Hi! I am a 57 yr old female in good health, but have suffered with anxiety and depression for sometime, and after witnessing others helped by medication, I saw a psychiatrist in 10/13. I told him that I am chemically sensitive to cigarettes, perfume, drugs in general, etc. I am on HRT w/bio-identical, compounded progesterone and estrogen patch at low dose. The psych. prescribed 10 mgs. of generic Lexapro. I started feeling better after a few weeks with the only side effects being vivid, emotional dreams, but decent dreams, and some sexual dysfunction. The psych. had said at one month meeting in 11/13, that he would bump me up to 20 mgs. of Lexapro if needed in Feb. At 2/10/14 meeting, he said that he wanted to try Viibryd with me, as it is supposed to help with the sexual dysfunction side effect, and the only side effect was gastro-intestinal and the expense of a non-generic. He said it was newer and he had tried it with about 50 people. I started the Viibryd protocol on 2/11/14 w/10 mgs and tapered down the Lexapro within 3 days. I went up to 20 mgs. of Viibryd per protocol and starter free packages. I was experiencing cramps, diarrhea, severe and odd muscle and joint pain; extremely vivid, frightening, nasty and low dreams; felt irritable and aggressive; developed ringing in my ears; sleeplessness; headaches; experienced an odd drop in immune function w/fingernails growing in dented, a cold sore, etc.; very itchy rash on hands; tingling in back of head, and NO increase in orgasmic function. Not good. However, the worse side effect took place on 3/26/14, about 6 weeks after starting Viibryd. I was having a sad dream of a friend turning white on stage and freezing to death--all white and bright, and no one noticed. I was backing away feeling helpless, and suddenly something came at me--dark shapes rushing. I was awake, but my eyes were closed as this is where the shapes were coming at me--inside my head. It was very bright, and there was a deep tunnel with a bright light at the end of it. Dark shapes were swimming, and looked like trout to me, but without any fins--only tails. There was an immense depth of field to this with fish becoming smaller as they swam away. It was like an ocean full of fish. I did not feel frightened, but alarmed and fascinated--especially since I knew I was awake. The next night was the same--waking up, and seeing trout. The only reason I could see them, at least this is what is seemed to me, was that my head was lit up . The light diminished over the next few nights, and I had to try quite hard to see the trout when I awoke, but they were there. On 4/8/14 I saw the psych. who said he had never heard of these side effects, and checked the pro site, which produced nothing other than the gastro. I quit Viibryd the next morning, and started on 20 mgs. of Lexapro. The psych. suggested I see an opthamologist and have my eyes thoroughly checked. I kept seeing the same fish everytime I awoke, and had another very bright experience a week ago with the tunnel lit up. I saw an optho on 4/26/14, who found nothing wrong with my eyes, etc. I wonder: Are these fish I see actually there, or are they recurring hallucinations of the exact same thing? I cannot see the fish during the day, or in outside brightness--only when I wake up. I have wondered--did the Viibryd light up my brain so that I was able to see perhaps parasites? Is this all hallucination? Why haven t they stopped with quiting Viibryd? Am I experiencing serotonin poisoning? What the heck? I have dropped down, on my own advice, to 10 mgs of Lexapro for two days now, and am wondering if the side effects are worth feeling a bit more buoyant, confident, etc. What do you think? Thank you!