Vortioxetine and Anxiety: What Users Say (Page 4)

• JJJ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 26, 2015

Vortioxetine for Major Depressive Disorder "This medication was/is horrible. I have been on every medication in the book. My doctor decided that it would be a good switch from Cymbalta (120). I was taking it for major depression/anxiety, as well as back pain. I am in a very advanced anatomy class and my anxiety went up. This is not unusual for me, as I have a general anxiety disorder. My doctor pushed me to try Brintellix to help with my cognition. I took it for two weeks (making my way up to 20 mg), and have been miserable. Crying, unbelievable anxiety, throwing up, no sex drive. Today I had enough. I told my doctor I was done with it. It has been a terrible experience."

• Npe...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 23, 2019

Vortioxetine for Major Depressive Disorder "Does this drug have any benefits for anxiety and anxiety attacks? After increasing from 5 mg for 3 months, I have increased to 7.5 mg. More anxiety, especially in the afternoon. If I didn’t take Ativan, I couldn’t take this med. Any comments? I want the best drug for anxiety. Is this as good as it gets?"

• psy...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 7, 2015

Vortioxetine for Depression "Was on Brintellix 5 mg for two months. Had some improvement, and the side effects weren't too bad but included nausea, diarrhea, insomnia, jittery feelings, and loss of libido. Bumped it up to 10 mg at the advice of my doctor and again had more improvement, but the side effects increased and the hives started. At first, I didn't realize it was the medication, though I had read the precautions. My memory and focus seemed better overall. After 4 months of the 10 mg, I noticed a personality change. I became lazy, had no motivation, and procrastinated important tasks. This was completely out of character for me. As time went on, this got worse. Plus, the cost was outrageous! I have been off of the Brintellix for two weeks now and am improving."

• Dan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 25, 2021

Vortioxetine for Depression "First day taking Trintellix 5 mg. My anxiety is 1,000 times worse in just a few hours. Completely exhausted, but I've been rolling around in bed for hours, kicking at the sheets. Headache. Weird tension. This is a terrible drug. I won't be taking any further doses."

• Cam...
• May 8, 2018

Vortioxetine for Major Depressive Disorder "On this, I had a jittery feeling, bad dry mouth, crying all the time, mood swings, irritable! Eye pain, bad! Foggy vision, slept all day and all night!!! Couldn't get out of bed on my days off, constipated, nauseous! Stomach and back pain, unsteady on my feet. I was on it for 3 months, and I stopped taking it today."

• uni...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 8, 2016

Vortioxetine for Depression "I'm only on day 3, but thought I would share since I was looking for first couple of day reviews and couldn't find very many. I read enough to know to take it AFTER eating, and I have experienced very little to no nausea. (THC may have helped this.) I did have some burping on the 3rd night. The main thing I notice is my thoughts after taking it and sleep. The first 2 nights, I feel I got a little paranoid and some increased anxiety and noticed it was taking me longer to fall asleep. Took my 3rd dose last night, and I have yet to go to sleep. Been up for 18 hours. I even took this dose a lot earlier than the other 2 because I noticed it was taking me longer to fall asleep. I usually took it between 9 and 10, but last night I took it between 7 and 8."

• Anx...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 17, 2016

For Depression "Started 2 weeks on 5 mgs and then 6 weeks on 10 mgs. The only positive was that I stopped crying every day (was dealing with benzo withdrawal). Had headaches, diarrhea, constipation, worsening depression (at 5 weeks I laid in bed for 5 days, didn't want to eat/sleep/cook/clean - my initial problem was anxiety, not so much depression, med made me way more depressed), many migraine auras, pressure in my head, ear ringing, fear, worsening anxiety, only felt better once I cut back to 5 mgs, then off 2 weeks now. Still have some mounting anxiety, but hopefully will subside or I may try a low dose of amitriptyline. I am sensitive to antidepressants, they make my anxiety worse."

• Anx...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 17, 2016

For Depression "Started 2 weeks on 5 mgs and then 6 weeks on 10 mgs. The only positive was that I stopped crying every day (was dealing with benzo withdrawal). Had headaches, diarrhea, constipation, worsening depression (at 5 weeks I laid in bed for 5 days, didn't want to eat/sleep/cook/clean - my initial problem was anxiety, not so much depression, med made me way more depressed), many migraine auras, pressure in my head, ear ringing, fear, worsening anxiety, only felt better once I cut back to 5 mgs, then off 2 weeks now. Still have some mounting anxiety, but hopefully will subside or I may try a low dose of amitriptyline. I am sensitive to antidepressants, they make my anxiety worse."

• Lan...
• September 21, 2016

For Depression "I've been on Trintellix for over a year now, and I'm going to stop. Reason? Increased social anxiety and generalized anxiety, increase in paranoid thoughts/fear, hot sweats on and off throughout the day. It worked on cognition. I have been super focused and less suicidal, but the unwanted side effects were too difficult to handle, and I've decided that's enough. I'm going to go back on Lamictal, as it acts like an antidepressant and helps anxiety. I also have been on Abilify for 5 years. Good drug!"

• Lan...
• September 21, 2016

For Depression "I've been on Trintellix for over a year now, and I'm going to stop. Reason? Increased social anxiety and generalized anxiety, increase in paranoid thoughts/fear, hot sweats on and off throughout the day. It worked on cognition. I have been super focused and less suicidal, but the unwanted side effects were too difficult to handle, and I've decided that's enough. I'm going to go back on Lamictal, as it acts like an antidepressant and helps anxiety. I also have been on Abilify for 5 years. Good drug!"

• Lan...
• September 21, 2016

For Depression "I've been on Trintellix for over a year now, and I'm going to stop. Reason? Increased social anxiety and generalized anxiety, increase in paranoid thoughts/fear, hot sweats on and off throughout the day. It worked on cognition. I have been super focused and less suicidal, but the unwanted side effects were too difficult to handle, and I've decided that's enough. I'm going to go back on Lamictal, as it acts like an antidepressant and helps anxiety. I also have been on Abilify for 5 years. Good drug!"

• Ded...
• July 18, 2018

Vortioxetine for Depression "Trintellix for 3 weeks. Weaned off Effexor 150 mg. Week 1 down to 110.5 mg Effexor. Week two 75 mg Effexor/5 mg Trintellix. Week three 37.5 mg Effexor/10 mg Trintellix. Now 10 mg Trintellix only. The first two weeks were not great. Anxiety kicked up – the doctor gave Xanax to help while changing doses. Nausea, but nothing I couldn't handle. The past week has been better. The last 2-3 days, anxiety has gone down a lot. Less anxiety without needing benzo is great. A major benefit - joint pain has greatly improved. For several months, I had severe left ankle pain - attributed it to injuries I had in my 20s. Next came severe pains in my left thumb and right index finger at the knuckle. Thought it was the onset of arthritis. Really sucked because I'm a guitar player. At 37.5 mg Effexor/10 mg Trintellix, joint pain started getting better. Clued in - maybe due to a change in Rx. Looked it up - Effexor is known to cause joint pains like the ones I've experienced. This is especially true when coming off Effexor. Joint pain is not totally gone but 80-90% better."

• med...
• October 28, 2016

For Depression "United Health would not cover it. $80.00 a month!!!!! and it made me so much worse. I started to have at least 5-10 anxiety attacks a day after I started taking it, and my depression got worse. Evil pill."

• Aaa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 25, 2018

Vortioxetine for Depression "Initially helped pull me out of depression. But made anxiety and restlessness worse and worse. Gave me restless leg syndrome and had a 3-day stretch where I had 0 sleep even with Vistaril the first night, double the Vistaril the second, and 3 Ativans to finally enjoy maybe 4 hours on the 3rd. Made my mind feel so stimulated my thoughts were racing and even vivid, like I was living in a dream. And the worst effect was the itching and the feeling of wanting to jump out of my skin. Went off completely and started Zoloft. It's a lot better for anxiety."

• 1Ba...
• October 26, 2016

Vortioxetine for Depression "I've been taking anti-depression meds for about 7 years. Was on Celexa for 3 of those years, and it was great. I worked my way up to 150 mg, and it just seemed to quit on me altogether, so I was prescribed Zoloft by my doctor, and I'm not happy with it. Had to add Sertraline to it, also prescribed by my doc. I finally got the courage to go see a therapist, and he is slowly transitioning me over to Trillexine. I'm on Day 5 of coming off Lexapro and slowly moving to the Trillexine. Not that easy. I'm on .5 Trillexine and 150 mg of Lexapro. Seem to be having panic attacks and anxiety. I'm able to control it a little better, but I'm ready for this anxiety to be gone from my body. I'm hoping this drug does the trick."

• Mic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 15, 2023

"I have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). I was coming off Cymbalta, so I started vortioxetine at 5 mg, then after 2 weeks increased to 10 mg, and after the first 3 weeks, I really seemed to improve. However, after nearly 4 weeks of taking 10 mg, I have gone right back to feeling anxious all the time. Perhaps I need an increased dose. I am really feeling dreadful again."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 27, 2021

Vortioxetine for Depression "This is the worst drug any big pharma could ever put on the market. I'm a 52-year-old woman who tried this for light depression and anxiety. My doctor gave me free trials. Oh dear God, this drug must be taken off the market. It gave me severe increased anxiety, I almost went out of my mind. I had a very heavy head feeling and a terrible uneasy feeling for days. My heart was racing and I had increased pain and heaviness in it-just horrendous. Take this drug off the market, I couldn't imagine any young adult going through this with this particular medication, it would be horrifying for them. Any company that gives free samples of medicine should be held responsible for their terrible trial runs using people as guinea pigs!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 27, 2021

Vortioxetine for Depression "This is the worst drug any big pharma could ever put on the market. I'm a 52-year-old woman who tried this for light depression and anxiety. My doctor gave me free trials. Oh dear God, this drug must be taken off the market. It gave me severe increased anxiety, I almost went out of my mind. I had a very heavy head feeling and a terrible uneasy feeling for days. My heart was racing and I had increased pain and heaviness in it-just horrendous. Take this drug off the market, I couldn't imagine any young adult going through this with this particular medication, it would be horrifying for them. Any company that gives free samples of medicine should be held responsible for their terrible trial runs using people as guinea pigs!"

• 35-...
• February 16, 2021

Vortioxetine for Depression "I was suffering from OCD and anxiety. My doctor put me on Trintellix 10 mg/day. I took it for about a month, but my anxiety got worse after a few days. I contacted my doctor and let him know that this medication has made me more anxious, but he said that it is not Trintellix causing these symptoms and your anxiety is too high. He increased the dose to 20 mg/day. After a few days, the pins-and-needles sensation became a permanent issue and I had significant apprehension, got insomnia, stomach pain, and itchy skin. My psychiatrist was still insisting that I should give this medication at least one more month. So, I decided to change my psychiatrist. The new doctor asked me to gradually reduce the Trintellix dose and get rid of it within two weeks. He prescribed me Clonazepam 0.5 mg twice a day. After a few days, I am feeling much better. Everything has improved, and I am getting my life back. I know that Clonazepam might not be a reasonable long-term solution, but Trintellix was a real nightmare."

• Psu...
• November 2, 2016

For Depression "If I could give this drug a zero, I would! Doc started me on 5 mg, and I took ONE pill, with a small snack, right before bed. The next day I had nausea so incredibly bad, I couldn't move or function! I was dry-heaving all day, had no appetite, and twice got very clammy and felt like I was going to pass out. If those problems weren't enough, during the evening, I had the most painful headache I've ever had in my life! It also made me feel anxious and irritable. I decided to NEVER take this drug again and am STILL severely nauseous and incredibly fatigued, two days later!"

• Die...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 13, 2019

Vortioxetine for Major Depressive Disorder "I have only been on Trintellix for just over a week, at 10 mg, and have been struggling with insomnia since my first dose. I was taking 150 mg of Zoloft, and it was working very well for my depression, but I still dealt with a lot of fatigue, so I thought I'd try the Trintellix. Along with the insomnia, my mood has gotten worse, I have increased anxiety, and my fatigue has obviously worsened due to no sleep from the insomnia. I did not have any issues with nausea, as so many others have had. I am very torn as to whether I should continue taking the Trintellix because I know just over a week is not nearly enough time to get the full effect and results, but I definitely feel like I have taken a big step backward from how I felt on the Zoloft. I messaged my doctor to get his thoughts but think going back to Zoloft may be the best plan for me. Trintellix only cost me $10 per month with the online discount card, so cost was not an issue."

• Sas...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 20, 2021

Vortioxetine for Depression "It’s an okay medication for anxiety. Does cause some digestive issues. I’ve been on Citalopram, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Mirtazapine, etc. This one seems to be the best tolerated for me. Zoloft and Citalopram took away my sex drive. Wellbutrin made me anxious, suicidal, and an insomniac. Mirtazapine is a great medication. Prob the best one, but the weight gain isn’t for me. I like to have an active sex life, and getting fat isn’t on my list. My doctor recommended Trintellix. It does limit my sex drive a little (thankfully, I have a high sex drive), but I am still horny and happy. I do struggle to sleep though, so I’m also on Trazodone. If you are skinny, go for Mirtazapine, it’s by far the best for anxiety."

• Joh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 9, 2020

For Depression "Taking this medication for anxiety. I started at 10 mg with no or little effect, then went up to 20 mg. Side effects are crazy dreams, insomnia, nausea, and increased anxiety. I would not recommend this medication to people with GAD. Horrible."

• Hal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 22, 2018

Vortioxetine for Depression "I've been taking Trintellix for the past 4-5 days. My anxiety is through the roof, and I'm very angry and sad. I'm on 5 mg, also take Clonazepam, and it's not helping. It's causing trouble in my home life. I'm not sure what to do."

• odi...
• February 11, 2017

Vortioxetine for Major Depressive Disorder "I had been on Celexa from 2002 to 2014, 20 mg a day. My doctor told me about Brintellix (now Trintellix), and I switched to it about 2 and a half years ago. Since I am also on Wellbutrin, I only needed 5 mg of Trintellix a day. Can't say that it makes me feel perfect, but it helped with my depression and anxiety disorder. Today is the first day that I have not been on Trintellix, but still on Wellbutrin, and I am feeling about as even keel as I have in a while, not experiencing anxiety or depression at all. I'll see how it goes in the next few days, but if I keep on feeling like this, I will stay just on the Wellbutrin and not go back to Trintellix."