User Reviews for Pristiq oral

I have been on pristiq for a few years. I have been on every psychotropic medication available since 1992 and nothing has worked like this. I have had minimal side effects and notice I am able to just stop the thoughts running in my head and my energy level is like a normal person. Pristiq saved my life. Take at the beginning of your day to help with insomnia.

I started this drug January 2019, I started it because I was having an awful experience with prozac. I had extreme sleepiness, dry mouth for 6 wks after starting it and my libido was pretty much gone unfortunately! The sleepiness & dry mouth stopped after about 6 weeks of being on the medication. I started on 25mg and it worked well for 4 months. May of 2019 I up’d to 50mg. I was on 50mgs for 6 mos and then had to up to 100mg. Still no libido and I’m emotionally flatlined. I was on 100mg Nov 2019-now, Dec 2020. I went back to my doctor because I feel it’s time to start weening down on the dosage. It’s been rough weening. I dropped down from 100mg-50mg (doctor said start it immediately) I thought I was going to die. This drug is no joke. Once you introduce it to your body, it’s rough to get it out. I thought i was going to need to go to the ER. I had flu symptoms for a week and I’m finally 8 days out from the dose change and I only get the flu symptoms at night now. Im still getting brain zaps and dizziness. This drug is strong and I underestimated it! I’m scared to drop my dose from 50 to 25 and 25 to nothing. I hope I don’t have any depression or anxiety relapse, as I’m really trying to get off the medication entirely. Anyway, I loved being on the drug. I felt NORMAL for once in my life. I didn’t have the crippling depression I battled for the 10+ years before starting this medication. Yeah the loss of libido and lack of emotions were annoying, but overall I loved it. But gosh, these withdrawals are no joke. I highly recommend being around people who care for you to help get you through the first week of withdrawals because I am not being dramatic when I say I could not stop vomiting, stand, drive, speak clearly, work, nothing. It’s been rough. overall, a great experience on the drug, just a rough one getting off of it. I’ll update later!Read More Read Less

Worked very well for me. No side effects.

My son has been on Pristiq 50mg for a couple of years. It has been very difficult to get off. He starts by tapering off to 25mg then is forced to go back on because of the severe side effect, sadness, thoughts of suicide, lack of motivatoin, need to sleep during the day. Has anyone on here gotton off Prestiq sucessfully and how did you do it? Is going on another less addicting drug the possible answer while tappering off?

I was on Lexapro for 10 years. Good for most of that time. Stressful career, divorce and an anxious personality. Then, last year, it wore off. Apparently not uncommon. Now on 50mg Pristiq. Within 2 weeks I was feeling better...than back to bad. I have today increased to 100mg. Has this ever made a difference for anyone? Key question for me.

Not only did this have no effect on my depression, but the side effects I experienced were severe. I was told I might experience weight gain, and I was fine with that. Instead, over the time I was on this, I lost a significant amount of weight, and was underweight by the time I was taken off the drug. It is hard to tell what other symptoms were side effects or whether my low weight was causing problems but either way Pristiq made me very ill and it took nearly a year for me to feel healthy again after discontinuing use.Read More Read Less

I switched from Lexipro to Pristiq 1 month ago. After taking Lexapro for 5 years, I did not feel it was working like it once did. Atfirs, I was worried about the side affects, however they have been minimal. The only thing I notice is a slight headache a couple times a week. Tylenol seems to help lessen the headache. I have noticed a big difference in my sleep. I used to wake up a couple of times each night and getting back to sleep was difficult. After 1 week on Pristiq, I started sleeping through the night and feel refreshed in the morning. After 4 weeks energy has increased slightly. I have noticed once I start moving and getting involved in tasks, I keep going. Part of this is because it has reduced the constant thoughts and thinking running through my head. As my mind tries to ramp up the distracting thoughts, it is easier to stop and disregard. It is hard to put in words, but I am starting to feel more clear minded and just lighter. I have not gained weight and actually lost 3-5 lbs.Lexapro seemed to make me mellow, but Pristiq is different. I am some- what mellow, but I feel more like myself. I can be hot headed and quick to get mad. Lexapro reduced that and may have worked a little to good. Pristiq does the same, except I do not feel like I am being held down on my feelings. Another hard to explain feeling. So far, so good. Almost forgot, Lexapro really reduced my libido. Pristiq has not. I will check back at the 2 month point.Read More Read Less

Pristiq has been great for me! I use it with mirtazipine and the two work really well together and many doctors know this. The Pristiq gives you energy in the morning and mirtazipine helps you sleep at night. Great combination and I have only minor side affects that don't bother me at all. My anxiety levels are down and I feel I can enjoy each day. It helps too if you make changes in your life for the better and stick to a good night routine so you sleep well.

This med seemed to be helping but had a bad reaction with abdominal pain and swelling so badly almost went to the er. Been off it for a week, still not 100% rid of abdominal pain. Now on prosac not helping at all.

I had to go to the psych hospital just to withdraw off this drug because I wanted to kill myself so badly. It took over a week to withdraw and 3 weeks later I'm still having some side effects. My side effects were chills, feeling like I was being electrocuted every few seconds, light/sound/smell sensitivity, vertigo, ringing and fullness in the ears, lip trembling, and throbbing in my neck. I'm still dealing with the last two.

my experience has been good with this drug. first few days i was very tired a little nauseous and had yawning spells. plan accordingly to give yourself a few days to adjust. but after those first few days i have felt much better, it still makes me a little drowsy but i am sleeping better and my anxiety has really decreased. i notice some dry mouth and dry eyes but otherwise the side effects have really subsided.

This drug has been a miracle treatment for 2 of my children!! I cannot say thank you enough to those who made this drug a reality! It has been life changing! THANK YOU!!

haven't taking med yet for hot flashes i am 78yrs. old and have many,many treatments nothing seems to work not on medicine

Used in conjunction with Lamictal for bipolar depression and this is the first anti-depressant (have tried at least 7 others) that has truly helped. I don’t feel low or anxious, nor do I cry anymore. It is expensive on my insurance, but worth it.

I�ve had many side effects. Memory / forgetfulness / Brain zaps / vision changes / heart palpitations / extreme sweats / nightmares / chills / now I�m going through horrible withdraw which starts soon after running out of medicine. My appointment was too far out past the refill date and I�ve been out of it for 2 weeks. I wouldn�t wish this on my worse enemy. I�m refusing to take it again. I have Anxiety, PTSD and it�s all from years of abuse from my father (rape) and husband (25 yrs), Medical first responder (firefighter, paramedic, police officer, military, Emergency Room RN. and family mental health issues. Daughter is Rapid Cycling Bipolar and has CRPS, brother Autistic and is recovering from a non traumatic ischemic stroke. Mom is 84 and doing pretty good. I�m on the board of directors for our state mental health and recovery board. I hate to think others are experiencing the same symptoms. 2vwby8Read More Read Less

Very severe side effects and the withdrawal symptoms are even worse. Should be removed from the market.

In 2008 I went through Menopause. Suddenly I found myself suffering from Persistent Genital Arousal Syndrome. I was extremely suicidal and no one had heard of it, so they just thought I was nuts. Luckily my GP took the time to research and prescribed Pristiq. Within a week all symptoms were gone and remained gone until 2017 when a generic came out and my insurance company would no longer pay for the name brand. Within 2 weeks all symptoms were back, previously I had functioned on 50mg/day now I was as high as 100mg with no relief. Finally after 6 months of this, I paid for the name brand myself. Without Welmark support I paid $200/mo Jan/Feb, but now it has gone up to $273! And they will only pay $15, so I'm hoping that the Prestiq copay can help me. I really can't afford $273 for a one month dose of Pristiq, but without it, I'm afraid what I may do.Read More Read Less

I was in a study for hot flashes and this was the drug I received. After only one day of taking the medication, my hot flashes were gone, my "foggy" memory disappeared and I actually slept all night instead of waking up every 2 hours. It has been a miracle drug for me with my arthritis too. When the doctor and I agreed to half the dose to see if it affected my cholesterol level, I started having arthritic pains in my left thumb. After several months the dose was raised back to 100 mg and my arthritis pain went away again. I cannot praise this drug enough. It has made my life better in so many ways. Read More Read Less

I haven't taken this yet, but I just want to say, my psychiatrist gave me a gene test and I found out that I do not respond to ssri's so she put me on this. My advice is get a gene test! Instead of experimenting, find out what actually works with your genetic testing. Life changer.

Have been using this medication for just over six months. I've had no noticeable side effects, and my condition is greatly improved. I am a bit forgetful, so the expected side effects after not taking it for a day or two are headache, but it's a good reminder for me :-P My friend who is a psychiatrist (but not mine) also really likes this particular drug--so her additional recommendation has made me feel good about taking it. Thank goodness for my benefits, it's a pricy one!