Comments on: Wyeth’s Dr. Phil Ninan on Pristiq

By: notcrazy

notcrazy — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:30:51 +0000

I weaned off effexor xr over a 3 month period. The last dosage was effexor 37.5mg which the psych had me break in half and take half twice a day. OMG Whatever this over educated idiot thinks or lies about, it is discontinuation syndrome!!! On effexor I had no feelings, could not even cry when I found my mother dead. Off it, I can cry at the drop of a hat. Brain zaps,in groups of 3 about every 5-10 minutes. Dizzy, hostile, aggressive, my therapist said I was not the same person and I ran out of her office telling her to prepare the bill. These drug co know these things, yet they want the money. It’s all they really care about.

By: bette

bette — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:58:55 +0000

I am on day 3 of no Pristiq. I tapered for 2 months and finally got to the day I was ready to stop. I was fine the first day, but the last 2 days have been hell. I am disoriented, dizzy, nauseas, my speech is slow, my exercise routine is at a complete stop and I am trying to not just lay in bed all day. I am reading now that it can last 7-14 days!
If I knew that I would go through this I would never have accepted the many weeks of “free” samples and the discounted pills I received before paying for them for another 18 months.
Run away very fast from this medication.

By: L

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:55:40 +0000

@ John

OMG! You are the only other person I’ve heard say that exercise exacerbates their depression symptoms. For the longest time I thought I was a freak!!! I would literally be in tears for days after a good workout. Eventually, those symptoms went away and I was able to exercise and enjoy it, but for the life of me I didn’t understand what was going on.

By: violinm9

violinm9 — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:24:15 +0000

Hi Dr. – I was wondering whether it was better to take Pristiq in the morning or in the evening. I understand that the half-life is pretty short. So would it be better to take it in the morning to get me through the day instead of at night when I’d be asleep. I am taking 50mg. Thank you.

By: Pristiq2003

Pristiq2003 — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:01:47 +0000

I just want to know what happens to the body physically when you quit Pristiq 50 mg once a day? Well, I can tell you. It makes you extremely sick. Something that the psych doctor forgets to tell you when he doesn’t prescribe enough for you until the next visit. I guess that he wanted to see what happened. I have the feeling that he already knew.
Withdrawal symptoms: Nausea, Headache, Joint/Muscle Aches, Agitation, Elevated Blood Pressure, Elevated Cholesterol, Pure Exhaustion, Insomnia, Flu-like symptoms and much more.
I just don’t think that this is an effective medication for depression. I have lived on antidepressants for nearly 3 years. Yeah they helped but I am ready to get off these mind altering drugs for a while and get on with my life.

By: dbh

dbh — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:09:23 +0000

Same as how I felt the first year, and then I started going into the Zombie like stage of it and decided to go off of it. Then came the hellish part of this drug.

By: dbh

dbh — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:02:36 +0000

Absolutely the worst “discontinuation” withdrawals I have ever had in my life. In fact, this is the worst two weeks of my life — I advise NO ONE to even attempt to take this drug. Please read all the forums with posts from people that have had horrible, long-lasting affects after quitting — either from tapering slowly to cold-turkey — which the latter is not recommended at all. Can cause suicidal tendencies along with other drastic effects. Many of these people, like myself, were given free samples. Get ya hooked for a few months until you start feeling like a zombie. Then, the hard part — quitting. I am on my third week of feeling the worst that I have ever felt in my life. Please read about this drug very carefully before considering starting it up.

By: dragonfly

dragonfly — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:51:54 +0000

I tried to discontinue pristiq on my own by tapering it was a disaster.I guess im stuck as my doctor sees no need for me to go off of it,so hes no help!but i feel three antidepressants is far to much.

By: Iatrogenia

Iatrogenia — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:17:06 +0000

Dr. Grohol:

There is no information on how to taper from the usual dosage of Pristiq 50mg per day. The lowest dosage for these extended-release tablets is 50mg.

As they are extended-release, one assumes they cannot be cut up. Or can they? What is the tapering technique to safely discontinue Pristiq?

On the face of it, it’s irresponsible for Wyeth to recommend a conventional dosage of 50mg per day but not make available a lower-dosage extended-release tablet to enable tapering.

By: looking for peace

looking for peace — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:11:21 +0000

Hi LOL,
My life too was ruined by Prozac 15 years ago when my GP put me on it. It sent me into mania – I had two small beautiful children. Now I am divorced and been that way for 14 years trying deparateky to live life out of the ruins of SSRIs.If I give out too many details I’ll go into depression again. Just yesterrday my dr. suggested tyhis Pristiq and after reading all of the above –NO WAY wuill I go on this crazy drug. As hard as it is I’ll stay on my small dose of Cipralex and prayer a lot.
Thanks for sharing,
looking for peace.
p.s. I think I’ll check out that blog too.

By: looking for peace

looking for peace — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:59:33 +0000

Hi Urban Gal,
Thanks for your comments. My dr.just recommended I take pristiq and now after reading mostly negative comments I feel that if I take this drug I will regret it hughly. I am in your age range and part of my propblem I thinke is menopausal for me at least and mood/anxiety. I am currently on a small dose of cipralex and I think I’ll stay there. Did do Prozac once and it made me manic until it wore off however with the way I feel I am tempted to try Prozac again to shake this damn depression I am in AGAIN. I appreciate yur comments and the others and I will not be taking Pristiq.
Thanks a million to all who commented.
Looking for peace.

By: Gretchen

Gretchen — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:30:55 +0000

I was put on Pristiq, for depression an fibrymyalga (probably spelled that one wrong!)
At first it was great, I had all this energy, that I had not had in a very long time, but guess what, that energy would not stop! I was going 24/7, I was not sleeping, which eventually triggered some seizures (I have epilepsy). Pristinq also made me soooo constipated, it landed me in the hospital. The pain was so great, and when they did a x-ray, they found my intestine had collapsed into itself! There is a name for this, but I forget. But if all this Pristiq torture was not enough, the simple reason I went off this med, was because of the sweating!!! It was uncontrollable, and so embarrassing, even in the winter. I then tried Cymbalta, which made my fibrymyalga and body feel great, but still the sweating, so I went off of that, and am still searching!

By: Whoa

Whoa — Mon, 02 May 2011 13:20:55 +0000

If I had read all of the above comments 12 months ago I never would have started on this drug (the first and only antidepressant I’ve ever been prescribed. I only found this site by googling withdrawal side effects because of being concerned about my own symptoms on Day one of weaning off the drug. I have experienced debilitating dizziness, these ‘brain zaps’ people have spoken of when I move my head, feelings of being on mind altering drugs, nausea, hot and cold sweats, and vivid dreams last night. I can only hope that these side effects wear off quickly, otherwise I am worried it will be impossible to come off this medication. Scary, scary stuff.

By: pharmacide

pharmacide — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 22:23:41 +0000

My family is mourning the loss of my uncle, a kind, motivated, considerate husband, brother, and a father of two lovely girls with bright futures. He had everything to live for, and family all around him. He committed suicide after less than a week on this drug.

If you or anyone you know is using or considering using this drug, beware. I have every reason to believe he would still be alive today if he had not been given this prescription. My grief is giving way to fury at such needless loss.

By: terry ann

terry ann — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 02:56:16 +0000

took pristiq for almost 2 years…became too expensive for me so decided to go off of it… What the hell happened? my body started hurting all over,,,,, could hardly turn my neck because of the pain. Very dizzy, so tired I can hardly move much less make it through a day a work. Im a hairdresser and the back and neck pain is almost unbearable…. alieve and other counter pain meds dont even make a dent in relief… Determined to get off and through this….just hope it wont be very long….I;m into week 2 with no signs of letting up. DO NOT USE THIS DRUG!!!! SHOULD NOT BE SOLD TO ANYONE!