I successfully tapered off Pristiq. I took 100mg every day for almost 6 years. I also took Clonazepam 0.5mg as needed to help me sleep. When I realized I was in a place in my life where I felt good and secure, and was trying to get pregnant - I tapered off the Clonazepam. Next, when I found out I was indeed pregnant (yay!) I saw my doctor and we came up with a plan to taper the Pristiq. In Canada we only have 50mg and 100mg. No 25mg option. So I was nervous about withdrawal when it got down to the nitty gritty. (Especially because if I would accidentally miss a dose in the past... I would be sick and wonky within 10 hours of a missed dose)... Moving on; As there are no significant studies on Pristiq throughout the entire length of pregnancy, I did not want to risk taking it in my 2nd and 3rd trimester. It is unknown if it actually causes trouble for an unborn child, but it's suggested it might cause trouble if taken towards the end of pregnancy. Timing worked out for me as I was actually ready to come off, and I took my time doing it. After reading horror stories about brain zaps and bad withdrawal symptoms - I am here to tell you a positive story that involves basically ZERO withdrawal effects. My plan: As I said, I was taking 100mg every day for 6 years. So for three weeks, I took 100mg one day, 50 the next, 100, 50, 100, 50... etc. Then I took 50mg a day for three weeks straight. Then I took 50mg every 36 hours for about a week ( a step I added on my own accord ) I felt ready to skip to 48 hours between doses at this point. So I did that for another 2 weeks. Then I took a few doses every third day until I took a leap of faith and stopped dosing to see how I would feel. At this point I had just entered my second trimester of pregnancy. And VOILA! It's been about 2 weeks off of the drug... and besides for feeling tired - I literally had NO withdrawal symptoms. There is HOPE! Take your time. I really wanted to share my story and my taper system for getting off of this drug. It worked soo well for me for a very long time! It made me come out of my shell, gave me confidence and really helped my general anxiety about everything life had to offer up. But if you want to, and you're ready to come off of this drug.... It is entirely possible!!! Good luck! (Pro Tip: I always set an alarm on my phone so my doses were very scheduled)