Vortioxetine
Prescription ·Exploratory record · not publication-reviewed ·Updated July 13, 2026
Vortioxetine is an oral antidepressant approved for major depressive disorder in adults. It combines serotonin reuptake inhibition with activity at several serotonin receptors, which may contribute to antidepressant effects and its distinct adverse-effect profile. It carries the class boxed warning for suicidal thoughts and behaviors in pediatric and young adult patients and must not be combined with MAO inhibitors.
Exploratory record, not a reviewed medical publication.
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This generated database record has not completed a claim-level review by a qualified human medical reviewer. Bibliography links and evidence labels are not approval. The page remains available for reference and is excluded from search indexing.
What the research says.
A quick, data-only summary. The full evidence, dosing, and sources are below.
Vortioxetine is an oral antidepressant approved for major depressive disorder in adults. NutriStack rates the supporting evidence as strong. Common adult dosing is Start 10 mg orally once daily; usual range 5-20 mg once daily. Reduce dose by half with strong CYP2D6 inhibitors and consider 10 mg daily as the maximum in known CYP2D6 poor metabolizers., though a prescriber sets the actual dose. This profile indexes 3 sources.
The bottom line
Evidence rating strong. Most-documented uses: treatment of major depressive disorder in adults, improvement in depressed mood and anhedonia, may have relatively low rates of clinically significant weight gain compared with some older antidepressants. 3 sources indexed (2005–2026), with 0 interaction records on file.
How it works, mechanistically.
Core mechanism
Vortioxetine inhibits the serotonin transporter and modulates serotonin signaling through receptor effects, including 5-HT3, 5-HT1D, and 5-HT7 antagonism, 5-HT1B partial agonism, and 5-HT1A agonism. These actions increase serotonergic neurotransmission and secondarily affect norepinephrine, dopamine, acetylcholine, histamine, and glutamate circuits in preclinical models. It is metabolized mainly by CYP2D6, so strong CYP2D6 inhibitors can increase exposure and require dose reduction.1,2
Dosing & protocol.
May be taken with or without food. Peak concentrations occur about 7 to 11 hours after dosing, and the long half-life supports once-daily dosing.3
Full safety detail.
Side effects
- Nausea
- Constipation or vomiting
- Sexual dysfunction
- Dizziness
- Serotonin syndrome when combined with serotonergic agents
- Increased bleeding risk with anticoagulants, antiplatelets, NSAIDs, or bleeding-promoting supplements
- Hyponatremia, especially in older adults or patients taking diuretics
- Activation of mania or hypomania in susceptible patients
Contraindications
- Hypersensitivity to vortioxetine or any formulation component1,3
- Concurrent use with an MAOI, linezolid, or intravenous methylene blue3
- Do not start vortioxetine within 14 days after stopping an MAOI intended to treat psychiatric disorders1,3
- Do not start an MAOI within 21 days after stopping vortioxetine3
Sources, by evidence tier.
Numbered references. Citations throughout the page link here.
Reviews & position papers
2- 1Vortioxetine: a review in major depressive disorderMcIntyre RS et al. · CNS Drugs · 2014
Clinical review summarizes vortioxetine efficacy in MDD and receptor activity that differentiates it from conventional SSRIs.
- 2The serotonin syndromeBoyer EW, Shannon M · New England Journal of Medicine · 2005
Serotonergic toxicity is most often triggered by combining serotonergic agents, supporting avoidance of serotonin precursors and serotonergic herbs.
Reference material
1- 3TRINTELLIX (vortioxetine) tablets, for oral use, US Prescribing InformationURLTakeda Pharmaceuticals America Inc. · DailyMed · 2026
The label describes adult MDD indication, once-daily dosing, CYP2D6 dose adjustment, MAOI contraindications, and the suicidal thoughts and behaviors boxed warning.
Common questions.
Quick answers about Vortioxetine, drawn from the data on this page.
What is Vortioxetine?
Vortioxetine is an oral antidepressant approved for major depressive disorder in adults. It combines serotonin reuptake inhibition with activity at several serotonin receptors, which may contribute to antidepressant effects and its distinct adverse-effect profile. It carries the class boxed warning for suicidal thoughts and behaviors in pediatric and young adult patients and must not be combined with MAO inhibitors.
What is Vortioxetine used for?
Commonly cited benefits of Vortioxetine include: Treatment of major depressive disorder in adults; Improvement in depressed mood and anhedonia; May have relatively low rates of clinically significant weight gain compared with some older antidepressants. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as strong.
What is a typical dose of Vortioxetine?
A typical adult dose of Vortioxetine is Start 10 mg orally once daily; usual range 5-20 mg once daily. Reduce dose by half with strong CYP2D6 inhibitors and consider 10 mg daily as the maximum in known CYP2D6 poor metabolizers.. The commonly recommended form is Oral tablet taken once daily. These are general ranges, not personalized advice; confirm the right dose with a clinician.
What are the side effects of Vortioxetine?
Reported side effects include nausea, constipation or vomiting, sexual dysfunction, dizziness, serotonin syndrome when combined with serotonergic agents, increased bleeding risk with anticoagulants, antiplatelets, nsaids, or bleeding-promoting supplements. This is educational information; check with a healthcare professional before use.
How strong is the evidence for Vortioxetine?
NutriStack rates this as Strong, meaning multiple high-quality meta-analyses or systematic reviews converge on the same finding. Full tier criteria are at https://nutristackapp.com/methodology/evidence-tiers.
Use this with your stack
Vortioxetine in NutriStack.
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