I have been taking Pristiq for over 10 years. I also take 50mg of Lamital. It seems to make Pristiq work more effectively. It works very well for me. I was previously on Prozac for 10 years and though I felt it saved my life, it affected my personality by making me a bit more aggressive. I would find my self interrupting others as we conversed. After 10 years it stopped working. I switched to Pristiq and found I was more authentic. I started at 100mg and soon I started cutting the tablets in half. Even though it the time release tablet with the heavy coating, cutting them in half works fine for me. I don’t think it adds weight per se but I do think it increased my appetite, especially craving sweets. Also, unlike Prozac, if I miss my dose, I feel the effects within a couple hours..as though I am coming down with a cold..brain fog, dull headache. So here’s my latest experience. Being retired and very physically active and happy, a year ago I decided to stop taking it by tapering then quitting. The withdrawal effects are terrible. I thought I had lapsed into another depression because I had just gotten Covid and went through Hurricane Ian at the same time so I jumped back on the meds. This year I started weaning off again and had read about withdrawal. So I stuck it out for about 6 weeks . Again withdrawal is rough but after I got through it I felt better than ever and thought I could finally live without these meds even if I needed occasional intervention. That lasted about 2 months and I took a nosedive. April 1 I gave in and started back on the meds. I was feeling like everyone and everything was doomed no matter how much I exercised, journaled, prayed and socialized. Exactly 30 days later, the switch went on and I felt myself again. I am so bummed that I had to return to meds but I can’t live my life in a state of utter despair. If I can find some other remedy I will but for now I have no alternative. I understand that Pristiq is banned in Europe but haven’t yet found out why. Hope this helps.