Fetzima and Anxiety: What Users Say

• Gre...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 9, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "I had a rough childhood to sum things up quickly. I was divorced and put myself through nursing school, remarried, bought a house, and was very independent until I hit 30 years old. I started to slowly decompensate mentally. My issues are bipolar, borderline personality disorder, anxiety, grief-complicated, ADD, diabetes, and obesity. I tried counseling and all kinds of medications for 10 years. My husband is very supportive. Then my 20-year-old son committed suicide in the navy. It didn't hit me until about 9 or 10 months, and I became extremely manic, and the grief took over. I dissociated and overdosed on my Klonopin and started outpatient treatment. That's when I started Fetzima. It saved my life! It took about a year and a half to work through the grief, but I could NOT have done it without Fetzima. It helped with anxiety and my depression."

• Bau...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 27, 2016

For Depression "This norepinephrine dominant SNRI has helped tremendously with my depression. It has given me increased energy and focus without sleep disturbance. So far, no significant sexual side effects (will post later if this changes). Currently at 40 mg; may go up to 80 mg in preparation for seasonal mood worsening. I do believe the medication is also helping me with mild-to-moderate age-related aches and pains. Overall, very satisfied!! PS. No side effects for me; or I'm interpreting the side effects as positive, i.e., increased focus and energy, yet that's what these meds are supposed to do. Maybe someone else might interpret the energy and focus as anxiety."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2017

For Depression "Update: I've been on Fetzima for 5 months. It has worked better than any of the other 30 meds I've tried. It took 4 months for my arms' itching side effect to go away, and soreness of my mouth's upper roof and upper gums is also gone. My heat and sweating are almost all gone. If I stay on the couch, I have no sweating, but when I do anything such as brushing my teeth, I get so much sweating. Normally, I don't sweat. These side effects do go away, so don't give up on this drug too soon. I don't get that drugged-out tired feeling from the depression anymore. I do have a little anxiety from Fetzima, but it is usually when I'm in bed trying to sleep more when really I had enough sleep, which is good because that keeps me from escaping into bed."

• che...
• October 29, 2015

For Depression "Horrible. I have suffered from anxiety and depression for many years. The doctor decided that I would try this medication. I have tried over 30 medications with no results. This medication significantly increased my anxiety. I have social anxiety and normally only become anxious in social situations. When taking this medication, I became anxious 24/7, and the anxiety intensity also increased. I felt like I was dying."

• I...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 16, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "I am going to try a different A/D, as this is NOT working out. I started out taking 80 mg of Fetzima 3 months ago, and the doctor lowered my dose to 40 mg about 6 weeks ago because of anxiety. Fetzima has worked for my depression, but my anxiety is through the roof! I also sweat like a pig, and that causes my electrolytes to flush out. Then I start getting severe body cramps. One moment I feel hot as can be, then the next I am cold as ice. I have 'never' had side effects like this on any other A/D, and I am done with this!!"

• bam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 8, 2015

For Depression "I was switched from Celexa to Fetzima. I started on 20 mg for a few days, then increased to 40 mg. It did not help my depression at all. I was crying and had repetitive thoughts. Side effects were awful: constipation, dizziness, retrograde ejaculation, anxiety, irritability, etc. I switched to Viibryd. So far, it's a lot better."

• Tir...
• January 14, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have adult ADD, anxiety, and chronic pain. Had to switch docs (he moved), and the new one insisted I try Fetzima. I have been on it for a week. In addition to severe nausea and vomiting, my stomach is rigid. I have been having bursts of rage that have started to become directed inward. Thoughts of self-harm (though not ones I would act upon). Have had flashes of suicidal ideas and am sad. I wasn't sad at all before I took this drug-just anxious and couldn't focus. I have had serious problems with all antidepressants I have tried in the past. I'm reacting in a similar way, though it is less severe, and my anxiety (when I'm not angry) is marginally improved. Not enough benefit to outweigh thoughts of self-harm and suicide!"

• Ssf...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 20, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "I started with 20 mg and stayed on that for 1 month. I didn't see much of a change with my issues but was a tiny bit better. I went to 40 mg for 4 months and I felt some improvement, but I became depressed again. I have just started 80 mg last week. I was feeling angry and nervous and not sleeping at all for about 4 days. I'm on the 6th day now, and those side effects are almost gone. I'll update after a little more time goes by. But I am feeling a little more motivated and awake."

• Ben...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 25, 2015

For Depression "My doctor gave me this medicine as a treatment for my depression, I also suffer from anxiety. I tried it for a few days, and I have to say the side effects really beat me up. I would wake up feeling so crazy, and on the second day, I had an intense crying/yelling manic anxiety attack. The next day, I was lying down feeling relaxed when my heart rate and blood pressure suddenly shot up. I didn't feel anxious or anything, it was just my heart rate that shot up. It lasted about 30 minutes, and it was scary to say the least. This drug may be effective for some people, but as for me, it simply didn't work. Maybe if I took it longer, but I was risking my heart health. I'm 25 years old, I'm too young to be living like someone three times my age."

• Reb...
• April 10, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "This is the second time I have taken Fetzima ER and have been on it for 9 months. I quit the first time due to not being able to afford it. I have MDD, anxiety disorder, panic disorder with agoraphobia, and BPD. I take the 40 mg a day. At first, when I started Fetzima, I was happy, almost euphoric, and my depression and most of my anxiety completely disappeared. Recently, within the past couple of months, my rage has returned, I'm easily agitated and highly irritable, I have had to take my Klonopin daily for extreme anxiety, my personality has changed, and my depression has gotten much worse to the point where I cry several times a day and feel hopeless. I'm not sure whether I need to decrease or increase or try something else at this point."

• Bre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 18, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "Tried this med after failure with a few other drugs (Paxil, Lexapro, Remeron, Prozac, Buspar). Figured since I really wasn't tolerating the SSRIs that maybe I had a dopamine or norepinephrine problem. I have anxious depression. Could only tolerate this medication for about a week and a half, and I consider myself pretty strong and able to suck it up since these meds take time to work. My sleep became terrible (nightmares, even if I did sleep), and I was super anxious, dizzy, and shaky all day. Week and a half, and I had to call it quits. Would not recommend this if you have anxiety, but then again, some people get anxiety relief from similar norepinephrine drugs (Wellbutrin or Pristiq). Not for me. Oh, and the cost was insane. $300/mo."

• ch1...
• November 28, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have been on every antidepressant made, it seems. This is the best one by far. Everyone noticed a significant difference within less than a week. I was up to 120 mg a day due to my extreme anxiety and not able to leave my house. The 120 mg had everything under control, and I wasn't even having to take my Xanax, but my doctor felt I had begun to become 'flat.' He dropped me back down to 80 mg, and now all of my anxiety, irritability, and inability to focus have come back worse! I actually have a call in to him to see if I can go back up to 120 mg. Even with the issues I am having now since my dosage was reduced, I still think this has been the best medicine I have taken."

• Zum...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 18, 2018

For Major Depressive Disorder "I went on Fetzima after Cymbalta stopped working for me. I'm on 40 mg (about to start the tapering process, wish me luck...) and I take it alongside Lamictal 150 mg and Klonopin 0.5 mg (twice a day). I had high hopes for Fetzima, but it's been a huge letdown. I've stuck with it for nearly 6 months because I really wanted to give it a chance (and I'm running out of options...), but it never delivered. In fact, my anxiety is the worst it's been in years, along with compulsive skin picking and trouble falling asleep. I also have food cravings with associated weight gain (SSRIs wreaked havoc on my weight, but switching to SNRIs really helped... until Fetzima). But the worst side effect by far is the headaches. I was hoping they would eventually go away, but I still get almost daily headaches that sometimes degenerate into crippling migraines. OTC painkillers do nothing to alleviate them, and they are the main reason why I've decided to stop Fetzima - nasty side effects with no benefits."

• Lin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 26, 2018

For Major Depressive Disorder "After sobbing for the past few days and literally breaking down, my husband became really upset. He started reading about Fetzima and came to the quick conclusion it was the drug making me sick. I’ve had extremely hostile moments, road rage, anxiety, feeling hopeless, and today I even blurted out I feel I might die. I know it’s the Fetzima. I don’t think I will make it until the drug wears off. I've been on it for 2 months. It was not until the symptoms had gotten so severe that I figured it out. To make everything worse, when I reported these symptoms to my doctor, nothing was changed."

• Map...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 4, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "Developed a condition of depressive ice disorder that I couldn't even get out of bed - odd for a type A person of high activity, but doctors decided it was a form of norepinephrine depression related to a high dose and bad reaction to fludrocortisone. I had to take Fetzima, which was the only medicine of 13 tried to have sufficient efficacy. It was truly amazing that a chemical imbalance can result in this inertia. However... early on, jitteriness, nausea, insomnia, irritability, and lower anxiety threshold made me wonder if this was a good decision.... After 9 months, efficacy there - good enough for me to do the heavy lifting to get myself into new habits, new social situations, etc. Irritability itself waned, sleep problems continued, causing more problems."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 19, 2023

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have taken everything since my son was born in 1997. Had no problems before then. I had just gone through TMS treatments in 2015 and switched to Fetzima. This was the most anxious I have been on any med. After 2 weeks, I went from 40 to 20 mg. I took it at night. I had no problems. It helped my depression at a low dose. I think I am one of maybe 10 people that can take it. The problem is I just got married, and when I switched insurances, they did not want to pay. So my doctor and I decided to switch to Cymbalta 30. It was an easy switch until the Cymbalta kicked in. It was like going from energized to popping sleeping pills all day. I had to switch from Cymbalta to Wellbutrin. Fetzima is very hard to get past the anxiety in the beginning, but I took it for 7 years with no problems. I was told the med did not pick up like expected and wasn’t sure if there would be a generic. The only negative thing I can say is most of these drugs cause emotional blunting."

• Eme...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 23, 2021

For Major Depressive Disorder "I've been on this medication for approx a month now. Sleeping a bit better, thoughts are a bit clearer, but I feel so angry and aggressive. Anxiety is through the roof, and it's making my home/work life a pure nightmare. I feel nauseous most mornings, and a couple of times my chest became very tight with excessive sweating. It's early, but so far not impressed at all."

• Wav...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 27, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "I'm not sure about Fetzima's effectiveness, as I'm on day four of treatment. As for side effects, I noticed that I started sweating more on day 3 (40 mg), a lack of appetite, and some minor nausea. Occasionally, I'll get anxious, but I'm not sure if it's specific to the Fetzima or my general anxiety."

• fet...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 23, 2021

For Major Depressive Disorder "Horrible. My anxiety and depression increased substantially, I lost almost 5 lbs in a week because of the uncontrolled anxiety it so ignorantly gave me. I was crying constantly and unable to sleep due to constant panic attacks during the night. I stopped taking it and have started Zoloft about 3 days ago. I want my life back pre-Fetzima and never, ever want to look at this drug again."

• Jus...
• August 11, 2014

For Depression "The doctor tried this to help with depression and bipolar disorder. It caused more anxiety and didn't work well at all. Only stayed on it 2 weeks and couldn't take it anymore."

• Bin...
• September 23, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "This medication made me feel shaky, nervous, and very angry. It was horrible. I went back to Effexor XR 225 mg. I am much better."

• Anonymous
• December 23, 2016

For Depression "Made me extremely suicidal, cried uncontrollably, had severe anxiety attacks. After just 2 days of it, I could not take it, and it's ridiculously expensive."

• Cas...
• January 3, 2018

For Depression "Increased anxiety, caused hallucinations and sleep paralysis. Was on no other medication, drug, or alcohol use."