My best advice is to go back to your famly doctor. Tell him
or her that you feel Pristiq is not working for you. That you feel that Pristiq
has made you gain weight and that you now have carb cravings that you
never had before and that you want to stop taking Pristiq. A friend of mine
was prescribed a drug by her family doctor which created similiar side
effects as you have described.
Gained lots of weight on Effexor. On Pristiq kept gaining weight plus my period never came back (2 months). Stopped Pristiq cold turkey because my doc told me it was either this (tablet should not be cut...risk of serotonyne syndrome) or going back to Effexor and counting beads.
It´s been 2 weeks and I feel strong spasms in my brain. Like something is pressuring it, especially in the back of my head. Frequency varies along day. For 6 hours or so the spasms occur 2 times every minute.
I am on Armour Thyroid for Hypothyroidism, Pristiq for depression, Protonix for GERD and HRT. I know the Pristiq can cause it, but the dry mouth started years after I started the Pristiq. I just sent my doctor an email questioning whether Thyroid problems can cause dry mouth. Anyone have any ideas or answers? Thanks!
I was on Effexor XR for a few months, but I couldn't take getting sick whenever I forgot to take a dose. My doctor switched me to Pristiq, which works the same way as effexor.
I haven't had any problems with weight gain on either of the meds, though. I've actually lost a bit of weight since starting pristiq. I've been on it for months and my depression and anxiety have been put in their place!
Your eating habits may have changed a bit.
I came off Lexapro 20mg (was not working anymore) and my doctor put me on Pristiq 50mg and xanax. The pristiq is working good but after a couple of months now I am not so sure. I take the Xanax at night because it helps me sleep.
I am a 45 year old male and suffer from GAD and mild deppresion. Should I try something stronger or seek therapy or what? Has anyone else experienced this or on Pristiq? I feel like I am sputtering out here. Any help very much appreciated.
Your general doc is wrong, of course. This is why you see a psychiatrist. And my guess is, if these drugs are working, your problem very well may be depression, especially if wellbutrin worked -- it's one of the most stimulating of the antidepressants which is why it doesn't cause the weight gain that most antidepressants cause.
I took 50mg of Pristiq and it definitely helped me. It is also weight neutral and for me at least, the sexual side effects were less than other ADs. They were still there though.
I am currently trying to come off Pristiq and I've been switched to an equivalent dose of Effexor. They are very similar chemically and not easy to come off of for most. I have found the Effexor much harder to come off of than Celexa, although that was hard too.
Two years ago a new doctor gave me Zoloft but it made me gain weight, which is an issue for me. My depression started as a teenager because I was overweight, and I know I became a very insecure adult with low self esteem, in great part because of this. Switched back to Prozac and things remained the same, though I managed to lose the extra weight. Some months ago my mother died and everything really went downhill.
All antipsychotics CAN make you gain weight, but some are worse than others. Geodon is supposed to be weight neutral, and Abilify mostly weight neutral (won't make you gain or lose). Saphris has gotten a lot of good reviews in the weight department, and I believe Latuda has as well, but these are both still brand only, which might affect insurance coverage (and will affect cost).
Unfortunately, there's no way to know for sure if a med will cause you problems without trying it first.
From my personal experance, effexor is horrible, when i took it i would get chills on the left side and sometimes get so dizzy with it i would fall over. it is very strong stuff. everyone is different though.
Effexor and Pristiq are related but Pristiq is a structurally novel compound. They have the same active metobolite (which is thought to have the beneficial effects) but Pristiq has succinate salt added to it which allows for a predictable concentration of the medication. What all this means is that most patients will be able to stay at the starting dose of 50 mg with very good results.
Hi:
I have general anxiety with a tendency towards social anxiety. I used to have panic attacks but haven't had one in a couple years. I also suffer with depression. What drug has helped you? I am now taking Klonopin for the anxiety and Prozac for depression. I would like to cut the Klonopin or at least cut down (now taking 1 mg/day). The Prozac isn't helping my depression at all and I have given it months to work.
I am taking Pristiq and not sure if it helps or not. I was taking Eflexor 225 mg daily and this pristiq is only 50 mg. The withdrawal from Eflexor was terrible. Had nightmares and felt like I was fading away while trying to fall asleep. What does low magnesium have to do with depression? Never heard of that before. Can you get this over the counter?
Lamictal is in a completely different drug class than Abilify, and tends to be very weight neutral. All of the atypical antipsychotics, like Abilify, can cause weight gain, although some are less likely to. That drug class is known for it. Lamictal is an anticonvulsant, and a lot of those (except for depakote) are weight neutral. I don't think you have anything to worry about in the weight department.
Make sure to take your Lamictal exactly as prescribed.
I have a script for Pristiq..has anyone taken this antidepressant? I read too much and it states on drugs.com that side effects can be nausea (which I am totally suffering from), dizziness and scared to start taking it...have been diagnosed with PTSD, GAD and am a nervous wreck. Would starting Pristiq now cause even more uncomfortable stuff? Doctor does not know about hydro addiction which I stopped 4 days ago...very proud of myself...but feel totally alone...no one in family knows.
I take seroquel, pristiq, oxcarbazepine, clonopin, and depakote. They work very well together, however, the weight gain on this cocktail of meds is incredible. I went from 190 to a staggering 261. I exercise everyday and all I see is my weight climbing. I would love to find the pills that would have the same effect and not cause an increase in weight. Sadly there isn't such a pill, yet. I enjoy being somewhat normal, so I will take the weight gain that comes with it for now.
First of all, is the doctor a geriatric psychiatrist? I'm guessing not, as Pristiq isn't for anxiety, it's a stimulating antidepressant. It's also very hard to stop taking. When it works for anxiety it's usually because the cause is depression -- this class of drugs targets norepinephrine as well as serotonin, and the former is basically adrenaline.
Recommended
