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Drug side effects

vortioxetine Side Effects

The reactions most often reported to the FDA for vortioxetine (also sold as Trintellix), with demographics, serious outcomes, and reporting trends.

Data updated 2026-05-15

16,243
FAERS reports

Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), 2012 to 2025. A FAERS report records a temporal association, not proof of cause. See our methodology for how figures are compiled and de-duplicated.

The most commonly reported side effects of vortioxetine come from 16,243 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.

This page analyzes 16,243 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for vortioxetine (Trintellix): the reactions reported most often, who reported them, serious outcomes such as hospitalization, and year-over-year trends. A FAERS report does not prove the drug caused the effect, and report volume tracks how widely a drug is used, not how likely an effect is for any one person. Educational information, not medical advice.

Total Reports

16,243

Reports Mentioning Death

958

5.9% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death

Hospitalizations

2,691

16.6% of reports

Top Indication

Product Used For Unknown Indication

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

NAUSEA
2,185
FATIGUE
1,179
HEADACHE
1,027
ANXIETY
996
VOMITING
989
INSOMNIA
901
SUICIDAL IDEATION
898
DIZZINESS
858
DIARRHOEA
795
ASTHENIA
770
PRURITUS
766
DEPRESSION
723
FEELING ABNORMAL
661
WEIGHT INCREASED
579
FALL
538
MALAISE
488
ARTHRALGIA
478

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 9,914 (70%)
Male 4,284 (30%)
Unknown 33

Age Distribution

0-17 940 (11%)
18-44 3,158 (36%)
45-64 2,988 (34%)
65-74 1,049 (12%)
75+ 548 (6%)

Reporting Trend by Year

12
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 958 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
COMPLETED SUICIDE 275
DEATH 234
HAEMORRHAGIC STROKE 225
TACHYCARDIA 224
FALL 222
CARDIO-RESPIRATORY ARREST 221
ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS 212
OCULAR DISCOMFORT 212
SEPSIS 212
HAEMATEMESIS 210
DIARRHOEA 209
PRURITUS 209
AMAUROSIS FUGAX 208
DYSPNOEA 208
EYE PAIN 207
ARTHRALGIA 206
ASCITES 206
DIZZINESS 206
HEAD DISCOMFORT 206
INSOMNIA 206

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 2,691 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
NAUSEA 259
SUICIDAL IDEATION 245
DEPRESSION 243
HOSPITALISATION 213
SUICIDE ATTEMPT 198
CONDITION AGGRAVATED 179
DRUG INTERACTION 168
FALL 165
VOMITING 160
ANXIETY 143
SEROTONIN SYNDROME 143
HEADACHE 123
FATIGUE 119
DIZZINESS 118
PAIN 117
DIARRHOEA 95
PNEUMONIA 92
ARTHRALGIA 89

Compare vortioxetine vs acamprosate →

What the FAERS Data Reveals About vortioxetine Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 16,243 voluntary reports linked to vortioxetine and its brand equivalents (Trintellix), spanning 2012 through 2025. Of those, 958 (5.9%) listed death as an outcome and 2,691 (16.6%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Product Used For Unknown Indication.

Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 70% were female and 30% male; age distribution skews toward 18-44, with 3,158 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is nausea with 2,185 submissions, followed by fatigue and headache.

How to read these numbers

FAERS is a signal-detection tool, not a scorecard. Reports are voluntary, and a single case may list multiple suspect drugs, so numbers above should not be read as incidence rates or per-patient risk. Widely prescribed drugs naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies even when individual risk is low. These aggregates are useful for spotting patterns that merit further pharmacovigilance, not for choosing between medications. This page is for educational reference only and is not medical advice, speak with a licensed clinician about any side-effect concerns.

Drugs With a Similar FAERS Report Volume

Other medications with a total FDA adverse-event report count closest to vortioxetine's 16,243.