How has start up side effects been for you? Anxiety wise especially?

@@jasongendron8309 hello 👋🏻 I didn't feel any more anxiety than I usually feel, I think that it causes me to be relaxed a little. But I'm taking it with other medications so I can't be sure which one is causing what. I only noticed diarrhea, maybe it's a side effect.

Yes, it should be generic now, but still a little more expensive than other antidepressants but that will change with time.

@@LevelheadedMind Can you do a video on the comparison of the SSR Modulators (ie Vortioxetine vs Vilazodone)? Do I need to request this on another platform maybe?

I could not find it locally as a generic, and it's quite expensive.

are you having success on viibryd?

Thank you Kasey, that means a lot.

Glad you like them!

Thank you! Your feedback means a lot!

Great video idea. I will consider it.

I'm sorry that you're experiencing these effects trying to come of vilazodone. The reason you are having these effects is from neuroadaptation, not addiction. There is no influx of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, or reward center of the brain, therefore no drug addiction. However, I can imagine with how it is making you feel that you would think otherwise. In any case, I wish you the best. 🙏

Try Vortioxitine after consulting psychiatrist

@@LevelheadedMind Well, “ Neuroadaptation “ is a strange way to call adiction . If you can’t stop on taking sonethibg that it is not really lige depending ( could be from water to insulin for a diabetic ) it is an adiction, from sugar to Vilazondone, alcohol or ambien .

You're welcome 😊

Having a gastric bypas, may decrease the absorption of the medication, making it less effective. Ask your GI doctor what they'd recommend. I have post bypass patients who are doing well on Bupropion IR 2-3 times a day. They can't take the sustained or extended release due to the bypass. But it seems to work well.

I did a laparoscopic sleeve … I take a coctel of medicines including Wellbutrin , lacmital and viibryd, lorazepam. Everything was ok 👌 .

Thank you for the video idea, I will consider it.

Thanks for the video idea, it is on my list.

Good question! There aren't any studies that say exactly how much food. So, I'd say a granola bar is good and that as long as you are eating something with protein and/or fat, it should be absorbed.

@@LevelheadedMind thank you!

Thank you for your question. Yes, there are medications you can take to help combat this. Definitely discuss this with your provider. A couple of my "go tos" are Buspirone, Bupropion, or Cyproheptadine. You can also try meds like viagra and cialis too, but I start with the other ones first.

@@LevelheadedMind I recently was on buspar for a couple months and I thought it had that I had an increased libido as well as sensitivity but the doc thought it may have just been not taking an anti-depressants. She just switched me to zoloft last week and it doesn't seem quite as bad as lexapro but still not great so I might ask her about taking buspar with it also. Bupropion never really seemed to work for me and I've never heard of the Cyproheptadine. Viagra and Cialis certainly made things much firmer however it didn't really seem to help the not being able to finish problem. Thank you so much for your response and help! It's not exactly the easiest thing to bring up and talk about lol!

@@nickrosenbaum9423 I understand, sometimes switching antidepressants does help. Other times you need an adjunct. Buspar is fairly well tolerated. Cyproheptadine works great, but can make you sleepy and increase appetite. So definitely discuss your options with your provider and I hope you come up with a treatment plan that works well for you.

@@LevelheadedMind Thanks again for your response! One more quick question, when you use buspar as an adjunct is it typically taken daily or as needed (is it fairly quick acting) and is the dosing a low dose once or twice a day? I think when I was taking it before for anxiety she had me taking it twice a day but I didn't know if that would be a bit much when just using it to combat side effects.

@@nickrosenbaum9423 Good question. It is best when taken at least twice a day routinely, not prn. Most patients can start at 10mg twice a day, but discuss your options with your provider. I wish you all the best.

In general, no. But everyone's response is different and unique to their biology and genetic makeup.

Please discuss your concerns with your provider. It's OK to cross taper with Vilazodone, I don't use it as adjunct treatment due to high risk of serotonin syndrome. Getting off Paxil is really hard, so take your time and talk with your provider about your symptoms. Also have them check switchrx.com to make sure you are on an appropriate cross taper schedule. Just keep in mind some patients need to stay on a step down stage longer than a couple weeks if they experience uncomfortable symptoms. Best to listen to your body. Good luck 👍

@@LevelheadedMind Thank you, anxiety became so bad I'm now off Viibryd and back to 30mg Paxil to stabilize. I recently had a GatorPlex Panel/Genotype blood test which can be very helpful in choosing proper meds for your genotype. It shows Paxil as well tolerated as well as Trintellix or Effexor. Next month we may cross taper with Trintellix. I love your channel and gives very good insight!

how are you doing on the vibryd?

Hi Sharon. You are right about the absence of TD. However, it is not advised to use vilazodone with an SSRI due to very high risk of serotonin syndrome. TD with Abilify is rare, especially at low doses below 10mg. Quite frankly, I have not seen a patient have TD with Abilify. The most common adverse affect I see is akathesia or severe restlessness, which is more common in doses greater than 10mg. If you're on Abilify and doing well, I would hesitate to change treatment. However, if it is not helping and you are targeting anxiety, I'd recommend adding Buspirone. Start with 5mg twice a day for 2 weeks. Then increase to 10mg twice a day after that. You can titrate up according to your progress, symptom management. Of course after discussing with your provider first. I hope this helps and I wish you well on your mental health care journey ✨️

@@LevelheadedMind thank you! I just take 5mg so it's a low dose as well. I have taken buspar before it didn't work for me.

Horrible drug for me. Stopped taking it. Made my depression 10x worse. Also, bloating

No, I don't like to use vilazodone with an SSRI for increase risk of serotonin syndrome. Bupropion is an NDRI so does not pose that risk.

Hey! I’m getting ready to start Spravato & Vilazadone on top of Wellbutrin. So sounds like we are taking the same mix. How has it been working out for you?

It can, however, another approach could be to add Buspar starting at 10mg twice a day- discuss this option with your provider as well, I have seen great results using Bupropion and Buspar in combination for patients with anxiety and depression, PLUS Buspar has no sexual dysfunction, in fact it is often used to help treat it!

I am sorry to hear this. Another work around to get a similar effect is to combine an SSRI with Buspirone, perhaps you can discuss with your provider to see if this is the route to go?

Yes, same thing.

I'm sorry to hear you are suffering with anxiety symptoms. To be honest, I have never prescribed both Vilazodone and Latuda together. I try to stay away from using antidepressants in patients with Bipolar I, due to the risk of switching to mania. However, there are cases where it is necessary. What I can say is that Latuda has been very helpful for my patients with Bipolar who also have anxiety. Vilazodone has been great for my patients with both depression and anxiety so I could see how the 2 combined could have a synergistic effect to help decrease anxiety. I hope that is the case for you and I wish you well on your mental health care journey 🙏 Side note: Just make sure you are taking both of these medications with food, it is necessary for proper absorption. Sometimes patients will say it's not working and that's because they're not taking it with food, at least 350 calories.

Thank you so mu h for taking time to reply to my question. So far I feel as if things are more manageable. Fingers crossed this is the combination best for me.

@@LevelheadedMind thank you for this explanation Dr. I haven’t been diagnosed with bipolar I or 2 but I been doing so much better in the two weeks that I’ve been on latuda than I did in months with Ssri’s, snris. For some reason Ssri’s would make me cry, get supper anxious, agitated, mad and would want to be alone. Not sure why I had this side effects 😪 could I be bipolar if latuda is working for me? Thank you for your wonderful videos.

Discuss this with your doctor as Vilazodone can increase bleeding time.

Sorry you've had such a bad experience. Not every medication is suited for everyone. I hope you find one that works well for you.

It was horrible for me also. Best wishes

You can check out switchrx.com to see how to switch from one antidepressant to another.

@@LevelheadedMind With some “creative” account creation, I got in! 😂 There is so much helpful info! Thank you for your help!

Just started. I’m hoping.

Vilazodone is considered weight neutral, not many people will gain weight. But remember that the weight gain from antidepressants is due to increase in appetite so just watch out for that and watch what you are eating.

Thank you for your response 😊

I lost weight on it - may be because of its nausea and laxative effect, combined with the increased energy.

Perhaps it's the cocaine?

@@LevelheadedMind perhaps. It's a good thing tho. Who wants to feel like that right

If you're having an adverse effect or switch to mania, it is possible. Discuss this with your provider.

Me too!!

After you stop taking the medication it should go away as the cause for it is the increase of serotonin.

It's permanent and know as PSSD Post SSRI Sexual dysfunction. It generally happens with SSRI but may also happens with other antidepressants. And there is no treatment available. Medical community doesn't recognise this condition but it's real.

There is a scientific difference between the two and it has to do with the reward center, or nucleus accumbens in our brain. People are more concerned with addiction, and always ask that question which is why I put it in my videos. However, you are correct about dependence. In fact, you can be dependent on benzos but not addicted. Or you can be both addicted and dependent on benzos. But you can't be addicted to antidepressants, there is no reward center activation, cravings, etc. You can only be physically dependent to them.

@@LevelheadedMind Thanks for your input although I’m still sceptical because science still doesn’t understand the brain enough to be able to prove those concepts about the nucleus accumbens and to me it sounds more like a workable model they use rather than something that can be objectively proven. I’d look at it in more simple terms that if something is quick acting and makes you feel great then it’s likely you will want to repeat it cos it’s easy and it works, not because of any reward centre reinforcement that causes cravings. The exact same could happen with antidepressants. It could happen with anything. It could happen with a banana if eating a banana made us feel great. We notice that and want to repeat eating them every day. If going on a walk makes us feel great then we notice that and want to keep going on the same walk. That’s what makes us human, it’s not addiction. Addiction is a word that assumes that we don’t have any free will, but of course we all do. My take on the reason that idea was invented is so that those in the medical community can find a way to demonise medications that have abuse potential. Since all drs use the word “addiction” in that one context. This isn’t a hate comment but I just like healthy debate in these things since, recent events with Covid vaccine propaganda just a few years ago have convinced me that we often aren’t told the truth by the medical establishment

I thought it has to have the same effects by law?

@@brennonguilbeau569it would have the same active ingredient however, drug encapsulation may differ from vendor to vendor.