Side effects of Pristiq

Thanks for sharing your post. Most/all of my comments are from 2013 but there are pre2013 contributions here.

Hang in there as the withdrawal eventually gets easier (read my comments below). If you Google 'surviving antidepressants' you will find a good forum that helps with managing AD WDs.

Wishing you the best.

SUCCESS STORY HERE!!!

I am on day 11 of being Pristiq free!
After reading the forums, I was overwhelmed with information. I had no idea that this medication was so horrible to stop taking. I had been taking it for well over 5 years. I was having a difficult time with situational depression and then just kept taking it. Life will always have something to throw my way, so I just kept filling the script. I didn't want to go on another med to get off a med, it just didn't make sense.

There were so many suggestions on here on what people had tried to do. It's a travesty of justice that the medical profession doesn't have accountability when prescribing to have an exit strategy as well. This pill doesn't come with one.

I tried taking one pill every other day for a few days, then just decided cold turkey was my best option. I informed my husband as well as a coworker of the possible side effects I had read about. I was fully aware that this could be risky, but it motivated me all the more to pull the plug and get it out of my system. Taking one every other day or cutting them seemed to have it's own realm of problems.

Even after taking for over 5 years, I haven't had any horrible symptoms as I've read other's experiencing. I haven't had any brain zaps,dizziness, lack of energy, etc. I believe after reading so many negatives, it helped that I was so determined to make this a positive experience. I also think your brain can trick you into being submissive to letting go of something you think is helping you to not feel depressed. I can't miss a week of work to lay in bed! I made myself more active also. Spent more time working in my garden, reading during my lunch breaks at the park, etc.

Let me also add for those thinking I have it too easy. My 16 year old daughter just informed me 4 days ago that she's going to live with her dad. It has been several days of trauma and drama. I made it through it. I'm at work, I'm dealing with it. I'm moving forward. I'm ok. I'm in charge of my life and my body.

Keep in mind that when I read through hundreds of these posts I couldn't find one person that said they came off this med without horror stories. So, here's one story.... so far so good. 11 days in and I'm not going back, not ever. My energy level (which I thought Pristiq was helping) is gaining momentum again. Oh yeah.... and these pills will dull sensations in your sex drive.... that comes back too!! BONUS!

I trust in my body and my brain and I listen to what it is telling me. I'm shocked that I'm not having adverse results, but I'm thriving in the success... not looking for the failure.

Good luck everyone. I hope this one small bit of success gives someone else the hope to know there is a way out.

Have you had any success with this method?

So glad to have found all these extremely helpful suggestions! I'm on day 6 Pristiq-free and I basically decided to quit cold turkey because we can no longer afford it and we're planning to conceive in a few months anyway.

So far I've had vertigo, dizziness, nausea, extreme irritability and today a major mood swing but I think that has more to do with the fact that my oldest started kindergarten although I'm sure coming down from an SNRI doesn't help the situation.

I got some Dramamine and a daily Vitamin today after reading this thread and noticing a lot of people said that helped. I really hope those will help me because it's hard to function as a mom when I can't stand for any significant period of time due to the vertigo and dizziness.

I'm a little concerned about my depression coming back, it's landed me in the hospital when I was switched off pristiq and onto effexor due to cost, so I'm hoping I don't end up with the panic attacks and suicidial ideation that the effexor gave me. Pristiq, when I'm on it makes me feel normal, not his strung or frustrated or anxious, just normal, happy even. So it will be interesting to see if I can maintain mental health while off it.

An upside already is that sex is way more enjoyable, it was okay when I was on Pristiq but I've definetly noticed a difference in my ability to be all there during intimacy which is awesome. Acheiving orgasm is a lot easier as well, so there's some hope for others that are coming off this medication.

So the Dramamine was effective in that it curbed the vertigo and dizziness but it also made me basically pass out at 7:30 pm last night, I'm on day 7 and I had minimal dizziness. I've felt a big foggy but today I had more energy and motivation than I've had in the past 6 days combined. Today was the first day I started on women's one a day so that may have had something to do with it. It's getting better every day!

My daughter has been off Pristiq for 6 weeks now. The withdrawal was horrific, particularly during the first 3 weeks, but we saw many good days so we knew we were doing the right thing getting here off meds (under doctor's order sand supervision). We thought the worst had passed after two good weeks, but the last three days have been rough-- leg spasms, brain zaps, rage and sadness. Did anyone else find this--that recovery wasn't a straight line, but a dance: two steps forward one step back?

As, I type this I am on day 4 on withdrawals and its horrific. I would not wish this on my worst enemy and I have some pretty bad hatred towards that person. I am 31years old, and had to call my mom over this morning to help take care of me because I felt like I was gonna die. My husband got off months ago and still has "brain zaps and fogginess" but this is the 2nd time I have ran out and could not afford to get mine filled and its the same symptoms. I feel like I have the flu, with chills Today. Nausea, with vomiting, diarrhea, vertigo symptoms, foggy headedness. Migraine headaches that go beyond normal pain and extreme crying and moodswings and rage ..rage that is not normal. This medicine is tearing my family apart. It should be pulled from the market with a law suit. I have taken anti depressants since I was 17. Nothing has ever done this to me. No one should ever have to go through this. Good luck to those that r one it. I feel for u. I don't know who I am any more.

I've been off of Pristiq for several weeks now and haven't felt this good in years. I was on 50mg daily before went to every other day for 2 weeks. After that, I discontinued it completely. I had the brain zaps, a few mood swings and a bit of fogginess for about a week before they began to diminish. This was the third attempt at discontinuing Pristiq and I made sure I had a well balanced diet and added a little caffeine and tylenol at every meal and spent time outdoors walking, working in the gardening, volunteering at the local church a few days and keeping focused on something other than the side effects and I'm convinced that helped in the success. In the interests of full disclosure, I have COPD (stage 2) and diabetes which my physician thought would make it more difficult.....but I did it. I feel better now that I ever have when I was on the Pristiq ( and Effexor before that) and never thought that it would be like that. It's frustrating that the pharmaceuticals don't offer any advice on how to wean, but my physician and I worked it out. Hang in there because the reward is worth the fight!

I'm now 1 month off of Pristiq. I'm so very thankful that I'm off. Energy level is still coming back. I will never go on an antidepressant again. Going cold turkey worked for me. I didn't have any of the brain zaps or other horrible things I see a lot of people have had. I have been keeping physically active which helps a lot. I was using energy drinks previously to help me keep up with my busy lifestyle, I have cut way back on them. I was often taking 2 forms of them a day.
I feel way less susceptible to mood swings now, and am able to regulate my moods much easier without so much stress. Wonder what Pristiq did in the first place?

I have just joined in this discussion. I forgot to get my refill and went either 2 or 3 days without. Oh how bad that is!!! I did get the refill today and will see my doctor tomorrow, as I really want to get her permission and instructions on tapering off. I tried once before and had all of this swimming head and such. The past couple of days I seem to have lost some bladder control. Only some. Has anyone experienced this symptom as they went off of Pristiq? Thanks for any response.