If you’re taking vilazodone (Viibryd) or wondering if it might be right for you, it helps to know what side effects you might expect and what to do about them.
You may experience side effects when you take vilazodone, but not everyone does. Some side effects are mild and temporary. Others persist, and they could be life-threatening.
What to Do About Common Side Effects of Vilazodone (Viibryd)
The most common side effects of vilazodone are:
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Difficulty sleeping
- Dry mouth
These symptoms may be temporary as your body adjusts to the medication. If you can’t get relief or they seem serious, call your doctor. They can advise you on how to handle them and may suggest an over-the-counter remedy.
What to Do About Less Common Side Effects of Vilazodone (Viibryd)
Since vilazodone was approved, some people have reported side effects that that may not happen often, including:
- Feeling tired
- Gas
- Heartburn
- Dizziness
- Joint pain
- Unusual dreams
- Changes in taste
- Dry eyes
- Loss of appetite
Some side effects may last a while. Drugstore products can help with your gas, heartburn, or dry eyes. But if you don’t feel better or nothing seems to help, call your doctor.
What to Do About Serious Side Effects From Vilazodone (Viibryd)
Some severe and potentially deadly side effects of taking vilazodone include:
Mania or hypomania. Signs include bursts of energy, reckless behavior, racing thoughts, feeling elated or irritated, and difficulty sleeping. Tell your doctor if you have a history of bipolar disorder.
Sexual problems. These can include lowered sex drive in men and women. Some people may have trouble getting aroused or keeping an erection, or be unable to ejaculate. Others may not be able to achieve orgasm, or they take a long time to reach it.
Treatment will depend on the symptoms. Talk therapy, medications, over-the-counter drugs, and medical devices can help various conditions. Talk to your doctor about what you’re experiencing or see a specialist like a urologist or a urogynecologist.
Increased risk of bleeding. You’re at a higher risk for bleeding if you take vilazodone with certain medications like aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or other blood thinners.
Ask your doctor if you should avoid medications that can cause bleeding, such as aspirin and warfarin.
Seizures. These can happen only once and may last a few seconds or minutes. Or they may go on longer. Tell your doctor if you have a seizure more than once or if the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes.
You don’t have to go to the emergency room if it’s your first seizure and it’s under 5 minutes. But if it's longer and it happens more than once, get medical care right away.
Angle-closure glaucoma. Vilazodone can cause the iris in your eye to bulge, also known as angle-closure glaucoma. It can’t be reversed, and it can lead to blindness.
If you have symptoms like eye pain, nausea, headaches, rainbows around lights at night, or blurred vision, ask your doctor if you should get a glaucoma test. The test is simple.
If you have this type of glaucoma, your doctor will probably recommend surgery to remove the outer part of the iris. This procedure can be done with a laser or with conventional surgery.
Discontinuation syndrome. If you stop the medication all of a sudden, you may have mood changes, nausea, headaches, anxiety, dizziness, shock sensations, seizures, or ringing in your ears. Those are just a few symptoms of discontinuation syndrome.
About 1 in 5 people get discontinuation syndrome if they stop taking vilazodone after being on it for at least 6 weeks. Usually, symptoms are mild. They can last 1 to 2 weeks. They tend to go away when you start taking the medication again.
Talk to your doctor if you’re thinking of going off vilazodone or if you already have.
Low sodium levels in your blood (hyponatremia). Signs of this can include:
- Headache
- Memory changes
- Difficulty focusing
- Confusion
- Unsteadiness or falling
More serious side effects of this can include:
- Hallucinations
- Fainting
- Coma
- Respiratory arrest
- Seizures
Doctors use blood and urine tests to check for low sodium. The treatment is fairly simple, but you’ll need to go to a hospital for it. They’ll put you on IV fluids to raise the levels of sodium in your blood.
Medications can manage symptoms like seizures and headaches. Ask your doctor if you can use an over-the-counter medicine or if you’ll need a prescription medication, or if they recommend going off vilazodone.
Serotonin syndrome. When you have too much serotonin in your brain, you may have hallucinations, fast heartbeat, dizziness, sweating, seizures, stiff or twitching muscles, vomiting, or tremors. These are signs of serotonin syndrome.
First, your doctor has to confirm that you have serotonin syndrome and that your symptoms aren’t caused by something else. They will treat this based on how severe symptoms are.
If your symptoms are minor, your doctor can tell if you should stay on it or stop the medication. Milder cases can resolve within 24 to 72 hours after you stop the medicine. Your doctor may be concerned about some symptoms and refer you to the hospital to monitor your condition. If you have severe symptoms, you can be hospitalized. It can take weeks for more serious symptoms to go away.
Vilazodone (Viibryd) Side Effects: When to Call Your Doctor
Call your doctor or get emergency care if you notice any of the symptoms below that won’t stop.
- Rash or hives (or small red or purple dots on the skin)
- Swelling
- Difficulty breathing
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizures
- Fever or sweating
- Confusion or agitation
- Fast or irregular heartbeat
- Severe muscle twitching or stiffness agitation
- Shakiness in legs, feet, hands, or arms
- Hallucinations
- Loss of coordination
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Unusual bleeding or bruising
- Nosebleeds
- Difficulty concentrating or memory problems
- Weakness, falling, or fainting
- Chest pain
How to Tell If You Should Stop Taking Vilazodone (Viibryd)
Sometimes, side effects are temporary and happen while your body gets used to the medication. Let your doctor know if the side effects seem serious and don’t go away.
Don't quit taking vilazodone suddenly on your own. If you want to quit, ask your doctor how to taper down safely. Going off vilazodone suddenly can lead to different side effects. That's the case with a lot of other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs.
