Seriously Considering Stopping Cold Turkey

I have been on Pristiq 50mg for 5 months.I am falling into a decline all of sudden with my health.I went to hospital last weekend they said low protein(I really do not know how)Then I went to PCP and waiting for second test to come back.When I started Pristiq I remember reading something about treating pre menopause or menopause.As I did my research on protein and blood clots.It all had to do with menopause etc.I am in my 30's and my OBGYN ran test before I started the Pristiq and said I was far from any pre menopause.

I really do not know what to think at the moment but seems like medical world is killing me off!My psychiatrist is out of the country for a few more weeks.I might just take it into my own hands and go cold turkey on the Pristiq!

P.S. I never been on AD,this is my first time

Seems unlikely that the pristiq is the cause of your protein issues. Stopping cold turkey is never a good idea, particularly if your docs don't know you are doing it. Cold turkey is likely to cause some really uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. Please talk to your doctors about this before you do anything.

Yes, stopping any med cold turkey while you are having a medical difficulty could seriously mess you up worse. If you have been on the pristig 5 months, it's not likely to be the cause of your sudden problems and all the doctors doing the tests have that you are taking it; I'd ask my PCP about it, if it could cause problems like you are seeing and have him explain his answer.

Low protein levels in your blood is not directly related to eating more/less protein in your diet but could indicate your liver or kidneys have problems or you have an absorption/intestinal problem, they require tests and are not something you could know about otherwise.

Stopping cold turkey from any dose after you've been on a drug for a while can make you sicker from withdrawal. It isn't easy to have the patience, but you need some form of tapering to get off safely.

I know this first hand. Effexor caused liver problem for me, but I can't stop it cold turkey even after that. I'm suffering, but I have to wait the taper out because stopping suddenly would be much worse. It sucks--do what you can to make it suck the least.

If u really care about yourself and your health i suggest u not go the cold turkey route. Wait for ur dr. to return and talk to him/her about it.... in the meantime keep taking your medication.

don't hurt yourself by taking matters into your own hands. Please...

U deserve to treat yourself better than that... Ok??

Thanks guy's I am just going threw other health problems that I have no idea where they came from.I am just going to wait for my psychiatrist and start to tapper off.

Could I ask the person that said they are having liver problems from Effexor. Could you please explain more and how long were you on the med's?I got the results back today and there is slight raise in BUN (kidney,liver)

I take frequent liver enzyme tests because I am on Metformin, a med that requires liver monitoring. I have been taking Met for four years without a single abnormal results. I started Effexor in Dec. and my latest liver test was abnormal, meaning elevated liver enzymes. The only thing that has changed is my liver having to process Effexor, so Effexor is causing the problem. I don't know anything else since I'm going back to that doctor in a few weeks for another test. I'm 23 and don't frequently drink so I shouldn't have trouble with liver. Needless to say, I'm concerned.

But I'm going very slowly on my taper even knowing this because I cannot stress the suckiness of Effexor withdrawal.

Stopping it will be like stopping Effexor. It can be hell. It can be worse than hell. Don't do it unless you have daily supervision.

I have been on Pristiq for 6 months now. Two months back I also got frustrated and decided to go cold turkey. Unfortunately the withdrawal was so hard to bear that I couldn't last a day. The brain zaps and dizziness was too much to handle. As a fellow traveler,I'd say start tapering it.

I started off with 100 mg twice a day and now I take one 50 mg tablet in 48 hours. Tapering is the wise way to go about it. I know in frustration one wants to leave it all at that instant. But for me the withdrawal was too much. As it is pristiq is a strong drug with a short half life. Slowly increase the duration in which you take Pristiq. It will take time,but I find this far better than cold turkey.

I STRONGLY advise not doing that. I did that, and ended up in residential. If there is any other way... (Weaning off slowly, switching medications, etc) then I would do it because I very much regret going off cold turkey

Never go cold Turkey off a med - that can be both unpleasant and dangerous. If you want off it, work out a Taper schedule with your Dr.

As for being concerned about whether the Pristiq is causing/contributing to your symptoms, ask your pharmacist about side effects. They're trained much better than Dr's as to what the potential side effects of meds are.

splitimage

No quick withdrawals or i get so sick