Viibryd Half-life and Withdrawal Timeline
The half-life of a medication is how long it takes for the concentration in the system to decrease by half. Viibryd has a half-life estimated at about 25 hours. This may vary from person to person because of individual rates of metabolism, age, and other health considerations. The half-life is typically when withdrawals may begin to manifest, anywhere from a day to several days after the last dose in this case. The medical consensus is that instead of abruptly stopping, decreasing the dose gradually is a recommended strategy to help reduce harsh Viibryd withdrawals.
There can be no fixed timeline for successfully coming off Viibryd because each individual can have unique responses after lowering the dose. With proper support, preparation, and medical monitoring, the timeline for comfortable Viibryd withdrawal is expected to be 8 weeks but could extend up to one year, depending on the individual factors as noted above.13,18 Clinical research advises that lowering the dose during antidepressant withdrawal should be not only gradual, but that near the end, the doses be incrementally cut even more slowly, and should gradually decrease to levels well below the lowest therapeutic dosage level. Much evidence has shown that a misdiagnosis of relapse is not uncommon when withdrawal symptoms come on too harshly and may be misinterpreted as a relapse. Be informed before you start Viibryd withdrawal so that you have a good grasp on what to expect and you can accurately inform your prescriber what you are experiencing so it will not be misdiagnosed.
Can You Stop Taking Viibryd Cold Turkey?
Though some may have been able to abruptly stop Viibryd without many consequences, that would be the exception, and could likely include persons who took Viibryd only for a few days or a few weeks at most or took only very low doses. In any case, a cold turkey approach is not recommended as it can lengthen the process of Viibryd withdrawal, and may encourage misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment measures, as previously cautioned, above.18
The recommended route is to go slow and gradual, and if the taper should still become too harsh for the body to tolerate, reinstating at a higher dosage until stable and then resuming the taper more gradually would be preferable to ease the process.
Tips for Safe, Healthy Viibryd Withdrawal
- Enlist competent medical support before starting Viibryd withdrawal. Inpatient treatment is best but if this is not possible, put together a solid support team including a prescriber who is sympathetic to your situation and familiar with antidepressant withdrawal. Let trusted friends and/or family know what your plans are so they can understand your efforts. A spouse or close associate may be able to assist with cooking, cleaning, or other chores. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, even if it is only for some moments of companionship with someone you feel comfortable spending quiet time with. Most people are happy and quite willing to help others given the opportunity to do so.
- You may find it necessary to take time off work or school for a time to allow for a more relaxed schedule, extra rest, outdoor walks, reading, or other mild, relaxing activities, and to keep environmental stress to an absolute minimum during Viibryd withdrawal.
- Stay in close contact with your prescriber if you are not able to enter an inpatient setting, so that minor changes in dosage (which can make major differences) can be well-managed as you go through the process.
If you have attempted Viibryd withdrawal and found the process too difficult to manage on your own, we strongly recommend considering inpatient help. At Alternative to Meds Center, we specialize in the most difficult of cases. The process of Viibryd withdrawal need not be torturous or overly long with the proper help in place. We are here to help.
About Viibryd Withdrawal Protocols Used at Alternative to Meds Center
Protocols used in antidepressant withdrawal have been carefully designed at the center, and offer services that can markedly ease the process, including these examples:
We invite you to visit a more complete description of other therapies that can be found on our services overview page where they are described in much greater detail.
Find Help Now for Viibryd Withdrawal at Alternative to Meds Center
At the Alternative to Meds Center, we have been helping thousands of clients for more than 15 years to reach their goals by thoroughly investigating and addressing root causes for symptoms using effective, drug-free therapeutics that can provide authentic relief.
Please contact us for more information for you or your loved one on the very real opportunity to experience recovery of natural mental health through safe Viibryd withdrawal and get the tools for true relief from the symptoms that drug therapy could not resolve.
Emotional lability: sudden changes in mood, worsening mood, dysphoric mood, crying spells
