Side effects of Vilazodone can have a substantial impact on mental health, and this is particularly true in early phases. People take vilazodone to help with mental health by treating major depressive disorder (MDD), but some side effects may make the symptoms of a person's mental health worse or cause new ones that did not exist prior. For example, a clinical trial from 2022 reported that approximately 10% of subjects experienced additional anxiety or restlessness during the first few weeks on vilazodone. While these symptoms do usually subside as the body acclimates to treatment they can be troubling and may potentially go contrary to recovery aims.
Mental health is also adversely affected through insomnia as a side effect associate with vilazodone. You need enough sleep not only to function, but chronic bad sleeping routines will help depression and anxiety take hold in your body. Poor sleep quality has a direct impact on both mood regulation and cognitive function; in combination, this feed-back loop could mean that as people obtain less rest their mental health will continue to decline. The faster such sleep-related issues are solved, the better for one's overall mental health while already on Vilazodone.
Some patients also report emotional numbness and apathy. Given that vilazodone is supposed to work by balancing serotonin in the brain, only a few patients report this side effect (around 3% according to a case review from 2023) and may present some emotional blunting symptomatology such as formal thought deprivation or spectral mapping. This can be a problem, especially if you are already depressed and have troubles with motivation or engagement emotions noticable.
Sexual dysfunction, although less than with other SSRIs is not insignificant occurring in about 4% of users. This side effect can also indirectly worsen mental health through stress on relationships or diminished self-esteem, especially in those with depression or anxiety. Talking with healthcare providers about these concerns can be helpful, because it is possible to adjust dosages or change types of medications in order to minimize this effect.
The higher risk is for suicidal thoughts, which are more severe mental health risks in younger patients under the age of 25. The FDA requires a warning for the antidepressants, including vilazodone that this risk. While uncommon (happening in <1% of patients), this concern highlights the importance of careful observation early on.
Serotonin syndrome on the other hand, is rare but can have a devastating impact on your mental health if it does happen. Agitation,confusion,and hallucination all of theses are very reactive to mental stability. It is a medical emergency and needs to treated immediately!
But although vilazodone has shown efficacy in several areas of mood-health, some side effects may be transient or secondarily related to mental health unless steps are taken. Keeping in touch regularly with a healthcare provider and paying attention if there are any changes in your mood can help guard against these side effects. By learning more vilazodone side effects, people are able to know if and how they might be affected during treatment for mental health problems.