doubt much more pleasant to be around. My doc said that most people that go to 40 mg complain that it's too much and go back to 20 mg. Certainly for me 20 mg is doing the trick, I feel no need to bump it up at all. Hopefully in a couple of months when my wife moves out and I get settled into my "new normal" life I can ease off of it, but for now it's making life much more easier and pleasant to handle. As far as side effects, I've had trouble sleeping which could be the depression. The doc prescribed something else for that but said after a couple of weeks on the Viibryd I probably won't need it anymore. I also had some diarrhea early on, but that seems to have stopped. I take the pill in the evening so that if I have stomach problems I can deal with it at home. I also make sure to eat something whenever I take a pill. That's it, very few problems and lots of positive benefit for me, just finished my 2nd week on it.

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1

Just took my first dose today and my anxiety is on a pretty high level right now. Ibam reading these forums
and most seem negative. I feel like I just should not read them at all. But I know all of our chemistries are different. I just hope my experience is as positive as yours seems to be.

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2

It's been 6 months and I'm still on it. I went into a nasty bit of depression and my doc bumped me up to 40 mg, but I had some really bad diarrhea and went back down to 20 mg after a few days. A couple of months later I was still feeling great so reduced down to 10 mg. Eventually I reduced that down to 5 mg and for now am still taking the 5 mg and still feel great.

When I mentioned having trouble sleeping, it turned out that was because I was taking it at night. I moved it to taking it in the mornings and never had trouble sleeping after that. It really took about 4 weeks before my mood completely stabilized and I quit having the on-and-off stomach problems, so give it time to work. I remember thinking after a few days that it wasn't working and I wanted to quit taking it, but I'm glad I didn't. It really got me through a very difficult time in my life.

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3

@Frank Wright,

Thank you for sharing your experience and giving more information about the medication! It is true that Viibryd does have some nasty side effects- such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and trouble sleeping (among others). However, not everyone will suffer from them. I agree with mary, that it may not be a good idea to look at other reviews of the medication very often, just because it will effect everyone differently and you don't want to set yourself up for failure before you've even given it a shot. It is definitely important to educate yourself on the side effects and uses of the medication though! Who knows how our fears and/or preemptive thoughts and beliefs about a medication will effect how it actually works. I guess I'm talking about the law of attraction in a way, if someone were to worry heavily about a medication having a negative effect on them- I'm sure it would be possible that those constant negative thoughts about the medication could in turn have a negative impact. It's hard to know for sure though.

What it really comes down to is, are the side effects going to outweigh the benefits of the medication? Is it worth it to suffer through some less severe side effects to hopefully notice a positive change? For those who are afraid of even possibly dealing with side effects, there are homeopathic alternatives. If anyone would like me to give some information about those alternatives- just post back and let me know!

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4

Just a quick update since this thread got bumped up, I last reported that I was down to 5mg, I stayed on 5mg for a few weeks and then quit taking it. I had zero side effects from stopping, probably because I tapered for quite a while rather than going cold turkey. I've been off of it for around 4 months and still feel great. The Viibryd definitely helped to get me feeling normal again at a time my life was in major turmoil and I was in severe depression. Getting off of it after things stabilized was no problem.

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5

Thank you for sharing this positivity - gives me hope. Only on day 3 :/

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6

Mary, I also read a lot of the forums and it scared the heck out of me, it makes you think "what am I getting myself into?" Just stick with it and give it a chance to work. As I said in my first post it took a good week before I started feeling better, so it takes a while.

Looks like my last update was in February. Shortly after that I finished the taper off of it. None of the depression or anxiety symptoms returned. It's been about 8 months since I took the last dose and I still feel great. The original event that started me down the road into depression was my wife leaving me and nothing has changed there, she's still gone although the divorce isn't final yet. But I feel really good despite that!

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7

Please tell me how long until viibryd started to work I'm on 20 Mgs for 6 days

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8

Oh this is confusing, I didn't realize the newer posts are on top, my last reply was to what I thought was the newest one (on bottom) but it turns out that was a post from February. Oops!

@ Beth- you're quite welcome! Hang in there, it should start kicking in soon!

@ Theresa- as I said in the first post I was on 10mg for the first week. I started noticing improvement after about 3 days, but it wasn't until a week that I really started feeling better and after around a month I felt like my old self. I thought I was back to normal before that, but as I continued to improve I realized that I was still not totally out of the woods until about a month. At about the 2 week mark I was hit with crying jags again and that's when the doc moved me up to 40mg, but it was too much (had diarrhea and just in general didn't feel right). Moved back down to 20mg and a month in the anxiety and depression was totally gone and it's never returned since.

In my case it was "situational depression" brought on by my wife leaving me, I can't say if it's as effective in addressing severe depression or not. But it did work great for me.

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9

R u still on viibryd how long till it worked please let me know

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10

I am on day 7 - been feeling awful lately and having the worst anxiety but slowly somewhat feel a LITTLE better. My doctor told me in 2 weeks from starting it I should feel a difference and much better. Trying to hang on....

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11

Beth what dose r u on and what are u taking it for have u tried other meds before this did anything work

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12

MAry was viibryd good for you are you on it yet

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13

I am on 10mg taking for severe anxiety - some dep. have tried Zoloft, lexapro, Vulox, and others.... I'm also taking align (probiotic) with it - def helps w most of stomach side effects. I have cried almost everyday though and still don't feel myself but I have hope
In a week it will be much better

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14

Did those other meds work for you ever?

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15

Off and on they did but they had awful side effects at first. You're on day 6? I think if we stick it out on viibryd it will work in another week. What side effects are you having?

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16

Beth, are you scheduled to bump up to 20mg soon? 10mg is the "starter" dose, 20mg is really where it seems to start being effective.

Regarding the anxiety, my doctor prescribed me a benzo for anxiety. I only took it when I felt an attack coming on, and it did a good job of stopping the attacks. I took it on an as-needed basis for about 2 weeks (while taking Viibryd) and at that time I didn't need it anymore.

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17

I'm not sure frank, should I call and ask my doctor? He will prob wait until at least 2 weeks to bump me up. I'm pretty small 5'3 110 lbs I had the start of a pretty bad attack last night(when I woke up out of nowhere) and took 1 Xanax and had taken half a klonopin earlierbefore bed. Maybe I should take a full klonopin before bed as needed for 2 weeks. I've had the Xanax and klonopin as needed since August and still have plenty.

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18

Frank today is 7 days for me on 20 I didn't do starter pack doc started me on 20 straight from luvox which wasn't working either nothing has worked when do you think viibryd will help me feel better

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19

Beth no real side effects some stomach discomfort no other med worked for me ever. You think another week ? How are u able to function are u able to do normal things I'm not I am always so down and in a state of constant terror and fear

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20

Beth do u think in another week it will work? R u able to function and do normal things I'm not no med had helped me get out of this state of dispair anxiety and severe fears

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41

You mentioned homeopathic alternatives to Viibryd. I would very much appreciate learning about these.
Thank you.

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40

Beth, I tapered off very slowly, I was down to 20 mil tabs and cut those in half and did 10 mil for about a month, then quartered them and took 5 mil for about a month, then tried cutting the quarters again but the tabs were just splintering they were getting so small. I stepped off after that and man was I worried all the depression and anxiety was going to come right back again! But it didn't, I felt great the whole time I tapered and continued to feel great after finishing them. I never had any side effects during the tapering.

OldMan- I signed up for email notifications so whenever someone posts it send me an email, so that's how I've been able to keep up with it :-) My wife is going through all kinds of stuff with menopause being front and center. She's changed into a completely different person. I don't think she'll ever change back again. Oh well, we have wonderful kids and some great memories, and thankfully I'm still young enough to go make some new memories with someone else! Good luck to you my fellow brother in the trenches :-D

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39

Thanks, Frank. I wasn't sure you would even know I wrote you a year+ after you posted. I'm glad you responded, and I'm very glad that you're feeling better. Still ain't great, is it.

As to the motivation of the Ex --- well, it appears I wasn't the only one in the marriage with some mental health issues, just the only one willing to address them! But, hey! We were happily married for years! I'd say at least 4 . . . . ;)

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38

Frank - are you on anything new now? Any major side effects going off of the Viibryd?

Thanks!
Beth

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37

Sorry to hear you're going through it too, and after 35 years of marriage, wow!! It's hard to imagine what motivates someone to leave after that length of time. We've been separated almost 1-1/2 years now (were married 21 years, together another 5 before that) but still not divorced. I don't really see any hope for reconciliation, but I've moved on to a life without her and despite a hit to the finances I'm doing really well. I took the Viibryd for a few months and then tapered off of it, haven't been back on it since. Good luck to you, I wish you the best!

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36

Frank Wright, you wrote in August of 2012 that your wife was leaving, that Viibryd was helping you in the angst of that event (mine did the same thing, clear blue sky type thing, after 35 years' marriage). Wondering how you're doing now. Don't suppose you're still taking Viibryd, but if so, how's it working for you now? Found a new life yet? (It's taken me 4 years, and still forming, but it's coming.)

Peace.

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35

Thanks I take mine in the morning. Only on 2.5 weeks so maybe that will go away at the 1 month mark :)

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34

Beth, see post #2 for the answer.

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33

Frank did you ever have any trouble sleeping?

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32

What are the remedies you suggest

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