Abstract

Humraaz Kaja, Frasia Oosthuizen, Henry Michael, Kofi Boamah Mensah, Varsha Bangalee, Ebenezer Wiafe*

Purpose: Vilazodone is a novel antidepressant used to treat Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Available literature suggests that the efficacy and safety of Vilazodone have not yet been systematically assessed and described. This study aims to provide a critical overview of the literature on the psychiatric-adverse effects associated with Vilazodone administration, from January 2000 to January 2020, highlighting the effects, consistencies, knowledge gaps, current theories, and limitations of available understandings.

Findings: From an initial search of 124 articles, a total number of 7 full texts, that met the inclusion criteria, were included in the review. Several psychiatric-adverse effects were found to occur with the use of Vilazodone. The findings of this study suggested that these common psychiatric-adverse effects associated with the use of Vilazodone are not included in the Food and Drugs Administration registration document and Patient Information Leaflet.

Conclusions: Vilazodone has a wide range of psychiatric- adverse effects as apparent from reviewing published clinical trials. More considerable attention in research should be given to a broader range of psychiatric- adverse effects associated with Vilazodone, and further detailed clinical trials are required to establish the safety profile. The limited amount of evidence from included studies shows that there is scanty scientific data concerning the safety profile of Vilazodone in psychiatric practice. The review was registered with the Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/ OSF.IO/2M7HY).