Is Vortioxetine the way forward?

Mental health
1

Hello again everyone who uses these forums. Its been two years since I posted and I am still alive but I am still not living.

I have left my job as I am unable to do it. Receive no benefits or anything like that ,as we are the forgotten many who do not wish to be ill, cannot get better but are desparate to be better and have our lives back - anyway before I go into a rant, I will stop.

I am very lucky that I have skill set which means I can take on freelance work when I am well enough and that plus credit cards has just about paid my half of the rent and bills these last 2 years.

After two (or maybe even 3 years) of constant sertraline and pregablin use I have reached a level of bareableness. I eat, I sleep, I exist. I am not happy, content, bubbly, out-going or adventurous. I am most certainly not ME. But, my contemplation of suicide is much less. My ability to put on a fake front of wellness is better and I am not fighting myself to get back to work as that door has been well and truly slammed shut in my face - thanks anxiety/depression raging in combination through brain and body. Why can't you just f*** off please.

Which brings me to Vortioxetine. There are very few reviews anywhere and those which I have read are mostly horrific. The thing is you are much more like to review something when you have a bad experience and the few reviews out there that are good are literally like THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER, I AM ME AGAIN, I AM ALIVE AND HAVE ENERGY AND HAVE LOST ALL THE WEIGHT THAT OTHER DRUGS MADE ME GAIN!!!!!!! So when it works it must be really good.

Its only really been about a couple of years and my psychiatrist has only just attended a conference on it and my CPN had never even heard of it. Anyway, they both are now desparate for me to give it a go as life is bareable but pretty close to the line between bareable and better off dead. They think I should be able to be made much better.

There are minimal reviews on here as you would expect from a new drug but I would love to hear from anyone who is on it/ has been on it. Ideally not horror stories - people that have got through the initial horrific side affects bit and given it a real good go for a few months or more.

I am not sure anyone has had that level of experience with it yet so I would also love to hear if people think I should rock the boat for a chance of returning to normality (or possibly death if it doesn't work and I end back in that awful place). Or do I accept I am broken and cannot be fixed so I should live my life on the edge of the abyss hoping I don't fall and hoping one day my head will work like it used to and carry on with good old sertraline.

Thanks all for your support, thoughts and opinions

2

I am like you, just passable on my meds but not 'better'.   I have heard of this med but can only find negative reports.  My psych is prepared to let me try it but i am also looking for others experiences, there arent many around.  I have found some saying it made them vomit so discontinued. That has made my decision wAit again.

i do hope you can get some positive replies as it would help us to give it a try.

 

3

To be honest, for me the side affects would have to be pretty severe. I've already lost my existance. Whats a bit of vomitting or a few headaches to have your life back. I have terrible headaches on my current medication and often have to try and sleep until they pass - but they will wake me up as well.

I actually have a packet now in my bedside drawer but I am still undecided. I wonder if the bad reviews are because it has been prescribed uncorrectly. I have second hand information that it is being described at conferences as a wonder drug and that two people who have similar symptoms to me are doing really well other than managable side affects. If all the docs are raving about it then why aren't the patients. Something doesn't add up.

My fear is that I have had such a terrible experience with one drug, that there was absolutely no reason for me being made to change to. It affected me so deeply and I went to such a bad place, it took a year to get back to being able to function. I am scared

4

Hi Lizzie

i see you are like me, sitting with packet awaiting to make a decision.  I have been keeping up to date here and not one mention of vortioxetine.  Makes me wonder if it is a problem or nobody else uses it.  Maybe some health boards dont have it.  I think it is quite expensive.  Do let me know if you make the jump and go onto it.  Maybe we can put some questions out online to seek others experiences.  Good luck

5

Hi ladies I was on vortioxetine or Brintellix as more doctors know it as.l was on it for 3 months.No horror stories to report much the same to get on as any other antidepressant.Did not work for me however it may work for you two.

6

Thank you for sharing.

Thats good to know. Neutral is fine. I can deal with it not working but not making it worse. 

So far that means we have no positives and 1 neutral. Any one else?

 

7

Hi,

I know this post is a bit old but I am on Trintellex for anxiety and it was life changing.  I was having night terror panic attacks and severe SEVERE generalized anxiety disorder (at night I would have panic attacks, vomit and sometimes pass out).  About 6 weeks in on the meds, after symptoms getting slightly worse, it was like a light switched on and the panic nearly vanished.  I do suffer from nausea still from it, ake it before bed to help, and I have lowered the dose to 5 mg and have some slight anxiety come back, but overall for me it was life changing.  I do not suffer from depression, i take it only fo anxiety.  It also severely affects my sex drive but it's worth it.

Hope you have found some help out there.

S

8

I was given this but scared to take it as ihave a huge phobia of nausea and vomiting.  So the packet is still sitting here.  I havent found any anti deps,that work for me, all give me horrible side effects.   Sssris seem to be the worst so i am wondering if anyone had success on a tricyclic, have hears some feel netter  On lamictal. I am lost here and psych has tried so many.

9

Hi Sarah,

I'm glad to hear the trintellix worked for you. I have been on 10 mg for 3 .5 weeks and have noticed a bit of a difference but not much. The doc wants to move me to 15mg but I wanted to give the 10 some more time. Still have anxiety but am not crying all the time which is good. What dose we're u on and did u really only see a difference at the 6 week mark? This has been a complete nightmare for me

10

hi elizabeth.. do you have restlessness alongwith crying too? i might have akathisia alongwith extreme 24 hour anxiety.. restlessness doesnt allow me to lie down quietly, i always keep talking about my pain, crying even screaming :frowning: i am on my 4th day of Brintellix but saw no improvement… would like to hear from you how you are doing?

11

i would like to know if this has worked and if worth a try