Viibryd Nightmares (Page 2)

HI I am on Viibryd for 4 months now and i have these terrible horrific nightmares that i am dyng or sufficating a kind of sleep parasis and it happens a few times a night to where I am aware this drug is causing it. However it happens maybe once a week or once every otherweek so should i just stay on 20 mg i decided to bring it down and go on prozac but i want to make sure i am making the rght dec w doctor of course. I have been on cymbalta 2 years and ristiq 2 years prior and they were terrible to get off i notice that if i am 2 hours late for viibryd i have a night of hell with the nightmares. Does anyone else? Is viibryd going to be a nightmare to get off im very nervous. ;/

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I've been following another thread on Viibryd ... discussing more of the Sleep Paralysis side effect of the medicine. Everyone...take a look...many more stories there than in this thread.

So anyway, I wanted to add that I think this person is on to something. When I stopped the Viibryd, I stopped going to church. I've had no desire to go. And suffer from extreme fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis? (at a young age), anxiety, & I guess depression goes hand in hand with the other things.

I am Spiritual....and just want to feel normal & happy again. I had to go on Prozac to get off of the Viibryd. I stopped it & then restarted, because I felt so awful. I can tell that I don't feel positive, like I was on the Viibryd, b4 the side effects hit. Ho hum.

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I was replying back to #21 or 22.... about spiritual experiences.... :)

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I am on my last ween-off day of Viibryd and just started the Amitriptyline. I have noticed a slight improvement in my sleep and content of my dreams. I think I'm realizing that this class of meds works drastically different than SSRIs like my old fall-back Zoloft. Viibryd is relatively new and I guess all the kinks aren't worked out. Anyway I have read some great reviews about it but personally it wrecks havoc on me. I think another point is that we are not weird for going on these meds and trying to find the answer. We should never be scared of a medicine because neither it nor depression defines anyone.

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I stopped Viibryd right after my post in January. I must have responded to another list about it but I wanted to let people know here that I went on what seemed like a manic episode and turned into a b****y shrew without a memory. It has been truly awful and I could not get it out of my system fast enough. What followed was an incredible low. I went on Prozac after topping out on Lexapro. Now I am back on Lexapro and 450mg a day on long acting generic Welbutrin has helped me to feel better but it could not have come fast enough. This drug has a therapeutic dose closer to 20mg a day. As soon as I got above that my life became hell. It promises a lot but it delivers nightmares and way too many side effects.

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I agree Beth. And Jasmine you are far from abnormal for having horrible nightmares from Viibryd. Sleep is make-or-break to a person with depression, so these severe sleep-disruptive meds like Viibryd can be awful. I don't know why they would give such a wacky thing to treat depression. I'm now off of Viibryd and slept a lot better last night. If it is causing a ton of problems don't be nervous to speak up!!! There are other options.

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Wow I just had my first too Demonic Nightmares. I woke up and was terrified I was ready to smack myself to wake me up out of this after dream effect! I really Like how viibryd has helped me... Now I have to live with Noghtmares wow! This drug is crazy.. I'm new to it but read somewhere about sticking to 10 mg or I think I'll try 20.. But to hear all of your experiences being so similar I'm shocked and lol it's kind of funny! I guess we should all pull out a pen and paper and write the dreams down like Stephen king:/ anyways it isn't funny it was scarier then hell.. But I've been on everything I've never had anything help me with all of my problems!!

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Oh isn't it FUNnnnnn. And I get called HYSTERICAL on the other thread about Viibryd. (Check out the Viibryd & Sleep Paralysis thread). I just shared my story as you did. Demonic dreams. Being suffocated by the demons. Awful stuff that I did say last year that would make millions for Stephen King if he were to hear all of our stories or try it himself!

But have no fear. A 20mg. Prozac daily in replacement of the 20 mg. of Viibryd, will or should take you right off the Viibryd w/o side effects. But IMO you need to wean off Viibryd now or the demonic carnival of pulling you in & out of SP will only get worse. And the auditory hallucinations (like your brain explodes in stereo sound) is no fun. Scared the hell out of me.

I didn't like how Prozac made me really sluggish, so I just started Cymbalta the other day. I suffer from chronic pain.

HTH!

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My girlfriend 40 days ago switched from prozac to viibryd hoping to be able to sleep better and feel better. However after completing the ramp up pack from 10 to 20 to 40 mg she abruptly quit and switched back to prozac. I didn't know about this until after it happened. Then I started reviewing these posts to look for answers and am worried that she will likely endure some of the symptoms you all are writing of. She did not and has not yet told her physician what what she's done. She's already experiencing symptoms of extreme itchy skin, nightmares, insomnia, feeling of motion or floating, and a low libido and is no longer enjoying the passionate intercourse we have always had. She's terrified that that passion may not come back, and so am I.
Is there a difference between withdrawal symptoms and side effects? If yes then which of these are either and is there and estimate on how long these will continue? I guess that the side effects would continue until the chemicals have been absorbed and are gone from the body (3-4 weeks?? or longer?). Are the itchy skin sensations really itchy skin or just he brain's interpretation of a mixed signal? Is the itchy skin a withdrawal symptom or side effect? Do withdrawal symptoms last as long or longer?
I have read hundreds of these posts now and cant find these answers (maybe I am looking in the wrong places?) If so would someone direct me?
Thanks for reading and helping.

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Look up the more detailed discussions on Viibryd & Sleep Paralysis.

I would encourage her to stop the Viibryd after a few days of 10 mg. & then go back on the Prozac (20 mg) either at the same day she's taking the 10mg. of Vii. (spaced out at least 4+ hrs) or the day after. And I'd take the Prozac at night w/ food. I had horrible Reflux from Prozac.

The truth is, Vii. causes nightmares & for many, SP.

The good news is that SSRI's stop the SP dead in its tracks. :). And don't worry, your wife's libido will come back, but for many, only after she's off of the SSRI/ Prozac.

From experience, it's more important for your wife to have balanced seratonin & a so-so libido than be struggling daily w/ mood swings & then 10 min. of bliss a couple times/wk. :)

Sorry....not what you wanted to probably hear, but it's true. Prozac is the best AD from my perspective that covers all (mood swings & anxiety).

If she doesn't have anxiety, then I'd have her talk to her Dr. about Wellbutrin. But Prozac & Wellbutrin can be taken together. Even WB can be taken w/ Vii. But I advise against it. After starting on Cymbalta, which is a SNRI, kinda like Vii. ( but w/o the crazy Buspar added!) & I do not feel the need for WB anymore as the SNRI acts on dopamine levels too.

Good job looking out for her by doing research! :).

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Hi JohnD: I know from experience how these kinds of issues can wreck havoc on a relationship. My husband and I have been there too many times. As far as Viibryd is concerned, she got put on one of the craziest (in my opinion) meds out there. I, too, went from a well-known SSRI (Zoloft) to Viibryd and found out all these wacky side. effects. I experienced itchy skin, horrible dreams, and an emotional roller coaster while on "V", and found the withdrawal symptoms to be somewhat similar. There aren't cut and dry answers but I bet once your girl gets back stable on Prozac or whatever med works for her she will be fine. She definitely took the hard road crashing off her medicine like that, but I would be there for her because she probably needs you.

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I just realized that I missed the detail that she stopped Vii cold turkey. I would say that if she went from 40 Vii to 40 Prozac & it has been a week, then have her continue on the 40 Prozac & if she's doing better, or drop down to 20 Prozac and add in 10-20 Vii. hours apart if it has only been a few days off of the Vii to see if the floaty feeling subsides. She's lucky that she didn't have brain explosions dropping Vii like that. I was on it for 4 mos. b4 I had the horrible side effects.

If she has any back pain or body aches in normal daily life and if she's in her 30's+ then I recommend Cymbalta or another SNRI. From my experience, the SNRI's work better for anxiety/depression/mental clarity & doesn't give the zombie feeling like Prozac. And also not as much as a libido killer as SSRI's.

How is she doing?

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Me again. LOL.

I wanted to clarify the ? from you about the diff. between side effects & discontinuation syndrome. Definitely google it, becuz I didn't know about discontinuation syndrome until I was going thru it. My neuro explained it to me. I think people need to talk more about that. As so many call it withdrawals & we all think about drug addicts having withdrawals....but discontinuation syndrome is different & there's help with that. As I've said many times, thank God Prozac nips Vii discontinuation syndrome in the bud.

Vii side effects---an example would be stomach upset. So many have diarrhea. I became really regular & didn't mind! Except I noticed my belly was bloated. Then I switched to Prozac & quickly gained 10-15 lbs.

Vii d/c syndrome---ie: brain explosions, hallucinations, wave feeling to left side of head....(common! But Forest Labs have yet to acknowledge this & note these side effects!)

One other thing to note is that Vii has a short half life (? if I am saying this right?) So that's why there was no rhyme or reason when my SP would hit. Prozac is long acting so I found I could take a 40 mg comfortably every other night, but if I went to 20 mg. a night, I never felt like 20 mg. was enough during the day. Weird.

Wellbutrin is long acting too.

So because of that, she shouldn't have to worry about major Vii d/c syndrome for weeks as you feared, as long as she's on the Prozac.

Prozac is the libido killer.

But a little secret.... Wellbutrin & Buspar combo made me feel like I was 17 again. :) She could try that!? Buspar is harmless. I took about 10mg./day for a long time. There's Buspar in Viibryd. Which explains why I felt like a teenager for the 1st 30 days on Vii!!! Then that feeling went away. But libido wasnt affected as much on Viibryd. Prozac is the great libido killer because SSRI's work better on anxiety.

Just like taking Xanax for anxiety is also a libido killer.

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Love your post! :). Ditto!

About the itchy skin. I've been suffering since 2004. I have to take a Zyrtec every other night to keep it at bay. And I am really groggy today. More so than normal. Thinking its because of AF :) & being on Cymbalta for 2 wks. now.

Better than the maddening focus killing scalp itch though!

I am not sure about why women get so itchy, other than hormones. Does anyone have any answers??? I thought it was from the Wellbutrin (making it worse) but for me, I don't feel it's med related. But if its listed as a side effect in meds, then sure, it is found to be a side effect. I just can't remember if that's noted w/ Vii. I do not recall any excess in itching while on Vii. But maybe my feet itched more? Trying to remember my Vii timeline. :)

MsGuineaPig....are you currently taking Prozac? Have you ever tried Cymbalta or know anything about it?

People that are on Vii, plz share your experience good or bad! I know that Forest labs is trying to figure this all out & someone even noted once that they should eventually come out with an extended release of Vii, as most pharm. co. do after their drug has been out there long enough. But that idea kinda scares me. I imagine the SP attacks hitting for 24 hrs instead of a dozen + times during the night.

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Marie, I am on 100 mg. of Zoloft (I'm supposed to be on 200 but was trying to keep it at 100 b/c I had poop out with Zoloft before, that's why I was given Viibryd) and have been on 300 mg. of Wellbutrin for a while, to cancel out libido-killer Zoloft. I would be more than willing to try Cymbalta. I don't recall having ever taken an SNRI (which is strange b/c you're saying it could eliminate the need for both meds?) and lately I've been having a stiff back and neck pain. I have also been waking earlier, despite being on 100-200 mg
of Trazodone at night. But I must note that I believe that the Buspar element in Vii was what messed with me, as I had been put on Buspar for anxiety and immediately had terrible nightmares and freaked out. The Zoloft has been like my old loyal friend since I was a teen, because it pulls me out of the pit but it makes me kind of flatline and does KILL libido and ability to reach sexual satisfaction. :( Sometimes that becomes a big problem in my marriage. It's frustrating you know?! But, like you said, it's better to be on an even keel all the time. Wish there was.a way to have both...

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I started taking Vibbryd 2 months ago and have been having the worst of nightmares. One included people that looked like scary clowns trying to take me from wherever I was. I also have been feeling like during a dream that I am being woken up, but not in "real" life, like I have to be woken up from a dream inside a dream. Which proves to be very difficult. I am sure I am talking out loud but nobody can here me except for moans and growns. Do these ever go away, as it appears others have experienced nightmares as well.

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That is sleep paralysis. Or the beginning stages. Not saying yours will get to the 'horrific' stage, but worth doing a search here for Viibryd and Sleep Paralysis. Don't freak out. Just talk to your Dr. If you can handle Prozac short term, it does take away the Sleep Paralysis & insane vivid nightmares.

So sorry you are another victim of Forest Labs. Just saw my Dr. recently....I was his 1st patient to start on Viibryd...& they've had other patients also freaked out over Vii.

Per the nurse, a drug sales rep was brushing off her concerns & the answer from the rep was only 4-7% had nightmares in the trial stages.

Hmm... Have they ever heard of the Internet???????

I am on Cymbalta now & doing awesome!!! :). Prozac made me too groggy, but it works for Vii side effects! Wish I had known sooner because I had (the norm) Vii discontinuation symptoms!!!

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Hello,
I have been on Viibryd for a month now. I did the graduated levels. The first week, Oh my goodness! My family is like "We are so glad you are back to your old self!!" You seem to be on top of things!! (YAY for me!!!) 20mg great no problems. The first week of 40mg had a couple of bad dreams worse than I have had in years but nothing completely out of the ordinary. I had a sleep test done this past week and the tech asked me if I remembered my nightmares.. NOPE.. thank goodness!
Now the interesting??? Freaky?? When I read Battle Medics Post I wanted to cry with relief!!!! Okay to start with new medicine, doctor gave me a sample pack, 4 days before running out I call to get a prescription filled, girl sends to wrong pharmacy, did not check that day, find this out on day 2 that they did not have prescription, had sleep study to go do so I did not worry , I thought I have for Thursday and then will pick up prescription after work no problem, I go to get and it's NOT there. I was a little panicky because no pill for Friday but I am thinking one pill I have not missed one dose it will be okay. But no it was not okay!!! ;-(
It is 5am on a Saturday morning and I am not up because I like to get up early,(I do but not this early) I have only slept maybe 3 hours! Absolute worse nightmare/terrors!!! SOMETHING PULLING ME DOWN and I CANT MOVE or BREATHE!!! My poor husband when I was finally able to call out to him bawling my eyes out thought it was just a normal one of my "bad" dreams I have had over the years. After finally calming me down and with his arm around me I started dosing back off but it was BACK!!! So yes, this medicine is GOOD, but VERY TIME SENSITIVE for me anyway. I am so relieved to know that it is not just my mind. Glad I found this board!!!

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I couldn't stand the inability to wake up from SP, feel relieved to be out, & seconds later, be pulled back in the SP over and over again. Like drowning, coming up for air, & back under. Others have described the same. And my body felt it the next day. I missed a few special events w/ my kids, because I was home struggling w/ the day after Viibryd SP hang over. Every story is almost identical. And Battle Medics post was one of the best I've read. I copied & repasted it on the other Viibryd with Sleep Paralysis board, because one person called me "so darned hysterical" ...and another person supported her. Only 2, still on the Viibryd, talking somewhat positively about the drug, while many many others weren't.

The drug is unnecessary. Now that I see that Cymbalta is more effective. I will be one of the involved in a case suit against Viibryd one of these days.

The DISCONTINUATION SYNDROME that comes w/ Viibryd is awful. I've talked all about it many times. But I didn't know that Prozac would stop the symptoms, until I was weaned down to 10, had to go back to 40, then 20.....took like 3 attempts over a several mo. period....I saw my Dr., he told me to start Prozac to get off of the Vii, but wait until the following day. HELL NO was I going to take another Vii. I took the Prozac that night and have never had another episode of SP. It has been over a year. :)

So be careful thinking that the SP is only hitting when missing a dose. There's really no rhyme or reason. Not for me anyway!

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YES!! And I've developed a productive cough. I have the massive hair loss, and my poor cat doesn't sleep with me anymore. I've turned into a violent sleeper. My body feels like I've been going hand to hand all night! And the bizarre dreams are crazy!

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VIIBRYD SIDE EFFECTS WERE WORSE THAN QHY I STARTED TAKING THEM! NO, IT'S NOT ALL ANTI-DEPRESSANTS THAT ARE BAD, JUST THIS ONE. DON'T GIVE UP!

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