Pristiq (Desvenlafaxine) is an antidepressant drug that functions as an SNRI (Selective Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor). In other words, it prevents the reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin in addition to that of norepinephrine. It was created and marketed by Wyeth – a company that has now become part of Pfizer. This drug is extremely similar to that of Effexor (Venlafaxine) as it contains the same active metabolite.
The goal with the development of this drug was to take only the active portion of Effexor and eliminate the rest with the hopes of side effect reduction. It took many years for the FDA to finally approve this new antidepressant, but it’s widely debatable as to whether this drug really has major advantages over Effexor. As an analogy, most would agree that this drug is to Effexor as Lexapor is to Celexa.
It is largely thought that this drug was developed mostly to protect business for Wyeth. By creating Pristiq, the goal was to convince psychiatrists to switch from Effexor to Pristiq to protect the billions of dollars that Effexor generated in sales. They have done this by suggesting that Pristiq carries fewer side effects and is generally better tolerated than Effexor. However by now, most evidence suggests that is inferior to Effexor on several levels.
After trying Pristiq, many people find it intolerable and realize that it carries many unpleasant side effects. Others find that it simply doesn’t work as well as they had hoped to alleviate their major depression. Since many people don’t want to be on antidepressants for life, withdrawal from Pristiq is usually inevitable.
Factors that influence Pristiq withdrawal
When it comes to withdrawal from any antidepressant, there are various factors that play a role in determining severity of symptoms. These factors include things like: time you took the drug, dosage, your personal physiology and drug sensitivity, as well as how quickly you tapered off of the drug.
1. Time Span
How long were you taking Pristiq? In general, the longer that you take an antidepressant, the tougher it is to quit. When you take a drug like this for a long period of time, your body and brain become accustomed to functioning under its influence. Additionally, long term users generally need to increase dosage because they become tolerant. The shorter the term that you use Pristiq, the less withdrawal symptoms you will likely experience.
2. Dosage (50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, 400 mg)
In most cases, people start out at 50 mg and then if necessary titrate the dose up to 100 mg. If the 100 mg works for awhile, but then stops working, a psychiatrist may double the dose to 200 mg. Over time, the more you increase the dosage, the more difficulty you will have withdrawing.
By increasing the dosage, you are essentially forcing your body and brain to function under the influence of more Pristiq. Most research suggests that there is zero additional benefit to be had by taking more than the starting dose of 50 mg.
3. Individual Factors
It is also important to keep in mind additional factors that may influence withdrawal symptoms. These factors include things like: your physiology, daily habits, diet, exercise, social support, and other drugs that you take. Most people have different reactions to antidepressants based largely on individual factors.
One drug may work brilliantly for one person, and be an absolutely hellacious experience for another. It is the same concept in regards to withdrawal – one person may experience very severe withdrawal symptoms, while another may not notice much of anything during discontinuation.
4. Cold Turkey vs. Tapering
In the past, a major problem associated with Prisitiq discontinuation is that there wasn’t an intermediate dosage between 0 mg and 50 mg.  Thankfully there is now an intermediate 25 mg dose of Pristiq that should help with the tapering process.  Even though the 25 mg tablets may be an easier transition down to 0 mg (nothing), they are still “time release” tablets, meaning if you cut the tablet, it breaks the specially formatted “time release” coating.
Breaking this “time release” coating will cause the drug to be absorbed all at once within your system – which may be extremely intoxicating and is not recommended by most. Instead, what some knowledgeable doctors may do to help ease withdrawal symptoms from the 25 mg dose is prescribe another drug with an easier withdrawal – similar to a replacement therapy (fluoxetine is a popular choice).
Another common strategy for reducing Pristiq is to transition patients to its parent drug, Effexor (Venlafaxine). Â These drugs are molecularly similar, and since Effexor is available in lower doses, it may allow for an extended taper – making the withdrawal process more tolerable. Â Quitting Pristiq “cold turkey” may result in prolonged withdrawal symptoms that are more severe than had an individual tapered down to the 25 mg dose and jumped from 25 mg to 0 mg, or transitioned from 25 mg to a replacement antidepressant to make withdrawal more tolerable.
Anecdotal accounts suggest that some individuals have had success taking 25 mg of Pristiq “every other day.” Â Most educated professionals would argue that this is an ill-advised strategy, akin to playing “ping pong” with neurotransmitters and the brain – possibly exacerbating the severity of withdrawal. Â In any regard, working with a trained professional to taper off of Pristiq slowly should help minimize the number and severity of discontinuation symptoms.
Prisitiq Withdrawal Symptoms: A List of Possibilities
Below are a list of common symptoms that people have experienced when they discontinue Pristiq. Keep in mind that your experience may be different from that of others. Individuals have different experiences when it comes to withdrawal symptom intensity and duration.
- Anxiety: Any drug that inhibits serotonin reuptake can lead to major increases in anxiety when a person stops it. In many cases people get anxiety relief from taking Pristiq because it elevates serotonin levels. When a person stops the drug, their brain is expecting to receive the serotonin boost, but does not get it. This leads to abnormally low levels of serotonin and makes some individuals have intense anxiety during withdrawal.
- Brain zaps: It is common to experience “brain zaps” or electrical shock sensations throughout the brain during withdrawal. It is not known exactly what causes these, but most people attribute it to the brain going through neurochemical readjustments. It is attempting to return to homeostatic levels of various neurotransmitters and in the process, people feel “zaps.”
- Chills: Many people experience extreme chills while taking this medication. Some people get used to the drug though and after awhile they subside. However during withdrawal, many people re-experience “chills” and feel as if they are really sick. These chills may last weeks, but will eventually go away as the body and brain readjust.
- Concentration problems: It is very common to experience foggy thinking while on Pristiq and other antidepressants. However, when discontinuing the drug, concentration problems can become very unbearable. Most people are frustrated by all the symptoms that they are experiencing and in addition to these symptoms, they experience reduced cognitive functioning. Many people have described this as “brain fog” that takes weeks to gradually improve.
- Confusion: It is common to experience mental confusion upon withdrawal. This may be a result of memory problems in addition with an inability to properly concentrate. If you feel extremely confused during your withdrawal, just know that this will improve over the next couple weeks.
- Crying spells: Many people endure periods of crying spells because they cannot cope with the crazy emotions that are triggered during withdrawal. If you feel more depressed than before you started Pristiq, it’s largely due to the fact that your serotonin and norepinephrine levels are abnormally low.
- Depression: When withdrawing from an antidepressant, it is common to experience a resurgence of depression. This depression may be significantly more severe than prior to your usage of Pristiq. It is important to understand that during the withdrawal period, it is expected that your depression will be very severe. This is because your brain is in neurochemical imbalance as a result of the drug. This imbalance will naturally correct itself as you learn to cope with life without the drug.
- Depersonalization: Perhaps one of the worst feelings during withdrawal from Pristiq is that of depersonalization. If you feel weird, unlike your natural self, and more like a zombie or like you are living in a dream, it’s likely that you are depersonalized. This is a result of changes in neurotransmitter levels as well as your brain attempting to make changes to reestablish normal functioning.
- Dizziness: Feeling dizzy is something that nearly everyone experiences when they quit an antidepressant. For some individuals the dizziness may last a week or so and get better. For others, the dizziness may linger for weeks and/or months before it improves.
- Fatigue: Since Pristiq is known to give people increased levels of energy, coming off of it may result in fatigue. You may feel mentally, emotionally, and physically fatigued when you quit taking this drug. The fatigue is mostly influenced by drops in neurotransmitters and your body using energy to try to restore normative functioning.
- Flu-like symptoms: As someone who has used Pristiq, I experienced flu-like symptoms when I first went on the drug. It is very common to experience these symptoms upon discontinuation as well. You may feel chilled, nauseous, dizzy, achy, have a fever, and in some cases you may actually vomit.
- Headaches: In addition to feeling dizziness, headaches are always among the most reported withdrawal symptoms. Most people notice that their headaches typically improve over the course of a few weeks. In order to manage your headaches, be sure to get plenty of rest, drink water, and consider taking headache relief.
- Hopelessness: The depression that you experience during withdrawal may lead you to feeling completely hopeless about life. It is important to recognize that this is merely a phase of withdrawal and that you will regain hope for the future. For this reason, it may be necessary to seek out help from a therapist if you are unable to find hope in your situation.
- Insomnia: Due to the activating nature of this drug, it can lead people to experiencing unbearable insomnia while taking it. In other cases, it can also lead to people to developing severe insomnia during discontinuation. This insomnia is thought to be a result of low serotonin levels – which result in abnormally high arousal, anxiety, and inability to sleep.
- Irritability: You may notice yourself become increasingly irritable during withdrawal. Innocuous things may lead you to become very angry and/or short-tempered. Just know that being irritable is very common during withdrawal. This symptom should gradually improve over time.
- Mood swings: Moods may transition from feeling hopeful and energetic to feeling completely depressed and hopeless. You may feel angry one minute and better about your future the next minute. Mood swings may last for an extended period of time until your brain has repaired itself.
- Nausea: This is a very common symptom to experience when coming off of Pristiq. You may feel very intense nausea – almost like you’re halfway to the point of vomiting. The nausea should gradually die down after a few weeks.
- Panic attacks: The fact is that many individuals experience panic attacks during withdrawal from antidepressants. You may not have had much anxiety prior to your usage, but the drug tweaks your neurotransmitter functioning to the point that anxiety can become abnormally high during withdrawal. High anxiety may lead you to experiencing a full blown panic attack. Do your best to manage the feelings of anxiety by engaging in relaxation and activities that will help desensitize your nervous system.
- Sensitivity: Many people experience an increased sensitivity to loud sounds and bright lights. This is usually caused by hyperarousal and the fact that when your nervous system is highly sensitized, normal sounds can seem amplified and/or threatening.
- Sleep changes: Antidepressant withdrawal can wreak havoc on your sleep. You may notice that you feel increasingly tired throughout the day, but cannot seem to sleep at night. Your sleep cycle may become unpredictable. Do your best to make sure that you are getting enough sleep so that your body and mind can recover.
- Suicidal thinking: During discontinuation from any antidepressant, a person may develop suicidal thinking. The suicidal thoughts during discontinuation may be very intense and difficult to deal with. They are thought to be a result of low neurotransmitter levels as a result of withdrawal.
- Sweating: Another very common symptom that people experience during withdrawal is that of sweating. You may sweat profusely during the first few weeks of withdrawal. This may lead to sweats throughout the day and during sleep (night sweats).
- Tingling: Some people have reported tingling sensations in their hands and feet. Just know that this is likely a result of your nervous system attempting to function normally without the drug. Since it is not receiving the drug, it is generating a “tingling” feeling. This will subside over time as your body adapts to functioning without the drug.
- Vomiting: Certain individuals have pretty severe reactions when coming off of Pristiq. In less common cases, some people actually experience nausea so extreme that it leads to vomiting during withdrawal. This vomiting should subside within a week or two. If not, you may need to come up with a slower tapering strategy.
Note: It is understood that Pristiq stays in your system for approximately 2.54 days after your last dose. Â Many people notice that withdrawal symptoms become most severe after the last bit of the drug has left their system. Â In other words, discontinuation symptoms may really start to emerge after 3 days of being Pristiq-free.
Pristiq Withdrawal Duration: How long will it last?
Pristiq is considered a very difficult drug to withdraw from, especially for those who have been on it for a lengthy period. There is no dose lower than 50 mg – which further complicates the “tapering” process. Work with your psychiatrist and determine the best plan to gradually taper off of this medication. By conducting a gradual taper, it is thought that you will lessen the severity of withdrawal symptoms and experience a quicker recovery.
There is no set withdrawal “time frame” for any antidepressant medication. Some people may quit taking the drug and notice minimal withdrawal effects that last for about a week or two, then completely clear up. For individuals that are highly-sensitive to medication and withdrawal effects, the symptoms may last for weeks or months. Individual factors have a major influence in determining the intensity of the withdrawal phase.
Understand that the average withdrawal period lasts between 6 and 8 weeks – just as long as doctors say it takes an antidepressant to kick-in. However, I would argue that unless proper tapering is conducted, the withdrawal effects actually last much longer. For many individuals I recommend reevaluating symptoms after 90 days (i.e. 3 months). By taking 90 days, you are giving yourself a lengthy period of detoxification and time to heal.
Many people have incredible difficulty when it comes to withdrawing from SNRI’s because they create imbalances in two neurotransmitters: serotonin and norepinephrine. Therefore it can seemingly take longer for many people to recover. During withdrawal from any antidepressant, it is important to make sure that you are getting plenty of sleep, take good care of your body, and get quality social support. If you have experience withdrawing from Pristiq and/or are currently going through withdrawal, be sure to share your experience in the comments section below.
I was on Pristiq for 18 months. I started on 50g and went up to 100g. I was so scared when I started taking medication. Scared that I would become reliant on it and unable to come off it. The 18 months were a God send. Pristiq removed all my anxiety symptoms. Once I felt completely normal, I decided it was time to come off the medication. 6 weeks later, I no longer take Pristiq.
I just want to reassure people that it is possible and in my case I feel fine. My normal self before the panic attacks. Withdrawal had minimal side effects, crazy dreams and some difficulty sleeping for a week. The only negative impact has been weight gain. I’ve gained 16 kilos which is a bugger but getting my old self back was well and truly worth it.
I started, with my doctors consent, tapering off of 100mg Pristiq in mid March. It is now early June. The tapering has been very successful, leaving me with minimal physical side effects. The tapering started with 2 weeks of alternating once per day of course: 100mg, 100mg, 50mg, 100mg, 100mg and so on. Then 2 weeks of 50, 50, 100, 50, 50.. And so on. Then 2 weeks of all 50mg. Then 1 week of 50mg, no dose, 50mg, alternating. Then 1 week of 50, 50, no dose, and so on.
I am now at a point where I am completely off of Pristiq. In the first month or so, I did feel some physical side effects such as occasional brain zaps, fogginess, cold sweats were the biggest along with full body shaking. I also felt a bit of social anxiety and occasional bouts of depression. It honestly was not too bad. Getting through the physical withdrawal symptoms has been quite easy. It was even easier after I started smoking marijuana to lessen these symptoms.
I would smoke whenever they flared up. It had not been terrible during this time of weening off of 100mg to 50mg. Then mid May hit, when I started skipping doses (on plan with my doctor). At first I could really feel on no dosage days the physical withdrawal effects. The biggest symptoms I had were sweating and shaking. Then the mental and emotional symptoms started to appear. It happened very suddenly, after about a week of moderate skipping of dosages. I went down quickly and am almost back where I started before I even went on Pristiq.
I feel all of the lessons I had learned while I was on the drug have vanished and I am left with a chemical deficiency in my brain (due to the lack of chemical Pristiq was giving me). Especially now that I am completely off all dosage, I am going crazy. I can easily get through the shaking and sweats, but this extreme anxiety (which I had never even had before I started Pristiq) has put me in a depressing mindset. I feel I have to build up all the skills I once had to cope with all the stress of life all over again. The anxiety is keeping me from progressing in life.
I am usually always irritable, unless I am high on marijuana. I am impulsive and restless. Most of all, I am angry at everything and everyone, an emotion that I never felt while on Pristiq. I have hurt the ones close to me and made it difficult for them to have a healthy relationship with me. I have brought my boyfriend down with me in this depression, though we are aware it is only med withdrawal and we are taking steps to repair our relationship and help me get through this.
I suspect that the reason I have these mental symptoms is due to the chemical lacking in the brain that the Pristiq was providing me with. I am definitely keeping in mind that all that I am stressing about is not needed, and that I am only stressing over it because I am going through withdrawal. I do not feel like myself, and I do not like myself lately, but I know that the withdrawal is NOT who I am. It will be passing, I suspect, within the next couple of months, as long as I do not become a slave to this evil drug.
I do appreciate the way Pristiq has helped me. If not for this drug, I believe that I would have killed myself. But it is time to officially get it out of my system. It is a long and very tough haul, but it does not last forever. Do not lose hope. I think I am going to try ingesting foods and performing activities that restore whatever chemical I am lacking in the noggin. Then I may be able to focus on learning skills to cope, instead of focusing solely on not feeling like sh*t.
I wish the best to any and all who is going through Pristiq withdrawal. It is important to note that GETTING THROUGH PRISTIQ WITHDRAWAL IS A PRIORITY. If you do not make it a priority, you may find yourself in an even worse condition than before you started the drug. Remember to take care of yourself. It is a drug that has helped me well, but it is truly evil. I will never go back to Pristiq. It has brain washed me and left me with nothing after I decided to leave it. I would love to get this drug off of the market. Thanks for reading.
I’m on my third week of getting off of Pristiq. I was on it for four years at 50 mg a day. My doctor suggested upping the dose when situations become too much for me to handle. I declined to do this since I figured it would be more difficult. I decided to put on my big girl panties and just deal with stuff without medication. I have to admit it’s easier for me than Effexor. My doctor told me to cut the pills. So basically I dose dumped twice a day one quarter each time.
A week and a half later I dropped to a quarter each day. Minor headaches and minor vertigo. Yesterday was my first day without any. Vertigo isn’t fun but it’s manageable. No nausea, headache or attacks of any sort. I occasionally get ringing in my ears but again this is tolerable. There is mild brain fog. I’m hoping all will be fine in a month or so. Just remember all can be handled and tolerated. Good luck!
Hi “Cdn eh” (I am too): How are you feeling now? I have just moved from 50mg of Pristiq directly to Cipralex (10 Mg) – no tapering – as I understand it’s easier to get off Cipralex. I’m on day 2 of the switch-over and feeling some of the withdrawal symptoms of Pristiq (fog, zaps, chills). Wondering if you are feeling better at this point. Hope so!
Feeling awesome! First day today without dizziness. I was worth it. Good luck with your discontinuation. Anyone can do it.
Hi again Cdn. eh.. just checking back in. Hope things continued to be good for you. I haven’t taken the plunge yet. Are you now fully off Pristiq and feeling fine?
Pretty much feeling everything you have listed above. Tapering down was easy until I had to go from 50 to 0 and even tho it was hard it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected. Been 1 week now off. It’s irritating but bearable. Hope it doesn’t last 6 to 8 weeks!
I am on day four of going off cold turkey. The dizziness was what got me really bad the first couple of days. It was so bad it gave me headaches and made me nauseous. I am currently experiencing issues with being really hungry all the time. I still have some headaches and I do have a little dizziness still but it has subsided to a manageable and almost nonexistent level.
In all honesty the reason this country is so over medicated is because there’s no money in healthy people and more money than you could ever imagine in sickness, be it mental or physical. I’m a huge advocate for natural alternatives and I’m going to try 5-htp once the pristiq is out of my system. Honestly I’m hoping Marijuana becomes legal in my state soon. It’s legal for medicinal uses here but fairly hard to get and I’d prefer to get it from a source where I know it’s pure and not spliced with anything. Good luck to you all. <3
I have been on Pristiq 50mg for 7 1/2 years. My doctor tapered me off with 35mg for 21 days and now I have been off for 3 days. Today has been the worst day I have ever experienced, I wasn’t sure what was going on with me till I did a little research and found this site. The information here is very helpful. I have chronic lyme disease and I am also going through these awful withdrawal symptoms. My biggest challenge is the nerve issues and severe vertigo, that Meclazine is not helping. Unfortunately lyme disease exacerbates everything so all of my symptoms are amplified. If there is anything, any advice that would be helpful in curbing these symptoms please let me know. I do not want to go back on this stuff, and it is tempting.
Only been on Pristiq for about six weeks, but had to stop taking them to go on different medication. I was told to wait about five days before taking the new meds. Day 3 started out okay, then got sudden dizziness that wouldn’t go away. All of a sudden I felt nausea, and about two hours later began vomiting. Really wish my doctor had warned me about this so I could have called work instead of having to be sent home three hours into my shift. Hopefully, symptoms improve soon.
I am on day 4 of cold turkey from 50 mg. My brain zaps have been the hardest to deal with but today was better than yesterday. I can’t stop eating and drinking tea, but am sleeping really well, and feel OK emotionally. I like that I have emotions again, it feels right. I also have a bit of irritability, but it’s all controllable.
I even managed to do some study today, I decided to be kind to myself today and not expect too much and it was much easier than the previous few days. I am also finding light and noise painful, and it sort of comes in waves through the day. I think it’s all going OK so far, I’m hoping it doesn’t get worse before it gets better. But I think it’s doable and I’m happy that I am withdrawing.
Day 5 of withdrawal. Symptoms: tingly feeling all over, lack of focus, trouble sleeping but so tired, when sleep comes I have very vivid dreams. Really hoping this will get better and not worse, hard to work like this!
I’m on 200mg and have been for a while now, if I forget to take mine in the morning by that afternoon I’m getting withdrawal symptoms! I tried to drop down to 150mg it was horrible! Night swears, brain zaps, nausea, dizziness, irritability, anxiety and very emotional. I ended up going back up to 200mg as I wasn’t coping with my kids and was yelling at them all the time because I couldn’t stand the noise. I don’t want to stay on this medication forever and I hate having to take such a high dose. I feel like I’ve lost my personality, don’t feel anything just numb really.
Our insurance company suddenly cut us from Pristiq 9 days ago. It has been the only AD that has worked for both of us. Our doctor put us on Effexor. I haven’t been able to stop crying. The ” bad” thoughts are back. I don’t want to get out of bed and face the day. I miss the laughter in this house. Why is Effexor not helping since it was the formula Pristiq was modeled after?? We feel like we are doing it cold turkey. The depression is really scaring me. Any ideas?
This post has been amazing to read — it’s so great to see the support offered by everyone and to know that I’m not alone in this. After taking 200mg daily for 10 months I am now down to 50mg per day, and hoping to taper off completely in the next little while. Since reducing the dosage I’ve noticed increased aggression and killer insomnia (it’s 4am as I write this) with depersonalisation and dizziness as described by so many of you. My psychiatrist is switching me to Lexapro once I have stopped the Pristiq entirely, and I am hoping for better days to follow. Sending you all support and strength in your battles.
This has been one of the most informative finds about discontinuing Pristiq, even better than the Pfizer home page for Pristiq. It is not giving all of the medical garbage and statistics that Pfizer gives. I am trying to discontinue Pristiq because of the weight gain that anti-depressants cause. Sometimes I don’t feel that it is necessarily depression I have but more anxiety of dealing with life’s issues and constant change of the fast paced world we live in. Our bodies are not made for this kind of experiences we encounter in today’s living. Thanks for this information.
I’m on day 5 of no antidepressants after my doctor has changed me from Pristiq 50mg to Effexor 47.5mg then cut me back to a tablet every 36 hours then to a tablet every 42 hours. I am starting to become very overwhelmed just purely from being very dizzy! I am unable to do anything and am increasingly anxious about returning to work tomorrow. After going to the chemist to see if I could get something to tone down my dizzies and the chemist turned me away not even offering me some over the counter travel sickness tablets. I almost had a panic attack and now I just feel like crying. I can’t see this working and I wish I never took them in the first place.
I had first been put on an antidepressant when I was 24, I am now 40. The first time was for a good number of years on Prozac and Effexor. Effexor was good for me but the withdrawal symptoms of dizziness for 3 days was a bit much. So when I relapsed a number of years later in depression, I did not want to try it again. This next time I tried Zoloft, Wellbutrin and finally Pristiq. On the other two I had side effects of my hair falling out. Talk about stress.
So Pristiq did very well for me for 7 years. The only bad side effect was that I couldn’t sleep at night without something to help me. I decided I have been well enough so I wanted to get off the meds. My doctor suggested several weeks of my 50 mg dose every other day for a few weeks. My last actual pill was March 6. I had the wooziness and electric “zaps” so after 12 days I did a 2 wk liver cleanse with herbal supplements. That cured those symptoms. I can’t say I’ve felt very “happy,” but all of a sudden I have had a horrible depressed episode.
I have started taking an herbal supplement to help and it helps but I still don’t feel normal. I feel like everyday is a struggle. Currently I am 7 weeks post Pristiq. I contemplated going on Prozac to help lift my mood to a somewhat workable level. I have read most of the comments here and some were encouraging that what I am going thru now might be normal withdrawal symptoms. I sure hope so. I just wish there were more success stories of people did get off this and were able to stay off antidepressants.
Hi Everyone. I am seeking advice/experience from anyone who has been off Pristiq for at least 6 months. It has been 9 weeks now since my last dose, was on 100mg, tapered down to 50mg and then off. However I feel cognitively impaired now; memory loss, difficulty concentrating, constantly lost for words. I basically feel stupid. I am half way through a Paramedical science degree and this is making life extremely difficult. I have read that antidepressants can be compared to a trellis with plants growing up it. As soon as you take the trellis away, the plants fall down. Your brain becomes reliant/dependant on the drug to function. Any advice from those who have had similar experiences would help a lot!
I think I am experiencing the cognitive impairment. I am 7 weeks post Pristiq and I have not been able to spell things correctly lately. I didn’t really understand why until I read your post. I don’t really have anything to add to help you but it was very comforting to know it’s the medicine withdrawals and not just me. I basically have been lucky with the other symptoms people having been talking about. My problem mostly seems to be I feel like my serotonin levels have bottomed out. I feel really depressed some days and just can’t shake it off.
One thing I noticed about the Pristiq that will make me never get on it again was that I didn’t have an emotional range. I was just middle of the road the whole time. Since stopping it I have experienced the highs and lows to the extreme and now know what the medicine was hiding. I am going to talk to our local alternative health medicine doctor for help. I started 5-htp last week and it has helped a good bit. I feel I need more though. If he gives me any good tips, I will let you know.
I’m on day (2) of being completely off Pristiq and I feel pretty crappy. I had been taking the 50mg for 2 years. I was on 100mg for about 6 mos., but finally realized my extreme fatigue wasn’t due to my demanding stressful life and the fact that I was creeping up on 50. I am a pharmacist… I should have known. The horrifying thing is that I started on this med at such a low point in my life that I actually thought it made me feel better.
Being apathetic may offer some benefits with respect to self preservation; however, thinking you are so much better at coping and having no fight what so ever are extreme opposites. I started trying to taper off of Pristiq about 8 months ago. I began supplementing with amino acids, folic acid, vitamin D and Super B Complex. I first dropped from 100mg to 50mg. I was then faced with how to get off a tab that is the lowest available dose and that isn’t supposed to be split. I had such extreme “brain zaps” and syncope that I couldn’t drop to every other day dosing.
I switched to bedtime dosing and took half tabs for several months. This seemed to help with the withdrawal symptoms; but, wrecked havoc on my sleep. Melatonin, Mg and a strict sleep routine seemed to help. Though I felt so much better, I was still having daytime exhaustion that I contribute to the med. Trying to reduce to 1/3 or 1/4 (crumbs) precipitated brain zaps, nausea, syncope, palpitations and daytime exhaustion. I assure you that most health care providers are oblivious to the extreme withdrawal symptoms associated with this medication.
Yesterday I was sitting at my desk working and was shocked by the pain in my back when I went to stretch. The back pain combined with all of the other symptoms began to cause me more concern. Hence why I went searching for patient experience. I read several blogs that mentioned back pain. Though mortified that a drug I once thought was safe may be the source, I’m actually relieved that my back pain may just be another neurotransmitter site trying to readjust to it’s new “normal”.
Without a doubt this drug is evil. Furthermore, I work with depression patients and I know their psychiatrists aren’t preparing them for what lies ahead when their SNRI needs to be discontinued; much less the primary care providers. Please report your symptoms to MedWatch! This med has got to go!
I’m in the process of coming off Pristiq. Been taking anti-depressants for about 10 years so I’m a bit scared. I’ve been taking B multivitamins which seems to help with the brain fuzz and zaps, but I’ve been grieving so much!! I thought I had finished grieving the loss of my kitten, but since weaning off the meds I’m back to how I was the week we lost him. AGH!
I’ve been on Pristiq twice. This most recent time for about 5 years – since my mother passed away in 2010. I started to feel like everything in life was just kind of dull, knowing that the med was dulling negative feelings, but also dulling good feelings. I don’t need it any more. I was only taking 50mg (I did 100mg for a short time, but it didn’t make a big difference, so I went back to 50mg). Two days without it entirely was not good. As you all know, there is no way to taper from 50mg.
People say don’t cut the pills, but I do. There’s nothing else you can do. So I am going to try taking 1/2 a pill every day and then 1/2 pill every other day. During the 2 cold turkey days, I was very foggy, irritable, and had no verbal filter. Not good. The worst part was the disturbed sleep because I am a person who really cannot function without high quality sleep. I was having wild, vivid, exhausting dreams and when you have a lot of REM (dreaming) sleep, your mind is very active and therefore, not being rested. So for me, the sleep loss is the worst thing.
And mega night sweats, which kills the sleep as well. Caffeine during the day helps (with focus), a beer helps (with relaxation), B12 helps with energy. I was going to start taking 5-htp today, but I bought the wrong dosage (bought 200 mg and meant to buy 100 mg). I’m going to do Ambien tonight so I can catch up on the sleep. I usually save my Ambien for when I travel, but I will be less than functional tomorrow if I don’t sleep.
Can you tell I’m obsessed with sleep? I have gotten off the drug before, so I know I can do it. And I want to take the gray haze off of life and really experience it fully. Good luck to all of you. We’ll all make it to the other side!
Hi all, have been reading through all the posts and just want to ask has anyone experienced zaps in the chest? I tapered off from 100mg and have now been 3 days with nothing. Feeling very tired and have zaps in the chest not the head. No other side effects so far.
If you go to the hospital they’ll put you back on Pristiq. You are going to suffer badly. If you have to go to work or take care of someone you will not be able to. I am starting my 9th week of withdrawal, that 63 days since my last Pristiq and I am Very Sick, still. I may not be the norm but my symptoms are not lessening at all. My husband wanted to hospitalize me this week because I didn’t want to live anymore.
I was put on Prozac (slow release, stays in your system 2 weeks after you discontinue). After 3 weeks on Prozac I stopped 50 mg Pristiq, then 1 week later I quit Prozac. This gave me 2 more weeks before full blown withdrawal. I am still suffering so much but if I go to the hospital they put me back on it. Pristiq is a devil drug. Be prepared for the worst for 3 to 4 months.
Was on 50 mg of Pristiq for over a year. Have suffered from depression for many years and have had tried many drugs. I have a great psydoc and we decided to go off pristiq since it wasn’t helping. Can’t taper from 50 and I didn’t want to add Prozac just to taper off that as well so I decided to go cold turkey. First two weeks were hell with brain zaps, aches, and extreme fatigue. Then the extreme mood swings and irritability kicked in and, to make a long a story short, I just got out of an eight day stay in the psych hospital.
Not much they could do for me but let me scream and cry, and get give klonopin and xanax as needed. I’m home today but not much better. I’m now on day 30. I cry all the time and the I feel rageful. See my T tomorrow and psyd in a week. In the meantime, I’m taking klonopin and trying to stay calm and grounded. The is the worst thing I’ve ever been through. I’m truly hoping this will be in over soon. I can’t handle it much longer.
This withdrawal is driving me crazy its been two days from stopping pristiq cold turkey from 100mg a day for the last 6+ months. I’m going insane. This withdrawal is unbearable. I can’t eat I can’t sleep and I just don’t want pristiq anymore. This is the worst antidepressant I have ever been on and I had withdrawal from Effexor after 3 years of 300mg. That was NOWHERE NEAR THE ANGUISH I AM GOING THROUGH AND IT’S ONLY DAY 2. I’m considering going to hospital because I can’t bear this. My prescribed valium won’t even help for my anxiety or sleep.
I’ve been off Pristiq and Abilify and Nuvigil now for a week. Due to insurance issues, I can’t pick up the prescriptions yet. I’ve experienced nausea, sweating profusely, headaches, fatigue, concentration issues, anxiety, insomnia just to name a few. I’m thinking now that I’ve been off of it for a week already, why not just stay off of it and see how I am? I’ve been on 100mg for 4 years along with 10mg Abilify, 250mg Nuvigil, and 40mg Adderrall. My Adderrall ran out this morning… all of these for my major depressive order.
I wonder through this all if I would be without without all of these meds, and see where it takes me. Even on these meds, I’m still sad; still thinking bad thoughts; still in a lot of emotional pain. The only thing they might help with is crying… But I still have my good cries too more often than not. Maybe my body needs to be rid of these meds and I can start eating healthier. I’m on a low carb/low sugar food plan now and I already feel better and have lost 13 lbs! So if I continue with better eating, and try exercising, maybe I can get through all of this.
This is THE worst drug. I have been taking it for 18 months and desperately trying to come off it. I have been tapering off for 3 weeks on 50mg. Had I known about the withdrawal symptoms I would never have agreed to go on it. I have a constant headache, dizziness, tingling, ringing in my ears, weird dreams, mood swings and really really irritable. I am usually very placid and even tempered but this drug is messing me up.
Tomorrow will be my third day off completely and I am going to throw the rest of the ones I have left away. I fell over yesterday and have no idea if I blacked out or what. I have read about class actions related to this drug… I wish I could join the fight. This drug is dangerous. I hope my withdrawals go away soon. This is intolerable.
After about 13 years on 50 mg Pristiq (used Effexor for 3 years prior) I began to taper by taking it only when I really couldn’t cope without it. First span was 52 hrs, then 97, and finally 121 1/2 hrs. I haven’t taken it in 13 days and the main reason I’m concerned is your mentioning that too quick can cause problems. I am VERY irritable (I have used Valium, which increases brain fog but eliminates some of the desire to scream at everyone) and having trouble moving around: fatigue, achy joints, and feel like I’m moving through very thick Jello.
I’m breathless after climbing stairs, and suddenly feel my 65 years like a 2,000 ton weight dropped on me. The brain zaps are minimal now, but I have had fluctuation of cold and heat. The heat reminds me of menopause. This morning I woke from a horrific dream of being unable to breath deeply, and a heavy fog impaired my ability to see or stand up. Now that I’m awake, and in my 13th day “clean”, I wonder if I should take the drug one more time to ease these symptoms. Your comments are greatly appreciated.
I’ve been on 100 mgs for a few years and went down to 50 mgs for the last three months wanting to get of Pristiq all together. I saw this on Pfizer’s website, the maker of Pristiq. It shows a tablet for oral use at 25 mgs. Excerpt from their website: “DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION: The 25 mg per day dose is intended for a gradual reduction in dose when discontinuing treatment or dosing in severe renal and end-stage renal disease patients (2.1).” Why isn’t this offered to patients wanting to wean off of Pristiq? My pharmacist says they can’t get that dosage. -Monica
I was on Pristiq for 2 years. It was prescribed to me for relief from burning mouth syndrome that l got after chemotherapy from aggressive breast cancer. Today is day 47 of withdrawal and l am still very sick. I have head pain, severe dry mouth, sweats, nausea, severe ear ringing, involuntary spasms, and don’t get me started about my emotional state. This drug is poison. It never helped with my BMS and has made my life hell. My cancer battle started four and a half years ago. Burning mouth syndrome has taken away my will to live and Pristiq and all its suffering, will probably be the end of me.
I was on 150mg pristiq for 15 months as treatment after losing 2 premature daughters. My depression only started when a work colleague stated taunting me about my daughters. Pristiq left me exhausted and apathetic. Probably the worst thing was it made me stop exercising which I relied on heavily for grief and managing an old spinal injury.
I have just made it to 3 weeks without Pristiq having previously only made it to 3 days on previous attempts. The only reason I made it was I had a spinal fusion in my back and I spent several days in intensive care on morphine and several weeks on oxycodone (hillbilly heroin). Both morphine and oxycodone were easier to come off than Pristiq.
For those of you wanting to come off Pristiq you need to get rid of your daily pressures first. Leaving your job and time away from family for spinal fusion worked for me. Had it not been for me ceasing exercise (due to reduced energy due to Pristiq) I wouldn’t have needed the spinal fusion. However I needed the spinal fusion (a $100000 operation) to get off Pristiq.
I have now made it to 3 months since I stopped taking Pristiq. When I previously posted I was at week 3 and from that point the withdrawal symptoms reduced relatively quickly. Thinking back week 1 of withdrawal was the zaps, week 2 the night sweats were particularly bad and then week 3 was when the anxiety and depression started again. For me it was week 4 and week 5 that I came back to being quite balanced. Although I was in a lot of pain from the surgery I don’t think I had a recurrence of the anxiety and depression that lead me to taking Pristiq. Hope this helps someone.
Great help, thank you!!
It has been 18 months since I posted when I stopped taking Pristiq. About 3 months after I stopped taking it my eldest child was diagnosed with cancer but is now in remission. I managed to avoid taking Pristiq again but have developed some sleep problems and now wake at 4am every morning. For some short periods of a couple of days I needed to take diazepam (valium) but was careful to avoid becoming dependent on it in the same way that I was on Pristiq. I would be interested if anyone else has sleep problems since ceasing to take Pristiq.
Hey Everyone, I have been on Pristiq for 4 months (50 mg). At first, I thought it was a miracle drug because I tried to take Prozac and the side effects were unbearable. Pristiq evened out my depression and has been keeping my panic attacks at bay. I gained probably close to 20 pounds while on it and I recently changed jobs and don’t have insurance until next month so I don’t have any more pills to take.
I’m on day 5 of cold turkey. First 4 days I was perfectly fine. Today, I’m dizzy and foggy. This is making me realize that I need to beat this and not be dependent on a medication to regulate my moods. I’m stronger than any medicine. If I have to smoke pot a bit more to alleviate the symptoms then so be it. Has anyone been on 50 mg and just stopped? Can somebody let me know how long this will last? Will it get worse?
Pristiq is a nightmare. I had been on 10mg Lexapro for 2 and a half years before it began to lose its effects. I switched to Pristiq and stayed on it for 3 weeks, but realized it wasn’t working either. I quit cold turkey without consulting my doctor first – what a horrible mistake. I felt fine for about two days after stopping, but it hit me like a ton of bricks a week ago.
Severe nausea, feverish, fatigue, trouble concentrating and forming my thoughts into words, some anxiety, and worst of all, depersonalization / derealization. I quit cold turkey because I didn’t think 3 weeks was a very long time to be on a drug, but have since realized that this is a withdrawal from both Lexapro and Pristiq. The physical symptoms are terrible but I can deal with them. My question for everyone here is has anyone experienced this horrible depersonalization?
And if so, how long will it last? It is constant and is very frightening. It’s hard to explain, but I rationally recognize my surroundings, yet they don’t feel familiar to me. I feel like I’m in a dream. As I’m writing this in my bed, I almost feel like I’m in a hotel or a place I’ve never been before. After a week of feeling disconnected from my loved ones and feeling like a stranger in my own home, I’m wondering just how long I will have to live with this. If anyone has any insight, please reply.
I’ve just gone off Pristiq cold turkey. I’ve been on Pristiq for a year now and I was 200mg a day. My psychiatrist and I decided to go off it as I was worse of as what I was before going on it. Tonight was a difficult night after 36 hours of being off it. I was nauseated, flu like with hot and cold chills, teary, and I am currently suffering insomnia.
My nausea got so bad tonight that while I was showering I vomited and proceeded to do so for half an hour. I took maxalon to help with the nausea and my symptoms subsided within an hour or so. I’ve had an upset stomach most of the night but I’m pushing through. The zaps are starting but I’m hoping it will subside. I’m confident I will be antidepressant free for a long time :)
I wish I knew about these withdrawal symptoms before I started pristiq. I’m so sick to my stomach and lightheaded. I want to vomit and I can’t keep my head up. I only took it for a few months and I would tell my worse enemy don’t take it. I may end up in Emergency tonight. I’m so worried of getting dehydrated.
Rosemary, Electrolytes will help with the fluid loss. I’ve had Hydralyte tonight as I’ve had similar symptoms. But any sport drink with electrolytes will help. You need to replace the salts lost. Do this and you shouldn’t dehydrate :)
My doctor mentioned that one of the advantages of taking Pristiq was that many people could refrain from taking the drug “cold turkey,” others however, have difficulties. I am one of those who have had difficulty. I have only been on Pristiq for 7 months and I made the decision to stop as my husband and I plan to have children in the near future. I tried to cut “cold turkey” and withdrew two days I was experiencing severe withdraws such as: vivid weird dreams, night sweats, headaches, nausea, brain fog, dizziness, sleep many hours.
I couldn’t take the withdrawals anymore so I decided to slowly wean myself off. I reduce my dose from 100mg to 50mg I did this for a couple of weeks. Now I’m take the 50mg every other day. I still feel off some days but I figure this is the only way since there is no 25mg dose. I hope to eventually stop completely within the next month to give my body a chance to repair and readjust itself. I never thought that being on an antidepressant for such a short period would have such severe withdrawals.
My advice for people considering taking an antidepressant – it’s a commitment and you should make yourself aware of the potential side effects. There are also some positives, mental health is a serious issue and sometimes the only remedy is an anti depressant. I’m not a fan of taking drugs but Pristiq did help me go through some very difficult moments in my life – unfortunately getting off the drug is not as equally rewarding.
“Brain zaps” every 5-10 minutes, tingly all over, head is all foggy, headaches from light that make me want to lay down and sleep all the time, poor hand coordination, feel like I’m in a dream (dangerous when crossing a road), can’t concentrate, dizzy (almost like vertigo), feel like I’m going to fall over when I walk and turn my head… the withdrawal from pristiq sucks! Do not start taking this unless you have no intention of ever coming off it.
Believe it or not, I have extreme mixed emotions after coming across this site. Thank you all for your comments, it all makes sense now. I’m thrilled that I don’t have cancer, which I have been thinking I had for the last couple of weeks. On the contrary, I’m so pissed off at those in the medical field associated with the dispensing of this poison. If I had the energy and clear mind that this toxin has depleted, I would start a class action suit against those responsible for the poison they recommended we ingest.
I’ve never been so nauseous in my life. The headaches are constant. I have been the most irritable intolerable b*tch in the world. Now reading what you all have shared, I guess I have a long ways to go. I cold turkey’d a couple of weeks ago and don’t want the hell to be for nothing. I never want to take the poison again, so here I am. Hopefully the withdrawal won’t kill me.
I’ve been on 100mg pristiq for 6 years. I went to 50 mg 6 weeks ago. 50 mg now every other day. Can’t see my doc for another week. Been rough: brain zaps, insomnia, dizziness and my lips throbbing feel like I’ve been smacked in the mouth. Going into my 7th month of separation and miss my wife dearly. I get ill every other day didn’t understand till I started reading this blog. It has helped a lot. I now understand what is happening to me.
My two boys live with me and they catch hell from me for no reason. I’m usually a level headed person, but this is terrible. The anxiety and hopelessness is unreal. Want to start dating but I’m afraid what might come out if something goes wrong. It would be nice to move on but I can’t seem to get it together. So sorry for rambling on, it’s just nice to get this off my chest. Thanks -Seahawk
I am tapering. Instead of the Dr. I spoke to a compounding pharmacist about how to do it. He asked. “If you miss a dose how long before you feel the effects?” For me its 8-12 hrs. He said okay “Instead of every 24 hrs, set the timer on your phone and take it every 32-36 hrs” Do that until you are not noticing any symptoms 2-4 weeks. Then push it out to 48 hrs for 4 weeks or so. Then when you reach 72 hrs between doses you can with stop or continue pushing it out further. I’m a week into it, irritable and not sleeping well but it is bearable.
I have been withdrawing from a 50 mg dose for this is my 8th day, I am a mother of 2 boys that the second left me with chronic sleep deprivation lasting 3 years I now can not sleep even with sloping tablets. My withdrawal has been so brutal with savage depression constant brain zaps or pop, extreme fatigue headaches blood noses (which I have never suffered from previously) agitation feeling hopeless, my anxiety is absolutely through the roof muscle pain sweats and chills.
This has been more horrific than the way I felt going to see my doctor before I started this medication. I am a stay at home mom: 1 child in school full time and the other sufferers from separation anxiety… Seeing me so ill has sent him into overdrive. I am barely hold on to any semblance of sanity and just want all this to stop. I curse the day my doctor prescribed me Pristiq and thankful that every time he suggested I up my dose I explained my unhappiness to do so. I was on 50 me every morning for 8 months. Most evil drug ever I have had to stop.
I have clinical depression. Over the years, I coped without meds with prayer and exercise/eating right. But several years ago I began menopause. My gyno. prescribed Pristiq 50 mg saying it was a new product that proved to help with menopause symptoms. At first, I loved the drug. I felt so much better but after a while had to switch to 100 mg which seemed to work well. After a while I gained a good bit of weight, began blood pressure med and had elevated cholesterol. Early afternoon I become very tired, but just attributed it to being overweight.
During menopause I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Finally, last week I spoke with my endocrinologist and she suggest I stop Pristiq and begin Wellbutrin. I am currently on day 4. Yesterday was horrible. Besides the brain zaps, dizziness, and nausea, I could swear I have the flu. Fever, chills, body aches, headache, etc. Last night, I finally took 3 advil and got some relief and actually slept some. When I woke this morning I felt much better but the “flu” returned this afternoon. The only other AD I have ever taken was Prozac. It made me a mean person. I was on it for about 3 years then weaned off.
I haven’t taken anything else until Pristiq. I have read from some of the other posts that in a week or so I may become a raging lunatic. Nice. BUT My God is bigger than any of this stuff so I’m looking to Him for help during this time. Also, I have read about several supplements that can help: Fish Oil, Super B Complex, large doses of vitamin C, Vitamin D3 and essential oils. When I went to bed last night I placed a cloth on my chest sprinkled with lemon, lavender and peppermint oils. I hope to one day not have to use antidepressants. I am a stubborn person with a strong faith in God and it bothers me to have to rely on chemicals to feel “happy.” Good luck to everyone. I will post how I am progressing in a few days. -Joy
I have been taking SSRIs since the age of 15. My parents thought it would be the best way to help me deal with insomnia and depression during my teens. Throughout the years my doctor has tried different medication and Pristiq was the last I have take. I was on this drug for over 6 years. Last January I moved to another country and decided that it was time to stop taking Pristiq.
My doctor slowly weaned me off my 50mg dose using dominium in order to reduce side effects. As of mid January I haven’t taken any Pristiq. I have noticed the dizziness, brain zaps and other “physical” side effects have decreased, but anxiety and depression overwhelming me. That cloudiness in thoughts hasn’t gotten any better either, which is affecting my performance in University. I am truly shocked as during the time I took the medication I barely had any side effects, I felt great!
Today I realized that all these years I haven’t really dealt with my emotional problems, but numbed them with psychotropic drugs. I am still taking Clonazepam for anxiety (paired with levetiracetam) and I am truly scared to stop taking them. I’ve decided to start therapy, it’s something I should have done years ago. If any of you have experienced a similar situation please let me know about your experience. I will be glad to share mine!
Weaning since August, 2014 and just stopped February, 2015 – Sinus, headaches, fatigue, nausea, flu like body aches, anxiety, periodic crying, very loud tinnitus (pre-existing) – definitely the depersonalization described above as well. Have been greatly aided by my naturopath – don’t give up, you can do this!
Coming off Pristiq is fast becoming as difficult as it was to get going on it. I have lost 8 weeks of my life. Sure I felt less anxious but the multitude of side effects both during and after are not worth it.
I have stopped cold for three days. Was on 100mg a day. I cannot sleep. I vomit. I cry and sweat. I feel like a junkie. I can’t handle it. Have to get back on them.
I’ve only been on pristiq for 6 months. It did its job and I’m now coming off. Dr has had me tapering now for 6 weeks. Emotionally I’m good, but the migraines are really wearing me out. Dropping to one 50 mg tab every day and a half was OK. Dropping to every second day was not good by the end of the second day, but we made it through 3 weeks of that and it was better near the end. Now on every third day and it is hell almost every day.
My whole head aches, even my face, and light is not a friend. Painkillers ease but don’t actually stop it. I’m supposed to endure this for another two weeks, but I’m seriously considering going cold turkey from here. Being in constant pain is not healthy, so I’m thinking a couple of bad days might be preferable to ongoing bad days for a couple more weeks. Over the years I’ve had other anti-depressant medications and this is the first time withdrawal has been so horrendous. If I need something in the future it will definitely NOT be pristiq or any related drug.
If I knew just how difficult and how unstable getting off this medicine is I would never have taken it. I will be surprised if I will ever be normal or gave any friends or family around. I was feeling a little depressed when put on this crap a year ago. Now I feel like a psycho getting off this. I will never take any medicine without research again. We are a pill popping world and want a pill to cure it all. In this case this only did harm.
I’m a very healthy 51 year old woman with generalized anxiety and breakthrough panic attacks. My new insurance company would not fill my Pristiq prescription so my Dr prescribed Effexor. They would not fill half a month of Pristiq so that I could taper off. The bottle of Effexor simply stated “take as replacement for Pristiq”. I started on Effexor January 17 and by January 25th I was violently ill.
But I thought I had the flu… Low grade fever, chills, horrible upper back pain, a vise-like headache, stabbing pains in my feet and hands. Spasms in my legs at night, lightheadedness, loss of appetite, extreme fatigue, etc. The chills became so severe that they were actually small seizures and I would wake up having bitten my tongue or the inside of my cheek. On the 10th day I forced myself to see a local nurse practitioner. She ruled out bacterial infections but also was reluctant to diagnose me with the flu.
She knew I had changed medications but denied that was the cause and sent me home with the advice to take ibuprofen. I honestly thought I was dying. I started looking at symptoms for every kind of cancer and debilitating disease I could think of. I had not felt so hopeless since my being diagnosed with generalized anxiety in 1993. I wanted to die. I contemplated taking an overdose, something I have never even thought to joke about in the past.
Yesterday I gave myself a pep talk and researched withdrawal from Pristiq, and side effects of Effexor. I phoned my psychiatrist this morning. This afternoon we discussed what I had been going through. She had not been informed that my insurance company did not provide me with enough Pristiq to taper off while I added Effexor to the 40mg of Lexapro I take. She assured me that although my withdrawal symptoms were severe (I had been taking Pristiq for 6 years) I was over the worst of it. I had been in bed for 11 days wishing I would die.
Tonight our grand babies are here and I’m so thankful I did not give in to the negative thoughts swimming in my head. The fevers have been replaced tonight with mild sweating. The ever-present head pain is almost gone. I am weak, off balance and can still become really confused over simple tasks, but now I’m tapering the Pristiq and I’m confident I can finish weaning myself without the return of these frightening symptoms. I’m also tapering off of the Effexor and will go back to Lexapro as my only daily med, with .50mg of Alprazolam (Xanax) for break through panic. I hope my experience can prevent others from accidentally going cold-turkey. -Deanna
I stopped taking Pristiq cold turkey in June, 2014 after being on it for about 18 months. Prior to that, I had been on Tamoxifen post breast cancer, which combined with chemo sent me into early menopause. This triggered the depression for which I was prescribed Pristiq, one of the only antidepressants you can take with Tamoxifen.
After I stopped, it was the worst summer of my life. I was a hundred times more depressed than I had been before–frankly, I was a nut case. I even checked myself into the emergency room in the middle of the night at one point out of desperation. My brain was in a total fog, I had no concentration. I was moody, crying all the time and had no perspective.
I really am a high functioning, resilient person who doesn’t feel sorry for herself, and bounces back from setbacks pretty quickly, but this almost did me in. I would rather have cancer than feel like I did. However, I am writing this to say to those going through the withdrawal Have Faith. It does get better.
I think it took me about four months before I felt like myself again. Now, finally, after 4 years of cancer, treatment, hormone drugs and then Pristiq withdrawal I feel totally normal. These are serious, serious drugs. I owe my life to modern medicine so don’t want to knock it, but I wish I had never taken Pristiq. Please look at all options before you start. And if you decided to stop, be prepared–and make sure those around you are as well as you will need looking after and patience.
I am 44 and have been taking 50mg of Pristiq for only 2 months. I’ve never taken any drugs before and was disappointed by how useless it seemed to be. I do NOT want to raise my dosage, and chose instead to stop taking it. Today is day 6 cold turkey. First 2 days were fine, but then I developed a headache that won’t go away. I’ve tried panadol, ibuprofen, and aspirin (at different times).
They take the edge off the headache, but it still hurts. I am dizzy most of the time… I feel unbalanced, like I’m standing on the deck of a boat. I feel slightly nauseous probably 50% of the time. This morning I woke up and felt good for about 10 minutes and got excited that maybe I was over the worst of the withdrawals… then I moved my head too quickly and with a stabbing pain my headache returned, followed by the dizziness and sickness.
I’m really hoping this passes soon, as work is very difficult at the moment. Lying still and quiet helps me the most. Watching TV or using the computer makes my head worse. I have been on a low dose for a short period of time, and I really feel for people trying to get off Pristiq from a higher dosage, it must be awful.
It has been 8 days since I’ve stopped pristiq cold turkey. I have constant headaches and dizziness. Just read this may last for weeks…