Hey @taperchase - I'm also very interested in exploring psychedelics for long term treatment of my anxiety. The research so far looks VERY promising. Psilocybin looks to be effective in many cases.

For myself, I'm tapering down Pristiq so that I can participate in a clinical trial of LSD for anxiety - I passed the initial screening. Hoping that analysis/treatment for my jaw issues (likely ameloblastoma recurrence) won't preclude me continuing to the active phase of the trial.

After trying several other options my GP wanted to try, I was started on 50mg/day of Pristiq (desvenlavaxine). It was moderately effective. After 6 weeks, GP wanted us to try 100mg/day since it was only moderately effective. I just couldn't tolerate the (depressive) side effects, and called it after about 2 weeks*, dropped down to 75mg. After another 3-4 weeks, I had to drop down to 50mg, which was tolerable. Not great for dealing with the anxiety, but tolerable.

Stuck with 50mg for months, then for the trial noted above I tapered to 25mg, which really spiked the anxiety for about a week - but it smoothed out after that. We'll see what happens when I end it entirely. My current plan is to stick with 25mg for at least another week or two.

*Already been down this road with other meds to help address my anxiety such as Fluoxetine (Prozac). Starter dose of a med, and I have only moderate relief from the anxiety. GP decides we should try a higher dose, which ends up being too much. Too much means I get to experience Major Depressive Disorder.

Possible TMI ahead: As an aside (since this is the Pristiq thread after all) - I found that Prozac was ridiculously effective at suppressing libido, something I consider a really bad side effect. I've been a 1+ time a day guy for over 30 years. Prozac cut that down to once a month at best. That did NOT help my self esteem or confidence, and really made me feel guilty I simply couldn't meet my partner's needs. Not exactly helpful for dealing with anxiety/depression