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). 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. 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.” 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. 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. Many people notice that withdrawal symptoms become most severe after the last bit of the drug has left their system. 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’ve been taking pristiq (100) for nearly 5 years. Along with other mental health support it has aided me in working through a very tough time of my life. I’ve started weaning myself off this drugs 6 weeks ago. It’s time.
I’ve had terrible fatigue, horrible drenching sweats, paralyzing bouts of vomiting and brain zaps that frighten me. But everyday I am ecstatic that I got through that day and I feel ready and mentally prepared to brave the next day. With or without a decent night sleep. I want my brain to be free of this drug and I want my body to be rid of pain.
If you are ready, mentally and physically, you too can do it. It is far from easy but each day is one step closer to your pristiq-free goal. Good luck.
Hey y’all. I just wanted to share my story in hopes of giving someone else hope. I was on 50mg for almost 10 years. I unsuccessfully tried to get off a few years ago by going cold turkey. HUGE mistake! Hence the train I ended up back on it. I couldn’t handle the withdrawals. I have been off of this drug for almost 2 weeks now. The key is slowly tapering.
I started by taking a pill every other day for 2 weeks. I then took 25 mg every other day for 1 week. Then I did I winged it with the 25 mg pill to see how long I could wait before having to take one. I made if without it for 2 days that time. After that I didn’t take another one again! I had minimal withdrawal symptoms doing this. I did have a little vertigo, but nothing unbearable.
The worst is the anger outburst, irritability & insomnia. I still mostly have trouble sleeping, which is something I’ve never had trouble doing. I do feel more & more better each day & do not feel like I’m walking through like in s fog, which is how that medicine made me feel. If you’re coming off, HANG IN THERE & the key is taper slowly. Keep a chart. Make a plan & be patient. You got this!
Thanks Kris for this information. I’m about to come off it and this might help me. Grateful.
I accidentally stopped taking Pristiq 100mg cold turkey. By accidentally I really mean that I ran out on Thursday and called doctor on Monday to see if he had samples (it is becoming expensive to take this medication), he didn’t but said he would have them in a week… well to say that I have been struggling is an understatement.
I read all the withdrawal symptoms and could check most of them off. I am thankful that I am not having suicidal thoughts! I was wondering if taking a Xanax would help alleviate some of the symptoms so that I can successfully get off of Pristiq… it has been 6 days so far… I am so sick feeling but I am determined to keep going.
If there is anyone out there that can give me an answer regarding the Xanax… I would appreciate it… still waiting on a call back from the doctor’s office… could be forever!
If you don’t want to read all this, then the most important point is that it took me 12 months to come off of Pristiq.
I had been on Pristiq 50 mg for a year when I decided to come off because I was doing well mentally, but had gained a lot of weight and had no energy. My doctor knew I was coming off, and I saw her regularly during my withdrawal. At first I gradually introduced smaller doses, e.g. 50 mg one day, and then 3/4 of a pill (I used a pill cutter) the next, and then gradually increasing the number of 3/4 pill days, until it was time to introduce a 1/2 pill.
This lasted about 3 months, and while it wasn’t pleasant, it was tolerable, but then I read that jumping back and forth between doses was bad for the brain. During those 3 months, I had dizziness, nausea, irritability, anxiety, and flu/cold symptoms at times. I tried to be patient with myself, and reminded myself that when withdrawing, it was normal to feel more depressed.
However, when I tried to cut from 1/2 pill to 3/8 of a pill, it was getting harder to get a clean cut, and then I’d be left with these crumbs of a pill. Also, all of a sudden, I started having terrible panic attacks and anxiety. I felt like I was doomed to be on this evil drug forever. My doctor wasn’t really helpful.
She kept saying that her other patients who had come off of it had just taken a few days to do it. I felt like a failure when I heard that, until I read posts like the ones on this website. It was encouraging to hear of other people’s stories, and it kept me motivated. I knew I just had to persevere and find a system that worked for me – by trial and error.
So I went back to the doctor and this time she prescribed compounded Pristiq (in my case I think 1 ml of compounded Pristiq = 2 mg of the pill but you need to check that with the pharmacy and always keep that in mind). I’d take the compound using a syringe that could be accurately measured (the syringes got smaller over time!). That was my godsend. It was more expensive, but luckily my health insurance paid for it.
I worked out a plan with my doctor where I’d split up the total daily dose into 3 smaller doses and take one in the morning, late afternoon, and evening. So, e.g. I’d take 2 separate doses of 3.8 ml (compounded), and 1 dose of 3.6 ml everyday for 4 days, and then go down to 1 dose of 3.8 ml, and 2 doses of 3.6 ml, etc. So, every 4-5 days, I’d reduce 0.2 ml. My doctor wrote this up as a prescription, and I’d take it to the compounding pharmacy, and they’d only make 30 days’ worth of compound at a time, because it deteriorates after that.
So, a few days before the month was up, I’d need to be sure to phone them up to order some more, but having calculated the next month’s total (and the pharmacy would do the same), as it would getting smaller. Usually my doctor gave me a 3 month prescription of this, having worked out the daily plan so the pharmacy also knew what I was taking daily. I kept a notebook where I’d write the daily dosage (split up) everyday, and then tick off every time I took a dose.
This was very helpful. If I knew I had to be out at the time I should take a dose, then I’d take my drug, syringe and notebook, and just be sure I stuck to my schedule as closely as possible. I continued to have dizziness, tiredness, irritability, and sometimes nausea and anxiety, but my husband was my best cheerleader, and I kept reminding myself of how far I’d come. I also took Vitamin B50.
After 10 months, again I had terrible panic attacks that lasted a week. My heart was racing, and I went to the doctor thinking I was having heart trouble, and she said it was panic attacks. I was desperate, so she put me on Wellbutrin 150 mg while I was still withdrawing from Pristiq. This was again a godsend. Toward the end, when the daily dosage was very small, I just took it twice a day.
I finally finished Pristiq one year after I started coming off of it. I had some mild symptoms when I finished, and still struggle with irritability (though that is also related to other things). I’m still on the Wellbutrin, and have accepted I need to be on this for awhile. I’ve since felt more energy, and my appetite has lessened a bit now that I’m only on Wellbutrin.
Pristiq is awful; it helped me for awhile, but the negative side effects were worse. I never post on forums, but thought perhaps my experience might help someone. Stay strong, encourage yourself, be patient and take it slow, and don’t be afraid to get support when you need it.
At first, this was a wonder drug for me, but then it didn’t seem to be working as well, so my doctor doubled my dosage from 50mg to 100mg. I have been on 100mg for almost 3 years now. After realizing the medicine was no longer working for me and I hated feeling absolutely numb to everything, I decided it was time to come off the meds. When I contacted my doctor to ask the best way to taper off, he instead insisted I make an appointment to see him and he’d increase the dosage.
This wasn’t an option for me, so after an upcoming vacation I had planned on going to another doctor to find out how to taper off the Pristiq. Fate had a different plan for me as we went on vacation and my my daughter accidentally forgot to pack my meds. Today is day ten, cold turkey. I am overwhelmed with emotions… mostly crying… but I’m okay with that.
It feels good to be able to actually FEEL any kind of emotion again. I’ve had a few “zaps”, but the worst part for me has been what I call the “wa-wa’s”. Every time I sit up, stand up or move after sitting for awhile, I feel and hear my pulse in my ears and under my scalp. It’s the feeling you have when your blood pressure drops suddenly and you feel like you’re going to pass out.
The intensity of the “wa-wa’s” is finally starting to go away, but honestly that has been the worst part…well until I read all this. I just assumed I was coming down with a cold, but turns out I was experiencing a lot more of the withdrawal symptoms. I still have the chills, the achy muscles, the fatigue, and the sweats if I do anything other than sit still. All these things suck, but not worse than not being able to feel any kind of emotion.
Distraction has literally been my best friend…and my life saver at this point. I am making sure that I get out in the daylight and just absorb some sunshine when I start feeling blue. I’m talking and cuddling with my husband and kids constantly. I refuse to take any more Pristiq, no matter how bad the withdrawal is.
Good luck to each and everyone of you. I hope you find a way that makes this process the least painful and physically taxing. Namaste.
I was on Effexor, then Pristiq for 6 years for hot flashes after ovary removal. I wanted to get off Pristiq but was in the same situation as many: 50mg per day, time release, no lower dosage. My doctor told me to split the pills, which I did once, and I took about a fourth in the morning with the idea of taking another fourth in the evening. By the time the evening came I had severe muscle cramps and a fever of 103.
So, that wasn’t going to work. I finally decided to just increase the time between doses by one hour each day. This seemed to be the best choice: 1st day, 25 hours, 2nd day, 26 hours, etc. until I reached a point of needing to sleep overnight. I took the next dose as soon as I woke and would stay at that time for 3 to 4 days: Example, every 30 to 36 hours. I continued in this pattern until I reached time between doses of 48, then 60 hours plus or minus.
I had gotten to the point of taking a 50 mg tablet every third or fourth day. Then one day I took a tablet and had such a strange feeling that I decided to quit entirely. That was my last dose. It took 7 to 8 months to get off Pristiq and it has been about 4 years. I did have some jitteriness and dizziness but that was the worst of it.
If I had known how difficult it was to quit the Pristiq, I would have stayed with Effexor which comes in as low as 37.5 mg tablets and a non-time release form that can be split. Hope this helps someone.
I have read quite a few comments here about Pristiq and I am surprised. I found it to work highly effectively for me at 50mg. There were times when I ‘lost my sh*t’ in the early days, but I pin point this to my mental state and not the drug. Fatigue, dizziness, nausea and lack of concentration were the side effects in the beginning but these passed within a week or two.
Of course, if I forgot to take a tablet, then I’d feel dizziness and super tired – so it didn’t take long for me to be more habitual with them. I have never felt so good and can see the joy again and so after almost a year, I spoke to my GP about getting off them. She advised cutting the tabs into halves and then into quarters over a few weeks – which I did. No issues until I tapered completely off them. The first thing I noticed was the dizziness.
Fatigue, lack of concentration, body aches and irritability began soon after. I’ve had bouts of depressive sadness and crying, and feeling as if I can’t go on… but after sleep and talking with a loved one, I can see through the clouds. It’s been a week and I am still suffering them but less and less. The dizziness is the only side effect that is lingering the worst… I’m going to go back to see my GP again this week to see if she can help.
Pristiq withdrawals – very real, really horrible. Day 32 and I am STILL on the net looking for answers to stop the withdrawals. Insomnia, aggression, headaches, aches all over the body, skin breakouts and restless legs, to name a few. I did the tapering off of 50mg over 2 weeks and now it is just over a month since my last pill and I seem to be finding new withdrawal symptoms each week!
I was encouraged to take Pristiq by a doctor after my 23 year marriage broke up and I was suffering emotionally. I had never suffered any form of depression prior. I have been taking it for 6 years and now that I am off of it, I feel like I need the drug to function – which is very sad. I feel horrible and finding it difficult to control my anger.
My family and friends have noticed a negative change too, but it’s nothing compared to what’s going on inside of me!! Feeling like crap!! Hopefully I am on the final leg of kicking this drug and it’s nasty effects! ?
Hello all… I have been on antidepressants for over 25 years and have was on Effexor but found it not working so was put on Pristiq. I have been on Pristiq for a few years now… Am very surprised to read how and why Pristiq really shouldn’t be working properly as an antidepressant, yet somehow it does…. Maybe it is a “placebo” effect or something, but it has obviously worked well for thousands.
I’m a bit perplexed… I’m mainly writing today to ask WHY WHY WHY WHY, when given so much information about withdrawal of drugs, and especially Pristiq would ANYBODY choose to not follow the instructions properly? WHY would you NOT take proper professional advise and taper off VERY slowly. I cannot emphasis enough the “WHY” in gods name would you ever go cold turkey?
You obviously must know way more than the professionals for you to be doing the exact opposite of what they are recommending. Stop playing the hero, your body and brain will thank you for it. And from the descriptions so will your friends and family. Reading so many blogs of people obviously just “doing their own thing” on withdrawing, and going through horrendous experiences. It’s total madness.
After reading all of this information on Pristiq withdrawal I can assure you if and when I ever come off I will be using Effexor and coming off very very very slowly…
I was taking Pristiq for years. I couldn’t sleep and thought it was my anxiety, so the doctor put me on sleeping pills also, Clonazepam. I decided to go off with every other day for a week then cold turkey. Also stopped taking all other medication at the same time. That was 3 months ago. I experienced all the withdrawal symptoms.
I discovered that it was the Pristiq that gave me the insomnia I sleep like a baby now… which I am angry at… because not sleeping was causing most of my anxiety. I am still experiencing the sweating… day and night. Oh and now that I am off it my doctor discovered I have high blood pressure… I am not sure if that is a symptom of the withdrawal or not… now I am on high blood pressure medication.
Just wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them? Thanks.
I’m a 30 year old male. I’ve been taking Pristiq for 7 years. Throughout that times I’ve been back and forth from 100mg to 50mg. The last year always 50mg. I’d had enough and wanted to stop. After many failed attempts due to not being able to handle the symptoms, I decided to give it a really good go. — You must completely stop Pristiq cold turkey, I’ve seen comments on here with people cutting tablets, taking them every second day etc.
It’s terrible advice. However, a lot of general practitioners don’t know too much about antidepressants, they really don’t. Anyway, it’s been 4 weeks now. The first week was really sh*t – the ‘brain zaps’ as people call them were most active through this period. As well as some headaches, dizziness, vertigo. By the 5th day, I felt terrible, but, I also felt literally like a genius. My ability to concentrate and plan, problem solve was extraordinary.
That unfortunately only lasted 2 days. Things started to get better as far as the dizziness and brain zaps subsided. But, now after 4 weeks, I’m finding it very difficult to deal with stress, I feel anger and rage and helplessness often. My concentration is shocking and I feel like I have early onset dementia. I’m really pissed off with life right now. Humans can be really sh*t… like the ones that design these nasty pharmaceutical drugs.
My advice, get off them ASAP and never go back. I’m not sure how long this will take, but I’m never going back. Michael.
I have been on Pristiq 100mg for about 7 weeks and found it increased my anxiety so I met with my doctor and asked to switch. Very scared due to all the comments on here but at least I’ve only been on it for 7 weeks compared to several years like some of you. I trust my doctor and she is not tapering me.
My last Pristiq was Wed and started me on 40mg of Prozac yesterday (Thursday). And she told me to go up to 50mg of Prozac after a week. She seems to think my withdrawal will not be bad as Prozac is being used and we are going to try to keep on that long term. Very scared but have to do this. I hope my family will not be too traumatized.
I found a compounding pharmacist to make Pristiq into 10mg capsules for me to taper, as I couldn’t handle the withdrawal symptoms that happened every 2nd day with my 50mg tablets. I took 4omg for a week, then 30, then 20, then 10 – I’ve just finished taking 10mg every 36 hours for a week because of the withdrawal symptoms of not taking it for just one day. TEN MILLIGRAMS and I am still facing these horrible symptoms. I hate this.
Errrr… Pristiq is a time release tablet. You found a compounding pharmacist?
I’m currently using 50 mg of pristiq. But lately I feel as though I’m not as happy as I used to be when it first started working. It used to work great for me and now it’s like halfway through the day my body starts to tingle and I feel like I’m in a rush to take it the next day to make it go away. Even if I miss one day by accident, my brain zaps can become so severe that I literally feel blind for a split second. It is the worst feeling in the world. I was considering raising my dose because I feel like it’s not working as well as it used to but not I feel like it is just not worth it… I just want to be free from this medication.
Sounds like it’s time to say goodbye to Pristiq.
I had terrible withdrawal symptoms from Pristiq. To this day my psychiatrist dismisses what I went through as withdrawal. I switched to Prozac over a week or two. I was a complete mess for about a month. I could not function at all. I couldn’t eat or sleep and was even having trouble standing up. I finally went to my family doctor for help.
He is the one that explained to me that I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I had not even thought of that. I finally convinced my psychiatrist to give me Xanax which I would take 1/2 a pill in the morning and another half later in the day only if I needed it. The Xanax helped me to function enough to wait out the withdrawal. I know Xanax is a highly abused medicine and I had never taken it before.
I just knew I needed something to calm down my body. I had switched anti-depressants within the SSRI family with no problem so this was a complete surprise for me. I thought I was losing my mind. This is a very real thing and should not be ignored. I would not recommend Pristiq to anyone. There has to be a safer alternative.
Been coming off of Pristiq for about 4 weeks now. Began by taking probiotics and stretching out the ingestion of Pristiq doses: 24 hours, then 25, then 26, etc. since the drug stays in your gut about 60 hours. It was ok at first, then got the brain zaps – first time I have ever had them and did not know what they were called until lots of Googling came across the terminology.
I have been weepy at times – strange too. I am still on a low dose of Wellbutrin (for many years) and hope to someday wean myself off of that too. Sick and tired of having the depression monkey on my back, so I got serious about exercising too. Anyway, about a month ago I came across some natural remedies from Dr. Amen (Nuclear Brain Scans is his claim to fame).
Serotonin is created in your gut, so be sure to take varieties of probiotics that will produce what your body/brain is currently lacking. Also check out Dr. Amens supplements. You can help your body heal itself. I haven’t felt this good in years, and I have just begun to fight.
Against my better judgement, I allowed my doctor to talk me into taking Pristiq 50 mg. By the second dose, I developed severe eye issues, but did not connect it to Pristiq until the 4th dose. I stopped immediately. The blurry vision cleared up almost immediately, but I was left with light sensitivity, which is a very scary matter.
When I informed my doctor about my eye issues, he admitted that he didn’t even know what serious eye issues can develop from Pristiq. I am not a young person and he is a geriatric doctor. I would have thought that he would have taken the time to find out what effects this drug can have on people, especially older people who don’t bounce back as well as younger ones.
I never heard from him again, even though I called him trying to get more information about the drug. I am now on day six off the drug. The light sensitivity is improving very slowly and I am extremely anxious about it. I haven’t experienced any withdrawal symptoms so far other than I feel a little headachy tonight.
I hope that I am at least spared withdrawal issues as I still have to contend with side effects. I am glad I found this forum to share my experience on.
I was on 50mg for 18 months and this is my 3rd week of withdrawal. 1st week I took every other day, 2nd week every 3rd day & today I stopped completely. I felt like continuing to take it every 3rd day would prolong the symptoms but that remains to be seen. I don’t consider myself sensitive to drugs and no one mentioned withdrawals.
Thankfully after 6 days of feeling like I was going crazy I looked up possible side effects of withdrawal and there they were. I can’t remember ever feeling this off-kilter. Brain zaps, foggy, emotional, crying, tingling sensations, sensitivity to lights and sounds, unable to concentrate and headaches. The headaches remain but thankfully everything else seems to be getting better.
Hello. I just took my last pristiq tablet on February 9th. My GP was really good at working out a tapering plan that worked for me with minimal side effects. But we did have a plan B just in case… my GP said that often people go on prozac for 10 days to replace the pristiq. Apparently prozac has a longer half life and weans out of your system more slowly with much fewer side effects. Something to consider for those of you that are really struggling.
Hi Tracy, Can you share your plan for coming off Pristiq. Would really appreciate knowing how you did it. Thanks.
I have been forced to go “cold-turkey” as I am on holidays and forgot my script. After 3 days is when I began to get symptoms, severe heart palpitations, dizziness and chronic mood swings followed by flu-like symptoms and emotions I just want to run away from. I never even thought of withdrawal symptoms as my doctor explained there was no possibility of addiction I didn’t realize I would experience what I am.
And to be honest, I’m going to put up with it and get this drug out of my system. Feeling like I am now is worse than how I felt before I was even taking pristiq and I know I don’t want to experience this again. Can anyone recommend ways in which may get me through this a little easier?
Thanks to all who have contributed to this site. Helpful to find that I’m not alone in trying to come off Pristiq. I’ve been on it for almost 3 years. Started at 50mg and for the last few months have been on 150. When I was still feeling ill on that my psych upped it to 200 even though I wanted to reduce it.
I’ve never been so sick in all my life so I went back to 150mg. Psych agreed to let me go to 100mg which I’ve taken for 6 days. First 5 days all was good. Today not feeling so well – foggy head, headaches, sweating profusely, crying spells. Hope I can get off this medication. I wish all of you on this site success.
I stopped taking on December 11, 2015. I decreased my dose to every other day then every third then stopped. It helped with some of the brutal SE’s but I am still experiencing dizziness and difficulty focusing and articulating. The dizziness is severe enough I have fallen several times. I’m becoming concerned.
I was put on Pristiq in 2009, was taking 100 mg, then 150 and back to 100. I am on a different antidepressant now. So with my doctor’s permission I went off Pristiq a month ago. I am experiencing major withdrawal symptoms. I had the zapping last over 2 weeks and tingling in my legs and face. I am not sleeping much at night (even on sleep meds) and crying on and off at cartoons! I’m nauseated daily and have migraines daily. Also blurred vision when I have migraines. I will be glad when things begin to balance better.
My experience has been that by the 3rd day of no longer taking Pristiq, I have a loud, constant ringing in my ears which is amplified whenever I blink, move my eyes or there is a loud sound/noise. I am experiencing brain zaps which I have described as “fireworks”. Some days its about a “firework” every couple minutes and some times its like the grand finale of the fireworks show with dozens of zaps going off at the same time for several minutes.
I do feel the foggy and dreamlike state of mind as in, it just seems that everything going on around me isn’t real. Almost like I am “drunk”. I have only had one crying spell that lasted all of 2 minutes. I have been on Pristiq 50mg for 6 months. My plan for tapering is to only take the drug when the symptoms are at their peak. This gives me 3-5 days off, then over time it becomes 5-7 days off and so on.
I’ll be glad to be rid of this drug, but overall it did a fantastic job of helping me control my depression during my time of need. I started on Lexapro, and let’s just say that I will NEVER take that again! With any drug, over time and the longer we are on it, there will be nasty side effects when we go to taper off. Everyone is different and you will have to create your own personal plan.
These aren’t “normal” pills, these are to bridge our gaps in times of need. Good luck and don’t give up! You’ll make it!
Hi everyone, I find the comments here very useful indeed. I went to my doctor and told him I wanted off of this stuff. I forgot to take it for 5 days once and was only sleeping a couple of hours a day and hallucinating. Another time I forgot for 2 days and had sensory overload… like a sound I heard 30 seconds ago was still echoing in my head along with all the other sounds.
Anyway I went to my new doc and said I wanted off of it because it was too dangerous when I forgot to take it. He put me on lithium – lowest dosage- and said I could stop cold turkey. I was too afraid of the side effects so we agreed on continuing with 1 50mg for one week and then every second day for a week. I am now 4 days without and am functioning.
Today I was going to cut down the Lithium because I thought it was giving me the side effects of stomach pains, loose bowels, overheating and wacky feelings or no feelings. Now I see from reading your posts that I was wrong and that I am still going through Pristiq withdrawal. Thank all of you!
I have just read all the posts here. My heart goes out to everyone experiencing the pain of coming off this poison. I was given the crap by my GP when pristiq first became available in Australia. It’s been many years, I have forgotten the year he started me on 50mg. I wasn’t given it for depression. It was told to me that it was a new wonder drug that would help my fatigue symptoms of the autoimmune disease I have.
My kids were young, and I needed to have more energy. He told me no side effects, very safe yadda yadda. At first it really felt like I had loads of energy, then my fatigue returned. Like a zombie, I kept taking the 50mg daily, and I never questioned myself. Kids grew up and flew the nest. Without them there, I began to let housework go and felt like clutter was drowning me.
It wasn’t fatigue I always get from my illness, that is still here, but I was always able to push thru that. This feeling I have is like something I never experienced. Say I go to put stuff away, and I just can’t function to do it. Not a strenuous task, but it does my head in. I’m struggling to get out of bed, yet I don’t even care. Sometimes I don’t bother answering my phone, or answering the door to friends.
Hubby and I have become like we are just 2 people sharing a house. I have no romantic emotions whatsoever, no interest in life anymore, and I used to be such a strong person. I was not going to mention this, but just maybe someone will read this and it may help. I was not depressed when given this poison, but it sure took me down a dark and scary road. About a year ago, I woke up one morning and decided out of the blue I was going to end my life.
I tried, thankfully I was unsuccessful. I landed myself in a mental hospital. That was different. I was told to increase my pristiq to 100mg. I did what they said, because at that stage I had no idea the pristiq may have caused all of my severe personality changes. I was also suffering chronic insomnia, constipation, no appetite, hot flushes, fatigue beyond my wildest dreams, back pain, headaches, nausea, sinus infections, mania, the list is endless.
The hardest thing to live with is I almost left my beautiful children without their mum. Something I am still struggling to forgive myself for, I don’t think I can ever. I was googling pristiq cos after going up to 100mg, I began stacking on weight, even tho I had no appetite. That’s when I read other people’s horror stories. How could I have been so stupid not to realize that my life went down the toilet the time I started taking pristiq all them years ago.
Went straight to my GP, and told him I want off this shit. He put me straight back down to 50mg from 100. I did it without tapering, and had no side effects at all. I know it will not be so easy when I get off the 50mg. I experienced horrible side effects once when I had gastro and kept spewing and pooping them out. I did have an idea, not sure how it would work, but I will put it here in case it’s a good idea.
Get a compounding chemist to make up some new pristiq in 45mg, 40mg, 35mg etc in slow release. Could give them the pristiq out your pack to break down. Do it by lowering the dose gradually and in smaller increments until we are free. Thanks for reading, it feels good to get this off my chest. A lot of doctors hate us reading stuff online. Can’t get better advice and knowledge than from someone walking the same walk.
I sure appreciate everyone who has publicly shared their very personal stories. Sometimes I say to doctors who criticize info online: “I would probably be dead if the internet wasn’t invented.” Good luck and hope to all of us getting off this nightmare that was given to us with out informed warnings. Disgusting. Shame on the lot of them.
I got a compounding pharmacist to make me a whole bunch of 10mg XR capsules so that I could taper down myself from the 50mg I was on. Yesterday I took my very last 10mg tablet, I’ve decided. It’s taken MONTHS. The side effects are pretty awful, but the withdrawals are even worse. I want this stuff out of my body. Best of luck.
Today is 30 days since my last dose of Pristiq. I was on it for 10 years varying between 100mg and 50 mg. Many times I tried tapering and every other day etc but always gave up and went back to it because I felt so sick within 48 hours. This time around the difference is I went in to a clinic for 7 days and my psych dosed me up with 4 x 10mg valium daily and introduced 20mg then 40 mg of Prozac.
During the 7 days the valium was decreased and now I only use it occasionally at 2mg doses to cope with anxiety (I didn’t have anxiety before, it is a lingering withdrawal symptom). The plan is to taper of Prozac eventually. We are also trialling Valdoxen at night to help with insomnia, it really knocks me out but I am concerned about liver damage from it so will see how the blood tests look.
I understand 7 days in a clinic is not possible for everyone but some doctor monitored at home variation may be possible so I thought I’d share the treatment plan. Overall, apart from zero appetite and the generalized anxiety I feel really positive that I’ve finally beat Pristiq.
I am on my second week of no pristiq. I am still extremely dizzy, can’t sleep at night and having hot flushes and night sweats. I am now having bouts of crying. I was on 100mg for 3 years. I’m determined to stay off them, but I sure hope these symptoms stop soon.
Day 10 off my dose of Pristiq and I have chills and anger/frustration, also muscle pain. A bit of sleep loss but I have been forcing it. Concerned about further withdrawal, but determined to see this through.
Reading these post has me ready and scared all at the same time. I have been on pristiq since June 2014, 50mg the whole time. I have not has many negative symptoms since being on the drug butnI would have to say I feel more forgetful about basic things. I tend to miss a pill every now and then and notice on day two when the Brian ZAPS start in. THOSE SUCK!
My husband and I are planning on trying to start a family in the summer or early fall. My hope is that my faith in God and my motivation to start a family will be enough to push through the difficult moments/days/weeks… What ever is a head of me. I plan to talk to my doctor but honestly he is in and out the door so fast Im not sure what good it will do.
Peace of mind for myself that I saw a professional I guess. Not sure when my journey getting off pristiq will begin but I am very glad to find others out there to talk with that UNDERSTAND. Thanks for sharing everyone! Amanda
Hi, progressively over the last 12 moths reduced from 400mg day to 50, been on the damn junk for 6 years… Now the hard work begins. I’m sort of accustomed to chills, weight fluctuations, swings in eating, sleeping, energy, oh and sex-drive took it self off on leave. I have managed to hold down a professional job these past 3 years, been a bit interesting at times, but hey, so is life. Now comes exciting part of final withdrawal. It will be HARD. But came off SSRIs about 26 years ago, and got through it OK. So hey, press on. Do the deed do the time. Watch out for me….
How is it going for you Jeannie?
Day 3 without taking pristiq. This is hell! I can’t eat, I can barely have a glass of water without feeling so full and nauseous! I cry randomly, my face just scrunches up and the balling beings and it hurts! Head is spinning constantly, I cant stand up long or sit long or even consider thinking (I am having a good hour at the moment so I can write this).
I sleep all the time and thats weird as its 40 degree Celsius heat here. So naturally I have sweats! I had a cold bath and nearly drowned myself in there, on purpose, but its clear I want to live. I think I am having that depersonalization or whatever it was called. And definitely hopeless, anxious (I couldn’t put my dog to bed because there’s a forest out there and it’s scary – there is no forest out there, it is relatively safe – and now I keep hearing scary noises!)
This is very real, it is scary, but got to hope its for the best! Best advice is to have support!
I am just starting to wean off Pristiq. My doc has recommended 3 months on a half dose, then dropping to every second day for a further month and then see how I’m travelling. I am now extremely worried about how I will cope with withdrawal after reading all of these posts. It seems that this is going to be a very rough few months. After 3 days I am already becoming emotional, tired, dizzy and have a feeling of utter confusion.
400 mg daily for 4+ years. Been tapering down for 3+ months now. Today is day 2 of not taking any. I’m in hell and have been for a long time. Can’t function any longer.
Hang in there Nicky. My counselor recommended I set daily goal in five areas… You don’t have to do all five but do what you can. They all play a huge part in balancing ourselves.
1. Exercise
2. Diet
3. Prayer
4. Fun
5. Rest
Don’t give up! See if there is a counselor near by you can talk to. I haven’t been in a year but I continue to go back to what ey told me when I feel down. I plan to go back too while getting off pristiq as I am sure I will be in for some bad days.
Prayers for your journey!
I have no psychiatrist until Feb 1. My primary does not feel comfortable with psych drugs. My new medicare plan does not have pristiq in its formulary. I tried getting into the psych earlier, but not going to happen. So I have to taper my pristiq myself, unfortunately. I am on 200mg and already having problems. What I have to do is go as long as I can without a dose then take it, 100mg pills 2x a day.
Today the headaches started. I have had to go off effexor and pristiq and other meds cold turkey, not easy. I wonder if taking a small dose of tramadol would help since it increases serotonin levels and is not an antidepressant, classed as a pain killer. I am also getting a device called an Alpha-Stim that treats depression, anxiety, and pain, the sooner the better. I am hoping it will help the withdrawal. Going downhill fast, but I do know that this won’t last and I will feel much better off the drug.
My pain levels from several neurologic diseases is going much higher than usual and that also is due to the withdrawal. The worst is Trigeminal Neuralgia and Occipital Neuralgia listed under some of the most painful disorders known to man. Just trying to avoid the ER for as long as I can. Right now, my legs d on’t feel like they belong to me, so I am back to mobility devices for balance and proprioception.
I am calling my primary after sending an email to explain things clearly, the triage nurses don’t have enough time to listen as carefully as needed. Back to treating my face pain, ear drops for the horrible ear pain. ER tomorrow possibly – puke and gag, I more than hate the place, tired of being thought a drug seeker or worse. I am getting the alpha-stim so I can reduce or eliminate my opiate pain killers and applying for medical marijuana which is not a narcotic, despite what the DEA says.
It is legal at the federal level now so I have no hesitation in using it. The more ways I have to treat my depression in addition to pills or instead of them, the happier I will be. Especially since I have tried all the antidepressants for my recurrent, treatment resistant depression. I sure won’t miss pristiq once the discontinuation is over and it is out of my system too.
Hi all, so my partner has been on pristiq for about 2 yrs 50mg. We have talked a lot about getting her off it, we both believe she got on it for the wrong reasons but if she misses even a day, all the things talked about in the above comments happen pretty dam quick (sickness, etc). Basically I want to ask anyone who is in the process of quitting or has quit, would it possible to quit this drug with the following taken into account…
-I work away on a 4-1 roster
-We have 4 children 8,6,3 and 6 months (the last is still being breast-fed)
Now obviously we will be talking to a Dr about it before we do anything, but I really wanted to hear from people actually quitting. All the above stuff sounds scary as hell and I didn’t realize what a nightmare situation we’d be in if/when she wants to stop taking the drug. Being the sole provider for my family I’m wondering if I will need to take a month off work (not sure if this is an option, more just an idea right now), and wondering if we should wait for the youngest child to stop breast feeding. Any thoughts?
I’m on day 6 of being pristiq free and the only 2 side effects now are insomnia and restless legs at night. I was on 100mg tabs and went to 50 then I did actually cut those in half. The weaning off wasn’t bad, but the sleep issues are wreaking havoc. Anyone have a similar experience?
Day 3. Tapered from 200mg to 50mg about a year ago. Script ran out, pharmacy closed due to holidays, decided to ride it out. Been here 4 times in the past and chickened out on Day 4. I work for myself from home and money is tight, so I’m nervous about being able to support myself if I get really sick. I don’t (yet) have any psychological symptoms, mainly zaps and dizziness at this stage.
I am ready to once again experience the full range of emotions, instead of numbing them. Good and bad. If I do start getting anxiety or depression that I can’t handle (as opposed to being in situations where a bit of anxiety and feeling down are actually normal) I will see my psychologist, who is wonderful. Pristiq didn’t improve my life. In retrospect, instead of going the drug route, I wish I’d committed to more exercise, yoga, meditation and good food.
I am clear that I could be in better physical health before quitting BUT I also realize I’ll never take the steps to get healthy while I’m on the drug. I have read that magnesium, zinc, omegas and B complex vitamins are a godsend while weaning off. I am giving myself today to stay in bed and rest, tomorrow I ‘act normal’. I get up, get dressed, walk the dogs, eat breakfast, talk to people. Let my body heal itself. And help it do so.
I WILL NOT let this drug run my life anymore. As an aside, the doctor who initially prescribed me Pristiq actually Googled it in front of me. She had never heard of it. You could almost call it malpractice.
Thanks to all those who have posted their experiences here. I came across this site while searching for info in cutting pristiq tablets in half, as I have been on 100mg for about 3 months after 3 months on 50mg, & feel like they are no longer working other than for the foggy thinking which I have had enough of. So I had the idea of tapering off for few weeks on 50mg before going cold turkey, but see there are conflicting views (here & elsewhere) as to cutting these tablets.
Only one way to find out I guess, so will try a half dose tomorrow. As for side-effects, I had awful side-effects for the first week after starting on pristiq (headaches, insomnia, bladder issues, electric shocks) & almost stopped taking them, so can only imagine what withdrawal will be like, not looking forward to this at all.
I recently stopped taking Pristiq 50mg. I am 5 months pregnant, and spent the first 4.5 months with horrible morning sickness. I’m not sure if my medication ever stayed in my system because I was throwing up 10-12 times a day. I kept taking Pristiq at my doctors recommendation that the benefits outweighed the risk to my child. After doing lots and lots of research I decided to stop taking it.
The only major side effects I’ve encountered are insomnia, and horrible sweating. I wish I had decided to do this at the beginning of my pregnancy instead of half way through. My hormones are not helping with my crazy emotions. Has anyone stayed on Pristiq during pregnancy? I do not plan on staying on this, but I am nervous that this could have harmed my baby.
Today is my 5th day off Pristiq… what a wicked evil drug. I’m so fatigued and have brain zaps. Has anybody experienced an aching body? It’s like I’m burning. An awful feeling, hope it gets better soon or cry, wow can’t stop.
YES! I had body aches the entire time that I tapered off of it! 5 longs weeks. I am now on my 7th day of no medication. It has been a very long week.
Hi everyone, I’m hoping to find SOME encouraging words here. I’ve been on pristiq for about 4 years at the 100mg dose. I recently (unexpectedly) became pregnant and my husband and I really don’t want me to continue taking this while being pregnant. Fortunately, I learned of the pregnancy very early on and I immediately spoke with my doctor.
He pushed me down to 50mg for 3 weeks and now has me cutting the 50mg in half for 5 days and then stopping completely. My doctor said that even though they advise not to cut the pill in half, it is ok for short-term tapering purposes. I will say, moving down to 50mg has helped my withdrawal symptoms be less severe than what I experienced when I ever accidentally missed a 100mg dose… but i’m on day 4 and really scared to stop after day 5.
I’m already experiencing brain zaps, dizziness, headaches, and everything else that everyone is talking about. So if I’m already having this with just the 50mg reduction, I’m terrified about being completely off. Combine this with a pretty hellish first trimester of morning sickness, etc. and I am a very unhappy camper.
I don’t want to give up and I want a pregnancy clear of any anti-depressants, but I’m soon terrified of the withdrawals. Can someone please give me some hope and/or anything you were able to do that helped with these awful symptoms? :(
Curious how everything is going. I am going to start getting off the drug as I am hoping to get pregnant summer/fall. Has the baby been great motivation for you?
To be honest – the withdrawal symptoms after not taking 50mg for 2 days (by accident) are the same severity as stopping my 10mg dose on purpose. Hang in there.
This drug almost killed my fiancé’. He has bipolar, so he is on more than one medication. It’s a nasty disease itself and then to add pristiq… He is being tapered, but he is still withdrawing severely!!! He wants to tell all out there that sees this… Don’t let any Dr. Give you this. He was on it 15 months. Went from 50-100. Wasn’t feeling right so asked the physician to take him off it.
She explained it’s hard, but gave him a paper to follow the taper directions. He has up to 90 days of pure hell… Do your research and it will blow your mind. For the people that have been on it a long time. May god be with you. Take it one day at a time…
Linda – I have been on Pristiq for about 2 years. Withdrawal has been like living in a nightmare! Physically sick. Was laying around in bed for about 3 days. Slept on and off during the day and had the weirdest dreams/nightmares. Even had nightmares during the day while napping. I have felt disconnected to myself. Quit cold turkey December 22nd. Sick to my stomach, achy flue like symptoms, headache.
I’ll bet this runs a close second to heroin withdrawal. My fiancee thinks I need to be on it because of my depression, but got tired of feeling absolutely “nothing” at all. Felt like a zombie. He even thinks that my snoring has gotten worse since I have gotten off of it. Don’t care what he thinks, I am already starting to feel so much better physically and mentally! This is a devil drug. My suggestion is to never try it or use it!!
I have been on pristiq for over a year. I was careless and ran out of half a dose one day, and had to go a day and a half without any at all. I am on 100mg, which my psych hated doing. I wasn’t thrilled myself, because one day, I will have to taper off it. Within 24 hours, I started to feel withdrawal, all but the brain zaps (thank god, I hate those). This experience has made me far more wary of this drug. It works for me, but if for some reason I cannot pay the copay, I know I will have to be rushed to the hospital.
I was a mess, and haven’t been that bad for a long time. All from a few days of not having it. I sadly need to be on this, but it helps. The huge downside is, that I find I have a plethora of these side effects from taking it.. Shakes, bp elevation, sweating, headaches… For now, nothing else is an option. I have been in bed all day though from fatigue of shocking my system with 100mg again. That truly shows how influential this drug is on the system, and that terrifies me.
I was prescribed Pristiq instead of HRT. This was done without consultation regarding what Pristiq really is – an antidepressant. I had been experiencing hot flushes but nothing too significant and was not suffering from depression or anxiety. Recently, after reading sites like this one, I decided to stop taking this hideous drug. I had tried previously but the brain zaps were too severe.
I am a very mild epileptic and the zaps were debilitating. I decided to cut the tablets even though it is not recommended because of the slow release factor. I took a month to wind down the tablets with first taking three quarters for a week, then a half and then a quarter. This worked very well for me but it was not a smooth road. The zaps were harsh but not as bad as going cold turkey. There is also the diarrhea and nausea.
I am now nearly six weeks on and I am feeling much better. I feel that the main contributing factor to my successful withdrawal was that I really wanted to get off this medication. Antidepressants are not the answer for menopause symptoms and the pros and cons should be discussed fully with the patient should any GP decide that it is. Thank goodness for the Internet and the ability to research these medications and other people’s opinions.
I suffer from depression and anxiety. I was taking 100mg Pristiq and 10mg Lexapro. I had to switch doctors and he changed me to 150 Zoloft. I have been having many of the symptoms here and it’s been over 30 days. I thought the Zoloft would pick up where Pristiq left off. Could I still be dealing with the withdrawal effects of Pristiq?
Thankfully now there’s a 25 mg dose of Pristiq and my psychiatrist has been tapering me off of it. I am going through withdrawal from it and am finding it much easier than previous withdrawal from Effexor. The one thing that I am noticing is restless leg syndrome during the night. I have never had this before and it is disconcerting.
First off, thank you all for sharing your stories, I feel so much better knowing that I am not alone battling this horrible withdrawal. I have been on some sort of Anti Depressant for 13 years, and on Pristiq for 7 years. I knew I wanted to get off them a few years back but have been living abroad and wanted to wait until I was in a place with a solid support system.
I decided to try to taper off of Pristiq a month ago, first I was trying to space out the dosage (50mg/day), I got unto 58 hours between dosages and then got a massive headache out of the blue while working out. I had never experienced a pain like this while working out and knew something was off. It turned into a migraine that lasted nearly 2 days.
I decided to try to lessen the time between and take only half the dosage, and have been doing that for the last week. I also took a few days off the gym (I am training for an event and thought maybe I was over training and that is where the headache was from). Last night I was warming up on the rower and within a minute the same, pulsating headache came. It is distinctly on the left side and so powerful you just want to curl up in a ball in the dark and be left alone.
I’ve read that others experience headaches, nausea, and the electric zaps, and am curious if anyone else’s headaches are as intense? I have been hesitant to go to a doctor about this because I feel like they will try to keep me on some sort of medication and I want to see who I am without medication. Would love anyone’s input.
I started taking this over 2 years ago and remember the first month feeling and acting absolutely manic. Insomnia has been a problem nearly all my life so increased energy was not helping. Of course came the “crash” from all that hyperness and I went from being high as a kite to so low I could have killed myself. In hindsight I should have stopped taking pristiq then but the high I had felt was probably the best I had felt after taking similar medications for anxiety and depression for years so went back to the doctor and doubled my dose.
Now going cold turkey off 200mg a day I’m 5th day in and feel like absolute shit. No rage but my body is having a mental breakdown I’m zapping like crazy hearing the same way like moths flapping in my ears, sweating, flu like, body itchy, not sleeping largely due to sweating but admittedly if I was 2 hours late with my dosage I would get a lot of these symptoms anyway and ever since I started taking them I have been overheating at night to the point of drenching the bed.
I think the final straw for me was I wet the bed a few times and my bladder has felt “blocked”. After relentlessly going to the doctors there was no explanation. So although I’m aware of the downsides I’m facing now and still to come I think after 7 years of this kind of sh*t it’s time to try face things on my own!
Hi Belinda, I just read your comments regarding bladder issues. I had real problems during the first few weeks of taking pristiq with the ‘blocked’ feeling you describe. It would take me forever to go & even then it was only small amounts at a time so I was going to the toilet repeatedly all day. I described the symptom to my doctor who hadn’t heard of the problem before, so in a way it’s ‘good’ to hear someone else has had similar problems.
I think a lot of the doctors really are not aware of just how severe & varying pristiq side-effects can be. Anyway, I’ve been tapering off & plan to stop taking them this weekend. Fingers crossed it’s not too bad.
Going cold turkey off 100mg for 12 months. 4 days in. It’s still hurting / freaking hard up stairs.