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Hi everyone I have serious Bipolar II depression, and my pdoc recently put forth the idea of trying a new drug, Trintellix (Vortioxetine). It hasn't been on the market for very long, and as the old adage goes, "Wait for a new drug to be out for 7 years before you take it." Well, this one has been on the market for 3, so I'm trying to learn more about it and I'm having a hard time finding anyone who's actually taken the drug. My main concern is the number of receptors it hits. First-generation anti-depressants typically only hit 1 receptor. Newer anti-depressants, like Effexor, hit 2. But Trintellix hits 7, and that worries me. It worries me because I'm prone to having withdrawals from just about every drug I've ever been on, and I am also medication-resistant, which means I go on a new drug, it may work for a few months, then it "poops out" and I have to come off it, thus experiencing the withdrawals. Effexor was awful to come off of, and it only hits 2 receptors. This new drug hits 7! It almost reminds me of an atypical anti-psychotic in terms of how many receptors it hits. It's as if Big Pharma decided to package what is essentially an anti-psychotic as an anti-depressant to get away from the stigma that anti-psychotics have developed over the years given their side effects. When I came off of Zyprexa, I had the worst experience of my life and ended up in the emergency room. It took 2-3 months for the W/D to stop. Is Trintellix anything like Zyprexa, or any other anti-psychotic for that matter? From what I can tell, Trintellix hits 7 receptors, and Zyprexa hits 31 ... does that sound about right? I got this from Wikipedia: Trintellix: Target Affinity Functional activity Pharmacodynamic action Ki (nM) IC50 / EC50 (nM) IA (%) SERT* 1.6 5.4 — Inhibition NET* 113 — — Inhibition 5-HT1A* 15 200 96 Agonist 5-HT1B* 33 120 55 Partial agonist 5-HT1D* 54 370 — Antagonist 5-HT3* 3.7 12 — Antagonist 5-HT7* 19 450 — Antagonist β1-adrenoceptor 46[6] — — — Zyprexa: Receptor Ki (nM)[63] Biologic action and notes[64] 5-HT1A 2282 Antagonist. 5-HT1B 585 ? 5-HT1D 1061 ? 5-HT1E 2209 ? 5-HT2A 2.4 Inverse agonist. May underlie the "atypicality" of the newer antipsychotics like olanzapine. May contribute to sedating effects. 5-HT2B 11.9 Inverse agonist/antagonist. 5-HT2C 10.2 Inverse agonist. May underlie the appetite-stimulating effects of olanzapine. 5-HT3 202 Antagonist. Possibly responsible, at least in part, for its antiemetic action. 5-HT5A 1212 ? 5-HT6 8.07 Antagonist. 5-HT7 105.2 Antagonist. α1A 112 Antagonist. Likely responsible for the orthostatic hypotension seen with its use.[64] α1B 263 Antagonist. α2A 315 Antagonist. α2B 81.8 Antagonist α2C 28.9 Antagonist. M1 26 Antagonist. Likely the chief receptor responsible for the anticholinergic effects seen with olanzapine's use.[64] M2 63.5 Antagonist. M3 52.67 Antagonist. Possible role in type 2 diabetes side-effects.[65] M4 17.33 Antagonist. M5 7.5 Antagonist. D1 70.33 Antagonist. D2 3.00 Antagonist. Likely responsible for the therapeutic effects of olanzapine against the positive symptoms of schizophrenia.[64] D2Long 31 Antagonist. D2Short 28.77 Antagonist. D3 47 Antagonist. D4 14.33 Antagonist. D5 82 Antagonist. H1 2.19 Inverse agonist. Likely responsible for the sedative effects of olanzapine.[64] H2 44 Antagonist. H4 >10000 Antagonist. So it appears that Zyprexa hits a whole swath of the brain that Trintellix doesn't touch, so it's not like Zyprexa or other anti-psychotics then? It's still overlapping over the same 7 receptors as Trintellix, which makes me think that tardive dyskinesia could potentially be an issue. Trintellix has only been out for 3 years, so the number of patients from whom such statistics would point to tardive dyskinesia are unavailable simply because not enough people have taken the drug. Zyprexa, by comparison, has been on the market for much longer and likewise we have better stats as to the likelihood of developing tardive dyskinesia. Another thing, since it's so new, it hasn't been properly studied as to how it treats anxiety and OCD, both of which I have severely. Do any of you know if it helps with OCD/anxiety? Have any of you taken Trintellix? Can you share your experiences with me, and if you had any withdrawals coming off of it? Can anyone speak to the above information I provided regarding the receptors? If a single-receptor AD causes me W/D (such as Prozac), and a double-receptor drug like Effexor was even worse (way worse), what will a 7-receptor drug do? As always, thanks guys troop

Just thought I would share some experience with Trintellix. I started 2-3 months ago on 5mg. mainly for anxiety and depression. I also take a variety of meds to help me sleep. Trintellix can be really nauseating when you start (for at least two weeks) When I moved up from 5mg to 10mg - I became comatose. So, I went back to 5 and it's been great- It' gives a little boost of energy- similar to vyvanse. It helps me not to go home and cry everyday. :-) I seem to eat less- in terms of general snacking. What I have found with this med - is even at this low dose- you metabolize alcohol more quickly. 2 drinks can = drunk. And, if I have a drink and get a little stoned- I'm up vomiting all night. Just putting the warning out there- not drinking is the way to go on this med.... wondering if anyone has had similar experiences...

Hi everyone, I have been on effexor for about 15 years - up and down between 75 and 225. I thing it has done it's course - i have no motivation and don't get that 'well being ' feeling that i had before meds and when i first started E. I have tried to come off a few times and get slammed with anxiety and depression in an increasingly short period of time - the last time it was 2 weeks off. I am a little worried it is withdrawal from E rather than return of depression - i could never understand why it was happening in shorter periods every time i came off. Last visit when i talked with my Pdoc, i expressed my concern about 'upsetting the apple cart' by changing meds - i mean I am stable, just not 'enjoying life'. She suggested agomelatine because i can start taking that at the same time as being on E. since then i have done a lot of research and can't find much really good on agomelatine. I had thought about Brintellix. i kind of want to come of E as I have (probably incorrectly) blamed Effexor for my frequent relapses - I almost hate it because of it's short half life and would like to be stable on something else. Can I please have some feedback???

hello, new here. i found the board by googling two of my meds interactions. went to my psych today and got a new med... read about two of my meds interaction and lowkey i'm terrified lol. list of all drugs/substances i take once a day, all in the morning: 300mg bupropion qd 400mg lamictal qd 10mg generic zyrtec "women's" multivitamin 5000mg biotin birth control pill as needed: 30mg zenzedi OR adderall. i only take half at a time, and not every day, though i do most days 5mg ambien (take ~5x a week) my depression has been terrible for the last year -- tbh since the election. dropped out of Uni fall semester last year and haven't been since. i have been lazy, 100000% unmotivated, reclusive, gained 30lbs in less than 2 years etc etc. i don't want to leave the house to see my friends and family because i am embarrassed about my weight gain (also because of the reclusiveness i mentioned). after talking with my psych, she suggested adding 5mg Trintellix (Brintellix?). she mentioned that the most common side effects were nausea, diarrhea etc etc. she said that if it seemed to be helping i could lower my wellbutrin dose and perhaps stop taking it entirely (trintellix being its replacement). after leaving her office i did what any other millennial would do and googled the medication. there is a LOT of information about the possibility of serotonin syndrome being a side effect - i read somewhere 15%???? that seems low but like google it - it sounds terrifying. combining wellbutrin + trintellix has a "MAJOR" interaction per drugs.com, which states that the risks outweigh the benefits when combined. i immediately left my psych a message telling her basically what i said but less crazy (pfff lol) sounding. she called back and said that she's never seen that, it's very rare, she's met only one prescriber who reported it in a patient, and it's usually at higher doses. i feel a little better but still a bit nervous. not really sure what i'm expecting to get from this post but i'm so annoyed with taking a millions meds and i keep seeing deaths reported by combined meds, often including (not limited to) adderall and ambien. like i'm in my early 30s, i don't want to die in my sleep.... anyway, hi!

I have no idea if I'm doing this right so bear with me: I have GAD and OCD (such a lovely combo) and I just got prescribed Brintellix to help me get out of the recent anxiety/panic hole I've dug myself into. I've been on every SSRI under the sun (I was diagnosed with this shit storm of anxiety, panic attacks and OCD when I was 11 and am now currently 31) and have had great success through the years with Luvox. Then I made the "mistake" or thinking I could live without it and stopped taking it (with my psychiatrist monitoring me) and now I can't even go to the mailbox without panicking. Also, Luvox now hates me and doesn't help. I've done the whole CBT thing and found it very helpful but I'm still very isolated to my apartment so meds are needed now. I stupidly read everything I could about Brintellix and the thing that popped up most was nausea and vomiting. I have a SEVERE vomiting phobia so now I'm afraid to keep taking Brintellix. I've taken 5mg for 4 days now and not felt any nausea (besides the usual anxiety nausea) and I actually haven't even thrown up since I was 12 (drunken throwing up doesn't count) so I kind of have a stomach of steel. My question is: would I have already experienced vomiting if it was going to happen? Or am I at risk of just all of a sudden developing that side effect? My doc says I'm going to veeerry slowly up the amount to avoid as many side effects as possible. Like I'll up the dosage by 2.5mg every 2 weeks. I also take it at night with an anti nausea med. Also, has it helped anyone's anxiety? I'd love to hear something positive. Thanks for the help!

Hello, I'm on Trintellix/Brintellix (Vortioxetine) 15mg and Valdoxan (Agomelatine) 25mg. I've got a history of being very sensitive to side effects and have tried a ridiculous number of medications. Currently I'm having sexual problems which have the potential to ruin my life and my beautiful relationship. The conflict I'm going through is of course that depression can ruin my life also so I'm very very torn. Does anybody have any idea which is more likely to be causing the numbness in my clitoris out of Brintellix and Valdoxan? I'm willing to put up with side effects within reason, but not this. To me, it would be like eating without taste. Any insights would be much appreciated. I do discuss all of this with my doctor but I feel as if I'm not being taken seriously.

Hi I am new to the forum. I have been taking Zoloft and Ativan for just over 10 years now. I moved out of state and my new PCP agreed to take over my psych meds. He told me that if I was still needing the Ativan that the Zoloft was't working. This combo has helped my horrific panic disorder for 10 years and I have been afraid to try anything else. Unfortunately the Zoloft has made me gain 85+ pounds over the last 10 years. I really want the weight to come off and tried going on Viibryid. Viibryd didn't cause panic attacks but has made me extremely angry all the time. I decided to swich PCPs and am waiting to get into see a new psychiatrist until I move back home (hopefully within 5 years). The new PCP prescribed Brintellix and I am currently weaning off the Viibryd to be able to start this. I am just wondering if this is going to help me lose weight. I would prefer to stay on the Zoloft and Ativan and be given something for weight loss. I never had depression until after the anxiety and then weight gain. I don't understand why I keep getting put on depression drugs. I am just extremely frustrated. I hope to start a hospital program for weight loss where I work very soon. Any one have any experience with any of these drugs or severe weight gain from medication and found a good way to keep it off? Would be happy to hear from anyone willing to reply. Thanks for your help!

I was diagnosed with major depression/TRD/GAD/Depersonalization disorder and have yet to find a medication that works. I was prescribed Trintellix and have been on it for about 16 days so far at 10mg. I have been on many AD meds including SSRI/SNRI/MAOI/TCA's Anti psychotics etc etc. None which helped my mood or anxiety. Every time I started a SSRI it seemed it would give me dysphoric hypomania symptoms which I eventually had to stop. (New psych doctor thinks it’s truly major depression and not bipolar disorder mixed state, like they once believed) So far, my experience with this med has been interesting. I don't get the hypomanic feelings like the other meds, (SSRI's had me feeling that within a week) but do get the nausea/stomach issues which I hope will go away. The last few days I noticed that the pit of anxiety I feel in my chest, had lowered after a few hours of taking the medication in the morning. Other things I notice is that head feels a little less foggy and maybe even just the smallest amount of depression relief. As of a few hours ago, I could feel that anxiety/depressed feeling coming back. Has anyone else that started this medication tend to feel this as well? Does that mean that it's starting to work if it's doing all of this? Should my mood even out within the 6 – 8 weeks after being on this stuff? Other things I notice is that It makes me yawn a lot (when I first take it) and has a stimulant feeling to it. One thing that regular SSRI meds would do is give me the feeling of having wayyyy to much serotonin in my head. The dysphoric hypomania was many reasons why I would stop them. I don't fully understand it why I don't feel it with this new med but maybe cause of the 5-HT1A Agonist? I came to that conclusion from this article I read: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00189/full It just seems strange I would have such bad reactions to all the other medications, but not this one. I can relate so much from that article. Especially the part about ‘Antidepressant-Induced Mania’. I hope this med will be the one that finally works for me. I just find it hard to know what to expect and feeling like it only tends to make me feel better after taking it. (Didn’t start feeling anything positive until about 16 days of being on the med).

So, I'm figuring out that based on my research of this medicine.. There aren't enough people who really took the time to break down a day by day timeline of how this med has helped or hurt. Seeing as this is my 3rd day on it I figure why not be that guy. Brief history of how I got here. I am 31 years old and have been struggling with anxiety, gad, panic attacks for the last 10 years or so. When this first started happening I never knew what It was and would always be able to make it go away on my own by blocking it out. Eventually it got more frequent and I was concerned about my health so I went for a check up.. And low and behold here comes the diagnosis ?. Since then here are a list of the medications I have been on (in no particular order) buspar, celexa, lexapro, Paxil,Zoloft, Wellbutrin, adderall and Ritalin (yep someone even thought I was add) Xanax for pretty much the duration and recently added Xanax xr to the mix (highly recommend) I'll get to that later. Anyhow after multiple attempts with different ssri's zoloft being the most recent which was great if you like sleeping all the time and never looking at your wife :/ my doctor decided to try me on trintellix. I am on my 3rd day and here are my results thus far: day 1) took at 9am with a Xanax xr. (I'm always nervous to try a new med so the Xanax was to keep my anxiety back) my mood seemed much lighter than usual and had a boost of energy (not hyper or jittery like caffeine- which I haven't drank for 8 years or more) but just a really refreshed feeling. I had no nausea which is a common side effect just a bit of unrest in my stomach. day2) took at same time no Xanax taken with it, again had a feeling of energy boost and optimistic outlook on the day. I had planned to do things after work and get things done. All of which I was able to accomplish with little effort to motivate myself. Note: I also drank 6 beers while doing said projects and had no ill effects from that but again everyone is different. Also no nausea today either. Slept like a rock and woke up 30 min earlier than usual and got my day started (my wife was surprised as I was) day 3) took same time this morning with no Xanax. Have been on top of things at work and on my lunch I ran errands and got more done. I am honestly starting to feel like the me that I always was and needed to rediscover. No nausea and I have taken on empty stomach all three days. By lunch time there is a little rumble telling me to eat lol. I will ill update as I go along, I am on 5mg right now and will be increasing that next week to 10. Hopefully that will be enough to level me out for good. Anyone thinking about trying it you must remember that everyone is different and we're all searching for a common goal. Good luck and best wishes. Last.. I have tried different benzos for severe and pop up panic attacks. The only one that works for me is Xanax. I take usually .5 mg and within an hour I'm good to go. Interestingly enough my dr hadn't had too much experience with the extended release and was willing to give it a go with me. Hands down the best benzo out there. Do not expect it to work immediately the onset is about 2 hours for me.. And very mild. It doesn't give you the "boom and bust" feeling of the instant release. And you don't fall asleep in 8 hours when it's fizzling out, in fact I've found that it keeps me calm much longer than 8 hours. Just thought I would throw that in there for anyone reading that might be in similar shoes. God old bless and please let me know if there are any questions I can help with!!!

I work in a doctor's office and the drug rep informed me that Brintellix is being renamed Trintellix due to name confusion with another drug. This probably will happen in June. Just a heads up.

Was finally doing well on Brintellix for about 2mths then had random panic attack out of no where. Anxiety/depression never left afterwards. Doctor is considering that I have bipolar but is not yet ready to give that DX and wants to treat the recent anxiety relapse as just that Anxiety. So she has recommended Buspar. Anyone take this combo? Also looking for just side effects of Buspar. I have read that it can cause rage... That scares me. Almost to the point of not wanting to try it since I am home for nearly 50 hours a week with my 2 little ones ages 2-4. If I did anything to hurt them..... then well. Yea. That would be my undoing. Nearest family member is over an hour away, and while I have one trusted friend that is 15 mins away, she does work alternating days thats over an hour away as well. Support, suggestions, advice? I do also have .25 Xanax rx and 5mg Valium rx Xanax makes me so sluggish I have a hard time sometimes with the kids even with the low dose, and really dont trust driving with the kids with me. Valium is hit and miss. works perfect, when it works

How long has it taken for Brintellix to kick in for you? I just finished week 3 at 10 mg and have now been upped to 20 mg, with a corresponding drop in Wellbutrin. I have seen some improvement, but hope for more, and the side effects have been negligible. I have been in a really resistant depressive episode for the last several months. I have found the 58 page Brintellix topic here to be overwhelming, so I'm hoping others will post more specific info and start more topics. I realize it's a newer drug so there's not that much experience to report on yet.

i've been on the 20 mg dose for a little over a month now. not really seeing any signs of improvement at all. i know YMMV but i'm curious to see how long it took to make a difference barring any side effects and whatnot for other people.

Hi all, Is anyone else lost all appetite on Brintellix? First couple of days I was extremely nauseated and simultaneously starving. It was weird. Then later, I had a few days of really, really bad reflux/feeling nauseated (but it's possible that was due to something else). But now that I'm a few weeks in, I'm barely interested in food. I forget to eat. And even if I have something really delicious to eat, I'm barely interested. I don't mind too much. It's better than being nauseated. I just have to make sure that I eat regularly whether I feel like it or not. I was just wondering if anyone else had this issue?

I've been on Brintellix since October. We did a trial of 30mg of brintellix this last month. Started Buspar in March and she also increased the dosage of that to 20mg 2x day this past month. I have seen slight improvement but doctor doesn't seem to think it was enough. SOOO she wanted to drop me back down to 20mg of brintellix and start Lamictal starting at 25mg. my current DX is Depression and Anxiety. Though she has said she was monitoring me for signs of possible slight bipolar tendencies. She didn't mention anything today about the bipolar... Just said she thinks the lamictal might be a better fit for me. Anyone take this combo? Some of the side effects of lamictal scare me... The rash, the possibility for increased suicidal thoughts, thankfully I haven't gotten to the point this time. I have to little ones to care for... I need to be here. Also the possibility for memory loss... I dont want to loose precious memories of my kids childhood.

Brintellix was added to my cocktail about 5 weeks ago to try to pull me out of the depressive episode I'm currently in. I started at 10 mg and went to 20 mg after 4 weeks. It's giving me terrible insomnia, even with taking Ambien CR. Have you experienced this, and did it finally go away at some point?

Hi fellow friends, I've been on 10 mg Brintellix for one week. I really like it, feel calmer...but no pooping now for 4 days straight( Doc ordered me to stop for awhile..has anyone had experience with this side effect, and can it go away? Thanks, blessings!

I need some advice on Wellbutrin withdrawal. I've been on Wellbutrin for over 10 years, with various other meds added in here and there. I had a good long 6 year remission on Wellbutrin + Lamictal, but then went into a depressive episode last November, and it's been resistant. My Wellbutrin dose was increased from 300 mg to 450 mg, then Abilify was added, which made me better, but not well. A couple of weeks ago Brintellix was added to the mix and the plan is to up the Brintellix from 10 mg to 20 mg (the therapeutic dose) and start reducing the Wellbutrin. The Brintellix increases the action of the Wellbutrin so you can't take very much of both at the same time. What has been your experience with Wellbutrin withdrawal? What was the titration schedule you used, and what sort of side effects did you have? My biggest concern is that whatever small gains I've gotten so far from the Brintellix will disappear once I start going down on Wellbutrin.

I've been in a BP II depressive episode for several months that got a little better with the addition of Abilify, but not much. It's taking everything I have to barely function, and if I wasn't lucky enough to be working from home I would have been fired by now, as getting up and getting dressed every day is beyond me. I've been on 450 mg of Wellbutrin, and the pdoc just added in 10 mg of Brintellix, with a follow up appointment in 3 weeks, at which time we'll reduce the Wellbutrin by some amount. The pdoc also had me reduce my Abilify from 10 mg to 5 mg, starting now at the same time I started the Brintellix. Does anyone have any experience with the Wellbutrin + Brintellix combo? I'm mostly concerned about those two together, as opposed to the rest of my cocktail, because they affect some of the same receptors, although Brintellix affects more receptors than Wellbutrin. I realize that the Wellbutrin will increase the effect of the Brintellix, but I'm still having lots of suicidal ideation, so it's a pretty desperate situation. I'm also on 300 mg of Lamictal plus sleep meds.

I saw My pdoc this past Monday. I had been taking the marketed max dose of Brintellix (20mg) since Jan of this year. I felt it was helping just not enough and I guess you could say I have a phobia of trying new meds. So she decided to go off label and increase my dose to 30mg. She said she has a couple other patients at 30 and 40mg with great results. I really had no start up symptoms expect flatulence, which has come back. Wondering if any others here have had their dr go above the recommended max dose on brintellix (or other meds) with success or was it a disaster.

I've been on full dose of brintellix since January (started it in October '14) I thought it was doing wonderful for a couple months then just crashed. Had a few rough weeks, back to being great, then a lot of just ok days, an occasional great day. But lately the bad days are coming more often with the gap of ok days shrinking and the great days being few and far between. I am scared to death of antidepressants due to a bad run with tons of them when I was a teenager. It took me months to even get the nerve up to try this one. It has been easy on me. very few side effects and the ones I have had have been very, very minor. I did try Wellbutrin in August and that was 4 weeks of hell. My next appt with my Pdoc isnt for another few weeks and Im sure I can make it till then, But in the meantime was wondering if anyone has some suggestions on tweaks, or meds I could look into/research before the appt? My current Dx is Depression with Anxiety. A slight concern for bipolar tendencies but if those are bp tendencies they are also very minor. (if that makes sense. so no DX of BP but Dr is monitoring) Current meds are Brintellix 20mg, Xanax .25 as needed- up to 3x a day(only use this for full blown panic attacks), Valium 5mg as needed- up to 2x aday for increased anxiety. Buspar 10mg suppose to take 1pill 2x a day.. I have the hardest time remembering it in the morning. Though when I was doing great remembering I noticed it made my anxiety worse about an hour after taking it. :/ Gives me CRAZY dreams. thankfully only one has been a nightmare. ^^ that was the main part of the post the rest is just the reason AD's scare me, so no need to read that unless you feel like it. If anyone cares to read the rest about my fear of meds. I have been on nearly every old AD out there when I was a teenager. I had some that made me ZOMBIE, some where I couldnt get out of bed, a med that made me so careless I didnt think anything through (mix that with a 18yr old teenager.. YEA not a good time) Some that made me not be able to reach the big O, some that did nothing at all... Since I now have 2 small kids to care for, and no one really close by to call in a crisis ( my husband works nearly an hour away also) when starting a new med Im PETRIFIED.. I just worry to death the what if's. what if I cant out of bed to care for them, What if it makes me suicidal, i have the kids here, what if I loose my mind and do something unthinkable, .. Brintellix left me in bed for about 24hours after starting it but was fine after that. That is my BIGGEST concern. My other concerns are I have self-esteem issues and I was FINALLY down to my ideal weight over the summer. I did gain some back since starting the brintellix but the benefit was worth the extra pounds (at 1st anyways) SO im also scared of the meds causing me to pack on the pounds. And lastly, I've already had a VERY lacking sex drive, i feel so guilty about this (my poor hubby, he tries so hard to support me through this). So meds that would cause issues in that department will just further make me feel miserable instead of help. Most AD have these issues so that feeds my fear of them.

New user here. I have had a driving phobia since I had my child four years ago. Recently it has gotten a lot worse and I can hardly drive at all. I am working to get into a psychiatrist but in the meantime my dr. gave me brintellix to try. (5 mg). I have not taken it yet and have never been on a drug for my disorder. I am actually afraid that it will make me feel worse. Any words of wisdom for me?

I've been on a number of depression meds for 15 years. After trying a bunch of different ones I finally got on Abilify with a fair amount of success. It was added to a few other meds and has helped bring me out of a nasty depression 8 years ago. The other meds were lamictal, lexapro, and wellbutrin. The major side effect I had from this cocktail was sluggishness. I had no energy and significant lethargy so after 8 years of this I decided to remove the Lexapro. The result has been fewer sluggishness and more positive emotions (like tearing up from joy or getting chill bumps after hearing something that moved me--the Lexapro apparently held these emotions in check). But I am having a slight slip in mood. As such I feel like adding something like Brintellix but can't decide. any thoughts on Brintellix or suggestions for another add-on?

Day 5 of 10 mg of Brintellix. I got the dizzies 2 weeks ago while tapering off my Lexapro 10 mg, figured that was a normal side effect of withdrawal. But day 5 of B here and I am so dizzy I literally cannot stand up without feeling like I'm going to fall over. Anybody else have/had that? thanks!

I have been on Brintellix since October. Started helping with my depression but not my anxiety. Went to 20mg in this Jan and very shortly was completely off my benzo's Was loving life, enjoying things... Then friday BOOM panic attack friday night, followed by they anxiety and depression came storming in to settle down.. SO anyone have this issue with this med? after a few months FINALLY starts working only to have it crap out on you a couple months later? ANy suggesions on what to do next. I have an appt with my pdoc in 2 days. I do have SEVERE med anxiety. I had this script for 3 months before I finally tried it. I have had HORRID experenses with meds in the past... I have been great for 10+ years til the panic attacks out of no where, followed by the anxiety and HORRID depression started this past June. I tried wellbutrin in Aug and aside from the WONDERFUL sexual improvements(lol) It was absolutly HORRID. I had no choice but to quit it cold turkey after 4 weeks. I had 2 days of bad withdrawls and that was it. 10+ yrs ago I had been prozac, wellbutrin, zoloft, effexor, ambian, trazadone, lunesta, depakote, lithium.. alll of which I had horrid horrid side effects, you name it I had it... SO I am now the main care taker and homeschooling my 2 young children, so while I feel I need SOMETHING, Im scared to DEATH to try something else. All my close friends live out of state, and my family Im actually close to live over an hour away. So no one real close by to help out or check in on me during start up or weaning off. (<-- other main sorce of my med anxiety) and finally. I have been with my husband for nearly 13 years so he has been witness to all this. So I guess you could say he has New med anxiety as well.. sorry for the long ramble.. Any suggestions, advice, tips, would be wonderful! Thanks