Vilazodone and Headaches: What Users Say (Page 2)

• She...
• September 16, 2017

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "I have been on and off antidepressants most of my adult life and have tried many. Was just switched from Celexa to Viibryd about 1 month ago, and it has been a living nightmare. This has by far been the worst med I have ever been on. I have been an emotional wreck and sick as hell. Nausea, dizzy, shaky, jittery, heart racing, weight gain, headaches, anger, crying, and several more. I have actually had to pull my car off the road and sit because I was so sick. I can't think straight at all. Tried tapering down from 20 mg to 15 mg for a week, and I felt like I was dying, so went back to 20 mg. I feel like I belong in the mental ward. I see my doctor in a few days. Horrible drug, I do not recommend at all! Rather be depressed."

• Hop...
• March 21, 2019

Vilazodone for Depression "Viibryd is my first experience in treating my mental health through medication. I've never even tried a Xanax or anything, and I'm 27. I wish this would have worked out. I cannot explain how quickly it lifted the entire fog of depression and anxiety from my life. I felt a renewed sense of purpose and the best I've felt in two years. I had side effects for the first week and a half-headaches and nausea, nothing sexual at all-all of which faded quickly. But the insomnia was crushing. I slept exactly 4 hours every single night. I even maintained my usual schedule of running 3-5 miles per day and eating healthy, but like clockwork, my body would snap awake after 4 hours of sleep with almost no chance of falling back. I am a 7-9 hour sleeper. More than once, I found myself chugging wine from the bottle at 4 AM and ripping my CBD pen to get back to sleep, all while crying out of frustration. My doctor just switched me to Trintellix, so here's to hoping that alleviates it."

• Ric...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 4, 2017

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "I have been taking Viibryd for years now. It was extremely successful at taking away suicidal depression and extreme social anxiety, due to mild Asperger's. It also gave me a tremendous amount of energy. After a good amount of time with a 40 mg a day dose, I started experiencing side effects. The first side effect was upset stomach, with diarrhea. Next, I started noticing mental exhaustion and slight dry mouth. Then the side effects went to severe temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ) issues and tension headaches, sometimes accompanied by neck region night sweats. Then my doctor and I decided to cut the Viibryd down to 20 mg a day. I have been on the 20 mg for a while now, the TMJ is gone, and all other side effects have been reduced. Overall, I'm still happy."

• Chi...
• June 20, 2019

Vilazodone for Depression "I initially started with 20 mg of this medication for anxiety and depression and had to lower my dose to 10 mg. At 20 mg, I had random sudden urges to get up and move and could not sit still. I was very restless and irritable. Now on 10 mg, I feel better, however, I get a bad headache and slight nausea about an hour after taking my morning dose, even with food. It somewhat dulls my emotions and makes me feel spacey and like I am medicated. Didn't cause weight gain, but I am not losing any weight either, despite my hard efforts. Very vivid and intense dreams every night. Some actually in a good way, others not so much. I am considering something else or getting off meds completely. I feel my depression slowly returning because of my weight and not being able to lose it. Glad I see my Dr. in 2 days."

• Von...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 22, 2016

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "Suicidal in early 20s - previous control found with counseling, Zoloft, Effexor, no other drugs giving much or lengthy control of disease. About 2 years ago, began Viibryd - quickly brought up to 40 mg dose. Still have dry mouth and some diarrhea (so bad at first it actually turned into IBS for me) and continue with daily headaches and queasiness, though no weight gain as others reported. In the last 5-6 months, have noticed a sharp increase in sudden unexpected crying with no ability to stop, and now more aggressive feelings and an increase in suicidal ideation, which I have not had for many years. Very surprising and frightening after all this time (40 years since diagnosis). Will wean off this drug soon when/if I can find a doctor to address these issues."

• Fra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 4, 2013

Vilazodone for Depression "Depressed, yes. Been seeing my LCSW for a while, told me I needed an SSRI, so off I went to my PCP, and he told me to try Viibryd. I am a 53-year-old male (no ED yet :)), high blood pressure medication, and back pain, 5 mg oxycodone 2 times a day as needed. I take this medication at 7:00 at night. Sleeping was a problem the first two nights, now I am sleeping a little better (any sound seems to wake me). Medication seems to be working okay, just finished the first week, 10 mg. I seem to be getting a little throbbing on the right side of my head, not a constant throbbing, off and on during the day. Will update after the second week is finished."

• Bel...
• October 3, 2017

Vilazodone for Depression "Been on Viibryd for 6 years at 40 mg/day. Although it was great for the anger management and depression, I gained 65 pounds despite working out and started losing my hair in huge clumps. I still couldn't sleep through the night and noticed that I couldn't focus anymore for even short periods of time. My new doctor told me yesterday that all of the side effects that Viibryd wasn't supposed to have, it ended up having anyway (listed above). Glad to be going off and see what changes happen. Be cautious if/when you do go off, must step down and it takes about a month. Headaches are horrible but do go away. Good luck!"

• Ang...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 27, 2021

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "I have been on a total of 10 antidepressants throughout my life. Viibryd is amazing and the only med that really helps me. It keeps me level and my depression at bay. If I miss a pill, I am depressed the next day. The 40 mg pill really upset my stomach every day. So the Dr. dropped me down to 20 mg. At one point, I was struggling, so he told me to take 40 mg until I was better. I took two 20 mg pills, it did not hurt my stomach. So I'm not sure what the difference is in the pills. If I miss a dose, when I start back, I also get a headache and upset stomach for 1 day. It does get rid of my sex drive. I don't even really ever think about it anymore. But the pay-off of not struggling mentally is completely worth it. It is super expensive, even with insurance. So my Dr. sends them a note letting them know I have tried 9 other meds, so this one is medically necessary. So insurance pays for it completely."

• Dan...
• November 20, 2019

For Anxiety "Bad experience taking this drug vilazodone for anxiety and depression. 1) Side effects starting it were mostly stomach upset and some headache. Not too bad. 2) Switched from Lexapro to this, then on Viibryd 20 mg for 1 month. At first, I thought it was working, but as time went on, my anxiety got worse. It got much worse than it had ever been without medication. My depression got worse as well. It got to the point where some days I would feel intense anxiety all day, couldn't eat, and had to take a clonazepam just to calm down enough to sleep. 3) Getting off of this medication was so hard for me. Dropping down from 20 mg to 10 mg, over four days, I went from irritable to moody to severely depressed and crawling out of my skin. I went right back up to 20 mg, and over the course of a couple of days, those severe side effects went away. Eventually got off it, but very slowly."

• Fai...
• January 5, 2013

Vilazodone for Depression "I've been on this for two weeks. When I first started at 10, I had some digestive trouble, nothing bad, and I had some lethargy and brain fuzziness. By day three, I noticed my anxiety increasing and constant dull headaches. Day 5, I felt better. Day 7, I got nausea and slight diarrhea. Days 8, 9, and 10, I was physically better but more easily agitated. Day twelve, bad nausea and diarrhea for 10 hours. No pill today, just not for me. Still have the headaches throughout!"

• kat...
• November 15, 2015

Vilazodone for Depression "I had terrible insomnia on Viibryd. Awful. Whole nights spent wired. It made me so anxious that I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin. Brain zaps, headaches, etc. I tried for several weeks, but the symptoms got worse, not better. Did not work for me at all."

• Tom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 16, 2019

Vilazodone "I was prescribed this for generalized anxiety disorder, and the side effects for me were extreme dizziness, joint pain, nausea, headaches, and an overall yucky feeling. Only took for 7 days due to side effects and making it very hard to perform at work."

• Han...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 23, 2022

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "The side effects I experienced while taking Viibryd overwhelmed the benefits. Six months prior to trying Viibryd, I had been on 150 mg of Effexor for two years, but its effectiveness plateaued, and the GI issues I had made it no longer a good fit. I started on 10 mg of Viibryd for three weeks, and initially, I felt more energized, less agitated, and slightly more upbeat, along with intestinal distress, headaches, and insomnia, which I expected for a short period. After three weeks, both the benefits and side effects waned, so I titrated up to 20 mg with stronger side effects plus anxiety, which started to increase as the medicine began to build up in my system. I had a non-stop headache, ridiculous insomnia, and worsening anxiety. I became so exhausted from never sleeping, and disappointingly, my depressive symptoms did not improve. I stopped taking Viibryd a week ago, but I continue to have insomnia and intestinal discomfort."

• Bir...
• May 30, 2017

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "Been on a plethora of antidepressants most of my life. This one, by far, has been the worst. I had all of the negative side effects pretty intensely. Insomnia, vomiting, diarrhea, severe headaches, severe agitation, visual hallucinations, feeling like I was crawling out of my skin, sweats, and psychosis so bad to the point I blacked out and attacked my best friend physically. Thanks be to God my friend was there, and I'm not in jail! Just based on my personal experience, I think this drug needs to be tested out more thoroughly. I felt like a wretched guinea pig on it. I stopped the drug a few days ago... going through the horrible withdrawals now. The 'bath salts' of antidepressants!!!!!"

• Con...
• September 2, 2019

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "Out of desperation, I gave this a try. All I can say is it is awful. I took my first 10 mg, and within 2 hours it hit my intestinal tract. The next day, the same thing happened with an added headache. Third, I decided it might be better to take it before bed, and I woke up at midnight, spending the next 4 hours off and on in the bathroom. I can't understand why the doctor prescribed this. So disappointed. No way I'm going to take another dose."

• Sea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 26, 2016

Vilazodone for Depression "I've successfully taken Lexapro, also Effexor, and Wellbutrin with each (did not gain weight on either of these) for the last 15 years. Tried Cymbalta--did not help depression and gave me nightmares. Now on day 7 of taking Viibryd. First 4-5 days had nausea and constant mild headache. Did have a few instances while driving of 'when did I switch to this lane?' Last night had first strange, vivid dream. Yesterday felt a little bloated, but things going okay so far. I know all antidepressants have an adjustment period with side effects. It's interesting to see how the same drug affects people so differently. Not sure if depression is getting better, but wouldn't know yet because work has been extremely stressful the last 5 weeks, so we'll see as work winds down--I'm very hopeful!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 7, 2016

Vilazodone for Depression "This medication is nearly killing me. Every day I feel like the ground is moving, or I'll have that 'drop' feeling like I'm on a roller coaster. I later learned that vertigo was settling into my long list of problems I have wrong with me. So I started taking 10 mg for a while until I got up to 20 mg. Nothing was changing, if anything, vertigo got worse. Even through the night, I would try to lay down and sleep but would be suddenly jolted awake by a shocking feeling coming through my chest to my brain. This was easily subdued by Xanax (0.5 mg). Then my psychiatrist wanted to up my dosage. This is ultimately my downfall. I would start to shake and tremor, and the vertigo gets worse. My head was pounding, and my nose started bleeding. Now I don't know what to do."

• Ric...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 24, 2021

Vilazodone "Viibryd was not a good fit for me. I took it for 3 days and had to stop. My doctor wanted me to try it to get rid of the sexual side effects I get with Lexapro. It did seem to help with my anxiety from day one; but the side effects were too severe for me. They were: - Severe insomnia. I got maybe 1-3 hours of sleep a night and haven't recovered yet. This was hell. - Strange, surreal thoughts/dreams - Constant headache - Diarrhea - Upset stomach/nausea. I am going to take a gene test before trying any more SNRIs because the only one that hasn't made me feel awful so far is Lexapro. From what I read, this medicine either works great or is terrible, so if you get lucky and it works great, you are one of the lucky ones! For me, it was a living nightmare. Take the test first and spare yourself the pain."

• T I...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 1, 2019

Vilazodone for Depression "I started this medication, Viibryd, for depression about 5 years ago. It worked great until the last 6 months. Lots of tummy pain, short-term memory loss, and the worst thing is the nightmares I have if I miss a dose. It is like you know you are in a dream and can’t wake up. In the dreams, I am trying to wake up, I start trying to scream to get out of the dream. It is like the devil trying to kill you in your sleep. But now, I am having the dreams even while taking the medication. My doctor is taking me off of it slowly now. My advice is, don’t start it unless you know you are only going to be on it for a short time. I have lots of headaches, stomachaches, short-term memory loss, and I am now, in the past month, feeling like something is crawling on me all the time."

• Laz...
• October 23, 2011

Vilazodone for Depression "I took Viibryd for 3 months, as in spite of initial side effects, I really wanted to give it a shot, since I've tried virtually everything else. The sexual side effects began after the very first low-dose tablet and continued until I quit cold turkey after 3 months. I'm 57 and went from enjoying sex with my wife 2 to 3 times a week to almost complete anorgasmia while on Viibryd. Three days after quitting, I was almost back to normal, and within a week, I was back to 100%. The best I can say: virtually no side effects of the withdrawal, in fact, the frequent headaches I had while taking it have ceased."

• Pur...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 31, 2015

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "I started on 10 mg for 7 days and was feeling less reactive and calm. Started 20 mg and 3 days in was spiraling into deep depression, agitation, irritability, crying, not sleeping more than 2 hours at a time, shock-like sensations down my right arm with my middle finger going completely numb, and headaches in the back of my head. I already have IBS, so I expected GI distress. Nausea for 3 days along with severe diarrhea for about 2 weeks. Diarrhea is intermittent now. I am waiting to hear from my doc about reducing the dose to 10 mg again. I think that might be my ticket. Good luck to all!!"

• Xxx...
• July 4, 2013

Vilazodone for Depression "Before taking Viibryd, I was on Lexapro for a year. I experienced severe withdrawals while transitioning medication. Electric jolts, severe headaches, extreme anxiety, extreme aggression, paranoia. Then, once the Viibryd started working, everything stopped. I feel good, 40 mg works best for me. I am bipolar, this drug has helped a great deal with severe mood swings. I hope it continues to work for me."

• Gul...
• November 19, 2019

Vilazodone for Depression "After changing from a Viibryd dose from 10 mg to 20 milligrams, my side effects are severe. Extremely detailed dreams, tiredness, anxiety, nausea, headaches, chills, muscle stiffness, short-tempered, dizziness, overall awful feeling. Happened both times I tried to increase from 10 mg to 20 mg."

• abb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 1, 2018

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "This drug was horrible for me. After taking Prozac for 3 years and building a tolerance to it, I needed a change. So my doctor suggested Viibryd, which sounded great. Immediately after starting it, I had horrible stomach aches every single day. After only 3 days on this drug, I spent 2 days uncontrollably vomiting, and having diarrhea for the whole entire next week. My lips would bruise, and my arms and legs would get random bruises. I got terrible headaches, and my mind always felt foggy. My anxiety seemed worse, and my depression was hardly any better. It took me hours to fall asleep at night, only to wake up repeatedly throughout the night. After about 3 weeks on the drug, my doctor agreed to switch. I would not recommend it."

• Anonymous
• April 22, 2012

Vilazodone for Depression "It made me a very cold and bitter person! Then one morning, I woke up and my feet and ankles were swollen like balloons! I hurt all over! Headaches too! My doctor told me to quit cold turkey, and I will feel like I have the flu!"