Fetzima and Sweating: What Users Say

• Wee...
• January 22, 2015

For Depression "Have been on many antidepressants, most either not effective enough or side effects were too much. I am on 40mg in the 3rd month. On the side, I have much more energy. I am no longer sleeping excessively, and my anger/irritability is much less. Most importantly, my depression is much better and emotionally, I feel much better. Now, I started getting headaches, severe ones, that only responded to ice packs. Then my blood pressure went way, way up. The headaches are probably related to the elevated blood pressure. I also got the sweats (at first, I thought it was menopause, but not so). I was also having a hard time sleeping. Finally, heart racing. Will try a bit longer to see if the body can adapt to it because my mood is much better, but worried regarding side effects."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2017

For Depression "Update: I've been on Fetzima for 5 months. It has worked better than any of the other 30 meds I've tried. It took 4 months for my arms' itching side effect to go away, and soreness of my mouth's upper roof and upper gums is also gone. My heat and sweating are almost all gone. If I stay on the couch, I have no sweating, but when I do anything such as brushing my teeth, I get so much sweating. Normally, I don't sweat. These side effects do go away, so don't give up on this drug too soon. I don't get that drugged-out tired feeling from the depression anymore. I do have a little anxiety from Fetzima, but it is usually when I'm in bed trying to sleep more when really I had enough sleep, which is good because that keeps me from escaping into bed."

• Sag...
• November 28, 2016

For Depression "This works better than anything I've tried. I was doing well with Strattera for 4 years, then it stopped working. I did well on Wellbutrin for many years, it stopped working, etc. With Fetzima, I get up easily in the morning because I lay in bed for at least 15 minutes, I pet and play with my cat, have quiet time saying things I'm grateful for, and sometimes I get guidance for information for my day. I don't overeat anymore, I get full fast and can only eat half as much as I used to because I get bloated, which helps. My headaches went away after 2 months, and my sweating is almost gone away now after 3 months. I feel good and motivated to do things. I'm not hyper like with Wellbutrin."

• Dea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 27, 2014

For Depression "I started Fetzima at the request of my doctor, as my mood was very dull, and I was using alcohol to help with anxiety. After 8 weeks at 40 mg, I could not handle the excessive sweating that was so bad I was showering sometimes 4 times a day and washing my sheets almost daily. The worst part was the excessive pain after intercourse that would almost bring tears to my eyes from the pain. I have since been moved to another SSRI."

• Pai...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 28, 2016

For Depression "My experience with this medication is terrible. I have moved up to 40 mg daily. I have had a rapid heartbeat all day. The mood swings are terrible, runny nose, the sweats, body aching, headache, and just feel very irritable. The dreams are more like nightmares. I am not sure how they still market this drug, but I would not recommend this to anyone. It is not an antidepressant but an anti-feel-good product. I have never written a review before but feel so strongly that other people should not get involved in this drug."

• asd...
• June 4, 2014

For Depression "The potential side effect list became my life. I got everything, the extreme sweating, nausea, dry mouth, constipation... all of it. Had to stop going to my daily kickboxing classes completely because I'd get dizzy and throw up every five minutes until I stopped working out. I had to plan taking it around being able to spend two hours in bed not moving in air conditioning just to keep it down. Saw 0 effect on mood. I was switched to a new one yesterday, and hopefully life gets better."

• Sev...
• February 12, 2016

For Depression "So far (knock on wood) I have not experienced any MAJOR side effects, but I plan on checking back here after being on the medication for longer than a week. I have noticed the sweating (not severe though), my doctor did warn me about it before I started taking it. The first day I had a HORRIBLE headache and was dizzy most of the day. It was gone after my first night's sleep on it. I can't make a good or bad judgment on it YET, however, if in a month I experience anything else, I will check it. Well, I'll check in here either way because these forums with REAL experiences helped me when I was first introduced to this drug, as I had never heard of it before."

• Sop...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 5, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "I've tried 20+ meds over the last 30 years to treat depression. I've had wonderful results with Fetzima and Trileptal. I've been on the medication about 18 months now. Some GI issues, some sweating, though not as intense as others have mentioned. As I've increased dosage, I definitely experienced rage, but it subsided within a week. I've had an increase in blood pressure, but it was already high, and a med adjustment solved it. A weird side effect: I talk a lot more than I did before. I can stop myself, but the tendency is new. I can deal with these side effects. They've not been intense or long-lasting. My depression was horrible for 7+ years. I've gone from failed suicide attempts to feeling good again. I'm very grateful for this drug."

• veg...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 25, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "This is an update to my comments from March. I am still very happy with it. I did experience itching and sweating initially, but those side effects are long gone. I also felt teary and emotional for several months. At first, I thought the Fetzima was providing some pain relief, but I must have just been having a remission period. I have Psoriatic Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. I do think it is having a wonderful effect on my binge eating disorder. I have lost much of my interest in junk food and sweets. I can occasionally eat these things without going overboard or setting myself up for cravings. I have not lost my appetite, but I have found myself becoming satisfied with less food and have been losing weight without much effort."

• 6xx...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 8, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have been on Fetzima for around 18 months, and this is truly a miracle drug. I have MDD, PTSD, GAD, and BED. I come from a family based in the medical field, and as such, I have tried every drug on the books. Almost two years ago, my anxiety got so bad that every night I felt like I was going to suffocate and die in my sleep. I was having multiple daily panic attacks. I was started on 40 mg of Fetzima, and before the week was out, my panic attacks had all but ceased. I'm now on 80 mg. I can't remember the last time I had one as bad as the panic attacks I was having before I started Fetzima. I gave it a 9/10 because I'm still sweating as a side effect. I also take Vyvanse, Propranolol, and Abilify as needed."

• I...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 16, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "I am going to try a different A/D, as this is NOT working out. I started out taking 80 mg of Fetzima 3 months ago, and the doctor lowered my dose to 40 mg about 6 weeks ago because of anxiety. Fetzima has worked for my depression, but my anxiety is through the roof! I also sweat like a pig, and that causes my electrolytes to flush out. Then I start getting severe body cramps. One moment I feel hot as can be, then the next I am cold as ice. I have 'never' had side effects like this on any other A/D, and I am done with this!!"

• i m...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 23, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "Other meds not effective and troubling to doctor. I started FETZIMA 40 mg 5 days ago, including taper off Wellbutrin and Escitalopram. Side effects: heavy sweating, a couple of headaches, occasional nausea, frequent diarrhea, little bouts of grouchiness, inconsistent sleep, feel unsteady - improved mood, better energy. I'm hoping for negative effects to stop or be manageable. I see Dr. in a week. I'll hang in there till then."

• Les...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 2, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "I've been on the max dosage of 120 mg for 3 months now and feel more human than I have in years. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 rating is because I do have side effects that include: severe sweating, easy bruising, occasional aggressiveness (may just be my personality as I get it under control pretty quickly), my blood pressure (normally very low) has seen a changeable elevation, increased flatulence, and migraines linger longer (though I get them less often). While I would love to find a medication that has me feeling this human without the side effects, so far, this one has worked better than any of the others I've tried."

• The...
• September 26, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "I started taking Fetzima as an alternative to citalopram, as it was no longer effective for me. I immediately started feeling sick (queasy, lightheaded). My doctor told me those were withdrawal symptoms, but I still feel them weeks later. I quickly became irritable and have gotten worse and worse. I'm hot and sweaty most of the time, but when I'm cold, I also sweat. The irritable and constant crying have caused me to gain weight, as I'm eating all the time to try to feel better."

• Jes...
• March 27, 2015

For Depression "I have been on Cymbalta for years. Recently, I went through a series of extreme life changes. Cymbalta didn't seem to be working. I went into a deep depression. My doctor switched me to Fetzima. I am on day 10 of my medication. I have noticed extreme sweating and outbursts of anger. I was more laid-back on Cymbalta. I am hoping if I give it a little more time that maybe the effects will get better."

• bor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 24, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "I gave it a 5 because I'm only on day 5 of treatment. The only reason I'm leaving a review is because the side effects have been awful already. I've vomited every single day between last Wednesday (first dose) and today (Monday, 5th dose). I've had a killer headache 3 out of 5 days. I can't sleep for longer than a couple of hours, which makes no sense as I'm on 2 different sedatives - I should definitely be sleeping. And I've been constantly covered in sweat. Even when I feel cold, I'm sweating like an animal. I haven't noticed any mood changes (positive or negative), which is expected because of the short time I've been taking it. I just thought I'd share the side effects and hope they go away with continued treatment!"

• sue...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 15, 2020

For Depression "I have had amazing success for depression with Fetzima 80 mg daily of this med. I take it in the morning. The depressive symptoms I was feeling disappeared after less than a week. It is so great to feel back to 'normal' again. I do sweat way more, and if I have even a mild alcoholic drink, my face gets really flushed, and I sweat even more. But it's a great medication for me."

• Kel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 29, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "Another fail. I had the opposite side effects as most people, though. I was drained. I was the opposite of constipated. I got chills/goosebumps, but painful ones. I had some sweats, but mostly painful goosebumps. I already feel like crap with depression. I don't need another medicine to make me feel worse. Cymbalta had a similar effect on me. I was sick and drained. Effexor didn't have that issue, just some nausea, and I did feel energized, but it would take me 10 minutes to urinate. Fetzima was my 20th antidepressant. I am looking into a clinical trial of ECT and Ketamine. I am over those useless medicines. I can't believe this garbage retails for $400/month. I got it at no cost with the savings card for the first month."

• DoJ...
• November 14, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "Was only able to manage a week on this drug. 40 mg. The side effects were pretty intense and intolerable. Cold sweats, nausea, headaches, and sexual dysfunction were very strong. Maybe some other less noticeable side effects as well, didn't stay on long enough to pinpoint. I did not notice any benefits during my brief use. I am also taking bupropion and did not adjust my dose after starting Fetzima, which I now realize I should have considered. Fetzima has a 1:2 serotonin:norepinephrine reuptake inhibition ratio, most SNRIs have between 20:1 to 5:1, so Fetzima is fairly unique and probably could have replaced my SSRI and bupropion. Found something new and won't be trying again, the side effects were just too bad."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 16, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "My experience with Fetzima has been terrible. I have never had so many side effects in my life with a medication. At 20 milligrams, I felt a little sick to my stomach. After two days, the Dr. told me to increase to 40. I felt more sick and then got a bad headache. The pharmacist said this should go away after a couple of weeks. In about a week, I started throwing up and sweating along with the headache. My doctor told me to reduce the milligrams to 20 again. I didn't feel any better. Now I have gone off it after 2 weeks and 3 days. It's been another 4 days, and I'm still deathly ill. Hopefully this will go away soon. The medication started to help the depression and anxiety, but I can't live with the side effects."

• dia...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 5, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "I had been in bed, depressed for like six months. I had tried several antidepressants that did not help for some reason. My doctor at the time gave me samples of Fetzima. I had never heard of it. So, over time it began to work, and it was a miracle for me because I had literally given up on life itself. I was thinking about changing because I have severe back pain, and some antidepressants say they help with physical pain, but I think of how far I've come from being suicidal and not able to get out of bed or stop crying. I will stick with the Fetzima. Thanks to whoever makes it, you helped me a great deal. I say the good outweighs the small side effects I get, like sweats and back pain. Worth a try."

• Red...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 27, 2018

For Depression "After about a week, I had extreme sweating, palpitations, and testicular pain that would get so bad I walked funny. Was a bit pissed off in general and anxious. Soaked the bed and nightclothes in sweat several times a night."

• Ger...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 25, 2018

For Major Depressive Disorder "Heart rate went from 65 to 70 BPM to 100 - 105 BPM with Fetzima, which is crazy. I have testicle pain and always want to pee, and always sweating. Feel like a zombie. Got a blackout and hit my head on the wall, never happened before. 4 days at 20 mg, 3 days at 40 mg, but side effect was already high at 20 mg."

• som...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 8, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "Took Fetzima 40 mg for the first time last night, kept waking up all night, horrible gas, woke in the morning (5 am) and had to throw up, also had excessive sweating, headache, overall sour stomach. Will not continue taking medication, have never had such a bad reaction to an antidepressant before today."

• Asd...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 13, 2017

For Depression "I've taken several different SSRIs and SNRIs. This medication is the worst I have ever taken. It makes me feel worse than I felt before I started taking anything at all - sweating, hot flashes, my mouth constantly tastes like I drank salt water, constipation, bloated, nausea, exhausted. You name it. EXTREME RAGE! Stay away from this med. It's a scary thing."