Side effects of Pristiq

Now my question is how best can I come off off 20mg of fluoxetine daily? The transition from desvenlafaxine to fluoxetine was very easy.

Hello! NOBODY should be weaning off this medication without advice from a doctor who knows what they are doing. Going cold turkey on this is DANGEROUS.
This tablet is extended release so It can't be cut and work quite the same. My doctor is kind and looks up stuff she doesn't know. So far my journey is going OK, but I'm still having withdrawal symptoms. I can't imagine going cold turkey bc the symptoms I have are awful.
I was on 50 mg, my doctor switched me to 25 mg for two weeks. Once I tolerated that change ( my side effects were nausea, light brain fog, not as bad as missing a pill. Now I'm on 25 mg every other day for two weeks. Everyday I don't take the pill I have brain fog, nausea, headache, I use the toilet a lot, am sleepy and irritable. Even though I'm a week, in the day I don't take a pill the symptoms are the same. If I can't tolerate this, there are options other than just doing every other day! My doctor said another option is to instead put me on Lexapro and start weaning using Lexapro, and you can cut Lexapro in half too. I may have to write her a message because I'm still trying to live my life and want less side effects while weaning off. It can be a long process!!
Please please do not try to do this yourself. See your doctor, do a telemed visit so you don't have to drive and see them. If your doctor doesn't seem to know that they are doing ask for a referral to someone who does because withdrawal is NOT easy even when doing a proper doctor overseen weaning method. Best of luck everyone!

Hi im in process of quitting Pristiq. 63 male 7 years on 100mg. Good drug if you want to be dumb and not worry about anything. Helped me from alcohol dependence. Now haven't had drink for 7 years yeee time to get my life back. So after reading all this lovely people story decided to quit Pristiq. One week 50mg second week 25mg now 3th day with 0mg. Got bad zaps yesterday but today is much better have filing im going to be good. Will post update. Ps. Sorry about my writing English is my second language

Hi im in process of quitting Pristiq. 63 male 7 years on 100mg. Good drug if you want to be dumb and not worry about anything. Helped me from alcohol dependence. Now haven't had drink for 7 years yeee time to get my life back. So after reading all this lovely people story decided to quit Pristiq. One week 50mg second week 25mg now 3th day with 0mg. Got bad zaps yesterday but today is much better have filing im going to be good. Will post update. Ps. Sorry about my writing English is my second language

Hi, you can get off of it, it will take some time, here is what I shared with a support group livng with mental illnesses and depression. You first need to change one thing with everything you do in a day. Meaning stop waking up to doing the same thing each morning, stop doing the same things as you go through the morning, stop doing the same things at lunch, the same for the rest of the day. What this means, you have been living one day to the next with about a 95% repeat of the things you did the day before. So, whats new in your life? What are habits? Habits are things you do without having to think about how to do them. Try to catching yourself doing two things at one time. This also means doing something and also thinking about something not relating to what you are doing. This is a bad habit. *You need to explore your five senses, eat something you have never tried, find new things to smell, listen to something different, engage in new ocnversations, walk away form the same old stuff, reach out to touch all surfaces, feel a flower, feel rough surfaces, feel running water on your hand, find new things to see. What this will do is stimulate your brain helping you to slowly come off your medication with little side effect.
Imagine having a sharp pain, the more you try to feel it, the stronger it will get. But, focusing on something new and different the pain isn't as bad. By doing new things, by taking risk to try something different while slowly over time reducing your intake of the medication will make it easier to get off of it. >I shared this with the group, four months later, a college girl told us she was able to reduce your med. intake by half and was feeling good enough to start dating again. by the time I left the group she was off her meds.
Change your daily habits. Explore your five senses. Find new things to do which means challenge yourself. Avoid interacting with wasteful conversations or activities which have no value. In the future, know that your brain can porduce any medication, all you need to do is change how you think. Thinking makes the brain produce good and bad chemicals

Hope u get this message since u posted 2012. But your symptons are how i feel. Absolutely awlful. Even tappering with 12.5 is not any easier. How long before you felt normal?

I wanted to post this to help anyone withdrawing or considering withdrawl from pristiq.I was taking 50 mg's per day for 2 years. I didn't want to take any drugs anymore. I wanted to "battle" on my own. No judgement - I hated my side effects from the drug. I experienced a signifigant lack of intrests in all things creative, sex, music (i am a life long musician) Also I felt it deadened my ability to be passionate about anything? I never actually "felt" anything while taking the drug? Before I started it I felt absolutely hopeless, if not for my animals I don't know what I may have done. ok - I decided 6 weeks ago I was getting off this drug. I spoke with my doctor and started to taper. 50 mg everyother day for 10 days, than I cut the pills in half(yes I know NOW there was a time release coating) for 10 days, than cut into quarters (12.5 mg's for 5 days, now 3 days completely off. IT HAS BEEN VERY DIFFICULT. This drug is a beast. Side effects have included horrible VIVID nightmares of betrayl, weird taste in my mouth, weird smells, weight all over the map, feeling like constant out of body experience, mood swings, despair, insomnia. But - it is getting better every day. There is life after pristiq... I have focussed through all of my symptoms on knowing - it is the withdrawl! NOT ME! Hard to do. But do able. Just know in your core it is the drug NOT YOU losing it. For me - it seems like this drug surpressed my emotions/feelings/issues the moment it got in my system and now i'm dealing with these issues again as I coming off the drug. I admit I am way better suited Now compared to 2 years ago to deal with these things and not everybody will be as "LUCKY" as I am, so just know that. Also, I let everyone close to me know what I was doing for support reasons. If anyone has any questions I would humbly lend advice and support. MY DOCTOR IS COMPLETELY INEPT AND INCOMPETENT RE: PRISTIQ AND ALL MATTERS RELATING TO PRISTIQ! Remember - you are NOT alone. Just reach out...