Has anyone successfully tapered off Pristiq? If so, what was your plan? I am considering going off this medicine. I take 50 mg per day and have done so for about 2 years. I understand there are very significant withdrawal symptoms and I would like to stop taking Pristiq because it causes my heart to race when the time release happens. I am afraid this medicine may not be good for the heart because the clinical trials state that anyone with a heart condition was not allowed to take it.
Also shttp://survivingantidepressants.org/ is another community with a very active forum.
Liked by Shellirosecat
I took 100 mg Zoloft for depression for 8 years and tapered off it this summer. I had my annual gyn exam and was told that loss of libido could be attributed to it. When I visited my Primary doc in August, he suggested Pristiq, and gave me a few samples and a scrip for 50 mg. I began taking it on Aug 26. In retrospect, I feel foolish for not having done more research before I began taking it. I began experiencing nausea and weight GAIN within a week, but continued to take it, thinking the side effects would diminish. Last Saturday (9/20/13), I had 3 episodes of vomiting, which I attributed to Pristiq since I had no other symptoms. Another factor was the expense of the drug. My insurance paid nothing on this drug and one month cost me $195.17. That’s well over $6/day for a drug I do not like.
I took my last 50 mg dose the next day, and after a lot of reading, decided it is not the drug for me. My doc is on vacation, so I stopped cold turkey, foolishly (again!), thinking that since I had taken it less than a month, that I would not have many symptoms. I had no withdrawal symptoms Monday, and only mild ones Tues (tinnitus, slight headache). Wednesday was horrible! Zaps, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, insomnia, general “out of it” feeling. I took 50 mg Dramamine every 8 hrs and 25 mg every 4 hours, drank LOTS of water, and stayed outside as much as possible. I have continued the Dramamine and Benadryl today, and the withdrawal symptoms have diminished to a bearable level. I am hoping that each day will bring diminishing symptoms.
My intent is not to take any prescription antidepressant from this point on. I have told my husband what I am doing and asked him to please let me know if he sees my demeanor change. If so, I will consider SAM-e or 5-HTP. If you have experience with either or both of these supplements, I would appreciate hearing from you!
Reading on this bulletin board yesterday was a source of strength yesterday when I felt so awful. I really appreciate all of you who have shared your experience!
Hi all, I read a lot of forums before deciding to go off pristiq cold turkey so I wanted to share my experience with others. I read about a lot of people having trouble with alternating days or cutting tablets to reduce their dose and having a lot of sustained withdrawal symptoms. I have always been impatient and I was ready to
come off the pills and did not want to prolong any withdrawal symptoms, I knew I was feeling strong enough to go cold turkey and get it done.
My experience is probably not for everyone but I came off 100mg cold turkey and it was nowhere near as bad as I expected. I had a very fuzzy head on days 2-4 and an extreme headache on day 4. After that though, I woke to a much clearer head, not only from the pristiq withdrawals, but clearer than I’d been in a long time on pristiq. Following that I had the occasional minor brain zap when I moved my head too quickly or had a few drinks but it was certainly nothing I couldn’t handle.
All in all, my experience was so much more positive than I expected it to be and I feel 100 times better being off pristiq. I just wanted to let people know that there is no one approach that works for everyone but if you feel that going cold turkey might work for you, you should give it a shot. If it’s not working out, there’s always the option of going back on then tapering off. I hope this is helpful as I found a lot of posts prior to making my decision.
Liked by missymooha
I have been on Pristiq for 3.5 years for general mild anxiety, stress and severe chronic irritability and frustration. I started on 50mg and was increased to 100mg after a family tragedy a year ago. If I miss a dose I can usually notice within 12-24 hours because of the irritability and vertigo. The duration of my treatment I became a much less anxious and nicer person to live with, but had little sex drive and difficulty achieving orgasm. I lost my edge a bit, but I think Pristiq was a positive thing for me during that time. I went off cold turkey on Sunday because I found out I am pregnant. The symptoms are pretty rough. Lots of sweating, severe vertigo/dizziness, crying and irritability, crazy dreams and headache. Some shakiness, as well. I think the best route would be to go down to 50mg for a while and then go cold turkey. Taking it every other day or every 3-4 days is like stopping and starting over and over. I have called my doctor’s office 4 times and left messages for the nurse with no response, so I am grateful to read this forum and get some reassurance. I am a nurse and am pretty pissed at the situation. Oh, another symptom…slight paranoia. I look normal to myself when I look in the mirror, but when I’m at work I feel like everyone thinks there is something wrong with me. Exercise definitely eases the symptoms, temporarily. Hang in there, Everyone! P.S. My last dose was Saturday.
One last tip….it took 2 months to realize the positive effects of Pristiq after I started taking it. Nausea was another side effect. The acute side effects were gone after 2 weeks, but I didn’t feel much benefit for 2 months. My sister is a physician and kept coaching me to stay with it.
I went through the four weeks of taking 50 Mg every other day. No side effects. At the end of four weeks and as I was starting the routine of taking 50 Mg every third day, I was on a cruise and had a anxiety attack. Now 10 days later, I am having anxiety attacks when I wake up. I am able to calm myself down and function somewhat normally but I get prickly feeling all over my body along with occasional warm feeling throughout my body. Looking forward to better days.
1 week off of pristiq and I feel absolutely horrible…
More so at night time’s as I’m busy throughout the day with my children..
How long do the brain zaps, headaches, dizziness and feeling short of breath last?
I wish I never went on it, not something the doc should prescribe just for anxiety… quitting cold turkey
Liked by missymooha
Did u step off gradually? I did half doses for two months then every other day for a month. It took several months for the brain zaps to stop completely. It\’s with it in the end but I would strongly suggest not stopping cold turkey! That\’s dangerous! I also supplemented with Rhodelia Rodea and St. John\’s wart for the anxiety and mood swings, it helps and it\’s all natural.
I will NEVER take an anti depressant again because if Pristiq!
Hang in there and good luck.
@kcollins719
Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve been sleeping/sleepy a lot but it does seem to help to go out and about. Social interaction and exercise does seem to make it better or at least get my mind off of it. I don’t think exercise is ever a bad thing if done responsibly. But I’m in the same boat. I’m playing it by ear and just listening to my body.