Brook: taping Viibryd

[Brook]

Hello first time on this site...I have been on Viibryd for 6 or 7 weeks.  The side effects (digestive problems, diarrhea, low sex drive, low appetite, poor sleep) are bad and feel like blah when I take them.  So of course I tell this to my PA (Phy. Assistant) and he wants to put me on another med.  So he wants me to taper down first.  My plan is to taper down and don't return but I did not tell him that but if I taper down and I feel good (God Willing) , why should I go back? Right? Question: My sleep is also disturbed which was caused by the depression and or side effect of med?  I started my taper last week, Viibryd has dosages of 40, 30, 20, 10 mg.  I plan to go to 25mg. (cutting the pill) this week.  Too fast??  I am only on 6 or 7 weeks and maybe I can taper more quickly?  My plan is to once I get off to start taking supplements to help my condition.  5htp?? I do take Lunesta for sleep and I take as needed.  I ususally fall asleep in front of TV for an hour or two and when I go to bed I can't fall asleep so I take the med.  When I get a good nights sleep I feel like a new person but getting there is the hard part.  I know I will get there someday.  Note: I feel great in the morning when most of the medication is at its lowest before I take the next dose.  I also have klonopin .5mg, and take as needed.

Q: Is it true only taper off drug when you feel like the SSRI puts you close to normal ?

Q. My plan taper I was at 40mg. (Viibryd - 40mg, 30mg, 20mg, 10 mg). My plan is to taper weekly: 40, 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5mg, off...Too fast?

Q: My sleep disturbance, is it the meds or my depression?

Any suggestions, are appreciated...love the site...

[ChessieCat]

Hi Brook and welcome to SA,

 

To get you started please create your drug signature.  This will appear below each of your posts and makes it easy for us to see your drug history at a glance.  Please update it whenever you make a change.  Please make it nice simple by following these instructions NO diagnoses or symptoms please - thank you):

• details for last 2 years - dates, ALL drugs, doses
• summary for older than 2 years - just years and drug/s

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

Because you are taking more than one drug please use the Drug Interactions Checker for all current drugs you are taking and copy and paste the results or a link to them here in your Intro topic.

 

Please see this topic:  5-htp-5-hydroxytryptophan-and-l-tryptophan

 

This topic has good suggestions for Sleep problems

 

Once we have more details about your psychiatric drug history we will be better able to make suggestions.

 

 

This is your own Introductions topic where you can ask questions about your own situation and journal your progress.

[ChessieCat]

Thank you for completely your drug signature.  Because it is very important that we have your full drug history please answer the following:

 

Q:  Could you please confirm that you have never taken a psychiatric drug prior to 27 Aug 2018?  Thanks.

[Brook]

I went through situational depression 5 yrs. ago for 2 years, was on multiple antidepressants before I tapered off myself. 

[ChessieCat]

Please include the year/s, drugs, and tapering method in your signature, including the last time you took that particular drug.  The effect of psychiatric drug use and how you stopped is cumulative so what your were taking and how you got off may effect how quickly you can get off your current drugs.  We are making suggestions which can affect your health so we need to know your full drug history.  Thank you.

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Brook.

 

On 10/21/2018 at 10:25 AM, Brook said:

Q: Is it true only taper off drug when you feel like the SSRI puts you close to normal ?

Q. My plan taper I was at 40mg. (Viibryd - 40mg, 30mg, 20mg, 10 mg). My plan is to taper weekly: 40, 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5mg, off...Too fast?

Q: My sleep disturbance, is it the meds or my depression?

 

I think you mean you want to taper at a rate that you don't feel much in the way of withdrawal symptoms. Your plan may be too fast. See Tips for tapering off Viibryd (vilazodone) -- this will explain how to taper.

 

When did the sleep disturbance start? What is your sleep pattern now?

 

[Brook]

     I tried to looked up my history of the meds I took 5 yrs. ago and could not find it.  My last taper was actually on Viibryd and I used a scale but I was on it for 4 months.  This time 6 or 7 weeks. 

 

My sleep disturbance occurred when I got depressed.  My normal sleep pattern before this was great.  For most of September and most of October my sleep did not improve even with the Lunesta.  The most amount of sleep I got on Lunesta was 4 hrs. Been averaging 3 or 4 hours which does not improve the mood.  I get up in the morning , go for a jog and I am up all day! Never feel tired!! Why is that?? I will watch TV when I come home and all of a sudden I crash. Only for 2 hrs and then cant go back to sleep unless I take the Lunesta.  I do not take the Lunesta every day.  Last night I took Unisom and got about 4 hrs on that.  I need to do a better job of establishing a normal bedtime routine.

 

    Last Thursday, 18th, I went down to 30 mg.  Felt good for a couple days and then some anxiety set in.  I had to take two, .25 klonopin today just to keep me straight. Not too bad though.  Yesterday I took one. This morning I felt the best in the past 2 months, I took the Viibryd and than just more blah, and more anxiety.  Is the anxiety being caused by the taper or the medication?  I am undecided if I am going to cut the pills to reduce or buy the Gemini Scale and reduce that way.  Any suggestions from here on that?  I take klonopin as needed, .25 is not much.  Getting off the Viibryd is the hurdle.  My mood is decent, I am worried that when I am at zero my mood will still be low.  Just a worry right now.  The PA told me to reduce every 5 or 7 days from 40mg, to 30mg, to 20 mg to 10 mg,,,in 4 weeks!  and then put me on a newer med and the medication Trintellix!

 

Thanks again!!

 

Edited October 24, 2018 by ChessieCat
sp

[Brook]

Any suggestions?

[ChessieCat]

22 hours ago, Brook said:

The PA told me to reduce every 5 or 7 days from 40mg, to 30mg, to 20 mg to 10 mg,,,in 4 weeks!  and then put me on a newer med and the medication Trintellix!

 

Are you taking Trintellix at the moment or will you be starting it once you get off Viibryd?

 

22 hours ago, Brook said:

Last Thursday, 18th, I went down to 30 mg.  Felt good for a couple days and then some anxiety set in.

 

Please put the dose and date information about Viibryd in your drug signature (ie 40mg, and date you started on 30mg).  Once you get several posts it can be difficult to go back and see what doses you took when.  We need to be able to see the drug history at t a glance.

 

Also, when talking about your drugs in posts please state which drug you are talking about.  Thank you.

 

You have reduced from 40mg Viibryd down to 30mg which is a 25% reduction.  You developed withdrawal symptoms a few days later.  Even though you haven't been on Viibryd for long getting withdrawal symptoms means that your brain has become dependent on the drug.

 

On 5/16/2013 at 3:40 AM, Altostrata said:

The 10% rule holds for Viibryd, just like other psychiatric drugs: Reduce by 10% per month, calculated on the last dosage. (The amount of the reduction gets progressively smaller.)

 

Instead of taking klonopin, it would be much better to increase the Viibryd which is what the brain is needing.  You could try increasing it by 1mg or 2mg and see if that takes the edge off your symptoms.  The idea of updosing/reinstatement isn't to get rid of WD symptoms completely but to bring them to a tolerable/bearable level.  Please see Post#1 of this topic:  About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Tips for tapering off Viibryd (vilazodone)

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

[Brook]

When decreasing Viibryd by 10%, I will need a scale, correct to be more accurate vs. cutting.  When I get a scale, do I need to buy empty capsules or can I take the medication as a powder form or put in a glass of water?

Thanks,

 

[Gridley]

Most people use capsules.  I use size 00, which is large enough to pour the powder in easily.  I recommend the Gemini-20 scale, available on Amazon.

[Brook]

Where can I buy empty capsules? Pharmacy? Thanks,

 

[Gridley]

Health food store (like a co-op) but the easiest way is to order from Amazon.

[Brook]

I am currently on 15mg. of Viibryd.  Went from 40 to 30 to 25 to 20 to 15 in a 10 week period which I know is too fast. I recently went to 15mg on 11/23. I am taking a lot of vitamins, minerals and Aminos to help with this process.  My main question is that I also take .25 mg of Klonopin.  Q: Should I continue to focusing on tapering the antidepressant and then the klonopin or should I decrease both at the same time. THANKS!

 

[ChessieCat]

Please update your drug signature with the dates and doses that you reduced the Viibryd.  This allows the mods to see your drug history at a glance without having to read back through your posts to find the information.  Thank you.  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

Q:  How have you been feeling during the Viibryd reduction?

 

Q:  What are your current symptoms?

 

Q:  How is your sleep?

 

Because you have reduced the Viibryd quickly and very recently it might be better if you hold for at least a couple of months before reducing anything.

 

On 10/24/2018 at 9:42 AM, Brook said:

The PA told me to reduce every 5 or 7 days from 40mg, to 30mg, to 20 mg to 10 mg,,,in 4 weeks!  and then put me on a newer med and the medication Trintellix!

 

Q:  Are you planning on introducing Trintellix?

 

Regarding which drug to reduce next please see this topic:

 

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?
If you're not having an adverse reaction from the other medications, taper the most activating drug first. This is usually an antidepressant or stimulant (ADHD drug).

Regarding tapering more than one drug at a time, generally SA recommends only tapering one at a time, because if problems arise then if can be difficult to know what is causing any issues.  Please see:
 
Taper more than one drug at a time?
Try this only if you know your withdrawal symptom pattern and know how to control your taper with various tapering techniques.