Have any of you that are doing well on Viibryd experienced any night terrors? My doctor switched me from Lexapro 20mg to Viibryd. Around my 4th week of taking starter pack, I missed a dose while on vacation (completely slipped my mind with all of the running around). That night I had horrible, horrible nightmares like nothing I have ever experienced. It scared me so much that I was afraid to go to sleep the following night. Since then I have weaned off it and back on Lexapro but wanted to see if anyone that has had success with this drug has had something similar happen. If so, how did you deal or do you just suffer through the nightmares?
Viibryd - Nightmares/Night Terrors?
Question posted by yanksgrl827 on 14 Oct 2013
Last updated on 29 February 2024
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.
51 Answers Page 3
RexrGirl
7 Nov 2019
Viibryd is the only med that's worked for my general anxiety but I'm considering getting off it due to these dreams. I've been on 40mg for about two months and I'm still getting them a couple times a week. These 'dreams' are honestly the most effed up dreams I've ever had. Every single one has been centered on a deep fear of mine (being told I'll never see my husband again, being trapped and lost in the dark all alone with no way of escaping, begging and screaming for help but getting ignored or laughed at). Some have even included torture. Honestly they'd make good horror films. They also seem to last forever and I can't wake myself up from them. When I do finally wake up, I'm covered in sweat, breathing so hard that my throat is dry and sore, and I'm usually screaming. I always break down snot-crying after I wake up because the fear lingers for a while.
I've also had trouble telling if I'm actually awake or not afterwards. I'm sceptical for about an hour until I can relax and believe I'm awake. This is a really unfortunate side effect that I won't be able to live with much longer.
eaif25
16 May 2020
I can definitely relate. Horrific night terrors and sleep paralysis. I would always tell people they were like a bad gory horror movie. I finally dropped to 20 mg and they’re gone!
eaif25
16 June 2019
I also was switched from 20mg of Lexapro to viibryd and I’ve had two really bad nightmares! They’re weird bc they remind me of a bad horror movie when I wake up! It’s only happened twice but last night someone woke me bc I was screaming. I was scared to go back to sleep too
nicolemariec
1 Dec 2018
Five years after this was posted, I googled “Viibryd and nightmares” to see if others have the same effect. I have done well on Viibryd mentally for a couple of years with minimal physical side effects. But if I ever miss a single dose, within minutes of falling asleep I become trapped in lucid, bizarre, terrifying, sometimes violent dreams. And I say “trapped” because I cannot wake from these dreams. My success with the drug as an antidepressant is solid— but I dread having to go off of this medication.
dwisely
5 Nov 2018
I've been on Viibryd for a few years and have had very good results. In my case, episodes of depression seem to be driven by rumination, and I think that's how Viibryd helps me. I take 20mg morning and night. When I first started taking it, if I missed a dose, I had these very bizarre, almost hallucinatory experiences when falling asleep. That slowly went away. However, if I forget a dose, I tend to stay in this kind of strange, light sleep. So, I try not to miss doses. If I do, I just get up, take the dose, stay up for an hour or so for the dose to get in my system, and then go back to bed.
I do have lots of nightmares which I suspect are made worse by Viibryd. If anything, this is gotten worse over time, which is unusual. Of course, I have no way of being sure the extent to which this is related to the drug. (A problem with antidepressants is, after awhile, the only way to know what they are doing is to go off of them.) For the first time, though, I'm actually considering going off the drug on a trial basis to see if it will reduce the nightmares.
spicyshazam
18 April 2018
This JUST happened to me last night. I've been on Viibryd a little over 2 weeks, started at 10mg for a week, then 20mg for a week, and yesterday I completely forgot to take my dose. Last night was filled with repetitive nightmares every time I fell asleep. I think I'm going to call my doctor today and ask her what I should do. I made it through the initial explosive diarrhea taking this med, but I already have sleep problems and I can NOT subject myself to that again! I want back on Lexapro/Trazodone.
Wingedvampire
8 Oct 2016
I've been taking viibryd for 9 months. After suffering from severe anxiety, eating disorders, OCD, social anxiety and other issues my entire life, I finally decided to get help.
I first tried Zoloft which was amazing for the first month. After that, I had the most horrible day of depression I've had my entire life and might not be alive today if my husband wasn't home. In general, the Zoloft side effects didn't dissipate. I felt foggy and sluggish and dizzy all of the time. It wasn't helping with the anxiety at all and the positive effects had already worn off.
My med provider started me on viibryd and within a month I started to see a difference. I did have waves of dizziness and very vivid dreams that first month. I've always had vivid dreams, but these were really insane! I've always loved dreaming so it wasn't really a problem for me.
As a couple of months passed, I noticed more frequent sleep paralysis (this is something I've always experienced maybe a few times a year, but it was happening maybe once a week) and I started to get brain zaps. The medication really was working though, so I didn't want to ween off if it and try another.
When I don't take lorazepam at night with viibryd, I often get brain zaps both at night and the following day. Sometimes they're pretty scary. On two occasions (one was last night), I've experienced night terrors accompanied by sleep paralysis that were so horrific, I thought I had died and gone to hell, had gone completely insane or was trapped in another dimension. I've had many nightmares in my life, but nothing like these. Upon waking and in and out of sleep during these occurances, i was also hallucinating.
These replies have been helpful and I'm going to try to start taking it in the morning, and making sure to take lorazepam at night before bed. This medication has slowly and consistently helped with most of my issues, aside from the eating disorders and I really want to continue to take it if I can get these brain zaps and night terrors under control.
Winside
9 Nov 2015
I take 40mg viibryd nightly. Anywhere between 6pm and 10pm nightly. I always have an alarm to go off so I never miss a dose, otherwise my body feels terrible for at lest 2 days.
I used to get SLEEP PARALYSIS/TREMORS every night it was terrible! I will say tho that I still put up with it because it made me not want to sleep for 12 to 16 hours which I used to do.
I have the answer to no more SLEEP PARALYSIS/TREMORS!!! It's taking the medicine with a decent amount of food. You will eventually be able to figure out how much food works best for urself. Also if you forgot to take it with food, I don't recommend doing this, but taking it with 1 or 2 beers gets rid of the sleep paralysis. Remember I don't recommend doing that but if it's your last resort it is helpful.
Hope everyone gets there normal sleep back!!! Best of Luck to All!
sarah19691
27 June 2015
im on viibryd 40 mg. sarah19691
sarah19691
27 June 2015
I have the same things as u all have and im also waking up with bruises which my doctor is looking into .I feel like im loosing my mind. im seeing colors on my dogs head there blue and halos .
mstring2
7 June 2015
I had been taking viibryd for 4 months and the horrible vivid dreams, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations started about a month ago. I actually didn't know if i was awake or asleep several times even when driving. I was taking it at night and only missed one dose when a dream had me too terrified to go to sleep. The next day I had the excessive itching all over and I thought it was just allergies until reading these posts. Until I read them I was seriously about to check myself into a hospital because I thought I was having a mental breakdown. My boyfriend compared my symptoms to lsd. I even experienced the feelings of religious enlightening that some other posts online described. The good news is that these posts saved my life. It's day 6 of taking the medicine in the morning instead of at night and it's a different world for me. No nightmares or vivid dreams and as a matter of fact every single negative symptom gone so far.
I usually don't post online like this but I don't want anyone to go through the horror I did when what a difference a dosage time can make.
Bethie48
15 June 2015
mstring2,
Thank you for sharing. I have tried most of the others and could never tolerate them. This has been the first one I didn't have suicidal ideation with and seemed to drag me from the deep dark hole.
But, then the nightmares started. Horrible ones. I will wake up , legs off the bed , clinging to the mide sheets as to not fall into the volcano or the wolves not eat me. Panting , heart racing. Terrified , because I know when I fall back to sleep I'll go right back there. Utterly exhausted from trying to stay up all night. I do take them at bedtime.
Day time naps = no nightmares.
I will switch to a morning dose immediately. Thank you and others for the info.
I've had to take extra klonopin just to calm myself after the nightmares. That was not my goal.
I see a neurologist for my meds . He did my brain aneurysm and he is also a board certified psychiatrist. I'll see him on Thursday and see what his thoughts are.
I'm so glad I found y'all.
Thank you !
fairlight
11 Aug 2015
I hope things have begun to even out for you. I have experienced all of the things you have with Viibryd. I've taken antidepressants for years and have never had any problems until now. I weaned myself off of it over a period of four weeks and am very dizzy, and experiencing a lot of brain zaps. This has definitely been my worst experience ever with a medication, and I can't say that in the two years I've been on it that it was particularly effective. Summer is my worst time of year and viibyd did not address my summer depression. That's why I asked my doctor to take me off of it. That's my story... I hope it helps someone else who might be having issues with it.
wleman
14 April 2015
I have 3 more tablets left in my 1-month starting sample of Viibryd. Yesterday during a short afternoon nap I had a frightening experience. It ended with what seemed to be an animal that climbed up the side of the couch I was napping on. Then it jumped onto me to attack me. I woke up scared out of my wits from that.
Last night as I was trying to go to sleep I have very vivid colorful scenes passing through my head, lots of confusing motion. I got up, checked the clock, saw that I'd been trying to sleep for 1/2 hour, took sleeping pills (which I try not to take, usually) and a xanax. That calmed me down and I was able to sleep well and felt rested this morning.
I left a message on my psychiatrist's answering machine this morning explaining what I had experienced. I called them hallucinations. He spent a fair amount of time telling me that the could not have been hallucinations since I was not aware that I was awake. He said what I experienced could not have been caused by Viibryd. I feel he's never taken me very seriously. Unfortunately, there are very few psychiatrists in our city and my family doctor (and many others) only know how to prescribe the most commonly used antidepressants.
Viibryd seems to help some people a lot. I'm totally scared of it now. I took Effexor for 25 years starting at age 40. It kept me alive and able to work. So far we haven't found an adequate replacement that doesn't have bad side effects.
I told my psychiatrist I plan to titrate back to Brintellix which is the first antidepressant he tried me on. I don't want any more of these scary night terrors or whatever they are. I've been working with this psychiatrist since January.
sllawson
4 March 2015
Thank you all for sharing your experiences! I have been on Viibryd for two years now and for the most part it does help a lot. I too experience very vivid dreams. I have told my friends many times that if I could write I probably could be a best-selling author. LOL Missing a dose is horrible! It causes my skin to itch and crawl. I have the sleep paralysis which is terrifying, along with nightmares. I have wondered if taking the medication at lunchtime would help with the side effects and also keep me from forgetting to take my dose. I have a real hard time with remembering my dose and taking it the same time. My evenings are so crazy and unpredictable. So, after reading everyones experiences I'm going to try switching it to lunchtime.
vwo
21 Jan 2015
I've been on Viibryd for more than 2 years and take 40 mg/day. At first, I took it in the mornings, but I forgot a dose and didn't want to go through the extreme itching and nightmares I had the first time I missed a dose. I started taking it at night, and I was amazed by how much better I felt all day long after I switched my dosing routine. My doctor said that a small percentage of people do better with the drug by taking it at night and that I should continue with what helps most. I've taken it at night for several months now.
For the past couple of weeks, though, I've started having night terrors that have gotten progressively worse. Last night was absolutely horrific. After reading the experiences here, it seems that switching back to mornings may resolve this problem. It's worth a try. I've tried several medications, and Viibryd & Abilify work best for me. I hope that switching my dosing routine again will result in peaceful sleep.
Dutch SC
19 Jan 2015
"Nightmares/Night Terrors" may be an understatement. After using Zoloft for about ten years, I began having night terrors around age 40--figures luring in the corners of my bedroom, demonic beings hovering over my sleeping body, me being unable to wake ("sleep paralysis") until I suddenly bolted upright lashing at the ghouls.
The symptoms got worse after switching to Viibryd when it was determined that the Zoloft had "pooped out." I would wake lashing and screaming trying to fight off whatever it was that was attacking me in my sleep. I also had trouble differentiating what I had experienced and what I had dreamed. It was either medication-induced or medication-exacerbated psychosis. My doc took me off Viibryd cold-turkey--which is not advised but was necessary considering my experiences.
I've been off Viibryd for about a month now. Went through an extreme period of anxiety, self-doubt, and indecision. I still get one or two bouts of "brain zaps" a day. Lost over 10 pounds in the process.
Life in the funhouse...
Melindasoffhermeds
29 June 2015
I was taking lexapro for years and years, getting off and back on them at times. Tried a different variation called Celexa for a short time. But felt like they "pooped out" as well. I still felt depressed/anxious and like I was not truly enjoying life. I just tried Viibryd for the first time this past week after being on Cymbalta for 2 months. My doc switched me to Viibryd after I told her Cymbalta made me feel even more anxious and foggy than I did without it. After trying 10 mg of Viibryd for a week, I started the 20mg dose, then the next morning I noticed an extreme change I my taste. I tried eating breakfast and everything tasted weird! It was a nasty bitter/rancid oil taste. My husband said his food tasted great. I searched online and saw that loss of taste and bad taste in mouth were side effects! I immediately stopped taking it.
(Yesterday night I stopped) Last night I had a horrible nightmare and woke up on my floor screaming and hiding from this big saw like object that looked like a long cable coming out of the ceiling and it was about to cut me up. My husband yelled at me to wake up and I was on my knees still trying to figure out what was real and was was a dream. I went into the bathroom and I thought I saw a head peeking around the corner and I was terrified to go back into the bedroom. I woke up this morning feeling like I didn't sleep at all. Had bags under my eyes and looked like I'd just been through hell and back. Totally overslept too. Took a three hour nap today too.
Having mental illness sucks but taking the drugs is even WORSE!!! I don't know what to do because I'm convinced these drugs are physiologically effecting my brain in the long term and I'm worried people can become dependent on them or become adversely affected by them for the rest of their lives. Is it truly safe to be on these drugs and to switch around different meds for the rest of our life?
BeckyKS4
8 Dec 2014
I have been on Viibryd for almost 2 years. I have missed taking my dose only 4 times in the 2 years I have been on it. Each time I have missed a does I had terrible nightmares and waking up seeing colors, like little lights on the dark ceiling. One time, I actually seen the furniture move, it looked like it was breathing. I am going to talk to my dr. I am not sure I like these side effects.
Kristin31
17 Oct 2013
I've been taking Viibryd for a month. I forgot to take it last night and had a horrible nightmare. I woke up hysterical and had a hard time distinguishing the nightmare from reality. I have been having less anxiety, better mood, and clearer thinking on Viibryd. However, I have also been feeling disconnected... Like my house isn't mine. I am going to see my NP this AM, and get a referral to a psychiatrist.
yanksgrl827
17 Oct 2013
I was feeling better on the Viibryd as well after only a month. I was more motivated to clean, cook and be outside but that nightmare terrified me. I've been doing a lot of reading and it seems that it's not uncommon, we just have to be diligent about taking our medicine at the same time, every day. Like I said, I'm going to try to come off the Lexapro I am taking (with the help of my doctor) and if I feel I need to be on something, I will consider taking the Viibryd again. Best of luck to you!
CARPENTERS GIRL
9 Dec 2013
I recently began taking Viibryd as a replacement for an older drug I was taking for depression for many years. I take it in the morning and last night I had such terrible night terrors I was convinced I was going crazy. It began when I attempted to fall asleep. I began hearing voices , hallucinating and hearing loud banging noises , which prompted me to stay awake until 4 this morning. Every time I closed my eyes it began again, demons were attacking me and I could not scream or move. it was by far the most terrifying situation I have ever encountered because even when I was awake , my bed was shaking( not really of course) and I heard whispering voices. I was in a complete manic state. I did not realize it was even the medicine until I wound up downstairs crying to my 24 year old son .I am waiting for a call from the doctor ,but am terrified of trying to sleep tonight.
sarah19691
27 June 2015
I had those symptoms to feeling like my home isn't mine and couldn't tell if the dream was a dream or real it seemed so real I seemed to be awake which is so weird when all the terrors and seeing demons by my beside they was trying to bite my flesh and clawing at me and other things was happening also that I mentioned before in my post it was so real and scary I was screaming crying , shaking all over ,jerking .. ive been on viibryd 40 mg for 2 months..
gstayton
12 Aug 2016
I've been on viibryd for 6 months. I used to NEVER have dreams but now i have night terrors!!! they are soooo real and scary. I've tried to wean off the medicine but the headaches i get while trying are horrible so now im back at 20mg daily. It's worse if i miss a dose. I've been tired too but didnt think about the med causing it. Not sure what to do. Maybe i'll just suffer through the headaches and get off..its scary
Related topics
nightmares, night terrors, viibryd
Further information
- Viibryd uses and safety info
- Viibryd prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Viibryd (detailed)
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