Trintellix and Headaches: What Users Say

• Nov...
• April 25, 2021

For Depression "I was prescribed Trintellix for my GAD and MDD. I’ve been taking 5 mg for a week now. The first two days I experienced nausea, and I am still experiencing headaches and some fatigue, which I suspect will go away in the next week. So far, I am very pleased with Trintellix. I have already begun to see a reduction of my GAD and MDD symptoms. Before Trintellix, I tried Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Pristiq, and Effexor, all of which gave me horrible side effects and left me feeling very zombie-like. So far, no zombie-like feeling with Trintellix. I will post an updated review when I hit the 4-week mark. I’m hopeful that my GAD and MDD symptoms will continue to improve."

• Bud...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 28, 2020

For Depression "Have been taking Trintellix for 18 days for anxiety accompanied with depression. Side effects started in the first week. Everything from lowering sexual performance to constant itching with a slight headache among others, including insomnia. Feel worse than before taking it. Cannot recommend for anyone. Seems to bring on anxiety. Anyone suffering for so long with anxiety and depression certainly doesn't need this added pain. We suffer so much we'll basically try any new med for relief. DON'T TRY THIS ONE!!"

• mid...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 16, 2015

For Depression "This medicine saved me! I have always been a very happy and successful person. Depression and anxiety were not a part of my life until I hit 43. So I went to doctors and they had me try a few other meds, Zoloft, etc. I didn't see any positive effect from them, just the problems...lack of sleep, night sweats, sexual problems, etc. Things were getting worse. Then, my doctor put me on this medication and everything changed. First, I started getting headaches for a few days. That went away by the end of the first week. I started on 5mg and then went to 10mg after a week. By the end of week two, my panic attacks were GONE! I still 'think' about my problems, but don't obsess about them. This is a GOOD medicine!"

• pre...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 26, 2014

For Depression "I love Trintellix. I've been on it for a year. Unfortunately, I take 20 mg. I feel a whole lot better. So much better than Prozac. Only downfall is that my headaches are back. Might lower back to 10 mg. Wish it wasn't so expensive."

• jam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 8, 2015

For Depression "I have been on Trintellix for about 3 weeks now. So far I've noticed increased energy, weight loss, nausea, headaches, loss of sleep, nightmares, and some aggression. I have finally found one that works and I'm having all these side effects. I started out on the 10mg and still currently taking the 10mg. Maybe I need to be on a lower dose. I also take Ambien 10mg for sleep."

• Ins...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 17, 2019

For Depression "I have bipolar disorder and I started having suicidal/homicidal thoughts and urges. When I noticed they weren't going away, I decided to tell my doctor. She started me out on 5mg Trintellix a day for one week, then upped it to 10mg. I started having headaches at the 10mg, but I refused to give up. About three weeks later, I really noticed it working and the headaches had gone away. I'm glad I stuck with it! I was a little unsure about the fact that I only needed 10mg of it, but it works. No more 'bad thoughts'"

• ven...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 15, 2020

For Depression "Update after 13 weeks: I started Trintellix for MDD, anxiety, and OCD. The first 2-3 weeks showed really fast improvement with my energy and motivation, but after 5-6 weeks, I had a severe headache and cold chills. I took a break for 2-3 days and started again. Motivation returned, but I still felt 'not myself.' I couldn't sleep with 10 mg, it's really activating, and my blood pressure went high, so I had to cut back to 5 mg. It seems to be okay now: no nausea, less brain fog, and better cognition."

• Hap...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 17, 2016

For Depression "My doctor noticed that the other medication that I was on was not working well and had me start Trintellix (10 mg per day) from samples he had. There was a direct transition from the other medicine to this one - no tapering off or anything like that. After just a few days, the medicine and I apparently agreed that it would work for me. The side effects that I have are mild headache and sometimes loose stool - to be polite. I'm excited about this one. Big differences in a short time."

• Anonymous
• November 5, 2014

For Depression "After 4 months, I thought I was doing quite well on 10mg Trintellix until I had very bad headaches. MRI imaging demonstrated I had constricted blood vessels in my brain, a second test showed it had reversed itself. My neurologist strongly advised I discontinue this med because SSRI antidepressants can trigger Reversible Vasoconstriction Syndrome, which can cause strokes and brain bleeds. I started Wellbutrin XL 150mg, which doesn't target serotonin, I'm told. I'm not doing as well and sometimes think about taking a chance and restarting Trintellix to at least have a better quality of life! Depression sucks!"

• Gle...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 17, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have been taking this med for about a month. I am taking it with Wellbutrin 300 mg. I am taking 5 mg. It has helped tremendously. The first day I took it, I was nauseous & had a headache. I have been taking it at night, about an hour before bedtime, and have not had either symptom again. My energy level has increased. I have been able to do things I need to do, more importantly I have been able to do some of the things I want to do. The feeling that life was too overwhelming is gone. I have my sense of humor back and I am not on the roller coaster of crying at the drop of a hat or being so angry I wanted to smack the skin off someone's face. I am very pleased with this medicine & hope it continues to do as well as it has been doing for me."

• Kaf...
• June 7, 2015

For Depression "I am an R.N. and diagnosed 20 plus years ago with clinical depression. I have also been on just about every antidepressant. A week ago, I requested help from my physician due to the increasing depression and lack of help from Cymbalta. He prescribed Trintellix. I switched immediately, and some of the symptoms are withdrawal from the Cymbalta. The 'reverberations' in my head are distinctly withdrawal symptoms. My headaches appear to be from decreased sodium, which is a Trintellix side effect, and for me, are eliminated by drinking Gatorade, which is high in sodium. The nausea is a toss-up and eased with ginger ale and carbs. The itching responds to one Benadryl. Four weeks is the norm for side effects to subside. Identical to the original Prozac."

• L A...
• August 30, 2015

For Depression "I had almost given up on life no matter how hard I tried to be grateful and see the good. My doc gave me Trintellix after Celexa quit working. At first, I thought it didn't work. I had a bad headache and felt confused. I felt hot at times. I felt like mosquitoes were biting me. These side effects have almost completely gone away, and I am doing so much better now! I still get hot flashes sometimes, but it is something I can put up with if I keep doing so good mood-wise. It has been almost 4 weeks, and I can work and concentrate for long periods of time. I don't eat as much. I feel sexy again! I think this is helping me a lot. I am doing all kinds of things I used to enjoy. I hope it keeps doing good for me and will help others too."

• Dig...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 12, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "I had given up that there was any drug that could lift me out of the recurring cycles of clinical depression. I had tried dozens of medications over the years, some worked for a time but I came to the point that my depression was at least I thought untreatable. This last bout had me down in bed for nearly 2 months. I was 'blessed' to stumble upon Trintellix after my wife had recommended it after seeing it transform one of her patients. The key is it takes a very long time to work and you must be patient. I am now almost 6 weeks in and the depression has completely lifted and feeling better every day. Yes, there are side effects.. headaches, insomnia and confusion but they go away. This drug saved my life! Give it 6-8 weeks at minimum!"

• Apr...
• December 16, 2014

For Depression "I've been taking 10mg for 4 days now (today will be day 5) and I'm wondering if I can make it a full week like my doctor wants me to. The side effects have been horrible for me. I've been walking around like a nauseous zombie since day 1. Then there's the dizziness and headache that goes along with it. The only benefit I've experienced so far is weight loss, but that's not at all why I started taking this medication. Instead of the anxiety and depression I would normally feel, I feel no emotions."

• Mel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 12, 2016

For Depression "Lots of nausea after moving from 5mg to 10mg. Days and days of headache and nausea, did get a Zofran RX and I feel much better! I believe this med is doing a good job at helping with my depression and anxiety. Just came off of Prozac after 10 years and I'm pretty happy with the results of Trintellix so far, 3 weeks in! Had to work the much hated job at work today - front desk...easiest day I've had up front in years, I believe due to new Trintellix...very promising!"

• Bri...
• September 9, 2014

For Depression "I have been taking Trintellix 10 mg for 10 days. I am itching like crazy, legs are very swollen, actually I think my whole body is swollen. Not sure if I should decrease to 5 mg. Trouble staying asleep, waking up at 4 am with bad headaches. Being treated for anxiety/panic attacks and depression, I have had for 35 years... Was on Lexapro and Bupropion for many years now... but I've always felt flat... no panic attacks... but also no other emotions. I hope I can continue to take this and these side effects go away! Good luck to all who read!"

• Sus...
• September 2, 2015

For Depression "This medicine has made me feel like a different person! I didn't realize I was depressed, just felt so bad physically and just so blah mentally, and felt upset that I was only 48 but felt 98. I had always gotten from doctors 'you need to lose some weight and exercise and you will feel better!' But the way I felt, I know wasn't from that. Thankfully, a new doctor I saw wanted me to try this and it has made me feel alive again. I actually have so much more energy than I had! Had a few side effects and headache the first couple of evenings, but that went away quickly. I also sleep all night, which was something else I wasn't doing. It has been a wonder drug for me."

• Cha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 24, 2016

For Depression "I'm taking 10mg as prescribed. I didn't feel the need for it, but the Dr. recommended it. I'm hoping my sex drive will increase and to be more patient when driving (not as irritable). I'm still in week one, but I do have multiple side effects: nausea, headaches. I really hope they stop soon. I'm still optimistic about this med. Reading some reviews on here helped. If it doesn't get better, I'll just stop."

• Ano...
• October 16, 2016

For Depression "This is an evil little pill! The first time I took it, I became very irritable. The second day, I was so angry that I screamed at my children for the smallest things. The third day, I started to itch all over and got a headache. The fourth day, I was so volatile that I screamed at anyone who dared look at me. I called my doctor, who told me to push through. The anger became so bad that I thought I was going to hurt someone. I've never reacted like that to any medication, and quite frankly, it scared me and my family. As soon as I went off of it, didn't even wean myself off, my mood started to even out some."

• Gir...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 3, 2014

For Depression "I started taking it on Tuesday morning and by that evening started with some nausea. It got worse Wednesday, to the point where I had to leave work. Horrible headache, too. Today (Thursday) the nausea is somewhat better but the headache remains. Called my doc and she said nausea is a huge side effect, unfortunately. It may take up to 2 weeks to fully subside, but to stick with it. Try taking it at night, cutting the dose in half (I'm on 10mg), or taking with food. This is a very new medicine so I hope this helps others in their first couple weeks."

• Poi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 24, 2017

For Depression "I almost never experience major side effects from any medications, and I have been off and on many antidepressants over the past 14 years. I was taking Zoloft for a couple of months, which was helping with my depressive symptoms, but I thought it might've been giving me sexual side effects, but I wasn't sure, so my doctor suggested trying Trintellix. He said it has a lower incidence of sexual side effects. Well, not only did Trintellix give me horrible sexual dysfunction and even lower libido, every time I took this drug for two weeks, I literally felt like I was coming down with the flu about 15 minutes later. Headaches, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, feverish. I really do think this stuff is poisonous and needs to be pulled from the market."

• 56a...
• January 11, 2017

For Depression "I've been on Trintellix for about three months. Last month, the sobbing has stopped, but I'm having vision disturbances. I started at 5 mg, then went to 10. From 10 to 20, my head hurt so bad that I backed down to 10 again. The vision issue is still there, along with profuse sweating and breakthrough anxiety. I've been through so many different antidepressants, I'm afraid of what will happen if I have to go through another drug change. It's been a nightmare."

• All...
• April 13, 2016

For Depression "18, female. Been taking this on and off for 8 months now. I cannot take it every day even if I am prescribed to do so since the side effects are really taking a toll on my ability to function in everyday life. It made my depression worse. I can barely get out of bed due to fatigue from nausea and vomiting. And every time I take this, it is like the headache will stay with you 24/7 that it really becomes intolerable and frustrating. My doctor won't let me switch to another medication, and she's really pushing this for me, and it is so cruel since I feel so weak and I don't want to continue anymore. Taking it makes me want to die."

• Wes...
• September 19, 2016

For Depression "Started this almost 3 weeks ago, no side effects except dry/flaky skin on hands. Now, week 3, nauseous 24/7 and headache 24/7, nothing is taking the headache away, not Imitrex (RX headache reliever), not Excedrin, NOTHING. I can't even eat, I feel like it's going to just come right back up. It's like it built up in my system for weeks, and now my body is rejecting it. It made me feel better emotionally, but physically I can't take it, I just want to stay in bed because I feel like crap. I know it's the med because it started on the exact day I started the 3rd sample bottle. I'm stopping it. I haven't had a headache like this in years or been nauseous."

• Cyd...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 10, 2015

For Depression "Doctor switched me from Viibryd to Brintellix. I was on 10 mg of Brintellix, but went down to 5 mg as my heart was beating way too fast and my new lenses in my glasses went way bad on me. My eyes still aren't back to normal, but will give this medicine another chance at a lower dose. I could not go to sleep with the 10 mg, my brain would not stop thinking, my legs hurt so bad, and I just tossed and turned all night. Now on 5 mg, I go to bed when I get totally tired (midnight) and get up around 8 AM. I lost two married daughters in 2011 (four months apart) to suicide. Brintellix gave me headaches to begin with and caused blurred vision, but both are subsiding now. Just give this drug a good try. It may be just the perfect drug for you."