I stopped taking fetzima because it wasn't helping with my depression and the side effects were too debilitating. I had taken the fetzima for 3+ weeks. My doctor told me to stop taking it and since stoping it last Saturday I have had horrible withdrawal symptoms. Severe nausea, some vomiting, loss of appetite, dizziness and confusion. It is now Wednesday and I am still feeling ill. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if so how long did it last?
Has anyone had really bad withdrawal from the fetzima?
Question posted by Ksny1234 on 23 July 2014
Last updated on 11 January 2021
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
18 Answers Page 2
cgrace
21 Jan 2015
I was on Fetzima for 2 weeks and felt really good, but then at that 2 week mark began with the tachycardia. My doctor told me to stop it, stay off a week, and then start fluoxetine. I was okay for 2 days and then started feeling ill. The nausea started, hot sweats, shaking, anxiety. It is now 10 days later and I feel absolutely awful. My dad ended up in the hospital and I cannot even go in to see him. My appetite is totally gone now. I started the fluoxetine 2 days ago and am taking 12.5 mg of alprazolam, but feel really bad. I don't know how I am going to go to work today. Anyone else felt like this?
Tjoy1976
30 May 2019
I have these same side effects! I've called about it and have an appointment coming up to talk about a different medication.
Debish
28 July 2014
OMG, you're preaching to the choir! I started in Fetzima about three weeks ago also. Was doing okay until the dosage stepped up. The sweating was awful, the mania, and then the itching started. They told me to stop. Like you, even though I'd only been on it a few weeks, the withdrawals are HORRIBLE. Are you still going through withdrawals? Please say NO. THIS IS AWFUL. Just stopped it on Friday. It is Sunday. How long?
Ksny1234
28 July 2014
The withdrawal for me was a little under a week. I started going through it on a Saturday and I felt really sick until last Friday. I still feel a little weak and nauseas but I feel so much better than I did a week ago. I also mentally feel a lot better being off of the fetzima!
Debish
28 July 2014
Thank you. That's encouraging. So glad you're feeling better! Hope what comes next works for you.
campbellblank
21 Oct 2014
I don ' t know poison to take I have been in the hospital just got out today feel like crap was there to taper off amitriptyline and start fetzima All went well taper down ami and adding small doses of fetzima but once it got to no ami and 40 fetzima it was awful Doc thought I was not being patient until all the nurses gained up on him Soooo I got sent home on taper off fetzima Was only on it for max 10 days So said at first take 20 for a week I called him and said I can't stand that so he just said only take for 2 days 20 and then stop I can hardly make myself swallow another one Opinion ... should I take my chances with withdrawal and not take another one ? I took one this am feel bad agitated can't sit still upset stomach ache back chills feel like I have to urinate constantly UGH
campbellblank
21 Oct 2014
I don ' t know poison to take I have been in the hospital just got out today feel like crap was there to taper off amitriptyline and start fetzima All went well taper down ami and adding small doses of fetzima but once it got to no ami and 40 fetzima it was awful Doc thought I was not being patient until all the nurses gained up on him Soooo I got sent home on taper off fetzima Was only on it for max 10 days So said at first take 20 for a week I called him and said I can't stand that so he just said only take for 2 days 20 and then stop I can hardly make myself swallow another one Opinion ... should I take my chances with withdrawal and not take another one ? I took one this am feel bad agitated can't sit still upset stomach ache back chills feel like I have to urinate constantly UGH
Debish
21 Oct 2014
I don't think there's any perfect or easy way to get off Fetzima. Just be sure you have a support group! It's hard, but you'll make it! They really should remove this drug from the market.
Kristina1105
15 June 2015
I didn't feel this medication helped my depression either along with not feeling well while taking the Fetzima. I had profuse sweating with ANY physical activity, have had severe headaches along with becoming more and more irritable. I had only been on it also for roughly three weeks and was told to discontinue. Since stopping I have felt nauseous and extremely dizzy. Is there anything that you have done to help your symptoms?
gina44445555
17 March 2016
Was on fetzima a year & a half, i liked it, although i could never get above 40 mg dose, too many side effects. The fetzima stopped working for me. Stopped fetzima abruptly, per dr's orders. Started lexapro, had bad withdrawal from fetzima, profuse sweating, confusion, & heart palpatations. Now i'm afraid to take anti depression meds. On a very low dose pf lexapro, for major depressive disorder. Do not want to go through any thing like that again.
gina44445555
17 March 2016
Was on fetzima a year & a half, i liked it, although i could never get above 40 mg dose, too many side effects. The fetzima stopped working for me. Stopped fetzima abruptly, per dr's orders. Started lexapro, had bad withdrawal from fetzima, profuse sweating, confusion, & heart palpatations. Now i'm afraid to take anti depression meds. On a very low dose pf lexapro, for major depressive disorder. Do not want to go through any thing like that again.
kaismama
23 July 2014
You can't just stop this type of medication, you have to taper the dose. Your dr should have given you smaller dose capsules to cut back gradually. 3 weeks probably wasn't long enough for it to help you. Since this is a fairly new drug, I'm interested in knowing what side effects you had from you if you don't mind.
Ksny1234
23 July 2014
My doctor said that since I was not on it for that long that it was fine to just discontinue it and that I might have flu like symptoms so if that happened which it did she told me to take a 20 mg fetzima. I took a 20 mg dose for two days. ( that's all she provided me with in the sample box, the rest were 40mg) My psychiatrist is pretty useless. Usually if an antidepressant works for someone they will see some improvement within the first two weeks of taking it. I felt no improvement with my depression and actually felt more depressed. As for side effects I had severe nausea, profuse sweating, loss of appetite, constipation and the side effect that was unbearable was the severe headaches that I would consider migraines. They caused throbbing head pain with sensitivity to sound/smell and vomiting. I have been on many, many ssri's and some snri's and have never had side effects as bad as the fetzima
kaismama
28 July 2014
No I wouldn't deal with that either. Headaches like that can ruin your life. Doctors don't seem to understand how bad withdrawal can be, or how fast we can be used to the drug.
kaismama
28 July 2014
Part of the problem with drs not knowing is because the literature from the FDA doesn't talk about it much. If everyone reports the withdrawal to them, you can do it on their web site, maybe docs will get more aware of it.
NMPETITT
19 Nov 2015
I had nausea & suicidal thoughts & actions.
GmawinFL
26 Feb 2016
I have been on 120 mg. of Fetzima for about a year. I am now weaning off with the help of my Dr. She gave me written instructions on how to taper off and I am to call her if I have any problems. Her instructions are to go down 20 mg. every 10 days. The week before last I was down to 60 mg. and am currently at that dose. At first I didn't really notice anything but a few days after going down to 60 mg. I developed a terrible headache. I have HBP which is controlled by medications and I usually only check it a few times a week at the most. But something told me I better check it. It was 170/106. I immediately made the connection that it had to be the weaning off of Fetzima. I am no stranger to weaning off prescription drugs and have gone through hell and back quite a few times. I continued to monitor my BP and it remained high and at times would be as high as the above reading. I got in to see my regular physician a few days later and explained what was happening.
He upped the dosage on one of my BP meds. and I saw him again today for a follow up. I also contacted my psych dr. to let her know what was happening. Oh and I have also been experiencing severe anxiety as well during all of this. More than the norm for me. So I explained everything to my psych dr. and she suggested I go up to 80 mg. and see if that helped with the BP and anxiety. I did not want to do that and asked if I could stay at the 60 mg. for a while and she agreed. For the past few days after increasing my BP meds, it seemed to have stabilized. At least I thought. About an hour ago I started getting that horrible headache and I knew what was happening. I checked my BP and it was 165/103. So my experience as of right now coming off of Fetzima, is that it is causing my BP to go dangerously high and I have been experiencing a great deal of anxiety. While I can deal with the anxiety, I have to remain diligent in watching my BP. After I successfully wean off of this drug, I will start the weaning off Trazodone. And after that, Klonopin. It may take up to a year or more but I am committed. After 30 long years of this crap I am through with these drugs. They have robbed me of living a normal life. I don't know what each day holds while going through this and I don't know how I will be when I'm finished withdrawing completely. But it has to be better than taking a handful of psych drugs that do nothing for my depression. There has to be another way.
Related topics
depression, withdrawal, side effect, doctor, fetzima
Further information
- Fetzima uses and safety info
- Fetzima prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Fetzima (detailed)
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