Fetzima and Insomnia: What Users Say

• Wee...
• January 22, 2015

For Depression "Have been on many antidepressants, most either not effective enough or side effects were too much. I am on 40mg in the 3rd month. On the side, I have much more energy. I am no longer sleeping excessively, and my anger/irritability is much less. Most importantly, my depression is much better and emotionally, I feel much better. Now, I started getting headaches, severe ones, that only responded to ice packs. Then my blood pressure went way, way up. The headaches are probably related to the elevated blood pressure. I also got the sweats (at first, I thought it was menopause, but not so). I was also having a hard time sleeping. Finally, heart racing. Will try a bit longer to see if the body can adapt to it because my mood is much better, but worried regarding side effects."

• 707...
• February 4, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "Have major depressive disorder, PTSD, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain, high BP and cholesterol, low thyroid. Started taking Fetzima 20 mg for two days and then 40 mg daily for the past seven days. It stopped the traumatic thoughts at night but need to quit it due to so many awful side effects... slight nausea and light headaches the first few days, awful insomnia, very dry mouth, sore eyes and less clear vision, twitching in corner of eye, hot sweats switching to my whole body feeling cold, muscle cramps in legs, bad constipation. So sad because it was the only antidepressant that worked for the PTSD. It probably did raise my blood pressure, but I did not check... got bad headaches like I do when BP is up. Good luck, everyone."

• 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."

• Asd...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 22, 2018

For Depression "I started on 20 mg of Fetzima for one week and am now on the second week at 40 mg. Fetzima is NOT FOR ME, as side effects thus far include insomnia, major mood swings, uncontrollable crying over ???, tingling of the body, heart pounding, muscle aches, and redness of the eyes, eyelids, and skin around the eyes. Using my facial lotions—which never bothered me pre-Fetzima—results in a burning sensation on the skin. I also have constant ringing in my ears, head rushes, and pre-seizure-like auras (I’ve had a few med-related seizures in the past). I feel angry and irritated like never before. I yelled at another driver (not that he could hear or see me), calling him an ** idiot. I rarely swear, so this was quite a sign of “me not being me.” THAT SAID, I’m going to speak with my MD and cease further Fetzima intake pronto."

• bor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 24, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "I gave it a 5 because I'm only on day 5 of treatment. The only reason I'm leaving a review is because the side effects have been awful already. I've vomited every single day between last Wednesday (first dose) and today (Monday, 5th dose). I've had a killer headache 3 out of 5 days. I can't sleep for longer than a couple of hours, which makes no sense as I'm on 2 different sedatives - I should definitely be sleeping. And I've been constantly covered in sweat. Even when I feel cold, I'm sweating like an animal. I haven't noticed any mood changes (positive or negative), which is expected because of the short time I've been taking it. I just thought I'd share the side effects and hope they go away with continued treatment!"

• Joe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 11, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "Flu-like symptoms, totally unable now to control my blood sugar (way too high 150 to 200, I'm 5'6" and weigh 220), totally unable to control my blood pressure - it's 220/110. Very regularly I'm a heart patient on Ranexa, on depression - some improvement (very little) on anxiety. Every day I take it, my confrontational assertiveness and anger continue to grow. I have some serious meds for insomnia that are now useless, totally not sleeping. I may have to 'admit' myself to get a better solution sooner."

• 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."

• The...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 12, 2021

For Depression "Was on 20 mg for about 6-8 weeks. It worked really well with my anxiety, but I stopped it because of the sexual side effects and insomnia. It’s been over a month, and I still feel the medicine’s effects on me (positive and negative), along with discontinuation symptoms (can’t sleep, nausea, headaches, shaking). It’s truly awful, and I don't know when I am going to be back to normal."

• The...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 12, 2021

For Depression "Was on 20 mg for about 6-8 weeks. It worked really well with my anxiety, but I stopped it because of the sexual side effects and insomnia. It’s been over a month, and I still feel the medicine’s effects on me (positive and negative), along with discontinuation symptoms (can’t sleep, nausea, headaches, shaking). It’s truly awful, and I don't know when I am going to be back to normal."

• 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."

• 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."

• Ver...
• April 20, 2018

For Major Depressive Disorder "I'm on lamotrigine, and as unsure as it could be, my own reaction. I suffered horrible symptoms for 3 weeks - migraines that lasted for literally 2 weeks straight - eye pain (I do have glaucoma) - upset stomach - once vomited - after coming off, severe violent mood swings leading to outbursts - neck pain, back pain, which on week 4 has not gone away yet - muscle pain - muscle flinching as if my brain was giving shock through my body - severe confusion to the point I couldn't tell what happened and didn't really happen - weakness to the point I could hardly get up - severe chest pain - always out of breath - sore nose as if stinging - blurry eyes - watery and burning eyes - broken sleep - thoughts of losing sanity - weight gain - out of control hunger - chills - sweats - shaking - shivering - difficulty warming up. This was only 2 weeks, by week 4, I'm only now starting to feel better."

• 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."

• Car...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 4, 2022

For Depression "Hands down, I have not been this happy in years - however, Fetzima gives me intolerable insomnia - we are talking up all night! I am truly devastated about it because I don’t want to take Ambien every night. I’m going to try to take it every other day and check with my doctor about what to do at the end of the month. I recommend taking a Genesight test before trying out different meds."