Switching to Trintellix or Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)

I was prescribed trintellix for help with my memory issues and impulsiveness and it was suppose to help which it hasn't. Was bumped up to 10 mg., which was a mistake, stomach issue, felt bad, wanted to do NOTHING. I don't have bi-polar issue, have sleep issue and got addicted to ambien. Have gained 14 lbs. on trintellix and it is very very expensive. Also my ability to focus and get anything done has significantly decreased. Previously, was a type A personality and was very productive. Probably reason I have gained so much weight - just want to sit around and eat. Would never recommend that drug, but I am still on it - 5mg. ......also still taking ambien. We are all different and I just hope someday we can get the right drug or drugs for our DNA or whatever medical community needs to help us. I wish I could feel better so I could get some things done.........and not take any drugs.

In my perfect world we could all have access to a week at one of the Mayo campus locations, and be given a stem to stern going over. Psychiatric help is rudimentary, at best, in many locations. I have good care, but I am concerned for those about whom I read who are being bombarded with a barrage of medications for depression and a whole host of physical issues as well. I question whether or not communication among the specialists exists and am concerned that the cocktail of drugs exacerbates problems, especially the psychological ones. Climbing off my soapbox...I suspect we all need to raise the consciousness of the interdisciplinary medical providers when we are not in a collegial setting such as Mayo. I’m distressed for others. Blessedly, I am a major pain in the butt, and get attention...

Amen!

Hi Linda, Decided not take the Trintellix.. now back on 20 mg. of Cymbalta for now.. so confused as to which med to go on and stay on or get off.. the side effects are so troublesome.. She wanted me to try it.. I don't like what I have been reading about it. Jean

Is your physician suggesting you just try the Trintellix a general practitioner or board certified in psychiatric medicine? The just try it school of prescribing distresses me for you and countless others. Trintellix is relatively new, and being heavily promoted to the medical community, and to the general population. I hope whoever suggests it has familiarity with patient experience. It is terribly expensive. When it works, it is said to be the holy grail. When it doesn’t, it provided a very unsatisfactory result.

Hi,

She is a board certified Psychiatrist. I am beginning to think she is just grasping at straws.. I have been on quite a few meds.. I went off Pristiq after about a year or more at the end of December.. Hell to get off of.. I was on avg. dose of 25 mg.. had been up to 50 mg... Before that I was on just reg. Effexor,non XR.. 25- 50 mg.. reduced it to 25 mg.. sick of being FAT and eating nothing.. lost about 20 lbs.. but mood and cognition suffered.. she suggested Pristiq, as it is similar.. I was having terrible night sweats, some aggression, feeling numb, taking naps.. Then the cervical neck stenosis diagnosis was confirmed in early Dec. on MRI.. I did a trial of Cymbalta from late Feb.- early March.. It caused dry eyes, upper GI trouble, bad insomnia.. it did help the nerve pain some. I am also still on the Neurontin, usually at night, 300 mg. for the darn nerve pain.. I hate it. I am also on Clonopin, avg1mg- 2mg. a day.

Sorry I ever took the Clonopin 26 years ago after a perm. job loss..

It is horrible and messes up your personality and your cognition.

Now today, after restarting the Cymbalta, 20 mg. on Sat. 4/27 for 3 days, I stopped today to see if the insomnia gets better, the dry eyes..the more irritability. Also made my constipation worse and I have bad IBS- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth with Constipation and take Trulance for that..

You literally do not want to eat much of anything while on Cymbalta and it does cause bad upper dyspepsia.

I know also the Neurontin causes a lot of side effects..

I am at a real crossroads on what to go on next, if anything.

I had the Genesight testing in November.

Wellbutrin and Pristiq and Viibrid are in the green column.

I have been on and off different meds. since 10/96..

I am a heavy anorexic now from all these meds..

I hardly eat.

Wt. about 158 at 5 ft. 5.5 inches..

My nerves are shot all around from the major stressors I am enduring with no end in sight.

I think Trintellix looks pretty dangerous to me and it was 'Brintellix" years ago.. they had to rename it due to it was too similar to another RX name..

The nerve pain and cervical neck stenosis has made this whole thing worse about which antidepressant to go on and stay on.

Also researching Cymbalta and hard to get off of and some people have gained a lot of weight on it..

Makes me not want to take anything ever again..

Jean

@jeanmnyc Welcome to connect we aren't Dr,s but help where we can. You sound like me sensitive to meds. That's why I decided for myself to study vit.min.herbsand homeopathic medicine ,no side effects. The book I have I like is Phyllis Bach it's her 5th edition. I do alot of research as we know our bodies better then Dr,s we all need to be our on advocate Sometimes Dr,s will pigeonhole patients thinking this pill will help everyone that's not the case Hope you find something to help you ,this is just what helps me

Hi, @petangelkat1 - you'd mentioned some potential side effects you were experiencing from taking the vortioxetine (Trintellix). Just wondering how it's going lately with that medication?

I only noticed today that there is this thread on Trintellix. I have a few comments that might be of relevance. I am surprised to see the range of indications for which people are being given this drug. I thought it was approved only for adults with MDD (Major Depressive Disorder) unlike duloxetine which is approved for a wide range of indications. Furthermore, as an anti depressant duloxetine is a SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) antidepressant while Trintellix is a SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor ) antidepressant. Like all antidepressives both these drugs have a wide range of possible side effects and because it takes a few weeks for these drugs to "work" we often experience debilitating side effects before any therapeutic benefits are observed.

Personally I seem to suffer side effects with most drugs and was on several antidepressives (that I couldn't tolerate) for very severe MDD before being put on 10 mg daily of Trintellix. I had no noticeable side effects and after six months my MDD was under control and after a year or so I had no symptoms at all. Now I don't know if that was due to Trintellix or to the practice of mindful meditation and exercise (recumbent Trike) that I started at the same time. After three years I am still on Trintellix (and meditation and exercise) and still have no depression. I do occasionally have transient anxiety episodes but again mindful meditation helps me to "accept" them.

It seems that selecting antidepressants is very unscientific (unless you go to a place like the Mayo Clinic) and I understand from personal experience how frustrating it is to be bombbarded with horrible side effects at the very time when you may feel hopeless, useless and suicidal. However, for what it is worth from my experience I would recommend relying upon yourself, friends and informative web sites even more than your doctors. Lets face it, our doctors have limited time and must get fed up with endless complaints about side effects. And finally, yes some medications help some people some of the time BUT social activities, attention to diet, mindfulness, and exercise can help all of us all of the time, even when we are not depressed!

Changing drugs is a roll of the dice. I was on Cymbalta, and discussed a possible change as the benefit was diminished. My psychiatrist suggested that Trintellix was reputed to be the latest and greatest, so we tried it. (For context, this was 18 months ago.) I did poorly on Trintellix. Mood and disposition were not good, and suicidal ideation was also a larger issue than before. As a sidebar, Trintellix is very expensive, so paying a premium to feel worse was even more unattractive. Tapered off Trintellix with a combination of clonazepam, and a therapeutic dose of Prozac.

That’s my story, and of course your mileage may vary. Trintellix is, I believe, a good drug for some, but not for all, and certainly not for me. I gave it a couple of months, but it wasn’t meant to be. We are all different.