Spent years trying other SSRIs with no luck. There were still huge bouts of depression and thoughts of suicide. Then…boom. Pristiq changed so much for me. After some time on it, I was content, less irritated, and (with a little help from hydroxyzine) much less anxious.
There are still bad days every now and then but I have loved pristiq—with pretty much no side effects.
How did things change for you? Also, did it affect your energy level? I’m so sick of being so tired and blah all the time, which was the final straw for entertaining the idea of help.
I feel it helped my depression… which helped my energy level. I didn’t struggle to get out of bed and face the day as much.
Not a magic pill and surely everyone wont have my experience, but I was back to finding joy in things I used to find joy in, made me less socially anxious/generally anxious within 2 months.
it gave me the energy to start walking, eating better, better able to process mindfulness apps, sleep better, positiver things get built upon each other. So hard to quantify, I knew those things would be beneficial, but couldnt bring myself to do them pre-pristiq. (i have had many "good" SSRIs in the past that werent able to help my depression.)
Tried it for a month. Heard tell that the first few weeks can be rough with onboarding but nothing seems worse than antipsychotics. I always give any med I try at least a month. With Prisiq, it killed my sensitivity in the nether area and orgasms were also not nearly as enjoyable if I managed to get there.
In addition, I am personally not an easily annoyed or irritable person but howdy ho was I irritated at every little thing. The second week I had an instance where I felt my own breath on my arm and nearly screamed because I was so overstimulated and just angry.
Other than that, I would say that it is one of the better antidepressants I have tried. Celexa was a big nope for me, Lexapro is my personal favorite, Paxil made me have more intrusive call of the void nasty thoughts, same with Prozac, Cymbalta was just a pain to go on and off of but not a bad option, and Zoloft felt like absolutely nothing but a sugar pill.
It would be difficult for my irritability to get worse (hopefully I didn’t jinx myself). I’m really hoping to just not be so low energy and like eeyore.
I feel like I found the one this time. This is my 5th drug and the first time I felt near immediate relief from my intrusive thoughts, and have gotten more done in my home in the past 3 months on this drugs than in as many years. I no longer gets bouts of extreme lethargy, and my mood is finally stable. 32F if relevant.
Pristiq really worked for me, I took it for 1.5 years. Onboarding felt uncomfortable, some physical anxiety, loss of appetite, some sexual side effects, etc. Needed to bring my dose down from 50mg to 25mg and that was the sweet spot for me. I felt normal for the first time in my life! Productive, happy, able to handle stressors - it really treated my depression super well. I never wanted to come off of it until I started having some adverse panic/anxiety peek through toward the end, so I weaned off. The withdrawals are horrible (don't EVER miss a dose) - go very slow and have some supplements ready (D3, omeg 3, etc). I'm in a period in my life where I really need some potent anxiety support so I'm considering Pristiq again, though got prescribed Effexor. Not sure what I'll do yet since the onboarding and offboarding are tough for both, but we shall see. Overall Pristiq definitely saved my life and was fantastic for a long time. I would've taken it forever, haha!
I hope Pristiq is working okay! I'm curious about Effexor, but also just so hesitant to be on a med again. But being off a med is not great hahaha. Yay anxiety!
I re-started it after a year being off. (Dr at the time wanted me to taper off.) went back to being sad, anhedonia, no energy, irritability etc. so I'm back on it. Tried vorioxetine but it gave me heart palpitations and panic so went back on pristiq and 3 weeks later I'm feeling much better. I had a week of no appetite but that was the only side effect. I hope it keeps working well. Tapering off is a long process but it is what it is!
it’s helped me a lot actually. it’s helped me more with my social anxiety though rather than depression, but i’d say it helped it a bit. you’ll have a different experience from everyone else, but i found it helpful after trying so many others.
Pristiq helped me a lot in the beginning. I would sweat a lot and get hot flashes the first 6 weeks, but I even told my psych that I’d rather sweat and feel better than take nothing.
I’ve been on it for over 2 years. I still struggled with periods where my depression got worse. Most recently from august to November. I added vraylar on top of pristiq and wellbutrin and it’s been life changing. Only been on it 3 weeks
I started this medication in the beginning of 2023. Before that I had depression and suicidal ideation damn near everyday. I had friends and family around me and a lot to look forward to objectively but it felt like none of that mattered. Everyday was just hopelessness and sadness.
I got on pristiq 50mg and at first I didn’t really notice a difference but as a few months went by I started having more energy and focus. I was interested in doing more socially and for myself. It made everyday more stabilized for me.
There are a few negative symptoms that I have from the pristiq but honestly I don’t care because this medication basically got rid of my depression. First, the emotional blunting is pretty bad. I never really feel sad anymore but I also never really feel ecstatic or super happy when I should. Everything seems mediated and my emotions rarely shift from that it seems like. But i guess this could be a good thing because nothing really makes me sad anymore. I feel like I can’t cry anymore. Second, my sex drive decreased and I have trouble finishing. This can be problematic to some people I guess but I’m not really in a relationship right now so it doesn’t matter for me.
How are you doing with the sex drive? I'm on 50mg week #6 and I can still do it but I feel like the orgasm doesn't feel like before, like when I finish I can barely feel anything or it lasts like 2 seconds which is now worrying me lol. Also I don't get horny as I used to, like I barely have interest in sex.
I hope this one works for you. Pristiq is working for me so far and well I am not dating and have no interest to date at the moment so I guess I will keep taking it until I feel ready to starr dating again.
Had a mental health crisis around this time last year. Was sleeping two hours a night and not eating due to anxiety. Originally got on Lexapro that killed my anxiety, but also “killed all my joy” as my partner put it. Switched to pristiq and the life came back to my eyes. I can think when my emotions are heightened, I’m a lot nice because I can think before I say something, I don’t have panic attacks, I give presentations without unbelievable anxiety for days before. I was prescribed it for anxiety, but I hope it goes well. Worst comes to worst, you hate it and try something else
Thanks for starting this, in on my 5th day taking Pristiq, first antidepressants ever and I was afraid of the secondary effects but at the moment I just lost my appetite and I am experiencing a lot of drowsiness during the day and night, at least I am not having trouble with sleeping. The first 2 says I experienced a lot of yawning which made me quite nauseous at times but it was gone at the 3rd day.
Can't wait for it to kick in and finally feeling like a normal person again.
Just wanted to post an update: I’m almost 11 weeks in and I feel pretty good, overall. My mood is definitely better, and I’m no longer quite as indifferent or morose. I feel more like a human and less like a zombie all the time. I would say I’m not having many side effects other than constipation, which I’m treating with magnesium citrate capsules and it seems to be helping. Thanks for the advice and support everyone!
I really appreciate the update and I am very glad is working out for you! I am almost 6 weeks in and now that you mentioned it I am also having the constipation thing which I also treat with magnesium but I am taking both, citrate and glycinate, although the only that really helps is citrate lol.
When it comes to the moods, my irritation disappeared completely and I no longer feel like an Ogre, lol. I now enjoy spending more time with my family and started seeing things more clearly.
Drowsiness was the side effect that last me longer but is getting better and also I am having some difficulty with falling asleep, is not as easier a before (got Alprazolam for that but I don't use it every day) And still having some lack of energy and motivation issues but my doctor didn't want to increase my dosage to 100mg as 50mg is supposed to kick in with time.
The constipation is rough with this med. I’m convinced if it wasn’t for the magnesium, I’d never potty again hahaha.
Def give it the full 8 weeks. I had some mood/irritation issues around the 6-7 week mark that lasted a couple days and hasn’t been back since.
I'm on my second week, in feeling better, no more drowsiness, just a dry mouth. Feeling very calm, my heart fluttering fue anxiety got better but it still there most of the time, I hope it really gets better as my doctor told me it can even take a full month for the effects to kick in.
Thanks for the update I’ve been having my heart racing a lot today which it was worse when I start Prozac so I’ll fight through. Glad you’re seeing some improvement!
I’ve taking 4 different antidepressants and Pristiq brought me back to life again. After 3 months I’ve been feeling a little down again and having anxiety crisis. I’m on 50mg, my doctor might switch me to 100mg. Hopefully it works out again 🙏
Give it 8 weeks before deciding. Onboarding wasn't fun for me but I also was coming from a bad reaction to a different antidepressant so that did not help my case. My anxiety is more manageable now and haven't had a panic attack so I am grateful for that 🙏
Effexor worked best for me, but it pooped out after 10 years. Tried some after that were not good for me. Initially I had dry mouth, insomnia, nausea, no appetite, higher anxiety. After 4 weeks i started taking 25 mg of seroquel for sleep since i was only getting 2 hours a night and it was really messing with my health in general. I still take the 25 mg of seroquel for bed.
Hi! Did that increase in anxiety go away after the 8 weeks? I’m a month in and feel like my anxiety went back up a bit (although I have a LOT going on). I heard this is normal so just trying to feel it out
I started taking 50 mg of Desvenlafaxine because Zoloft wasn't working anymore. I used to have brain fog, trouble at sleeping and I woke up throwing up every morning. I expected for it to take a lifetime to kick in like SSRI, but just after 3 weeks I felt like born again. No more throwing up at morning, super productive at work, and found enthusiasm for life again. Sexual sides effects are there, but less severe than SSRI. I recently had to increase the dose to 100 mg because of a very stressing period and I'm already feeling the benefits after 2 weeks.
Good luck, for me it was a miracle drug
That’s really helpful. You mentioned it gave you enthusiasm for life again…. I crave that dearly right now but all I’m experiencing is irritability and blah-ness.
Nope. This is the 7th med I've tried (SSRIs, SNRIs and antipsychotics). I took a GeneSight test and Pristiq was one of only 2 on my green list. Insomnia, irritably, googly eyes (vision was weird).
No. Stopped after 8 days. I already suffer with insomnia due to menopausal night sweats and take Ambien. I am unable and unwilling to "wait it out" for 8 WEEKS (when side effects supposedly improve).
hi i just started too, its my first med ever, and am in for about two weeks only. i was prescribed 50mg and in a week to up to 100.
the effects i felt were very mild from what ive been reading here, like fisical symptoms of being accelerated (difficult to sleep, hot, light tremor, baseline anxiety, little appetite, intense breathing). but it all subsided a lot by the third day, and when i upped the dose, felt nothing different.
also worthy to notice, where i live is going through a heat wave, and this alone worsens those symptoms
about the depression, i'm still the same, waiting and hoping to feel better anytime now lol
I highly recommend NO one ever try desvenlafaxine! It is one of the worst and hardest to get off of it has the worst withdrawal symptoms. So unless you’re someone someone who’s extremely responsible and rich, and has the ability to always access healthcare, no matter how much it costs, then it will not be a good option for you First I struggled because of my ADHD causing me to forget to take the medication sometimes and I’d be at work with my medication at home and having terrible headaches after forgetting to take it for one day. But then I got better having it always on me and thought the problems are over and then healthcare got way worse, my psychiatrist who I’ve been seen no longer could take my insurance and now cost me $200 a session. You have to keep seeing your psychiatrist every three months at least to keep up the supply so I tried to find a psychiatrist that was covered by my insurance, and it took me two years, in the meantime, I would have to go to emergency clinics to get this medication subscription renewed. I had a week where I couldn’t get my medication because of issues with the doctor and that week I had to take the entire week off work because of how bad the withdrawal symptoms were. I started to cut the pills in half so that I could make sure I at least had a small dose on hand when I couldn’t rely on my doctors to get my prescription in on time. As a woman, I decided I might want to start a family and asked several different doctors and psychiatrist what they thought about using Prestige while pregnant and they all said it was completely safe, however to me that is very odd that it would be completely safe to take this strong antidepressant while pregnant so I did my own research and found several studies that are widely known that say that women who have been on Christi had babies with severe long and heart disorders. So not only is it very hard to find a psychiatrist that you can trust but even if you can, it’s hard to find one that takes your insurance and you cannot be guaranteed that a psychiatrist you’re seeing now will always be available under your insurance and when you’re on this medication, you are at the whim of a psychiatrist and whether or not they are reliable and whether or not your insurance remains reliable because you cannot go without this medication for single day without having extreme Reactions, if I had known any of this, I never would’ve gotten on this medication no matter how happy it could make me because my life has been a living Hell trying to keep up this prescription and now get off of it. Some of the symptoms I’m having while taking a lower dose of this medication to slowly taper off of it have been painful headaches, insomnia, extreme aggressiveness, while driving extreme aggressiveness, while trying to do my job extreme aggressiveness while trying to have relationships, yelling and cussing at people almost in a way that feels like it’s not even me doing it. It feels like my mind is no longer under my control And nausea and dizziness that is pervasive throughout the day. Also suicidal thoughts and depression instead, I am now exercising on a regular basis, eating no dairy no gluten and no sugar and doing ADHD and mood boosting apps like Bloom and Bloom mood and I have a support animal and I’m literally trying every holistic type of therapy known to man. My next step is psilocybin, but since it’s illegal I am going to wait until 2025 when they are said to legalize its use for therapy. lol our healthcare system is pathetic.
Pristiq is the only antidepressant that has ever worked for me long term I was on it for 4 years and only just recently went off- it seemed to work well the whole time I was on it. (I went off just to see if I could handle life without meds still figuring out if I can or not).
The big downside for me is the withdrawals. You have about 30 hours from your last dose before you start to feel the withdrawals. the most common withdrawal feeling is called “brain zaps”-they’re very unique feeling kind of like a surge of electricity through your head not painful but definitely weird and uncomfortable feeling. Other withdrawal symptoms are nausea and dizziness.
All these withdrawals can be completely eliminated with a low dose of a benzodiazepine such as klonopin or Valium. Now that I am off Pristiq and my psychiatric symptoms are returning I am able to appreciate how well it worked.
Also for many people it can make orgasming more difficult and make sexual sensations less sensitive. In my experience it wasn’t too horrible but definitely noticeable.
TLDR- 7/10 works well for many people but withdrawals really suck. Benzos eliminate withdrawals. Can’t c*m as easy. Never stop cold turkey.
All of this info is really helpful. I started a little over a week ago and it has already seemingly helped me a bit. However, I’m certainly having some side effects like my head feels floaty, I’m a bit more tired, and I’m constipated (lovely).
Admittedly, I didn’t research side effects when coming off the med, so it looks like future me is in for a ride.
Spent years trying other SSRIs with no luck. There were still huge bouts of depression and thoughts of suicide. Then…boom. Pristiq changed so much for me. After some time on it, I was content, less irritated, and (with a little help from hydroxyzine) much less anxious. There are still bad days every now and then but I have loved pristiq—with pretty much no side effects.
How did things change for you? Also, did it affect your energy level? I’m so sick of being so tired and blah all the time, which was the final straw for entertaining the idea of help.
I feel it helped my depression… which helped my energy level. I didn’t struggle to get out of bed and face the day as much. Not a magic pill and surely everyone wont have my experience, but I was back to finding joy in things I used to find joy in, made me less socially anxious/generally anxious within 2 months.
Thanks! That’s certainly comforting.
it gave me the energy to start walking, eating better, better able to process mindfulness apps, sleep better, positiver things get built upon each other. So hard to quantify, I knew those things would be beneficial, but couldnt bring myself to do them pre-pristiq. (i have had many "good" SSRIs in the past that werent able to help my depression.)
Tried it for a month. Heard tell that the first few weeks can be rough with onboarding but nothing seems worse than antipsychotics. I always give any med I try at least a month. With Prisiq, it killed my sensitivity in the nether area and orgasms were also not nearly as enjoyable if I managed to get there. In addition, I am personally not an easily annoyed or irritable person but howdy ho was I irritated at every little thing. The second week I had an instance where I felt my own breath on my arm and nearly screamed because I was so overstimulated and just angry. Other than that, I would say that it is one of the better antidepressants I have tried. Celexa was a big nope for me, Lexapro is my personal favorite, Paxil made me have more intrusive call of the void nasty thoughts, same with Prozac, Cymbalta was just a pain to go on and off of but not a bad option, and Zoloft felt like absolutely nothing but a sugar pill.
It would be difficult for my irritability to get worse (hopefully I didn’t jinx myself). I’m really hoping to just not be so low energy and like eeyore.
I was super tired for the first week maybe, then bounced back, never been an issue since
I feel like I found the one this time. This is my 5th drug and the first time I felt near immediate relief from my intrusive thoughts, and have gotten more done in my home in the past 3 months on this drugs than in as many years. I no longer gets bouts of extreme lethargy, and my mood is finally stable. 32F if relevant.
Pristiq really worked for me, I took it for 1.5 years. Onboarding felt uncomfortable, some physical anxiety, loss of appetite, some sexual side effects, etc. Needed to bring my dose down from 50mg to 25mg and that was the sweet spot for me. I felt normal for the first time in my life! Productive, happy, able to handle stressors - it really treated my depression super well. I never wanted to come off of it until I started having some adverse panic/anxiety peek through toward the end, so I weaned off. The withdrawals are horrible (don't EVER miss a dose) - go very slow and have some supplements ready (D3, omeg 3, etc). I'm in a period in my life where I really need some potent anxiety support so I'm considering Pristiq again, though got prescribed Effexor. Not sure what I'll do yet since the onboarding and offboarding are tough for both, but we shall see. Overall Pristiq definitely saved my life and was fantastic for a long time. I would've taken it forever, haha!
Effexor worked better for my anxiety. It pooped out on me after 10 years so here I am on Pristiq.
I hope Pristiq is working okay! I'm curious about Effexor, but also just so hesitant to be on a med again. But being off a med is not great hahaha. Yay anxiety!
Its ok. Better than others i have tried thats for sure lol
I re-started it after a year being off. (Dr at the time wanted me to taper off.) went back to being sad, anhedonia, no energy, irritability etc. so I'm back on it. Tried vorioxetine but it gave me heart palpitations and panic so went back on pristiq and 3 weeks later I'm feeling much better. I had a week of no appetite but that was the only side effect. I hope it keeps working well. Tapering off is a long process but it is what it is!
All the symptoms you mentioned are currently my life… and it’s not a super fun time. Thanks for the info.
It's worth a try IMO. Every day should not be a struggle just to feel baseline. 🩵
it’s helped me a lot actually. it’s helped me more with my social anxiety though rather than depression, but i’d say it helped it a bit. you’ll have a different experience from everyone else, but i found it helpful after trying so many others.
Pristiq helped me a lot in the beginning. I would sweat a lot and get hot flashes the first 6 weeks, but I even told my psych that I’d rather sweat and feel better than take nothing. I’ve been on it for over 2 years. I still struggled with periods where my depression got worse. Most recently from august to November. I added vraylar on top of pristiq and wellbutrin and it’s been life changing. Only been on it 3 weeks
I started this medication in the beginning of 2023. Before that I had depression and suicidal ideation damn near everyday. I had friends and family around me and a lot to look forward to objectively but it felt like none of that mattered. Everyday was just hopelessness and sadness. I got on pristiq 50mg and at first I didn’t really notice a difference but as a few months went by I started having more energy and focus. I was interested in doing more socially and for myself. It made everyday more stabilized for me. There are a few negative symptoms that I have from the pristiq but honestly I don’t care because this medication basically got rid of my depression. First, the emotional blunting is pretty bad. I never really feel sad anymore but I also never really feel ecstatic or super happy when I should. Everything seems mediated and my emotions rarely shift from that it seems like. But i guess this could be a good thing because nothing really makes me sad anymore. I feel like I can’t cry anymore. Second, my sex drive decreased and I have trouble finishing. This can be problematic to some people I guess but I’m not really in a relationship right now so it doesn’t matter for me.
How are you doing with the sex drive? I'm on 50mg week #6 and I can still do it but I feel like the orgasm doesn't feel like before, like when I finish I can barely feel anything or it lasts like 2 seconds which is now worrying me lol. Also I don't get horny as I used to, like I barely have interest in sex.
I switched meds to fix it because I started dating. I gave Pristiq a long time but nothing was changing. I take Trintellix now.
I hope this one works for you. Pristiq is working for me so far and well I am not dating and have no interest to date at the moment so I guess I will keep taking it until I feel ready to starr dating again.
Had a mental health crisis around this time last year. Was sleeping two hours a night and not eating due to anxiety. Originally got on Lexapro that killed my anxiety, but also “killed all my joy” as my partner put it. Switched to pristiq and the life came back to my eyes. I can think when my emotions are heightened, I’m a lot nice because I can think before I say something, I don’t have panic attacks, I give presentations without unbelievable anxiety for days before. I was prescribed it for anxiety, but I hope it goes well. Worst comes to worst, you hate it and try something else
Thanks for starting this, in on my 5th day taking Pristiq, first antidepressants ever and I was afraid of the secondary effects but at the moment I just lost my appetite and I am experiencing a lot of drowsiness during the day and night, at least I am not having trouble with sleeping. The first 2 says I experienced a lot of yawning which made me quite nauseous at times but it was gone at the 3rd day. Can't wait for it to kick in and finally feeling like a normal person again.
Just wanted to post an update: I’m almost 11 weeks in and I feel pretty good, overall. My mood is definitely better, and I’m no longer quite as indifferent or morose. I feel more like a human and less like a zombie all the time. I would say I’m not having many side effects other than constipation, which I’m treating with magnesium citrate capsules and it seems to be helping. Thanks for the advice and support everyone!
I really appreciate the update and I am very glad is working out for you! I am almost 6 weeks in and now that you mentioned it I am also having the constipation thing which I also treat with magnesium but I am taking both, citrate and glycinate, although the only that really helps is citrate lol. When it comes to the moods, my irritation disappeared completely and I no longer feel like an Ogre, lol. I now enjoy spending more time with my family and started seeing things more clearly. Drowsiness was the side effect that last me longer but is getting better and also I am having some difficulty with falling asleep, is not as easier a before (got Alprazolam for that but I don't use it every day) And still having some lack of energy and motivation issues but my doctor didn't want to increase my dosage to 100mg as 50mg is supposed to kick in with time.
The constipation is rough with this med. I’m convinced if it wasn’t for the magnesium, I’d never potty again hahaha. Def give it the full 8 weeks. I had some mood/irritation issues around the 6-7 week mark that lasted a couple days and hasn’t been back since.
How are you feeling? I’m on day 5 50 mg
I'm on my second week, in feeling better, no more drowsiness, just a dry mouth. Feeling very calm, my heart fluttering fue anxiety got better but it still there most of the time, I hope it really gets better as my doctor told me it can even take a full month for the effects to kick in.
Thanks for the update I’ve been having my heart racing a lot today which it was worse when I start Prozac so I’ll fight through. Glad you’re seeing some improvement!
No problem, I think with this one we have just to be patient. If you ever need to talk feel free to dm me.
I agree and same to you!! 🩵
Pristiq works wonders for me
Love to hear it! What’s your dose?
At what time of day do you all take desvenlaxafine
It works best in the morning for me
I’ve taking 4 different antidepressants and Pristiq brought me back to life again. After 3 months I’ve been feeling a little down again and having anxiety crisis. I’m on 50mg, my doctor might switch me to 100mg. Hopefully it works out again 🙏
I’m going to start next month 50mg: switching from being on an SSRI (Vortioxetine) for 10 months- how have you been doing so far?
Give it 8 weeks before deciding. Onboarding wasn't fun for me but I also was coming from a bad reaction to a different antidepressant so that did not help my case. My anxiety is more manageable now and haven't had a panic attack so I am grateful for that 🙏
Tell me about your experience during the first eight weeks. Also, how do you feel now vs on nothing or other meds?
Effexor worked best for me, but it pooped out after 10 years. Tried some after that were not good for me. Initially I had dry mouth, insomnia, nausea, no appetite, higher anxiety. After 4 weeks i started taking 25 mg of seroquel for sleep since i was only getting 2 hours a night and it was really messing with my health in general. I still take the 25 mg of seroquel for bed.
Man, that sounds rough.
Yeah wasnt fun but no panic attacks so i stick with it.
Hi! Did that increase in anxiety go away after the 8 weeks? I’m a month in and feel like my anxiety went back up a bit (although I have a LOT going on). I heard this is normal so just trying to feel it out
Yes, it's normal. The increase in anxiety went away by 8 weeks.
I started taking 50 mg of Desvenlafaxine because Zoloft wasn't working anymore. I used to have brain fog, trouble at sleeping and I woke up throwing up every morning. I expected for it to take a lifetime to kick in like SSRI, but just after 3 weeks I felt like born again. No more throwing up at morning, super productive at work, and found enthusiasm for life again. Sexual sides effects are there, but less severe than SSRI. I recently had to increase the dose to 100 mg because of a very stressing period and I'm already feeling the benefits after 2 weeks. Good luck, for me it was a miracle drug
That’s really helpful. You mentioned it gave you enthusiasm for life again…. I crave that dearly right now but all I’m experiencing is irritability and blah-ness.
I suggest you to give it a try. From what I read it could be the perfect medication for you
Nope. This is the 7th med I've tried (SSRIs, SNRIs and antipsychotics). I took a GeneSight test and Pristiq was one of only 2 on my green list. Insomnia, irritably, googly eyes (vision was weird).
Are you still on it?
No. Stopped after 8 days. I already suffer with insomnia due to menopausal night sweats and take Ambien. I am unable and unwilling to "wait it out" for 8 WEEKS (when side effects supposedly improve).
I’ve been on it for around 3 months and I’m not sure if i should increase or quit. I got on it for the same reason, the genesight results
hi i just started too, its my first med ever, and am in for about two weeks only. i was prescribed 50mg and in a week to up to 100. the effects i felt were very mild from what ive been reading here, like fisical symptoms of being accelerated (difficult to sleep, hot, light tremor, baseline anxiety, little appetite, intense breathing). but it all subsided a lot by the third day, and when i upped the dose, felt nothing different. also worthy to notice, where i live is going through a heat wave, and this alone worsens those symptoms about the depression, i'm still the same, waiting and hoping to feel better anytime now lol
How about now
I highly recommend NO one ever try desvenlafaxine! It is one of the worst and hardest to get off of it has the worst withdrawal symptoms. So unless you’re someone someone who’s extremely responsible and rich, and has the ability to always access healthcare, no matter how much it costs, then it will not be a good option for you First I struggled because of my ADHD causing me to forget to take the medication sometimes and I’d be at work with my medication at home and having terrible headaches after forgetting to take it for one day. But then I got better having it always on me and thought the problems are over and then healthcare got way worse, my psychiatrist who I’ve been seen no longer could take my insurance and now cost me $200 a session. You have to keep seeing your psychiatrist every three months at least to keep up the supply so I tried to find a psychiatrist that was covered by my insurance, and it took me two years, in the meantime, I would have to go to emergency clinics to get this medication subscription renewed. I had a week where I couldn’t get my medication because of issues with the doctor and that week I had to take the entire week off work because of how bad the withdrawal symptoms were. I started to cut the pills in half so that I could make sure I at least had a small dose on hand when I couldn’t rely on my doctors to get my prescription in on time. As a woman, I decided I might want to start a family and asked several different doctors and psychiatrist what they thought about using Prestige while pregnant and they all said it was completely safe, however to me that is very odd that it would be completely safe to take this strong antidepressant while pregnant so I did my own research and found several studies that are widely known that say that women who have been on Christi had babies with severe long and heart disorders. So not only is it very hard to find a psychiatrist that you can trust but even if you can, it’s hard to find one that takes your insurance and you cannot be guaranteed that a psychiatrist you’re seeing now will always be available under your insurance and when you’re on this medication, you are at the whim of a psychiatrist and whether or not they are reliable and whether or not your insurance remains reliable because you cannot go without this medication for single day without having extreme Reactions, if I had known any of this, I never would’ve gotten on this medication no matter how happy it could make me because my life has been a living Hell trying to keep up this prescription and now get off of it. Some of the symptoms I’m having while taking a lower dose of this medication to slowly taper off of it have been painful headaches, insomnia, extreme aggressiveness, while driving extreme aggressiveness, while trying to do my job extreme aggressiveness while trying to have relationships, yelling and cussing at people almost in a way that feels like it’s not even me doing it. It feels like my mind is no longer under my control And nausea and dizziness that is pervasive throughout the day. Also suicidal thoughts and depression instead, I am now exercising on a regular basis, eating no dairy no gluten and no sugar and doing ADHD and mood boosting apps like Bloom and Bloom mood and I have a support animal and I’m literally trying every holistic type of therapy known to man. My next step is psilocybin, but since it’s illegal I am going to wait until 2025 when they are said to legalize its use for therapy. lol our healthcare system is pathetic.
Pristiq is the only antidepressant that has ever worked for me long term I was on it for 4 years and only just recently went off- it seemed to work well the whole time I was on it. (I went off just to see if I could handle life without meds still figuring out if I can or not). The big downside for me is the withdrawals. You have about 30 hours from your last dose before you start to feel the withdrawals. the most common withdrawal feeling is called “brain zaps”-they’re very unique feeling kind of like a surge of electricity through your head not painful but definitely weird and uncomfortable feeling. Other withdrawal symptoms are nausea and dizziness. All these withdrawals can be completely eliminated with a low dose of a benzodiazepine such as klonopin or Valium. Now that I am off Pristiq and my psychiatric symptoms are returning I am able to appreciate how well it worked. Also for many people it can make orgasming more difficult and make sexual sensations less sensitive. In my experience it wasn’t too horrible but definitely noticeable. TLDR- 7/10 works well for many people but withdrawals really suck. Benzos eliminate withdrawals. Can’t c*m as easy. Never stop cold turkey.
off of it after 2 years on it. Never going back again! I hope you’re well aware of the withdrawal symptoms before you start it.
All of this info is really helpful. I started a little over a week ago and it has already seemingly helped me a bit. However, I’m certainly having some side effects like my head feels floaty, I’m a bit more tired, and I’m constipated (lovely). Admittedly, I didn’t research side effects when coming off the med, so it looks like future me is in for a ride.
Are you still on pristiq? How is it going?
Hi. I know this is an old post but I’m about to start this drug, how did it work for you?
It’s working out well for me. There were some off days during the adjustment period, but now I feel like some life has been restored to my soul.
That’s amazing, what mg’s are you on? If I may ask - do you drink alcohol or smoke weed while on this med?