Brintellix & Insomnia

has anyone else taken brintellix and had insomnia?

i was sleeping okay and then my pdoc put me on this. i started at half a pill for a week and then went up to 10mg but since going up to 10mg, i've noticed it's been tough for me to fall asleep and to stay asleep. last night was the absolute worst it's been. i finally fell asleep, my hubs startled me when he came in, and i couldn't fall asleep for hours! i finally dozed off and with a baby that wakes at 630am, i got all of maybe five hours of fitful sleep? i'm tired.

i think i'm going to call my pdoc, but i just wondered if anyone else experienced this since it didn't seem to show up on the side effects list.

Nowhere USA no personal experience with brintellix, but reading some posts there are many many complaints of insomnia. Can Brintellix cause Insomnia?
Sounds like this is a good topic to discuss with your physician because long term sleep deprivation can be a serious problem.

thanks. i did talk to my doc and we're going to try another med. i'm so very relieved. i want to sleep again!

Glad you feel some relief NowhereUSA. Hope the new med does better, but don't be discouraged if it has other problems. Let doc know so you have an aware guide that can tweak the process further. Finding stable ground is the hardest part but it does happen.
In the meantime, there is a relaxation you can do as you are trying to go to sleep. Laying down in a comfortable position, feel your toes and feet and breathe into them and feel them filled with light or warmth. Then when you are ready move to ankles, lower leg, knees, thigh, etc.
By the time I get to the head and scalp I am usually very relaxed - sometimes I fall asleep only part way up. No problem. Soothing new age music helps too.

yeah. i used some dbt mindfulness skills and that helped somewhat. it's hard when there's a drug interacting with your normal physiology. sleeping wasn't a problem pre-brintellix. i told my pdoc that any time he's prescribed me a drug he calls 'activating' it ends up giving me insomnia.

i seem to get terrible side effects :-/ On top the insomnia, i had such bad nausea i thought i was going to throw up (and i was taking it with food) and i kept burping. one night i woke up burping and that was part of the reason i couldn't go to sleep. i just sat there for a half hour... burping...

Some people don't like to sleep on a full stomach and have their heaviest meal mid day. Then the evening meal can be lighter.
If you must take meds right before bedtime, would yogurt or milk work for you? When taken on an empty stomach these can be comforting and settle the stomach, especially the yogurt.
I find meditation right before sleeping eliminates much of the dust from the day and I sometimes start to nod off in meditation. Makes going to sleep easier.

i don't eat heavy in general. most of my meals are moderate with light snacks in between. the brintellix i was taking at lunch time. outside of my rls medication, i don't take any meds at bedtime. my morning meds have to be taken on an empty stomach.

If you don't mind a question about your signature: " But really, what guides them is what they're afraid of"
Is that because people react to what they fear and try to get away from it?
I think that is how most people live their lives.
I wonder if it is not possible to live beyond what we want and what we are afraid of and live in that joy of being that hides within us somewhere.
Just a thought if you care to follow it.

i think so. one of the things i'm working on in therapy is how to face the things i don't want to face. the quote affected me because at one point i didn't want to deal with something and i realized that i was rearranging my whole life to avoid this one thing. i think in order to live for what we want we have to acknowledge what we are afraid of and deal with it.

Not sleeping for me brings on psychosis, so I take seroquel for the insomnia.

Congrats on stepping up and accepting a dose of reality. I read about other people's experiences in therapy and many of them are still dancing around the issues that really scare them or trying to find the right therapist. I know I did at some point. But then after accepting the things I could not change and changing the things I could (like my own attitude - the glass is half full!) You really are stepping up to the plate. Sounds like you are on a constructive path in therapy.
I agree "we have to acknowledge what we are afraid of and deal with it.' Yeah that sums it up well.

I have had interrupted sleep on all the SSRI's and SSNRI's. Brintillex is a new SSRI. They are known for it. I have to take a dose of Remeron at night and it has worked great.

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