Prozac gave me a breakdown – is Trintellix safer?

Hey guys,

So I was on 20mg lexapro for years and did fine on it. Stopped about 6 months ago and then recently tried fluoxetine (prozac) 10mg. On day 4 I had a completely insane reaction.

I was driving home after doing yoga and suddenly felt super weird, then boom – full-blown panic, derealization, felt like a total mental breakdown. Had to pull over, called my dad, and it took me 2 hours to get home instead of 20 minutes because I kept freaking out. Once I got home I had non-stop panic attacks, DP/DR, and felt like I was losing my mind.

I stopped the fluoxetine immediately and felt way calmer within a day or two.

Now my psych wants me to try vortioxetine (Trintellix/Brintellix) in drop form, and I’m honestly scared of getting the same reaction.

What the hell happened to me on fluoxetine? Was that just extreme activation, akathisia, or something else? Is vortioxetine safer for someone who had that reaction?

Would love to hear from anyone who’s had similar experiences. Thanks!