Nefazodone for Depression User Reviews (Page 2)

• NCC...
• July 8, 2009

Nefazodone "I have just started on Serzone (Nefazodone) after reading up on it. I have tried so many other SSRIs that did not work, so I am hoping that this class of drug will. I wish people wouldn't worry about the liver issue. Depakote and Cymbalta both have the same risk, but they haven't been pulled off the market due to the bad rap. I decided to try Serzone regardless of the liver issue. I will have my liver checked at least every 6 months, and if it becomes abnormal, I will stop taking Serzone. No big deal. It is as simple as that. But I read that the risk is only about 1 in 250,000. I will take those odds if this drug really helps me. So far I feel drowsy, but I can live with that. The alternative is debilitating fatigue and horrible negativity."

• xjb...
• July 17, 2015

"Nefazodone changed my life. I have taken it for 17 years. Within ten days of first taking it, I stopped dwelling on negative things in life, found myself laughing more than I had since I was a teen. And my communication skills increased dramatically. No more brain farts, searching for words from time to time. I get blood tests 4 times a year to be liver safe. Nefazodone taken in the evening helps you sleep too. It's a wonder drug."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 11, 2015

"This was the 5th med I tried for anxiety/depression, and it changed my life. After only a week or so, I laughed again. It gave me my life back. Had to wean off, for about a year no insurance, and it's kinda expensive. Serzone, then nefazodone, was a miracle for me. No side effects except a little nausea in the morning if I didn't eat something first, then that went away."

• Bir...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 20, 2022

"I first used the drug in 2002 when it was Serzone. Since then, I've used it off and on as needed. Thankfully, it is back on the market (after it was withdrawn and then returned) as Nefazodone after ingredient shortages hampered its production during the COVID pandemic. As of today, June 20, 2022, I've resumed using it in a tiny dose - 25 mg. To say that it is nothing short of a miracle is an understatement. I suffer from depression, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, and panic attacks. I'm a mess. LOL But having this drug to ease all of those issues is a gift. Roughly one hour after taking that small amount, I began to feel like a new person. And I've never had any side effects from it. The first two times I used Nefazodone, my doctors tested my liver function every six months. But after a while, it was clear that the drug wasn't harming me in that way. One other plus: I've been experiencing all-over pain in my body (soft tissue), and the pain is gone. I hope my review helps."

• Anonymous
• July 21, 2009

Nefazodone "It is one of the best of the many I have tried over the last twenty years. Many others either eliminated libido and/or stopped working after a relatively short time. The only side effect noticed is oily skin."

• iso...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 19, 2012

"I have been taking nefazodone 100 mg at night for years now in combination with Wellbutrin 150 mg in the morning. I no longer suffer from debilitating anxiety and depression and am pretty well cured of the social phobia I used to have. Nefazodone helps me sleep at night, does not affect my libido, and I intend to take it as long as it's available as it has worked so reliably with minimal or no side effects. Liver profile has remained normal."

• KDa...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 7, 2021

"I have been on nefazodone for 25+ years with no side effects or liver problems. I went to fill my prescription and was told it was removed from the shelf. I had no time to wean myself off of it. I was forced to try other meds that had horrible side effects. I am now experiencing high blood pressure, among other things, because of this. I just ended up in the emergency room and was kept overnight. The FDA needs to do something about this. This is a terrible situation to be in. How do you just stop making a medicine that so many people need to survive."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 18, 2021

"I was a young woman with little kids when I started experiencing severe panic attacks with agoraphobia. Missed out on a lot because of my condition, unable to go to their school functions, grocery shop, even drive a car, it took my life away. Finally, my doctor tried me on nefazodone along with Xanax, and it was a miracle to me. Had my liver checked, and it's functioning at top-notch, so the benefits far outweigh the possible negatives. I am 61 years old now."

• iam...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 13, 2021

"24 years of Serzone turned my life around. Now Teva won’t even report on the year-long shortage. I finally had to accept I was going to have to change. I’ve titrated from 300 mgs of Serzone (Nefazodone) twice a day to 150 mgs at night and 75 mgs in the AM. I’m feeling it. I am crying watching the news and feeling isolated. So it was time to try the Trintellix. It’s considered a serotonin modulator like Serzone. I’m going to start today, I think. The Trintellix isn’t a pill to cut in half, so I think I’ll just jump in. No more Serzone (I’m almost totally out!) and straight to the 10 mgs of Trintellix. We shall see, but after realizing they’re both in the same class, I have more confidence jumping in. I will bookmark this page to update with the results. Hang in there, maybe we don’t need Serzone anyway!"

• Dee...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 21, 2019

"I've read comments about not being able to get Serzone, which is true, but I live in PA and I get the generic nefazodone. Thank goodness this is still available, I hope they never take this off the market. I've been taking it for years. It's the only thing that works for me. I get my regular liver function test every 6 months, but it's the best."

• nef...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 27, 2021

"I completely understand why everyone is being so nice to Teva, even as they ignore, lead on, and even seriously harm their customers. Being desperate and in the position of begging for dear life will make anyone want to plead nicely. But the idea that it is impossible to manufacture this drug is absurd, and denying people a lifesaving medicine should be considered a human rights crime, both with respect to Teva and their heartless FDA enablers. Asking nicely won't get Teva to resume production or transfer their rights to someone who would, or they would have done it long ago of their own accord. What is needed is pressure, both with respect to Teva and the FDA bureaucrats—and by pressure I mean from bad press or the threat of litigation, or both. Such pressure is the only thing these sorts of people will respond to in a situation like this, unfortunately. This comes from decades of business experience, learning this sort of lesson the hard way."

• Mis...
• March 23, 2021

"I've been on Nefazodone/500 mg for 20 years for depression and anxiety. I tried many others before (10+) for MDD/GAD. Nefazodone is the only one that proved most effective with the least side effects. I took it when manufactured by Bristol-Myers as Serzone, then they discontinued taking it off the shelves in 2003 due to liver failure in clients. No liver problems here, I get screened every 6 months. I call Teva every 2 weeks for updates, and they haven't said it is discontinued yet. I was told to titrate off it using Trazodone, which worries me because T is used as a 'sleep aide,' and I have taken it before, and it caused lightheadedness. I have experienced many traumas since 2020: death and COVID with family, being in a serious car accident, ESA needing surgery, me needing surgery, and now potentially losing an Rx I have been on for decades. I have resorted to calling pharmacies and paying out of pocket to get Rx filled with what is left on the shelves. While I was able to get a 90-day supply, I pray that Teva gets their ingredients from Israel to start production again."

• Ano...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 5, 2021

"I was on this drug for 23 years. Nothing else helped. I'm now on a different antidepressant, but it's not the same at all. I want 'me' back. I'm just devastated. This is not fair. There has to be something that can be fine to get this drug made again. I have contacted TEVA numerous times."

• Boo...
• February 15, 2014

"Like others have posted, nefazodone (as Serzone then) saved me when traditional SSRIs made me even more anxious. The fog of depression I was walking around in started to lift in a couple of months. It was 10 years ago. I think I was taking bupropion in the day and trazodone for sleep. But it was the nefazodone that snapped me out of it. Took it for a year almost to the day, at which point I didn't need it anymore (I had already stopped taking the other two). The only side effect was early on, and it went away after a month: after urinating, I felt like I still needed to go. Like another poster, I felt cured. 10 years later, financial and work stress have taken me down again. I started nefazodone & bupropion again. Too soon to tell..."

• Anonymous
• November 22, 2020

"My 94-year-old aunt has been on this medicine for 30 years. The pharmacist says they have stopped making it, this is worse than death for her. She is having such bad withdrawals, she says it's the worst thing she has ever been through."

• Nef...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 12, 2022

"It has been over 6 months since nefazodone is back out of shortage. I am so relieved. My depression and anxiety have returned to pre-shortage levels. My anxiety was out of control during the shortage, I tried other meds, but like in the past, none of them worked. Nefazodone has really no side effects for me. Not even the dreaded sexual side effects that most antidepressants cause in people. I hope this medication is available for the rest of my life. For anyone struggling to find an effective antidepressant, give this one a shot. Over 20 years and it works just as well. If you want to talk to others who use nefazodone, join a Facebook group called Nefazodone Shortage Survivors and Support. They have a lot of knowledge and really helped me get through a rough time in my life. Their tips helped me find a pharmacy to fill my prescription shortly after the shortage ended."

• Anonymous
• January 19, 2012

"Started taking medication for anxiety around twenty years ago. Tried the SSRIs, and they worked pretty well, but I felt out of it, and my ejaculation was difficult and painful. Been taking nefazodone with Wellbutrin for about two years now and feel a lot better than I have in a long, long time, and no liver trouble so far. The dry mouth finally went away after about a year, but that was the only side effect that I had."

• Alo...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 26, 2021

"Decades ago, I received the prestigious Teva Prize for outstanding scientific research in Israel. Since then, Teva merged with many non-Israeli companies to become the largest manufacturer of generics in the world. Teva's management and owners are no longer Israeli. Teva has financially collapsed due to horrible mismanagement, debt, and lawsuits. Now I am in the U.S. and suffering badly without my Nefazodone. I have been on it, 100 mg/day, for 18 years. Now my life is over because of Teva. The near-monopoly status in generics imposes on Teva special obligations to the users of its drugs. This point should be made clear to the FDA. We, the users of Nefazodone, should call and write to the FDA, hammering down this point. Please do so. Thanks."

• VKa...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 4, 2021

"Fellow nefazodone users, here is what we can likely expect if the FDA shortage site EVER changes from unknown to recovery. Today, 8/4, Teva reverified AVAILABILITY UNKNOWN. Well, parallels, the other not so heard-of med by Teva, amoxapine, has been on the shortage list since March 2020. Now, I have followed that to learn a few times it has changed, once to expected recovery June 2021. Then July 2021, now it is recovery expected September 2021. So my point is, we nefazodone users have to wait for it to change first for nefazodone from UNKNOWN to expected, then no doubt in my opinion it will keep getting pushed back BACK ORDER that keeps being pushed back to more months down the road. Cannot believe Teva inflicted this on our lives and has not made it after 1 year, and for several more months IF it even comes back."

• tin...
• December 8, 2013

"I took both Serzone (brand) and nefazodone. I had no liver problems, no problems or side effects. My MDD was humming along just fine. I also have mild generalized anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and migraines. I believed a psychiatrist when he told me that (paraphrasing) when the fibromyalgia got better, the depression, CFIDS, etc. would improve."

• Pri...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 8, 2021

"Doctor prescribed nefazodone for depression over 25 years ago. I've continued to take nefazodone for over 20 years, however, due to an unexpected side effect of helping to manage pain from fibromyalgia. Also, to my amazing, unbelievable surprise, it took away my severe migraines and headaches that I suffered with for over 25 years, 24 hours per day. I've been migraine and headache free for over 20 years (occasional headaches like normal experiences most of us have)."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 4, 2016

"I first started taking Serzone after a brain injury in 1987. It worked great, then they decided to take it off the market. I then took the generic Nefazodone, and it has helped me more than other drugs for depression. I wish they had kept the Serzone, it did work better, but the only one I could tolerate was Nefazodone. Every other drug made me sick. P.S. It is hard to get the prescription filled in the Seattle area."

• zag...
• November 17, 2014

"I have been taking this medicine since it's been out on the market. I remember my doctor telling me it was new and to give it a try. I felt like that is when all the cog works of my brain started working in conjunction with one another. I could see life as it really was. It actually gives me headaches, but after trying about 20 different medicines, this works. I take it with Topamax and Wellbutrin. Twenty years on a medicine isn't bad."

• Kan...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 5, 2021

"I contacted Teva about it... THEIR RESPONSE: Thank you for contacting Teva Pharmaceuticals Customer Service. We wish we had better news, but all strengths of nefazodone hydrochloride tablets, USP, are temporarily unavailable with no release date. They have been in that status since 8/31/20. We apologize for any inconveniences you have experienced with the availability of this product. We are keeping a list of patients and physicians who are contacting us regarding this product."

• Wib...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 16, 2016

"Nefazodone was finally the first antidepressant to work for me. Unfortunately, six months into the treatment, I started losing my memory and cognitive abilities. It's been six months since I've stopped the nefazodone, and I still haven't gotten my memory back fully. I'm honestly scared right now because it feels permanent. I looked it up online, and other people have gotten the same side effect. At first, I chose memory loss over depression, but then it got to the point where if I just took my medicine, I wouldn't remember if I took it or not. So I chose depression over memory loss. Now I'm depressed again and have memory loss."