Levomilnacipran and Depression: What Users Say

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

Levomilnacipran 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."

• nam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 14, 2016

Levomilnacipran for Major Depressive Disorder "I did not have any negative side effects from Fetzima, and it is the first thing that has worked for me. Do not drink alcohol when taking this at all; I did, and it made me feel extremely depressed. I actually feel like a person now, and I have so much more energy."

• Mom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 8, 2015

Levomilnacipran for Depression "I have had severe depression since my teens and have been on antidepressants for many years. Fortunately, I have had beneficial effects from several over the years. The most effective treatment to date has been a combination of Wellbutrin and Cymbalta. I took that combination for ten+ years and, unfortunately, I recently started slipping downward, increased depression, and feeling out of control. I was prescribed Fetzima (transitioned off Cymbalta) and completed the starter pack with the only benefit being increased energy. My Dr. then increased the dosage to 80 mg and have been at 80 mg for two + weeks. I have never felt (for lack of a better word) so crazy in my life! I have been so irritable, angry, depressed, and unreasonable and feeling."

• Mom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 8, 2015

Levomilnacipran for Depression "I have had severe depression since my teens and have been on antidepressants for many years. Fortunately, I have had beneficial effects from several over the years. The most effective treatment to date has been a combination of Wellbutrin and Cymbalta. I took that combination for ten+ years and, unfortunately, I recently started slipping downward, increased depression, and feeling out of control. I was prescribed Fetzima (transitioned off Cymbalta) and completed the starter pack with the only benefit being increased energy. My Dr. then increased the dosage to 80 mg and have been at 80 mg for two + weeks. I have never felt (for lack of a better word) so crazy in my life! I have been so irritable, angry, depressed, and unreasonable and feeling."

• Tir...
• January 14, 2016

Levomilnacipran 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!"

• Sou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 29, 2016

Levomilnacipran for Major Depressive Disorder "I have changed my rating from 4 to 1. Upon recommendation of my counselor, I saw a psychiatrist to regulate my antidepressant medication. Thank the Lord!!! Psychiatrist switched me to another antidepressant that has been on the market for a long time. It is actually the first one I was ever prescribed, Zoloft. I'm into my 6th day off Fetzima, and I'm starting to feel like my old self again. Fetzima had me in a state of mental anguish. I wanted to harm myself. I was so sad, so sad, then rages, then shame over the ugliest behavior ever. I hate this medication."

• Sou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 29, 2016

Levomilnacipran for Major Depressive Disorder "I have changed my rating from 4 to 1. Upon recommendation of my counselor, I saw a psychiatrist to regulate my antidepressant medication. Thank the Lord!!! Psychiatrist switched me to another antidepressant that has been on the market for a long time. It is actually the first one I was ever prescribed, Zoloft. I'm into my 6th day off Fetzima, and I'm starting to feel like my old self again. Fetzima had me in a state of mental anguish. I wanted to harm myself. I was so sad, so sad, then rages, then shame over the ugliest behavior ever. I hate this medication."

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

Levomilnacipran 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."

• Reb...
• April 10, 2017

Levomilnacipran 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."

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

Levomilnacipran for Major Depressive Disorder "Started on Fetzima 20 mg and increased to 80 mg 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 80 mg, 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."

• Dee...
• September 13, 2019

Levomilnacipran "My doc prescribed Fetzima 10 mg for my generalized anxiety disorder and said I’d feel better in 4 weeks. I couldn’t make it past 4 days on this drug. I quickly started feeling extreme depression, and I don’t even have depression. I cried constantly for days on end. I felt no emotion or connection to the things I enjoyed, and the moment that scared me the most was when I started having paranoid thoughts about my husband. I thought that he was the “enemy.” I couldn’t think straight at all, I actually had a hard time formulating sentences, and I felt drunk. My vision was blurry. I eventually told my husband if I don’t stop this medication, I don't know what could happen, as I had become really worried about myself, and he supported me stopping immediately. About 12 hours after stopping, I actually began to feel emotion coming back. I also had weird tingling feelings throughout my body while on the medication as well. Have someone with you monitoring you."

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

Levomilnacipran for Major Depressive Disorder "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 weeks 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."

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

Levomilnacipran 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."

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

Levomilnacipran 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."

• Tmg...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 26, 2017

Levomilnacipran for Major Depressive Disorder "The three days that I took this medication for my depression, I had a horrible experience. I felt as though the medicine turned me into someone that I didn't recognize. I became so angry and irate that I could rip someone's head off. I couldn't control my feelings. Crying, sadness, angry, and felt like I was manic. I even quit my job. My life is now ruined."

• cj1...
• April 25, 2017

For Depression "Worked best overall among the other antidepressants I've tried. Still feel a lack of motivation, but the overall mood I'm in has improved. I have been on this for about 1 year now. The only downside is the price, as there is no generic version available. I will likely have to switch again because of my insurance deductible being so high."