Connect
Like Pristiq, but feel as though I have no drive since I've been on it
I have been on Pristiq now for over two years 50mg. I am wanting to get off of it but not sure how I should go about it. I have heard about "Brain Zaps" and not quite sure what that means. Although I like Pristiq, I feel as though I have no drive to do anything since I have been on it. Has anyone else had this feeling?
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Depression & Anxiety Support Group.
Connect
Ok, first talk to your doctor. I was on 50mg for 2 1/2 years and then 100mg for 6 mo. The feeling you are having are common. Check out the Pristiq withdrawal discussion board. You are not alone!!! I am now no longer on Pristiq and took my final pill 4 weeks ago. I started feeling happy about life again about 2 weeks ago. Yes you will have withdrawal symptoms and brain zaps. The brain zaps are your neurotransmitters firing in your brain and you can hear them and feel them. I stopped the medication because even I started noticing that something had really changed in me after my doctor upped my dosage. I was having hyperhidrosis (heavy sweating). It took me 3 weeks to taper off but now I am getting my groove back. I felt like you, no drive for anything. Emotionally I felt flat and I knew it was not good. You must taper off Pristiq as it changes your brain chemistry and you have to give it time to get back to normal. Do not go cold turkey because of the bad symptoms you can have. When you read the other discussion board you will see how others have tapered off. I love my doctor, but these medications are not for long term use and should be monitored better. You do not want Seratonin Syndrome which can be caused from long term use of this classification type drug. My doc wanted me to taper for only a week, but that really scared me so I came up with my own after reading what others had done. Check out this link to read about this drug and then talk to your doctor about getting off of it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin-norepinephrine_reuptake_inhibitor
Good luck to you and let me know how you are!
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsThank you so much! I will check out the other post and keep you posted:)
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionI am also on the Pristiq withdrawal board. Lots of input and so supportive! Keep in touch...there is so much so much shared on the discussion board and I have found it to be like therapy for me. It is support with something we all have in common, depression and this horrible medication. We lift each other up!
Hi! Thanks for responding! I am starting my withdrawal symptoms it is day 2 without one. I am going to take one tomorrow. So far it is just dizziness, when I turn my head or cut my eyes. I know it will be worth it when I am Pristiq free!! Thank you for your support:)
Yes you will...be strong, I know it is hard but the freedom is worth it. I feel so good again and you will too!
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionI was shocked at the side effects being on it. I didn't realize that they were caused by the medicine until I was reading through the forums! I have never had much of a weight problem, but I am hungry all the time! Also my lack of motivation to do something simple like go visit my sister! It was all I could do to leave the house to do the simplest errand! Also about a year after I was started it, I was put on blood pressure medicine. I know that could also be heredity talking, my dad has high blood pressure. What kind of side effects did you have while on the medicine?
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionHi there...was going to write you yesterday but had a internet connection issue. The side effects really snuck up on me. It was not until I was on the 100mg dose that I really started noticing them. But, it all started to make sense to me when I realized that I had been having them for quite some time but the higher dose just accentuated them. I lost all desire to do anything, and like you my appetite was out of control! I felt like just a slug and my emotions became non-emotional. My BP was slightly elevated but my cardiologist put me on a med. My brain suffered also. Those and with the heavy sweating, it was taking a toll on me. I became so desperate to get off of Pristiq because the damage it was doing to me physically, emotionally and mentally. I am now back to myself and am working out at the gym to get back into shape. I already was overweight but the extra 20# I gained made things worse. The medication is not monitored enough by the docs that are prescribing it. For me I feel that all of the medications for depression are just plain bad. We all want the quick fix, and yes depression is a real medical problem, but all doctors need to monitor the long term issue with the medications. It is like a whiplash effect. The longer you are on them the more it screws with your brain chemistry. So I am choosing to never be on them again, and I am finding ways to cope without drugs. For me personally, depression will always be there but never will I ever let a drug company almost destroy me the way this one did. How beneficial is a drug that makes you stop living life? Let me know how you are doing, I am feeling your anxiety of going off but you can do it! Your happy self will come back and we are all here to support you!
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionThank you very much! It is such a great feeling to know that I am not alone on this journey! I Agree with you I do not want to take any more medicine! I have been on one or another AD for almost 25 years now! It is time to take control!
Well it sounds like you are on the road to recovery! I can even begin to tell you how different I feel being off of it. My happiness has come back and I am so much more active now. Now the next challenge is the weight gain that I put on. It is slowly coming off and I am going to the gym. It is empowering to me to walk the treadmill and do the circuit training, and it does help stave off poor emotional well being. I no longer believe that pills do not help depression but make it worse. But, with that said, it is my own personal take on it. True depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain. The pills help get things back in order, but for long term. You eventually need to go off...and I think that because we have become such a instant gratification society and everything fixed now, pills are now that way. I know what caused my depression and I now deal with it. I am excited for us both, and I want to know how you are doing...
So far so good! I have had mild withdrawals compared to a lot of the stories I read! My main thing was dizziness. It is day 8 without Pristiq and I feel so much better. I actually feel like doing things. I have had a few emotional moments but I expect that. I have started walking on my neighborhood before work every morning, I am a single mom so I can't afford a gym right now, but I will do what I can:-) How are you?