Vilazodone and Nightmares: What Users Say (Page 2)

• cla...
• January 24, 2020

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "10 mg Viibryd for 1 month, 20 mg for 1 week. Everything fine, slightly lightheaded. 3rd day on 40 mg, my left pupil dilated and would not contract. 4th day on 40 mg: lilliputian hallucinations, visual and auditory hallucinations began of evil beings threatening to kill me upon waking at 3 AM. Did not know where I was. Mouth was just opening and closing, mouthing gibberish, I was told later. Xanax calmed me down. Hallucinations began again every time I would try to sleep. Body would try to jolt itself awake. When able to finally sleep, it would be for only 1 hour and be vivid nightmares about death. Psychotic thoughts and itching about my skin and eye skin and thinking that my hair needed to be removed because of an evil bug implanted in them by the hallucination characters. NEVER had psychotic thoughts in my whole life. This has all been going on for 2 and 1/2 days. I've tried 20 different SSRIs/SNRIs, two TCAs, Abilify, Seroquel, this is the worst reaction I've ever had."

• Bai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 3, 2019

Vilazodone for Depression "A gene test showed this would be a good medication for me. I did one week of 10 mg, then went up to 20 mg. The first 2 weeks were okay, except for major diarrhea daily and nightmares. Then came the panic attacks. Not a fan."

• Eni...
• August 27, 2018

Vilazodone for Depression "I was prescribed to try this Viibryd for my PMS, and I have my worst experience of side effects of all the medication I tried. It is not worth it, it gives you vivid, painful, terrifying nightmares, but to make it worse, you are half awake and can feel everything. I never ever experienced this kind of trauma, but it doesn't stop there, it makes you the worst version of yourself, anything negative. Your brain will overflow with negativity and will give you hallucinations, anxiety, all bad things in one package. I can go on and on, but it is just not kind nor humane to let someone try this medication and have them experience all of the side effects. Yes, it might work for other people, but to take that risk for the people who might have these terrible side effects is just unacceptable."

• Byo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 5, 2023

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "Never had much relief with SSRIs, but my doctor spoke very highly about this drug. I was motivated to try it out. I had the common side effects like diarrhea and nightmares on 10 mg. As soon as I upped it to 20 mg, I got debilitating migraines and more anxiety. Lowered it back to 10 mg and feel super anxious and low. I’m getting intrusive thoughts about things I thought I had under control years ago. Definitely want to go back on an SNRI or an antipsychotic, I had felt better on those but had sexual dysfunction. I don’t care at this point, I just want some relief."

• Par...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 28, 2012

Vilazodone for Depression "Unfortunately, my insurance only covers $60. The upside is I barely had any nausea or diarrhea, and then only for a few days when I started the 40 mg dose. Viibryd seems to be working great for me. I have had more intense dreams and a few nightmares, nothing overly bothersome. While on Paxil, I had horrible cravings for sweets. I was at one point eating 1/2 cup of peanut butter with 1/2 cup sugar mixed in. The cravings were compulsive, and I gained 15 lbs in 6 weeks. So far, the cravings are almost completely gone, and I have maintained the weight I am for 2 weeks. I'm hoping I will be able to lose the initial 15 lb gain. So far, no sexual side effects. My anxiety is under control too."

• Bri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 5, 2023

Vilazodone for Depression "I was optimistic and wanted to love this medication. It, unfortunately, caused me to have profound side effects that I cannot attribute to anything else as I take no other medications and experienced no notable events to alter my psychiatric state. Experienced anxiety and mild depression which resulted in this prescription. Week 1: diarrhea, stomach cramps. Week 2: constipation and no notable mental changes. Week 3: believed that anxiety was easier to manage but still somewhat depressed mood. Inordinately sleepy. Week 4: unable to wake up in the morning with my daughter all week (normally wake with her daily without issue). Anxiety is better, but depression seems mild to more severe. I attributed it to poor sleep despite resting an excess amount of hours per night. Week 5: all comes to a head: weeks of feeling lethargic yet unrested, constipation for 8 days, one morning had a profound and uncharacteristic weeping spell. Nightmares. Next day worse weeping spell. I do not ordinarily cry. Stopped taking this medication."

• Mom...
• June 16, 2017

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "Truly the worst medication I have ever been on. I had all of the bad side effects: diarrhea in the middle of the night, had to change the sheets, nightmares so bad that I slept with the lights on, brain zaps, migraines still to this day even after being off of this medication for 2.5 years. Dizzy spells, blackouts, I couldn't even drive while taking this. I'm sure there is more. I weaned myself off of this medication against my doctor's orders because he was convinced that this was a miracle drug, needless to say, he is no longer my doc."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 8, 2012

Vilazodone for Depression "The first couple of weeks were not good; gastrointestinal issues, night sweats, and some nightmares. I have been on it for four weeks now with little to no side effects the last two weeks. I do have vivid dreams now that are pleasant or not effective. I feel better and have gotten my motivation back."

• DbL...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 10, 2017

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "Less than a week ago, I reviewed Viibryd. Called my doctor as I am so confused about this medication. She says give it at least 6 weeks to work, which is ridiculous. This medication has some good effects, doesn't cause sexual problems, I'm getting a lot done around the house, energetic, excellent concentration, but I'm a nervous wreck, sleep 2 hours at a time, horrible nightmares now about people ganging up on me, and I'm swearing at them in anger. Ruined my relationship with my adult daughter, and she cut me out of her life and my grandchildren's. I'm perfectly fine until I'm not, uncontrollable rage, suicidal feelings (won't act on them, I hope), cry, sob uncontrollably. Sopping wet with sweats/chills during my sleep, nasty to my husband. Stop or stay on?"

• bfa...
• July 5, 2019

Vilazodone for Depression "I was prescribed 40 mg Viibryd for anxiety and depression, and it was a wild experience. I took Zoloft for a while but was ready to try something else. Zoloft made me emotionally numb, I gained weight, and my libido was basically nonexistent. My doctor prescribed me Viibryd, and my experience was much different. I didn't feel emotionally numb anymore, and my libido was back to normal. But over time, the new side effects were too much for me. Viibryd gave me the most vibrant, detailed, unbelievable dreams, nightmares, sleep paralysis, and visions I've ever experienced. My brain was wired. It also gave me a difficult-to-describe dry sensation throughout my face and body. I ran out about a week ago and experienced the worst withdrawal symptoms of my life: extreme itchiness, fogginess, and sleep problems. I talked to my doctor, and we decided to keep going cold turkey off the drug. The worst of the withdrawal symptoms are over, and now I'm trying Effexor, so wish me luck on this new brain drug."

• joe...
• July 24, 2017

Vilazodone for Depression "The first 3 weeks on Viibryd has little to no side effects. Starting on the 4th week, all the side effects came in all at once. Insomnia, swelling, joint pain, diarrhea, dizziness, dark thoughts, nightmares, and mood swings. Saw my doctor, and she told me to stop taking it immediately. This medication is definitely not for me."

• Nop...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 7, 2023

Vilazodone for Depression "In the 3 weeks I took Viibryd, I experienced elevated happiness and energy. I noticed these effects almost immediately. However, the side effects proved too terrible for me to continue. The diarrhea never stopped, nightly horrific dreams of death, and a gain of 10 lbs in 3 weeks. I’ve never had weight problems before, and if anything, I was exercising more on this medicine and eating less. It’s all belly bloat. It’s a shame because, during the day, my mental state was much better, but the night terrors were just too much."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 24, 2012

Vilazodone for Depression "Viibryd does a fair job with my depression, which is better described as low frustration tolerance and rage issues. The side effects I had included horrible nightmares, a very frightening condition known as sleep paralysis, and brain zaps, described by many of the users on this site. I rate it a 2 and am now transitioning to another SSRI."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 1, 2019

For Anxiety "I was switched to Viibryd 20 mg. My depression had decreased significantly, but I was still anxious. After 1 month, my doctor updated the dosage to 40 mg, and after only 10 days, my anxiety turned to panic attacks and nightmares. Because my anxiety had increased, my depression started showing up again. Talking to my doctor now to switch off of this medication."

• Anonymous
• August 24, 2012

Vilazodone for Anxiety "Both my husband and I are on Viibryd. We share side effects such as gritting our teeth and having to take the medicine at the same time every day. If he takes his even just an hour late, he feels like he gets an instant high for 1-3 seconds, and then it's gone. He has nightmares, where he sees things, and he screams in his dreams but not truly out loud. In the first month, we both experienced our limbs jerking as we tried to fall asleep. Now he hears a loud buzzing noise and then a loud bang, and he wakes up with his heart racing. As I fall asleep, I hear a loud bang as if a gun is going off right in my ear, and a horrible electric shock to my brain, and I wake with my heart racing. We are seriously thinking of titrating off the medicine."

• bre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 12, 2015

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "Was on for 3 weeks, 10 mg, until the nightmares and sleep got so bad I had to stop. Was so bad I was having to take upwards of 1.5 mg of Klonopin just to sleep and still didn't seem to help at all. Seemed to help with anxiety, but the effects on my sleep were counteracting any help it was having for the anxiety. I've always had issues with my sleep, but this definitely made them worse. Seriously, the nightmares were intense and strange. Like dreams within dreams, gory sometimes, but almost always sad and frustrating. Might be the ticket for others, but not me. On Lamictal now and seem to be doing much better (after 2-year trials of all kinds of SSRIs and SNRIs that only helped a little in some ways or totally messed me up)."

• lm4...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 18, 2022

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "This medicine was on my GeneSight report, and after many failed medication attempts, I asked to try this one knowing there would be no gene-drug interaction. Well, after my third dose, I started having extremely vivid dreams and nightmares. I kept having dreams inside dreams to a point where, when I woke up, I couldn’t tell if it was another dream or reality, and this was only on 10 mg. I was scared to fall asleep. It also made me extremely irritable and upset. Didn’t do anything for my anxiety/OCD either. But that’s just my experience, although the dreams are a very common side effect."

• Med...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 20, 2018

Vilazodone for Depression "Cons: I have insurance approved and the discount card and still pay $125 a month. I haven’t felt anything drastic yet at 10 mg, and I've been taking it for 5 weeks or so (switching to 20 mg this week). I’ve had super bad insomnia in the middle of the night/nightmares, but nothing I haven’t had before. Some cases of sudden nausea if I don't eat for a few hours and some digestive stuff. Pros: got rid of my sleep paralysis, have enough energy, haven’t gained weight, decreases my urge to binge eat, more focused/motivated with school (but still depressed mood and emotional swings)"

• 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!"

• BBa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 6, 2019

Vilazodone for Depression "I have always struggled with anxiety and pretty major depression. I had been on almost every SSRI known to man, with little help or major side effects. After many trials and prescriptions, my doctor decided to try me on Viibryd mainly due to the fact that 'only 5% of people on this medication suffer sexual side effects.' That has always been an issue with meds for me. We decided to try it. I started on 20 mg. Two days into it, my digestive tract started to suffer. I tried to ignore it, thinking it was just a flare-up of my Crohn's disease. I started to have these crazy, vivid dreams and nightmares. Crying, yelling, and kicking in my sleep. Also, I was in the 5% to not be able to have an orgasm. I decided to push through it, thinking they'll all eventually clear up. I was wrong. The dreams got worse, the sexual dysfunction got worse, with no noticeable change to my anxiety or depression. I have already started to wean off of this medication."

• 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."

• Sou...
• August 7, 2017

Vilazodone for Depression "I was on Viibryd for just about a year, the first 8 months were wonderful, with issues of exhaustion here and there. Then, the last few months I was on it, my anxiety became so unmanageable. After stopping Viibryd, I had little withdrawals, thank the good Lord, because I have missed a dose of Viibryd before, and the nightmares are god-awful. I'm really hoping to find a happy medium with medication, it's been an ongoing battle of finding something that works for almost 5 years now."

• Fle...
• December 11, 2019

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "I have been on numerous SSRIs for my panic and GAD. Paxil and Lexapro, and the SNRI, Cymbalta. I was looking for a newer drug that would not have as many side effects. So I started Viibryd 10 mg for 2 weeks, 20 mg for a month, and finally got to 40 mg as my maintenance dose. As soon as I got to the 40 mg dose, I started to notice brain zaps happening every night while trying to sleep. Forget about the nightmares. So real, I could not even wake myself up from them. I was having hallucinations and also hearing noises in my ears. This unfortunately caused me to stay up and fear sleeping. During the day, I felt like I was manic and running all over the place. This drug did nothing to help my anxiety or panic. My vision was blurred, and I would get vertigo feelings throughout the day. I have now just started to wean by my doctor, and I am currently adding Cymbalta back to my regimen for anxiety and panic. I do not recommend this drug to anyone who has any form of anxiety or panic attacks."

• Kil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 6, 2020

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "I was put on Viibryd to boost my Wellbutrin and Seroquel as it lost its punch. I suffer from PTSD from being raped for 1.5 years straight. This medicine is horrible. I was on 10 mg for 7 days, then bumped up to 20 mg. This medicine gave me the worst cystic acne I have ever experienced in my life. I was unable to climax. I was very forgetful, not remembering one thing from the next. I would consistently be in a daze. I felt no emotion whatsoever. Dreams/nightmares were intense and vivid. The fact alone that I could not climax was a huge incentive to discontinue the medication. I weaned myself off of it. I was on it for 6 weeks, and I’m going through intense withdrawal of hot flashes, brain zaps, and nightmares. I still feel like I don’t have the will to live, but having any feeling at all is better than being a zombie."

• Bot...
• December 21, 2018

Vilazodone for Major Depressive Disorder "I had high hopes for this medication as it came up in my GeneSight test as one that would be a good fit for me. I started at 5mg and had the most horrific nightmares the first night. I talked to my doctor, and she said to continue, but to cut the dosage in half. The nightmares stopped, but the other side effects of nausea, gas, loose stool, sweating, and drowsiness started. My depression is much less intense after four days, but I am dizzy and spaced out a bit, especially first thing in the morning. Last night I was so warm I slept in a light blanket with the window cracked and a fan on, and it’s December in Michigan. I also woke several times in the night feeling nauseous even though I take the medication with a very full meal. Initially, I’m so bummed, but maybe things will level out. I’m willing to give up a lot of things to get rid of this depression, but maybe this medication is just too strong for me."