Levomilnacipran for Major Depressive Disorder User Reviews (Page 3)

• south...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 22, 2016

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "I believe this medicine is making me more agitated. I am in pain as I am waiting to have knee replacement in a month, but I did not act this way with my first knee pain which lead to knee replacement. I am acting so extremely different, crying, cussing, being ashamed, sharply irritated, over and over. I say and think the ugliest things, then I'll cry over a commercial or something out if the blue. I feel like I'm going crazy. I believe part of this is due to my doctor instructing me to abruptly stop taking cymbalta 30 (was low level bc I have increased liver enzymes) to Fetizma 40. No tapering down from Cymbalta or ramping up on Fetizma. I have taken Cymbalta for years. Could this be it? If so, when will it end."

• JTK
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 4, 2016

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "Started on Fetzima 20mg and increased to 80mg over two weeks time. Expected some weird feelings while coming off one med and starting another, but did not anticipate the horrible side effects that happened. By the time I got to 80mg, my GI tract was raw from mouth to anus. I am now on a PPI to repair my stomach. I also experienced dizziness, eye pain, blurred vision, sadness, forgetfulness, and weird dreams. I saw no benefit from this drug and am currently titrating off under doctor's supervision."

• Devdev
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 12, 2017

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "I have taken fetzima for 16 months and I have had mostly ups and some downs.The ups: fetzima has helped my social anxiety and with feeling worthless. Before fetzima, anytime I would get around a lot of people it was like I went into a brain fog and couldn't think. After fetzima, the best way I can describe it is, I can feel my anxiety starting and the feeling of it building up, but then it stops; it doesn't develop into wanting to retreat and be alone. I feel like I can do things that I mentally couldn't before fetzima. The downs: there have been times it seemed like it stopped working, as long as a month at a time. Early on I got nauseous which lasted about a year.I take adderall too, and I realized what time of day I take both matters as well."

• Tish
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 24, 2018

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "Well my wellbutrin stopped working after 4 yrs. Explained as tolerance. Switched onto Fetzima for 1+ yr. First 5 days, I took a lot of naps, dizziness, nausea, and surprisingly constipation. By week 2, it subsided and mood was better, but not fantastic. Fetzima was a crutch..cuz I was functional and could get around but not as well as I used to. But without this crutch I would be hopping around, if not immobilized so to speak. It did it's job..just nothing special. Better on it than off of it. But depression is back now. I don't recommend fetzima, but if it works, it works. Give it a chance. Wait 2-3 weeks to see how u feel. I tapered off it n I start back on Wellbutrin today (which for ME has been the best med I've ever taken). Best of luck. Remember each individual has a unique brain chemistry, so meds are always trial and error. If you don't like it, tell your doc and don't be afraid to switch, just heed warning to withdrawals and taper off accordingly."

• The...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 1, 2019

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "After being on literally every other SSRI and SNRI available, I’ve realized that SNRIs are better for me. I tried them all before coming to Fetzima and I when I started it I finally felt like WOW, this is the one. I didn’t experience any nausea, but I did have a strange testicular pain as I have seen others mention. Not really a pain, but more like if you were standing out in freezing weather naked 24/7. Which is probably why it is very closely related to the number one side effect and reason I stopped taking it. Premature Ejaculation. Which is odd for two reasons: 1. Typically SSRI/SNRI cause the opposite (which was true for me), and 2: I have yet to find one other account of this happening. Anyway, I felt amazing mentally, perfect almost, but these two symptoms caused me to go off and then back to it 4 times in 3 years."

• smort...
• December 6, 2015

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "I have been on and off different antidepressant meds for years. I started Fetzima at 20 and ramped up to 160. Couldn't really tell much difference. I also take 400 mg Wellbutrin twice a day and Deplin (supposed to help stuff cross the blood brain barrier). I was only on Fetzima a few months (3-4?) with questionable improvement. Have now weaned completely off and now starting LIthium. Starting with 300 mg but will eventuall be at 900 mg. Changed Wellbutrin to name brand (NOT generic) 300 mg SR daily along with the Deplin. I just need something to help soon. I have been fighting this for so long, and I am almost at the end of my rope. I have been unemployed over a year, which just adds to the stress and strain."

• Jamie...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 18, 2017

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "After taking this medicine for six months now I feel much better I have a lot more energy I could think more clear. However when I first started it I had headaches for the first month and still to this day I sweat excessively but it's worth the side effects to know that my head is clear and my anxiety is half of what it used to be."

• bthom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 30, 2017

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "Fetzima has to be the worst drug I've ever taken for my depression. I had been on moderate doses of Prozac for 8 years prior until the drug no longer affected me beneficially. The fetzima had positive effects at first, but I think it was a placebo effect. A month into taking the drug I still felt depression and frequently spaced out/felt a mental fog. The physical symptoms also presented themselves. I began to have frequent urgencies to urinate but could not. Always a false alarm. A few week later I developed a clear discharge which I thought was the result of an STD. My results came back negative for all STDs. I have been off the drug for about two months and all side effects are no longer present."

• Luna
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 12, 2019

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "One of the only medications that has helped me with my depression with out making me feel exhausted or like a zombie. Needing to do something for anxiety on the side as well since it doesn't help much if at all with anxiety. But overall have had a lot more good days on Fetzima. My mood is a lot more stable and generally a lot more good days."

• Cloudy
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 22, 2019

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "After over 25 years on every major antidepressant there is, I would find after a few years it stopped working. So this time my Doctor suggested Fetzima. I took 20mg first 2 days then 40mg for a week, now been on 80mg for 4 days. Although my mood is better for the most part I’m so nauseous and constipated I don’t think I can continue this. I see my doctor next week, in the meantime I’m going to go back down to 40mg. Disappointed as I has high hopes for this one."

• Kelly...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 29, 2017

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "Another fail. I had the opposite side effects as most people though. I was drained. I was the opposite of constipated. I got chills/goosebumps, but painful ones. I had some sweats, but mostly painful goosebumps. I already feel like crap with depression. I don't need another medicine to make me feel worse. Cymbalta had a similar effect on me. I was sick and drained. Effexor didn't have that issue, just some nausea and I did feel energized, but it would take me 10 minutes to urinate. Fetzima was my 20th antidepressant. I am looking into a clinical trial of ECT and Ketamine. I am over those useless medicines. I can't believe this garbage retails for 400/mo. I got it at no cost with the savings card for the first month."

• DoJo...
• November 14, 2015

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "Was only able to manage a week on on this drug.. 40mg. The side effects where pretty intense and intolerable. Cold sweats, nausea, headaches, and sexual dysfunction where very strong. Maybe some other less noticeable side effects as well, didn't stay on long enough to pinpoint. I did not notice any benefits during my brief use. I am also taking buproprion and did not adjust my dose after starting fetzima.. which I now realize I should have considered. Fetzima has a 1:2 seretonin:norepinephrine reuptake inhibition ratio, most SNRI have between 20:1 to 5:1, so Fetzima is fairly unique and probably could have replaced my ssri and buproprion. Found something new and wont be trying again, the side effect were just too bad."

• Brett
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 18, 2015

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "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"

• 323de...
• September 28, 2016

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "I was diagnosed with Depression when I was 14 years old. Now that I'm 22 I decided to take control. I was basically a guinea pig by trying all sorts of different medicines to help me feel better. I was just recently diagnosed with anxiety and also PTSD. I started to talk to my doctor after my episode and she put me on Fetzima. At first when I started it it made me sick and nauseous and I was constantly so tired. She helped level the medicine out and put me on Wellbutrin to help keep me less tired. With these medicines,I have been on them for 2 months and I can honestly say I feel normal again. I still have negative thoughts but they only last a few seconds. I love Fetzima. It has seriously changed my life for the better."

• Linda
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 26, 2018

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "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 have gotten so severe that I figured it out. To make everything worse when I reported these symptoms to my doctor nothing was changed."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 16, 2016

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "My experience with Fetzima has been terrible. I have never had so many side effects in my life with a medication. At 20 miligrams I felt a little sick to my stomach. After two days the Dr. told me to increase to 40. I felt more sick and then got a bad head ache. The pharmacist said this should go away after a couple of weeks. In about a week I started throwing up and sweating along with the head ache. My doctor told me to reduce the miligrams to 20 again. I didn't feel any better. Now I have gone off it after 2 weeks and 3 days. It's been another 4 days and I'm still deathly ill. Hopefully this will go away soon. The medication started to help the depression and anxiety but I can't live with the side effects."

• ch1982
• November 28, 2017

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "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 120mg a day due to my extreme anxiety and not able to leave my house. The 120mg had everything under control and I wasn't even having to take my xanax, but my doctor felt I had began to become "flat". He dropped me back down to 80mg and now all of my anxiety, irritability, inability to focus, have came back worse! I actually have a call in to him to see is I can go back up to 120mg. 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."

• diamond...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 5, 2017

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "I had been in bed depressed for like six months. I had tried several antidepressants that did not help for some reason. My Dr.@ the time gave me samples of Fetzima. I had never heard of it. So over time it began to work and it was a miracle for me because I had literally given up on life itself. I was thinking about changing because I have severe back pain and some antidepressants say they help with physical pain but I think of how far I've come from being suicidal and not able to get out of bed or stop crying. I will stick with the Fetzima. Thanks who ever makes it you helped me a great deal. I say the good out weighs the small side effects I get like sweats & back pain. Worth a try."

• ch1982
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 5, 2018

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "I have been on everything you can think of. This along with Wellbutrin have been the only things to keep me out of a constant depressive state. I still have my bouts of depression (currently in one ) but they are never as severe as they were when I was on SSRI's."

• Toasty
• July 12, 2018

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "Told my doctor I wanted to switch my meds because I’ve been on a huge dose of Celexa for years now. Was hoping to bring my mood back up and gain some motivation back. It’s been a month since I started Fetzima and I’ve been crying every night. I feel angry and having worse depressed thoughts. On top of that they’re way more expensive then my Celexa (something like $140 CAD for 30 tablets, I have no insurance)"

• Joel4th
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 11, 2016

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "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 -its 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."

• Gerry
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 25, 2018

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "Heart rate went from 65 to 70 BPM to 100 - 105 BPM with Fetzima which is crazy. I have testicle pain and always wan't to pee, and always sweating. Feel like a zombie. Got a blackout and hit my head on the wall, never happened before. 4 days at 20mg, 3 days at 40mg, but side effect was already high at 20mg."

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

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "I went on Fetzima after Cymbalta stopped working for me. I'm on 40mg (about to start the tapering process, wish me luck...) and I take it alongside Lamictal 150mg and Klonopin 0.5mg (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 wrecked 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."

• Hobbsey
• April 14, 2023

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "Excellent, I’ve tried all the SNRI’s, this is the best. Plus, it can have the side effects of constipation, which is excellent for me because I suffer from IBSD so my episodes of diarrhea are much less and milder. No effect on my weight or appetite. No CNS effects like drowsiness or fogginess or anything. I am on 40 mg per day. I am a long time suffer of treatment, resistant depression. I hope this feedback is helpful."

• Cassmar
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 30, 2017

Fetzima (levomilnacipran) "I have had depression most of my life but well controlled. I had a very traumatic experience that totally changed my life. It totally turned my life upside down. My doctor prescribed Fetzima. I this helped to some point. I still don't feel like I can be myself and enjoy life. I have been better on other things."