I thought I'd add my voice to this discussion. I'm a 52 year old female, and started taking Pristiq in late 2011, 50 mg, for mild anxiety. I just wanted to not feel so stressed all the time, and my doctor was happy to let me try medicating it. The Pristiq didn't help with my anxiety; learning my own coping mechanisms is the way to go.

It's now Saturday 8/31/13 and I have been trying to stop Pristiq for about a month, because I don't want to be taking something I don't need. Plus, I had the shortness of breath, and had gained a lot of weight on it (much of which I've lost in the last several months through a nutrition and exercise program). I tried putting myself on a schedule of taking it every 27 hours for a week, then every 30 hours, then every 36 hours, etc. - gradually increasing the time between doses. I did ok until I got to every 48 hours, and then it was the ping-pong effect of one day ok (after taking a pill), then the next day feeling brain zaps, dizziness, and nausea.

So last Sunday I decided to grit my teeth and quit cold turkey. The last pill I took was last Saturday night, so the first dose I skipped was Sunday night. Thus, I count Monday as my first day off the drug. The week has been rough, but I still managed to go to work and do the things I need to do. I've had brain zaps, tinnitus, and vertigo. The brain zaps lessened a couple of days go and the tinnitus became more prevalent. The vertigo is the main thing bothering me - I feel nauseous in a carsick kind of way. I'm about to go get some "coculus indicus" which someone I trust told me is a homeopathic remedy for nausea. I've read this forum and haven't been able to discern what the consensus is for how long the withdrawal symptoms generally last, but I am really hoping that by the start of the next work week I'm doing better.

One thing I've noticed is that when I go to the gym and work out (lifting), it makes the worst of the symptoms go away for a little while. That's the best relief I've found, besides stuffing my face with food, which also works. But I don't want to gain weight through the withdrawal process.

This post is kind of rambling .. which is another symptom of the withdrawal ... my thoughts have been disjointed and I keep finding myself losing my train of thought. Oh, and I've been having crazy, epic dreams at night. I will be so glad when I'm back to normal.