1, is pristiq even used for anxiety? i went on the website and read NOTHING that said GAD/panic.
2. my doc said i can just cut my klonopin dosage back to .25 mg am/pm today. no need to taper down since its only been 2 weeks? im not too sure about that? should i just taper down anyways, and if so how do i do it?
thanks for any help!
Only thing to worry about with snris is they are stimulating because of their effect on norepeniphrine, so they're not usually used if anxiety is the main problem. If anxiety is the result of depression, that's a different story. Also, Pristiq is basically Effexor, so if the Effexor gave you problems, you might want to think about taking what is mostly the same thing updated to get more patent protection, kind of like Celexa and Lexapro. Not exactly the same drug, but very similar.
Yeah i know cymbalta isnt a SSRI its jus that use both word so often that when im typin fast i might confuse them, you are right and it's a SNRIS ( serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor ) sorry for the confusion it may have lead to. But thanks for corecting me it's really important to me to be always right when talking about meds.
Have you ever been on an anti anxiety med before? I'm kind of surprised your Dr would have you on Pristiq alone for anxiety if you don't have depression. It's true that antidepressant meds can help with anxiety but Pristiq is usually prescribed along with an antidepressant if it's not helping much. Can you get in to see your Dr to talk about getting off the Pristiq and getting on an anti anxiety med?
I've been on provigil for a year and a half now- as needed (my job requires shift work). I also take pristiq for anxiety in which I've had for many years. In the last six months I've been dealing with w lot of troubling events that have taken a toll on me, my emotions, my stress level. In the last month or so I've noticed that I get really bad anxiety/nervousness about ten minutes after taking my provigil. It never used to do that before.
I think you already saw a doctor for all this since you are taking Klonopin which is used to treat anxiety and Pristiq which is used to treat depression.
It is normal to be feeling like this when starting the treatment. May i ask you how long you have been taking those meds? It can take up to 1 months before you can see the benefits.
I have been on Zoloft 150mg for about a week and feel more agitated, nervous, anxiety and still depressed so my psychiatrist just added Abilify (5mg) and Remeron along with a thyroid RX to my Zoloft 150mg. I feel this is way too much as I was hoping to change to a different SSRI instead but he didn't feel that would help. I've been taking Ativan .
By the way, it makes no difference whatsoever if a drug got an indication as a treatment for anxiety or not. None of the antidepressants had an indication for anxiety treatment until years after they were commonly used for that -- they were all originally and only approved to treat depression. Some of them went back and got new certification to be used for certain types of anxiety to extend patent protection and some didn't, but they were used for it anyway.
I have been on Pristiq for anxiety for 4 days and my Dr said to cut the pill in half bcus im so sensitive to meds. My question is that I looked on the Pristic website and it says it's for depression and im dealing with panic and agoraphobia. My question is will this help even tho its just for depression? Im just confused now!!
I'm on week 3 of Pristiq after Cymbalta pooped out on me after 5 successful yrs on it. First tried to switch me to Zoloft and that made me worse (February 2014). Until 3 weeks ago, they tried to add things to the Cymbakta (Abilify, buspar) but it wasn't working (for deoression/anxiety). 3 weeks ago to Pristiq 50mg.
When I first started taking medication for anxiety and depression, I took Effexor. Over aobut 2 months, I gradually felt better. My doctor prescribed Valium along with the Effexor until the med kicked in and we got the dose set. Having both worked very well for me. As the Effexor kicked in we weaned off the Valium. I took Effexor 75 mg for three years with very good results (I promise I will get to Prisiq soon.
Thanks for your reply. She was on Topamax and Pristiq for about 4 years, for depression and anxiety. Last spring her Dad and I noticed bazaar behavior starting, horrible mood swings, not just teenage hormones, but violent outburst, self harm (she's been a cutter since she was 14, and had stopped for a good two years) she was loosing all her friends because of her moods.
The above post doesn't appear accurate to me -- Pristiq is not usually prescribed as an adjunct to another antidepressant. It is the newer version of Effexor, is very strong, is a very stimulating antidepressant so isn't usually used if anxiety is the primary problem unless all other meds have failed to work, and can be very difficult to stop taking.
I was on Pristiq for about 5 months. I absolutely loved it when I was on it. I was a bit dizzy when I first started taking it, but that went away in no time. I am also on Wellbutrin. My therapist and group therapist find it funny when I talk about how much I love my medicine. I know it sounds weird but to see how I was before taking it and to see how I was just weeks after made a huge difference!
This class of drugs is stimulating as it targets norepinephrine as well as serotonin, and is usually not used for primary anxiety as a result. Ssris don't target norepinephrine, so it should be less stimulating. The only thing I'd be concerned about is the lack of history of use with this newer drug, but that's baseball.
Is this a psychiatrist or a general doc? And is your problem depression or anxiety, as both meds you're using are stimulating meds not usually used for primary anxiety. Doesn't mean they won't work, but it sounds as if you're being treated for primary depression, which may be the case. The ssris would normally be used first for primary anxiety, and they also tend to be more likely to promote weight gain as they're not as stimulating.
And I should add, though anti-depressants such as pristiq aren't technically addictive, they can be hard to quit for many people. That's why I say, if you need them you need them, but if you don't, you don't.
Not having taken Pristiq personally, I couldn't say for sure, but it sounds like maybe you're a bit under the weather, and having increased anxiety from the withdrawal as well.
You're still taking the Klonopin on schedule, I assume? I wouldn't worry much. Like Greenlydia said, you could always ring the local pharmacist, though to be honest, as much schooling as they get, they probably won't know much more.
m glad it worked good for me for a while but than for me my head hurt all the time and then I never was able to sleep, so she put me on tradozone, I don't know when you take it ..at night it was best for me with a bottle of water. In 3 weeks i'm going to start lexipro I hope that works for me. There are side effects to watch out for google pristiq and do some reading about it that is how I learned alot about this medication. Hope this works for you. Write back soon!
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