Weaning off of Pristiq

nrodgers I am so sorry to hear about your plight with pristig and how it is making you feel. I have been on pain relievers and other meds for all sorts of reasons and really had to have the mind set to get off them. But it is important to ween off them safely so not to harm you in any way. With all your concerns with meds and it effect on you and your family please come back and feel free to discuss any concerns you may have connect is here for you and all of your concerns

Hi I just joined here! My doctor has me taking Pristiq every other day! I'm having a horrible sweats and anxiety and I feel like I'm going to die is this normal? It's really really scaring me

Hi @colletta26. It's been a couple of weeks since you starting weaning off Pristiq. How are you doing?

has anyone developed a itchy skin rash when stopping pristiq?

people have not reported itchy skin rash when stopping pristiq

I'm in the process of weaning off Pristiq. I gained 35 pounds since starting it less than a year ago. I'm curious, has anyone successfully lost the weight after weaning off Pristiq? I

Hi, @gypsygirl. I note you had a question related to taking off weight following tapering off Pristiq. I’m tagging a few other members who’ve had experience with this drug in hopes that they will chime in about their experiences. @cathy615 @solveig @jpbc @lalaland @nativefloridian @chrissyt @lbgr1960

About 10 years ago, a psychiatrist put me on 200 mg.of Pristiq. After I turned 62, I developed painful stomach irritation. It became so bad that I could only eat small amounts of bland food. I was constantly hungry but couldn't eat. I had an endoscopy. The diagnoses was mild to moderate stomach and esophageal irritation. The biopsy was normal. My liver and pancreatic enzymes were normal. I tested negative for hepatitis B and C. A sonogram showed that I had no gallbladder stones. My gastroenterologist didn't know why my stomach was so irritated. She said something like, "You're probably an acid maker." I was already taking 60 mg. of Dexilent which did nothing to relieve the pain.

I started doing my own research and discovered that I was on an excessive dose of Pristiq; that the normal dose is 50 mg. When I questioned my psychiatrist, he said that he had patients on 800 mg. Then, I noticed that my stomach pain became much worse about an hour after I took my dose of Pristiq. I read that the drug itself is basic, so I thought that my gastric irritation was related to a neurotransmitter issue. The entire episode was an education. I found out that many physicians view psychiatrists with disdain. One physician told me: "They're not real doctors. They're legal drug pushers; that the chemical imbalance theory for any mental illness has never been proven and that science doesn't completely understand how neurotransmitters work and interact with each other."

Be that as it may, I found another psychiatrist who was willing to help me taper off Pristiq. I was worried about withdrawal effects because I read horror stories from other patients who tried to withdraw. The primary problem is that the smallest dose of Pristiq is 25 mg. I read that to avoid withdrawal effects, one should withdraw no more than 10% a month from the dose you're on. So if you are on 200 mg., it would be a 20 mg. drop. Then, you'd be on 180 mg., so you would need to drop down by 18 mg. The amount titrated would need to keep getting smaller after every drop in dosage. I wasn't sure what to do. I read about getting Pristiq compounded into a slow release liquid but I knew that would be expensive. So I decided upon a different course.

I knew that vigorous exercise can mitigate the withdrawal effects from almost anything. Exercise causes the body to make natural chemicals that block withdrawal effects. A number of years ago, I read an article written by an opium addict who was going through a medically supervised withdrawal. It was at a time when opium was legal and could be purchased at any pharmacy in a form called Laudanum. Many unfortunate souls became addicts. The article's author mentioned something interesting: Every patient was experiencing agonizing muscle spasms except for one. This one patient walked 10 miles a day. Evidently, the exercise relieved his withdrawal. I decided to exercise vigorously every day. I walked at a rapid pace for half an hour and then either lifted light weights or did yoga. My entire workout took about 2 hours. When I titrated by the first 25 mg. I felt no withdrawal effects. As I got lower, I felt mostly psychological symptoms. I didn't feel depressed, however. I was experiencing strong feelings that I didn't understand. For example, I would become angry by things people said to me that I found hurtful. I would break down in tears when reading a poem. Luckily, I had an excellent clinical psychologist who helped me to understand what I was going through. And this is the key. One really needs a connection to someone with the intelligence and insight to act as a guide. My guide was a depth psychologist. I was very fortunate to find him. It wasn't easy, though. I went shopping for a therapist. I viewed each session with a new therapist as a job interview. I was doing the hiring. They had to meet my needs. I didn't fall for the authority figure nonsense. Nobody knows everything and even the best make mistakes. That is how we humans learn, by making mistakes. I also knew that many people become therapists in order to solve their own problems. There are many destructive therapists out there. But the few good ones make up for it all. I knew my search for a therapist would have to be objective and systematic. I refused to allow myself to fall into any traps. Some bad therapists will try to play on your weaknesses to make you feel insecure. One in particular, when I told her she wasn't for me, said that if I don't let her help me, nobody would be able to. I saw through her. I had already lived too long to fall for such nonsense. (Although I do remember telling her, "You sure have a very high opinion of yourself." She didn't like that but I didn't care.) One needs a dose of arrogant determination to go through the maze of the mental health system. And never fall for the kind therapist who wants to take care of you. It's another ruse to take away your autonomy. A good therapist will act as a guide and always encourage your independence.

Well, I'm completely off the Pristiq now. I'm grateful that I can weep from a beautiful poem or piece of music. When I get angry, I accept that part of myself. Yes, it's normal to get angry. What's not normal is to go through life in a drugged out stupor like a zombie. It took me a long time to reach this point of emotional health. I still have work to do. It never ends. I sincerely hope that my experience will help others overcome their fears and live a richer life.

Hi, @gagelle -- I wanted to add my welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I moved your post over here to this thread so that you could meet some other members who have talked about Pristiq. I am glad to hear that you have gotten through your tapering journey with this medication.

Wondering what your original diagnosis was and what symptoms you were experiencing at the time you were prescribed Pristiq?

Hi Teresa,
Thank you for your interest and kind words.
My stomach sensitivity has improved but I can see that it will take time to heal completely. However, something unexpected happened right after I went off Pristiq. I was suffering from hypertension for several years and being treated with a beta blocker. This drug didn't really bring my blood pressure to a level recommended by The American Heart Association. My physician would have me do some deep breathing to bring my pressure down to a level that she thought was acceptable. She didn't want to increase the dose of my beta blocker because I also developed a certain kind oh hypotension. (I forget the name.) My systolic and diastolic numbers were too close to each other and I would get dizzy when abruptly sitting up. I recently discovered the cause: She recommended an herbal tea to soothe my stomach that ha a high level of black licorice extract. I found out that beta blockers, when combined with licorice, can produce hypotension. When I told her about my discovery, she accepted it but became somewhat cold and defensive. (Methinks it's time to find a new physician.)

To continue, I knew that my pressure was still too high. I once told her that I don't have her with me all the time to get my pressure down and voiced my concern. She said that it's normal for blood pressure to fluctuate throughout the day. But I was getting resting readings of 148/90. As soon as I went off the Pristiq, my blood pressure went down to 120/76. I wasn't surprised by this. Years ago when I was on Effexor, I remember my psychiatrist almost in a panic one day because it was revealed that Effexor can cause hypertension. (I'm assuming that you know the close relationship between Effexor and Pristiq.) So something significant did abruptly improve after cessation of Pristiq.