Been a while since I posted, just not enough to say really.
I had asked for an antidepressant and had hoped I could get Zoloft as I tolerated it in the past and thought it wouldn’t be much to ask however nothing I said was taken in to consideration instead my doctor referred to a genetic test I had done and within 10 seconds read 2 things off the list, the first being Pristiq and the second being Viibryd and before the 10 seconds was up said ‘lets put you on viibrid’.
I had never even heard of Viibryd but I am not thrilled as it is newer and has some pretty bad side effects. As I said I had no say in the matter and am going to just try it for a few months to see what it does but I really don’t like the sounds of it.
No personal experience. My old pdoc liked using it because it’s an SSRI without most of the sexual side effects. He said a lot of his patients liked it.
I’ve been taking Viibryd for the last 4 years. For 3 years I was taking 40mg/day and just this last year have been taking 50mg. It’s in the SMS class of antidepressants which generally have far fewer side effects of SSRIs like Zoloft. Who said it has bad side effects? That’s nonsense.
Pristiq is an SNRI like Effexor. Never tried it but supposedly they can cause sexual problems too.
The SMS class of antidepressants from what I know are Viibryd (2011-) and Trintellix (2013-). I’m surprised a doctor would push for Viibryd over Zoloft - Viibryd is more expensive to make and is still too new to be sold in generic. What appealed to me about Viibryd was that it was much less likely to cause sexual dysfunction, a problem all of the SSRIs gave me. I can function just fine on Viibryd. It’s just a bit more expensive and doctors normally don’t consider it unless you’ve responded poorly to all of the SSRIs.
I can’t remember if I mentioned the genetic testing but that was why she started mentioning Pristiq then Viibryd due to them being on the list of what I should be compatible with.
I am not sure why she chose Viibryd either as I don’t think she knows as much about how I don’t respond well to SSRIs generally, and as you said Zoloft is cheaper, I try not to think she has incentive to go with Viibryd but it has crossed my mind.
What is SMS class? Serotonin modulation ? I read about the incidences of diarrhea and couldn’t believe how high of a rate it was, didn’t like what I read from drugs.com from people who have taken it but not all reviews were bad and I have given it a chance.
I had my first day on it yesterday and it went fairly well with things had to go to the restroom a bit more than I normally would but other than that things were ok and it may have been just a good day or it is already working, not sure.
So far I am taking the 10 mg before going up to 20, I will see how well I tolerate it, do you get withdrawal symptoms if you don’t take it same time every day? That was one thing I read and didn’t want to deal with, I’m normally consistent but don’t really need the extra anxiety.
How does it make you feel? I am excited that it is a serotonin agonist and not just an SSRI, I have experience with serotonin agonists helping my mood in the past but many of those are illegal now and I have found they won’t work due to my paliperidone .
That is the final thing I want to know about, will it work even with an antipsychotic? I can’t see how things would work the same on antipsychotics.
Sorry for the lengthy reply, there isn’t much out there about this.
SMS = Serotonin Modulator and Stimulator. Don’t know much about the pharmacology or chemistry. Comparing to how I remember Zoloft making me feel, I would say Viibryd doesn’t quite do as much magic, but at least it doesn’t come with the side effect of delayed ejaculation or anorgasmia which Zoloft caused me. Zoloft helped me to be less socially inhibited, more relaxed and less shy, and I had a much brighter outlook on life (note that I was taking this in conjunction with Lithium for mood stabilization). Now the Viibryd just seems more like a stimulant - it gives me more energy, verbal spontaneity and hypervigilance, but I still experience full-on OCD. It doesn’t totally lift me out of depression like Zoloft did, but it gives me the energy and upbeat-ness to do well with a job and in school, and to be able to hold a good conversation.
Diarrhea? Sounds like something that would happen indicating serotonin syndrome - which could happen if you are also taking other antidepressants which overflood your brain with serotonin. A 10mg or 20mg dose shouldn’t do that. But I guess people’s experiences with side effects can always differ. I don’t experience any side effects and I take 50mg a day in conjunction with Lamictal and Buspar.
Sure, taking an antipsychotic isn’t going to cancel out the effects of other medications I don’t think. I just started taking Geodon on top of everything else and I don’t think it interferes.
I have to recommend 5-HTP to you as well, if you have not already heard of it. It is a serotonin-support supplement you can get on Amazon or a drugstore. When I decided the Viibryd and Lamictal just weren’t doing enough, I started taking 5-HTP capsules several times a day and it really boosted my wellness.
Thanks for taking the time to respond to this, I very much appreciate it as this stuff isn’t all that common compared to other meds.
I have felt more stimulation on Viibryd since taking it so far (since Saturday) than I have during the whole time I took Zoloft.
I am now having more yawning and I guess visual distance, not static or anything but a tad light and blurry, well I guess a little static/ visual fuzz.
I may consider the 5-HTP, I have long been aware of it but the cost has kept me from pursuing it.
Did you notice a better mood much sooner than other antidepressants?
I am also curious about missing doses and not timing it at the same time every day, I took it an hour and a half different than I had been today as I had a long night not being able to wind down my brain and then wanted to sleep in.
I think it takes around 3 or 4 weeks to reach a therapeutic significance. Timing I don’t think is that important. I just take it in the morning, anytime between 6AM-12PM, with food. As long as it’s once a day with food I think it’s fine. If you miss a dose, just take it as soon as you remember. A 48 hour gap or under should be fine.