Vortioxetine and Sexual Dysfunction: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Red...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 2, 2019

Vortioxetine for Major Depressive Disorder "I've been on Trintellix for 4 weeks now. I was told nausea would go away, but it hasn't. Decreased sex drive. Increased irritability. The most frustrating part is the vivid dreams, often nightmares. Before being on this medication, I was rarely woken up by dreams or even remembered them, but now it is nightly. I do feel like I have more energy and motivation, but the negative effects outweigh the positive here. Because of this, when I go back to my psychiatrist, I'm going to ask to try something else."

• Ras...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2017

For Depression "Been on this drug for almost 4 weeks now, and I'm thinking of coming off. I'm taking it for depression, generalized anxiety, and bulimia. The first week was great-it took away most of my appetite, including my binge urges. After about a week, they returned. I still experience some nausea, and so I've been taking the drug before bed. My mood and anxiety aren't any better, and I'm experiencing sexual side effects and feeling more drowsy. I think I may also be experiencing some emotional blunting."

• Flo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 11, 2021

Vortioxetine for Major Depressive Disorder "So far, Trintellix (vortioxetine) has made me cranky and irritable, with outbursts of anger like I haven't experienced in 20 years. And I have become very scatterbrained and absent-minded – I have trouble completing simple tasks and trouble with simple spelling. My libido is significantly reduced, with accompanying anorgasmia. Overall, my mood has been very up and down. In short, my vortioxetine experience so far has been like riding the Kingda Ka roller coaster on acid with a psilocybin mushroom chaser."

• Flo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 11, 2021

Vortioxetine for Major Depressive Disorder "So far, Trintellix (vortioxetine) has made me cranky and irritable, with outbursts of anger like I haven't experienced in 20 years. And I have become very scatterbrained and absent-minded – I have trouble completing simple tasks and trouble with simple spelling. My libido is significantly reduced, with accompanying anorgasmia. Overall, my mood has been very up and down. In short, my vortioxetine experience so far has been like riding the Kingda Ka roller coaster on acid with a psilocybin mushroom chaser."

• Leo...
• September 3, 2017

For Depression "I was taking this drug for about 3 weeks (10 mg), and not much happened. Then, in several days, my mood improved a lot. I had been on almost every medication before this - Sertraline, Escitalopram (helped a bit but made my emotions flat), Mirtazapine (helped but not enough), Agomelatine, Moclobemide (no reaction at all), Trazodone (made me extremely anxious), Clomipramine (helped a lot but had a lot of side effects: extreme sweating, constipation, decreased libido), so I was like 'ok, we can try this, I don't expect anything to happen'. My diagnosis is anxious depression with a bit of OCD, and I must say I feel well on this drug. No side effects so far (!). Here, in the EU, it costs about 40 dollars a month, fully covered by state insurance."

• Che...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 15, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "MDD for over 25 years and little to no positive response to 15 or so SSRIs and SNRIs, aside from a slight improvement with Escitalopram, which gave me utterly vile nightmares and sexual issues, so it had to go. Started on 5 mg first month, 10 mg second month, and been on 20 mg for the last 3 weeks. Genuine improvement in mood over the last 6 weeks or so without feeling cloudy or out of it. Zero adverse sexual side effects. Slight stomach problems this past week, but it may be unrelated as also on diclofenac for a herniated disc, so it may be that. Time will tell. For someone who has been largely considered treatment-resistant, this drug has been in a different league for me and with the fewest side effects of anything taken to date."

• Rob...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 21, 2022

Vortioxetine for Depression "5 mg worked well for depression relief for several months, but I experienced weight gain in spite of more exercise and lower sugar consumption (probably due to improved mood, motivation). I went from 138 lbs to 154 lbs over the course of 3 months. However, no sexual side effects, which is more than I can say for every SSRI or SNRI I’ve tried."

• Fol...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 27, 2022

Vortioxetine for Major Depressive Disorder "Out of all the antidepressant effects, dosages, formulations I have taken, Trintellix, aka Brintellix, had the best efficacy on me in terms of side effects, low libido (very low libido). Think of efficacy when taking the type of generation of drug you are taking."

• Pat...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 14, 2019

For Depression "Today, the 14th of Nov 2019, is my SILVER wedding anniversary. I have had this drug since Nov 2018. For the first 6-7 months, I had 5 mg and upped it to 10 mg. Good effect on my depression at 5 mg. When I increased to 10 mg, I lost my libido. I started seeing all beautiful girls as if they were my daughters. I lost my erection while sleeping with my wife. We became brother and sister for one month. I could not get my penis erect. Then I reduced it to 1/2 tab per day, that is, 2.5 mg per day. Just bit off half. Now everything is OK. I could finally make love to my dear wife. ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL."

• Jaz...
• June 22, 2018

For Depression "Switched from 75 mg Effexor after a depressive episode in September-October 2017. History: SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) + depression. Effexor worked very well after 5-6 weeks, but had side effects of fatigue + anorgasmia. After a chat with the psychiatrist here in France, he suggested Brintellix (BX), saying it had the fewest side effects of the ADs he prescribes. All meds taken in the morning. I tapered Effexor to 37.5 mg + 5 mg BX for 1 week, then 18.75 mg Effexor + 5 mg BX for 1 week, then 9 mg Effexor + 7.5 mg BX for 1 week. Then stopped Effexor and upped to 10 mg BX. The taper period was rough and tiring, and I felt the nausea many users complain of. After 1 week of feeling like garbage, the pharmacist suggested I take a 'probiotic' (PB). Took PB in the morning 30 minutes pre-eating, then ate and took BX. Stomach problems disappeared immediately, and after taking PB for 3 weeks, I now use 10 mg BX with 0 stomach issues. Don't know if PBs will work for everyone, but they certainly helped eliminate any nausea/stomach issues in my case, at 10 mg."

• Hop...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 11, 2019

For Depression "Has been decent for depression and anxiety. After the intense nausea subsided, I felt content with everything, and my anxiety was almost nonexistent. However, due to the complete lethargy and apathy it causes, I have to discontinue. I have lost all motivation and have become disconnected from reality. Major pros were that it does not come with the brain fog, emotional numbness, and sexual side effects of other SSRIs."

• sup...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 4, 2021

For Depression "I switched to Brintellix after anorgasmia caused by Lexapro. Lexapro worked wonders, otherwise. Brintellix is, in my experience, a much lighter antidepressant than SSRIs. I can still have lows that are low, but they last really short. So what it basically does for me is that I recover much quicker. I take 20 mg, before 20, I could not feel any effect. I would recommend this to someone that has mild depression, not something tougher. IMPORTANT: I was an ambitious and high-functioning person before developing depression and anxiety. Lexapro made me a bit lazy, I was content doing nothing and changing nothing. Brintellix rebalanced me more towards what I used to be, I can work long hours without freaking out now. The only side effect is that I sleep incredibly long hours (average 9-10 hours per night) versus 6-7 hours of the past."

• Pun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 1, 2021

Vortioxetine "I am a 23-year-old female. Before Trintellix, I tried Lexapro, which I didn’t like because it made me gain weight, have a lower libido, and feel numb to my emotions. When my doctor said that Trintellix would make me less numb, I was willing to give it a try. Unfortunately, I am 1 in 100 who had an adverse effect to the medication. It took 4 days to get into my system. On the 5th day, I was experiencing mania and akathisia. I was not able to sleep for 31 hours one day and 23 the next. It was comparable to being high. Afterwards, on days 7 and 8, I experienced the complete opposite. I had no feeling whatsoever. I felt sadness, anger, guilt, fear, etc., but I couldn’t feel lust, joy, or excitement either. I also found this medication made me quite nauseous (which is saying something because I’m frequently nauseous because I have a vertigo disorder). Perhaps other people will find success, but this medication did not work for me."

• Kan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 21, 2018

For Depression "I was hesitant to take the medicine when I was prescribed by a psychiatrist for anxiety issues. In the end, I started it. The many side effects outweigh the benefits. Taken for a week at 10 mg every night. The first few days, I had a headache every day and extreme fatigue. I also felt detached from my emotions, and the world seemed unreal. My vision made it seem like I was not in reality. The worst side effect is sexual dysfunction. While it did help in relieving my anxiety in social interactions, the side effects are not worth it. I'm going to stop the medication and hope I regain my normal sexual function soon. I say go with normal psychotherapy and try to avoid medication unless it's critical."

• Ran...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 3, 2020

For Major Depressive Disorder "I've been taking Trintellix 10 mg for about 3 months, after changing medication 2 times because of sexual problems. Now I feel a lot more energetic and motivated, which was a big help, since I didn't have the power to get up from bed and face everyday life. On the other hand, my anxiety has not improved at all, and I still get panic attacks quite frequently."

• Zak...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 9, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "Perfect medication I was waiting for one like it longly. I was on Seroxat for one year, and I had bad side effects, then changed to Effexor with Lamictal for another year until I couldn't withstand sexual side effects and weight gain side effects. Then Brintellix was prescribed to me. Now for 7 weeks, I can say that my sleeping is now going well about 6 to 8 hours daily. My weight goes better as I lost 3 KG after increasing 17 KGs! And sexual dysfunction went away forever."

• Zak...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 9, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "Perfect medication I was waiting for one like it longly. I was on Seroxat for one year, and I had bad side effects, then changed to Effexor with Lamictal for another year until I couldn't withstand sexual side effects and weight gain side effects. Then Brintellix was prescribed to me. Now for 7 weeks, I can say that my sleeping is now going well about 6 to 8 hours daily. My weight goes better as I lost 3 KG after increasing 17 KGs! And sexual dysfunction went away forever."

• Bri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 16, 2019

For Depression "My doctor encouraged me to try this medication after experiencing sexual side effects from Cymbalta. After one week, I feel so much better. Very clear. Interestingly enough, it has also reduced my cravings for alcohol (assuming this is due to the reduction of depressive symptoms). The only negative is the GI distress. I had very loose stools for several days. They eventually subsided, and the outcome was worth it. Make sure to get the prescription benefit card. My co-pay is only $10, which is less than the generic Cymbalta was."

• Gmh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 8, 2014

For Depression "I've been on Brintellix 10 mg for 6 weeks. Seems to be helping some with depression, not as much with anxiety, but still have a happier mood and more get up and go than before. I do feel a little more tired than normal, but the worst side effect is I have no sex drive. I didn't have much of one before taking it, but hoped having a happier mood would help that, but scared it made it worse. My doctor wants to see me back about doing an increase but worried it will make my already very low sex drive worse unless it makes me feel happier and helps? Just not sure my low sex drive is still from unhappiness and anxiety or the Brintellix? Unsure of what to do, but none of the other SSRIs have worked for me in the past."

• mit...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 12, 2021

For Depression "I've tried so many different antidepressants for my emotionally unstable personality disorder, but this is the first one that has actually lifted me with barely any side effects. I'm getting slight sexual dysfunction, but nothing I can't deal with. I'm also struggling to think clearly a little, but hoping this goes away as I'm new to taking this drug. I've been able to focus more and have been able to lose 11 lbs on a healthy eating program, which I would have never dreamt of doing without the help of this medication. I just hope it stays like this."

• nap...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 9, 2021

For Major Depressive Disorder "Just started it. Main goal is to control depression and anxiety. Not too much nausea, but a lot of restlessness on a higher dose. But will go back down a dose till restlessness goes away. I will stick with it since other meds did nothing much but give me sexual side effects. I want my life back, and I want a sexual life also."

• Spy...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 31, 2021

For Depression "Prescribed for anxiety, worked well for the first few weeks. Then had a weird episode when I woke up and couldn't sit still. Seemed to go downhill from there. Found it a horrible medicine. Couldn't sleep, eat, had a lot of stomach bloat and wind. Was told it didn't cause sexual dysfunction, which it did. I'm going back to venlafaxine, hopefully, it will get better. Hope it works for you."

• Bel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 25, 2019

For Depression "Feeling down from the very beginning. Took 10 mg for a month, now I started taking 20 mg. Side effects seem to be worsening: no sexual drive at all, total apathy, all I want is to sleep all day. Don’t feel anything while having sex-almost as if I had no clitoris-so it’s obviously impossible to reach an orgasm. And besides that, this medication is incredibly expensive, so I think I’d change to desvenlafaxine."

• Sad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 21, 2023

For Depression "I took vortioxetine for about four months. I tolerated the drug well, but it provided only limited benefits. The initial dose was 10 mg and was increased to 20 mg because of lack of effect. Nausea and gastrointestinal side effects described by others were mild for me. There were some sexual side effects, but less pronounced than for standard SSRIs. The drug was covered by my health insurance, and the pharmacist found a coupon that greatly reduced my co-pay. It's unfortunate that it did not help more with my condition."

• Vor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 17, 2024

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have found Vorellix to be very effective. I have, under the care and supervision of my psychiatrist, transitioned from taking 2 different antidepressants daily to only Vorellix. I have been taking it 7 days now, and the full effect of the change in medication will take another few weeks to become fully apparent. I have experienced clarity of thought and increased energy, but a decrease in my libido."