I have been taking Viibryd for six month and I have experienced weight gaine despite Viibryd claims that it does not cause weight gain. I am currently being monitored monthly by my doctor. I go for monthly weight and blood pressure check ups. My doctor can verify that since starting Viibryd I have gained 20 pounds. I am currently prepping for an upcoming surgery. I have cut many foods and drinks out of my diet. I currently drink only water and green tea. I excerise daily. There is no reason for this weight gain. Viibryd is the only medication that I am currently taking and as I mentioned, it can be proven that my weight has increased significantly since starting Viibryd. I am 40 years old and my weight had been stable prior to starting Viibryd. I have also been experiencing very vivid dreams and nightmares since starting Viibryd. As a result, I am constantly fatigued and feel unrested. And, unfortunately, I am one of the rare few who have experience sexual side effects on this drug. I am also noticing an increase in restless leg syndrome since starting Viibryd. On the positive side, Viibryd is working for me. My doctor prescribed Viibryd to treat my depression, anxiety, and anger. My doctor and I are continuing to monitor these side effects and I will definitely change medications if these side effects continue or worsten. Does anyone have any comments to share?
Viibryd side effects?
Question posted by mommyof4inny on 27 June 2012
Last updated on 10 September 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.
39 Answers Page 2
I too, gained twenty pounds with Viibyrd and very rapidly over a two month time period. Horrific sugar and carb cravings that are hard to "over ride" with the mind. Body and mind in slow motion. Hard to sleep. Not that much noticeable difference on major depressive disorder. Very sore hamstrings. To my way of thinking - this is a loser med for me. No benefits!
Hi, I'm sorry to hear what are going thru, so happy to know that I'm not crazy, and there are other people expiriencing the same symptoms. You have described exactly what I'm going thru. Vivid dreams, I hear voices, I gained 25 pounds in like 5 months, I exercise 2:30 hours a day. The world has to know the drug has bad side effects. I now feel more depress for my weight. (831) 345- 8560
I have been on viibryd for 6 months- currently at 30mg dose and while I do feel better I have gained 21 pounds. . . which makes me feel worse. I have maintained my weight for over 4 years and while I have not been working out as much 21lbs seems excessive.
I have researched and found that while clinical studies do not support weight GAIN while on this medication, there are real people in forums who say they have gained weight with cravings for sweets. I could live off of sweets which is strange as I would always pass up sweets for something savory. I am so confused by the mixed messages but glad there are others out there who have experienced the same side effects.
I am scared my Doctor will dismiss my concerns and tell me the weight gain is caused from something else.
I definitely share your concerns. My doctor told me the manufacturer claims this medication does not promote weight gain, however, would they really sell as much product if they owned up to what is clearly one of the side effects? Twenty-one pounds in six months is nothing to sneeze at, especially when you've not had weight issues in the past. Many of the posters on this site have similar stories which seem to support your assertion. After only 4 months on Viibryd at 10 mg, I have already gone up one clothing size and am constantly having cravings. Since I have had no weight issues in the past and Viibryd is the only change, I have no doubt the medication is contributing to weight gain. I saw my doctor last week and he suggested that I only take it every other day to see if this helps slow the weight gain since I am on such a low dose. Because Viibryd seems to be helping my anxiety and depression, I am reluctant to change, but if the weight gain doesn't taper off and continues to affect my self-esteem, I will have to find other options. Good luck to you.
I have been on viibryd for right a year, before that I was on Prestiq & gained over 30 lbs. My docs won't believe me that the meds have caused this weight gain. Now I've just learned that my triglycerides are WAY elevated!!!
I have tried to lose weight, my husband is a diabetic, & has high blood pressure, we have his diabetes so under control that he is off his meds, & the docs just keep telling me to "eat what your husband eats & you'll lose the weight"! Well who do they think is doing the cooking?
After reading some of the comments, I now realize that why my legs feel like they aught to be moving all the time.
Hs anyone else experienced any of these things? If so how did you get past it, & did you ever get your docs to listen to you & say anything else but "it's not the meds, but what you put in your mouth"?
HELP!!!
Hi charlimo,
I experienced extreme dizziness, in addition to feeling just plain horrible in the mornings, after I'd stepped up my Viibryd dose to 40. This had also occured in the first few days of the trial pack, but at 40 it was more severe and debilitating.
My love/hate relationship with Viibryd has been well documented, lol, but the last dosage adjustment made by my Dr has done WONDERS. I now take my 40 in the AM with food and another 20 in the evening around dinner time, (but not too late as I was truly terrified of the sleep paralysis/nightmares I experienced taking it at bedtime.)
The first morning after taking the supplemental 20 was the first morning of no dizziness and no headachy feeling!! I have been jubilant!! My Doc says I metabolize meds faster than most people (have been told this before by another physician.) I'm not aware of anyone else taking Viibryd 60 and I suppose I should be a bit nervous about that. But... I've been feeling so much better overall on Viibryd and now that the dizziness and headaches have resolved, I am singing its praises.
I hope I don't grow a second head or anything... lol. Sometimes I feel that despite the clinical trials, those of us who began taking Viibryd soon after it was released may still be guinea pigs! (no offense intended gps if you read this :)
charlimo I hope the dizziness resolves. It's no fun. Please keep us posted.
4N Substances aka Frenchie
Thanks for your response! I'm the opposite: I metabolize things very slowly, which means normal doses don't process through my system fast enough and I end up toxic. I've backed off to 20 mgs daily of the Viibryd this week and the intestinal distress and blurred vision that I didn't realize was from that, have improved. I'm still lightheaded all time but I'm exploring other causes. So far, the docs have ruled out viral and bacterial infections, ear infection, dehydration, and meds. I'm very concerned about the possibility of weight gain because I've gradually gained a lot over the years of being on antidepressants and can't afford to gain any more! Welbutrin was the only one that didn't cause weight problems for me. Anyway, thanks for taking time to give me feedback.
I have been on Viibryd for a couple of months. Like others, I had a lot of trouble coming off Cymbalta because of the dizziness. For a while, I was on 20 Cymbalta (the highest dose I was ever able to take due to strong sensitivity to meds) and 20 Viibryd. Then I started having a set of symptoms that my doctor said was due to "seratonin syndrome". She took me off the Cymbalta completely and increased the Viibryd. A week later, after a non-related medical procedure, I started having daily dizziness. I would wake up ok in the morning, but within a couple hours of taking my morning meds, I would begin to have dizziness that would get increasingly worse over the day. Thinking it might be my typical sensitivity to meds, my doctor had me skip a day of Viibryd and then wanted me to start back at 20 mgs for a few days. However, instead of getting better, the dizziness has worsened. Today I am off work because I woke up dizzy.
I have also been having those horrible dreams others described of not being able to wake up, unable to distinguish between being awake and being asleep, and the dream sticking with me for hours afterwards. I don't know if the dizziness was from too much Viibryd, skipping a day, or not from the Viibryd at all! Has dizziness been common for others?
Hello Everyone,
I am just checking in to give you an update on my experience with Viibryd, going on 9 months now. My initial problems with sleep paralysis/nightmares are well documented on other Viibryd questions. This was resolved by taking my 40 dose in the morning.
Due to the short half-life of this drug, (an extended release tab is needed!) I would be feeling headachy, generally very bad in the mornings before I got my daily dose on board. My MD suggested I take 20 with dinner, which has made all the difference. It gets be through, so I'm feeling great in the morning.
I wonder if I'm the only person at 60?? I'd love to hear from some past posters as to how you're doing now. I toughed it out through sleep paralysis, GI upset, horrible headaches, joint pain, restless legs. WHY? Because it has worked for me where no other anti-depressant has. It's been life changing.
So, here I am dosing 60 and really glad I hung in there, as the side effects have all disappeared. For me it was soooo worth it.
Have you given up? Have you stayed the course to feel better with your side effects also resolving?
Dosage is of the highest criticality with Viibryd. I found I could not be sloppy about the time I took it and could never risk forgetting a dose.
Hope to hear from some of you as to how you're doing. Please feel free to ask any thing of me that might be helpful to you. I think I'm the Viibryd Queen. What a distinction!
4N Substances aka Frenchie
Thank you for your helpful posts. I feel much better about beginning my treatment.
My husband was on this drug for about 6 weeks. He was having terrible nightmares and was so disoriented... he didn't reconize our house... he couldn't remember he had children. For three days he was at his worse, I could do nothing but cry and take him to the doctors because I thought I was loosing him... I thought for sure he had demtenia... after being off this drug for 3 days he is almost back to normal. I WOULD RECOMMEND GETTING OFF THIS DRUG.
I am experiencing quite the same side effects. Nightmares, weight gain, agitated legs, irritability, short temper. Cking with dr to switch meds.
This has all been very helpful information as I am relatively new to Viibryd. Having battled with depression for over 13 years and literally tried just about every possible drug, I was beginning to crash hard. Six weeks ago, in fact, I found myself wishing a Mack truck would change lanes and put me out of my misery. My psychiatrist put me on Viibryd starting at 10mg and peaking at 40mg.
I feel 100x better at this point. Just having the desire to actually get out of bed in the morning is such an improvement. Work is no longer an intolerable chore and I can get through the day, even stopping to enjoy things I had almost given up on. Yeah, I'm nervous it could all come to an abrupt stop, but having hope is such a great feeling for a change.
As for side effects, perhaps I'm one of the lucky ones (so far). There was some stomach upset going from 10mg to 20mg and still lingering diarrhea that is controllable with simple Immodium. I've had a few night terrors - waking up in a panic - but no associated bad dreams. I have found that even .25mg of Klonopin before bed has been enough to ward off the night terrors and they don't seem to be an ongoing issue. The loss of libido was there long before ever starting Viibryd, so I can't say it has gotten any worse. Appetite (especially for sweets) has definitely increased, but will-power has so far been adequate to maintain my weight.
I hope some of this information is useful to others who are trying the drug. Every medication is different for each person. But depression can be so brutal, I think you have to try any avenue there is and adjust accordingly. I'll keep rolling with the punches and hope that Viibryd is the silver bullet it seems to be so far.
Thanks for your post. I needed to know it can help. Depression is SO brutal. It makes life seem not worth living when we KNOW it is beautiful and great to be alive.
I've been on Viibryd now for 3 weeks and the reason I'm on here looking up side effects is because I'm starving all the time. I'm so hungry that if I try to drink a glass of water knowing I ate a short time ago the hunger gets worse. So I've been eating. I've been trying not to over eat, since I'm at a good weight and never really been over weight, but never been rail thin either. However, as a women and at 32 I don't want to gain weight. So tonight I ate at around 7 and at 11 I went to bed thinking I'm hungry but I'm more tired than anything. As the time progressed, I experienced hunger pain like I never did before. My stomach was grawling, the pain finally became so bad that I was in a ball. So I went and ate something again and almost immediately everything stopped. So I fear I will now gain weight too. As far as the other side effects, I've experienced none. This medicine has saved me from a complete nervous breakdown.
I was severly depressed, having panic attacks even in my sleep to wake up in one, and I was so nervous my hands would shake all the time. All of that resolved after 3 weeks, I'm not irritable or nasty anymore, I have my sense of humor back and I'm laughing and going out more now. So I believe I will not be stopping this medication maybe reducing it, but definately changing the way I eat. If I'm going to be eating more, it just sucks to have bad stomach spasms like that.
Happy to hear that it has worked for you.
I have been taking Viibryd for a solid 5 weeks now. I have not noticed weight gain yet, but I also have PCOS, so I'm already overweight. The 1 side effect I have noticed has been that my sex drive is much lower. In my case, this is a great thing. My husband and I were not at the same level of drive, and now I think we're pretty much even. I was just wondering if this medication is what was making this happen. I have not noticed any other effects. I did have a very real dream last night, and I didn't think that was a side effect until I read some responces. It was a good dream. I got a hug from my neice who I haven't seen since July. It was the most real dream, as if she was actually hugging me.
The reason I am taking this medication is to take control of my anxiety. It hs helped for sure. I was having major anxiety over stupid little things, but now, I can function, and talk my way out of what would usually cause an attack.
Thank you for sharing what symptoms it helps. Influences my decision to try it.
I am now taking Viibryd,please tell me some of the side effects,I already have nightmares from taking Trazodone,and I am not sure if this med. will make me gain weight as well,also I have spinal problems,please let me know the side effects,Thank you for your time
I never considered some of the weird symptoms I have to be associated with Viibryd but after reading through the comments above, I have so many of these side effects and am now connecting the dots. I think they stem from Viibryd! Crazy lucid dreams, difficulty sleeping, worsening of joint pain, chest pains... all of the above (except the weight gain). I have Chronic Lyme Disease (or so I'm told... I don't know what to believe anymore) and am on a lot of medications for that (antibiotics, plaquenil, synthroid, a tons of supplements--probiotics, iron, vitamins, etc). I've definitely had brain fog, joint pain, extreme fatigue, etc., before taking the Viibryd (a lot of the symptoms that are associated with Chronic Lyme) but a few of them have definitely worsened over the past 5 weeks--which is how long I've been on Viibryd. I was prescribed it initially because of depression associated with having the Lyme.
I've had bouts of depression and anxiety in the past and have tried many different therapies--- none of them agreed with me. Now I'm thinking that neither does the Viibryd... it seems to be the worst of the bunch for me! Can you just go off of it? I'll take to my doctor tomorrow but I'm afraid to take it again!
This medication has been a nightmare for me. I was having hallucinations and sleep paralysis. My depression worsened and my anxiety was uncontrollable. I also experienced terrifying brain zaps. I was having suicidal thoughts and thank God I found a website describing the same symptoms from other people. I have since discontinued this a couple of days ago and have felt relief for the first time. My brain felt like it was in a fog. This stuff was like mental torture for me.
this is a good anti depressant but i also agree that the dreams are horrible and i really can't deal with that i thought i was going crazy for a minute after analyzing the meds i was on... i've come to the conclusion that Viibryd is causing these terrrible dreams, this could really cause me to stop taking these meds, im really terrified of the dreams i have never experienced any side effects like this in my life, Really concerned.
Thank you for sharing. This helps me as a new user.
I haven't experienced weight gain while on Viibryd, in fact, because it works so well for my depression, I have actually been able to get back on my weight loss plan - I haven't lost a lot, but at least I am moving in the right direction. I have experienced vivid dreams though, and it is as if Lennongurl has been inside my head, because she described my dreams exactly - unable to wake up or call out. Usually I am being chased or attacked by someone and I try to call out but I can't, and then finally, I manage to and this wakes me up, and I find that I have actually called out in reality. Once I even kicked my husband because I was trying to kick in my dream. This is something I never did before going on Viibryd. However, I found this side effect drastically reduced once my psychiatrist cut my dose down from 40mg to 20mg.
I still got the same positive benefits as regards my depression, but the dreams all but stopped - I get one or two now and again. I had also been experiencing a racing heart when I was on the 40mg. I take Viibryd before I go to bed, and I would find myself lying there feeling as if my heart was about to jump out of my chest. It would be better by morning, but it got to be too much, so my Psychiatrist reduced my dose, and that took care of it. I am wondering what dosage other people are on, and whether anyone else has had a similar experience by reducing their dose, i.e. a reduction in side effects without a reduction in benefits. As far as the sexual side effects go, I have actually had the opposite response. It took several months for me to see a change, but now I am much more interested in sex than I have been for years, and I have no trouble enjoying myself! :-) The only other side effect I seem to be experiencing is over-heating. My extremities - my hands and feet - get extremely hot, and I can't seem to cool down. They get so hot that they make it hard for me to sleep - even now, I am writing this at 1am because I couldn't sleep due to my ridiculously hot feet. I sometimes sit with my feet in a bowl of cold water, or fill my hot water bottle with cold water. This is the complete opposite of how I used to be, so it seems likely that it has something to do with Viibryd, but I haven't found this as a documented side effect. Has anyone else experienced this? Though the temperature issue might sound trivial, it does drive me crazy and the people around me are always shocked when they touch my hand and feel just how hot I am. The worst as I said is trying to sleep at night. That said, for me the benefits of Viibryd far outweigh all other considerations. I have suffered from depression for over a decade, and have tried tons of different meds, with varying degrees of success, but nothing has ever worked like Viibryd.
Yes, I known those dreams all too well! My doctor has cut me down to 30mg. I take 40mg one day then 20mg the next and repeat to keep me at 30mg. The horrible dreams are less now but I do get them from time-to-time and some real crazy ones but I've always had crazy dreams! I lost 10lbs since I started watching what I eat and exercising on Viibryd but I can't get down any further no matter how much I try. The weight thing really bothers me but the Viibryd seems to be working well (knock on wood) so I guess I am just going to have to deal with the weight. When I first was about to start the Viibryd I was so bad that I told my hubby I didn't care if I gained weight, as long as something made me feel better and Viibryd has. It's a sucky side effect and the sexual part sucks too but to feel good is somehow worth the trade off usually. I wish you further good luck with it rltrask21!
I am happy to read your comment that VIIBRYD is helping you dispite the side effects. I had almost decided not to begin taking it after reading so many bad side effects from it. If it helps, I will give it a try.
I was given a starter pack by my doctor. I only took them for two weeks. I could not rest while on this. I would go right into nightmares. Also I have knee problems and they got to the point I could hardly get up from the toilet because they felt like boils were inside my knees and I also had terrible breakouts on my face. Now I have gone back to Paxil and I feel much better.
Clearly you have some of the more severe side effects, and going off Viibryd is the right thing for you. Sorry it did not work out for you.
I am glad that Paxil gets you where you need to be.
Good luck,
RonMan
Related topics
depression, weight loss (obesity/overweight), side effect, weight, blood disorders, doctor, viibryd, blood pressure
Further information
- Viibryd uses and safety info
- Viibryd prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Viibryd (detailed)
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