Started Viibryd Today

[SJP23]

Hey everyone,

I realized that I never clarified my actual diagnosis in my intro thread: Delayed Onset PTSD with Depressive Anxiety (though the latter is likely influenced by the former).

Today, my doctor started me on Viibryd. I am merely curious if anyone else has experience with this medication.

Thanks,
SJP

 

[SJP23]

Since it appears that no one else is currently taking this medication, I will try to document my experience as time goes on. I'm only on my fourth day, and at a low dose, but day eight will be an increase day (as will day fifteen).

So far, so good. No adverse side effects for me, as of yet.

 

[kris]

Viibryd has worked very well for me, I have been taking it since July or so, my symptoms are still not great but overall this med is working good. I take 40mg a day I had to work up from 10 mg to the current dose, and as long as I take the medication I do well on it.

Its just I think I need more than an antidepressant and my psychiatrist says that all I need to do is work on "my thoughts" through therapy. Which I have been for 2 yrs now, but I want to try a mood stabilizer and he is unwilling to prescribe any for me.

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[SJP23]

I am now into my second month of being on Viibryd, and have been at a 40mg dose for several weeks now. I can most certainly tell a difference in how this medication has impacted me.

I experienced a few mild symptoms the first 2 weeks. Most of these symptoms involved GI upset and tightness in the legs.

For those that are interested, I have been taking my med with lunch—this seems to work perfectly for me.

...my psychiatrist says that all I need to do is work on "my thoughts" through therapy.
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I can somewhat relate to this. I have experienced a great deal of anxiety and a multitude of other PTSD symptoms lately. I chalk this up to progressing through therapy and bringing emotions to the surface. Instead of being on various other meds, I am allowing the Viibryd to perform as it should and pair it with multiple sessions a week. My doctor has been giving me many tools to help manage my other symptoms, all of which appear to be helping.

Lately, the only "symptom" that I have been encountering is during sleep. Though somewhat hard to explain, it feels as though my brain is shocked while in sleep and I suddenly awake. At times I feel the current throughout my entire body. Though this symptom happens seldom, I have noted it as a new occurrence when compared to my pre-medication sleeping patterns.

I have felt like a distant stranger in my own head for several years... my current experience with Viibryd has allowed me to begin finding myself.

I will continue to update.

- SJP

 

[just me here]

I am with you as of three weeks ago, taking 20mg a day currently. I have had severe intestinal side effects, but I suffer from several inoperable hernias and take what are basically IBS meds to maintain a tolerable level of discomfort already. I am hopeful and will watch this thread, best of luck to all.

 

[SJP23]

Just checking back in...

I remain on the planned dosage level of 40mg per day and all seems to be going well. I am "side effect" free as far as I am able to tell, including previous mentioned effects. However, what follows is a caution to others on this medication:

I typically take my Viibryd daily during lunch. All went well until I forgot (due to distraction while participating in an outdoor activity) to take my medication two Saturdays ago. That Saturday went by seemingly normal and I stayed quite active and busy (not noticing any effects) and went to bed around 11:30 pm.

When I awoke the next morning I felt a little groggy and desperately sought out my cup of coffee. We were staying with my in-laws for the weekend so I was around quite a few people right out of bed and was struggling to be a "people person" as I consumed my caffeine. As the minutes ticked by, I felt more and more strange.

Thinking I needed food, I made and consumed my breakfast. As I sipped coffee I began to read and have small talk with those around me. Suddenly, I started to feel exhausted and thought I might slip into sleep while sitting in the kitchen, cup in hand. I headed back to the bedroom to rest for half and hour, or so I told everyone else. Then the strangeness really began.

I still don't know what was real and what was a dream. What I do know is that I was in a serotonin rebound.

Passed out in a deep sleep, with memories of being awake and moving around strangely in the bed. I then awoke around noon with the realization I forgot my medicine the prior day. I quickly found my pill bottle and took my correct dosage for the current day. Back to sleep I went.

My wife woke me around 3pm for the drive home, and I was already feeling much better. I didn't discuss with her the strangeness of my nap, but did let her know the reason why I had been out of sorts all morning. This was an event that I hope to never repeat in the future, as I truly had a hard time telling the difference between reality and dreams. I'm thankful this happened in a safe environment.

 

[just me here]

@sjp23- my counselor once refused to beleive a similar story I experienced on a different drug.

I didn't really make it out of bed at all, I was trying to either get a grasp on my surroundings and wake up or return to what I wasn't really sure was a dream. Even after a few hours past my normal time for wake up, I was more or less in a state of mind very reminiscent of a psychedelic drug reaction. Just kind of bouncing from thought to thought, unable to stay aware of my surroundings or even trust my senses.

I tried to tell my counselor how much the experience was similar to a psycho-active drug trip, and how I know from experience that some people absolutely cannot tolerate the out of body sensation and the loss of trust in your own senses and "freak out", sometimes for several hours. I asked if this could be an insite into the risk of suicides while on sri's.

He totally discounted my experience, but refused to call me a liar. We are no longer doing business, trust in the guy was gone and as soon as I was weaned off the drug I was lookinhg for another counselor.

Nothing even remotely similar on viibryd yet, but thanks for the advice/warning.

 

[just me here]

the GI problems are just too much. dropping the viibryd today but with an objective view. I already have an easily upset gut, not IBS but problems from multiple hernias and a history of car accidents and emergency surgeries and bowel obstructions.

During the time I have been on viibryd I have heard a bad multi car accident just up the road from our house, I have had a few close calls myself due to the springtime increase in farm equipment traffic and the influx of seasonal labor on our rural roads, and yesterday I watched a drunk driver fly off the road at fourty MPH right in front of me.

All of these things could cause the GI problems, the viibryd may actually be keeping me from having worse symptoms. Just the sounds of the impacts and the breaking glass and locked up brakes I heard while working in my yard would have sent me into adrenaline overload for possibly weeeks not so long ago.

So I am trying to be objective and not blaming the GI problems 100% on the viibryd. I might be suffering the same problems 2 weeks from now and I would be willing to go back because like I said, I could be better off for being on it. So hard to know.

 

[SJP23]

Checking back in...

A few weeks ago my dosage was increased to 50mg in an attempt to control some Social Paranoia that I have become more aware of, as of late. Unfortunately the increase in dosage didn't touch this issue.

As a result, I have now started lowering my Viibryd dose and am currently at 30mg today. There have been a few side effects of this, but that was to be expected. I will soon introduce 30mg of Cymbalta and begin increasing that med in an attempt to get everything under control.

My mind has been running at a very high rpm as of late, so I am really hoping that the new medication will assist.

*Though this thread is titled with Viibryd, I am now in the transition to Cymbalta as my only medication. I will document this transition, as needed, and remain more than happy to answer any questions related to Viibryd and my experience.

Best to all!

 

[just me here]

Also an update:

My GI problems have returned to normal, I am pretty sure it was the viibryd. I had hopes for it but cannot tolerate the intense discomfort and long term diarhea.

 

[ashdawn8287]

I just started this medicine. I am a week into. I am having GI problems as well but I like what it has done for me besides that.

 

[Theresa06]

For anyone on viibryd how long did it take to see any improvement did you not see improvement until 40 Mgs did you feel better one day or was it gradual please let me know no med had worked for me