Vortioxetine Anyone tried this for treatment resistant depression and GAD

[beautifulfreak77]

Hi I’ve tried so many antidepressants and antipsychotics that I just want to give up but I don’t want this to carry on ruining my life. So psychiatrist has given a prescription for Vortioxetine 5mg to start then after 14 days up to 10mg. I’ve just had a terrible time on a medication and I don’t think I can handle another med that’s going to make my anxiety worse, so is there any hope for this med. also I know it’s well known to make you feel nauseous but I already take ondansetron I thought I read somewhere that this may cause ss but I’m not 100% thanks for reading.

[panic_down_under]

Hi I’ve tried so many antidepressants and antipsychotics that I just want to give up but I don’t want this to carry on ruining my life. So psychiatrist has given a prescription for Vortioxetine 5mg to start then after 14 days up to 10mg. I’ve just had a terrible time on a medication and I don’t think I can handle another med that’s going to make my anxiety worse, so is there any hope for this med.

Vortioxetine is one of the newer SSRIs which also has a similar action to the GAD med buspirone (Buspar). It seems to be one of those meds which works very well for some, but not at all for most. On the plus side it is less likely to heightened anxiety at the beginning. The most common initial side-effects are nausea, as you know, and headache. For headache the preferred painkiller is paracetamol, aka acetaminophen. NSAID painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen are okay occasionally but shouldn't be taken for more than a day or so because both they and the SSRIs are anticoagulants.

also I know it’s well known to make you feel nauseous but I already take ondansetron I thought I read somewhere that this may cause ss but I’m not 100% thanks for reading.

No, there is no risk of serotonin syndrome/toxicity with ondansetrol. To quote Dr Ken Gillman, one of the two leading SS/ST researchers who, to his great frustration, spends much of his semi retirement correcting the nonsense written about it in med journals:

"Various regulatory agencies worldwide, including the WHO, the FDA, Health Canada, and most recently the TGA in Australia, have issued misleading ‘warnings’ informing doctors that ondansetron (and other 5-HT3 antagonists) may cause serotonin syndrome, otherwise known as serotonin toxicity (ST). It may be surprising to learn that there is no sound evidential basis for these warnings. The cases of ST described are unconvincing accounts, mostly from inexpert observers."
Regulatory Agencies (WHO, FDA) Offer Ill-Conceived Advice about Serotonin Toxicity (Serotonin Syndrome) with 5-HT3 antagonists: a Worldwide Problem

[pulisa]

My son is on vortioxetine 20 mg daily. He has had no side effects at all.

[beautifulfreak77]

Hi panic-down under , thank you for taking the time to reply to me again as we’ve spoken before about other meds. So basically there is a small chance it may work, and it shouldn’t make my anxiety much worse... so maybe it’s worth a shot incase I’m one of the few it does help? Nothing else has but I suppose you never know. Oh I’m glad the serotonin syndrome thing isn’t true, how silly to write it places then as could put people off trying it.. it doesn’t say whether to take morning or night with food or without do you have any idea? Thanks.

[beautifulfreak77]

My son is on vortioxetine 20 mg daily. He has had no side effects at all.

hi thanks for replying...oh that’s good. Is it helping him? Also does he take it at night or morning with or without food as doesn’t say on my prescription, thanks.

[pulisa]

He takes it first thing in the morning without food. It hasn't helped but he does have complex issues and is on the autistic spectrum so i still think it's certainly worth you trying the med and I hope you see some improvement.

[beautifulfreak77]

He takes it first thing in the morning without food. It hasn't helped but he does have complex issues and is on the autistic spectrum so i still think it's certainly worth you trying the med and I hope you see some improvement.

okay thank you, does he take it in the morning as it’s known to keep you awake? Or was just told to take then? Oh okay I see, it’s a shame it’s not helping. I don’t have much hope as nothing seems to work for me. But I will give it a go...

[pulisa]

No reason for taking it in the morning..Just easier to get it out of the way first thing!

[beautifulfreak77]

No reason for taking it in the morning..Just easier to get it out of the way first thing!

okay thank you very much for your help.

[panic_down_under]

So basically there is a small chance it may work, and it shouldn’t make my anxiety much worse... so maybe it’s worth a shot incase I’m one of the few it does help?

That's about it. It's impossible to quantify the odds, but my guess is it's a 25-30% shot. But it definitely won't work if you don't take it.

and it shouldn’t make my anxiety much worse

It doesn't seem to have been a major factor for those in the drug trials, but there are no guarantees. Also, not all side-effects are necessarily down to the meds. An anxious mind is quite capable of producing the most severe side-effects imaginable if given half a chance. Become convinced you will suffer greatly and it may create the whole catastrophe for you. If anxiety does become a problem talk to your psychiatrist as there is no need to suffer.

it doesn’t say whether to take morning or night with food or without do you have any idea?

Food doesn't matter and vortioxetine has a longish half-life, around 66 hours so it won't matter when you take it. The important thing is to pick a time of day when you're certain of being able to take it regularly.