Pristiq

well I'm a little discouraged that no ladies have posted anything about side effects mostly sexual I guess. Not real crazy about the appetite decrease that yall have had. I'm really glad yall are doing good.
JDS your picture really makes me wish I was at the beach .

Take care

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artlace said:
well I'm a little discouraged that no ladies have posted anything about side effects mostly sexual I guess. Not real crazy about the appetite decrease that yall have had. I'm really glad yall are doing good.
JDS your picture really makes me wish I was at the beach .

Take care

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It's not a decrease in appetite -- it's a satisfaction level. There is difference. Plan to eat 3-6 small meals a day and when you eat balance them reasonably and you will be satisfied.

As to the sexual side effects .... my doc suggested Wellbutrin a few hours before getting into the act -- tried it last night -- took about 4 hours for it to work its way in but then ......... everything worked just fine ..... for hours ......... no headache, no fatigue, no bounce back ..... and i have had a productive day ..........

The photo was not on the beach it was 100 miles offshore in the Atlantic at a sunrise ..........

Cheers
JDS

Been off line for a week or so -- been down in Grenada.

Latest Ivan Score on Pristq is now at 15 .... 15 .......

wellbutrin worked for the sexual side effect ok -- but viagra worked much better --- faster, better, and zero headache.

all in all im pleased with all the results of Pristiq ... 75 days from a score of near 50 down to 15 .....

cheers

I am also pleased with my results. Feel *normal* and powerful in life.

I have been on effexor for about 7 years now. My dr. change me to pristiq and i have been taking it for about a week and a half now. I was told there would be no side effects.....that was NOT TRUE. I have been dizzy, and aggrivated at everyone around me. And also have noticed some shortness of breath,(may be caused from sinuses) HOW MUCH LONGER? I dont know if my family can take much more. I can't stand to be around myself sometimes.

Day 9 on Pristiq...nose is so stuffy i cant breathe, sinusis are going crazy, dont know if it is the Pristiq or not. Still very nauseated (all the time) and feeling unbalanced, mostly in the evening a couple of hours before time to take meds. anyone out there with the same probs??

JDS Grenada? Did you go there on vacation? Hope you had a good time.

Susan maybe someone can help you with your question I haven't tried this one yet,

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Susanholcombe said:
Day 9 on Pristiq...nose is so stuffy i cant breathe, sinusis are going crazy, dont know if it is the Pristiq or not. Still very nauseated (all the time) and feeling unbalanced, mostly in the evening a couple of hours before time to take meds. anyone out there with the same probs??

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Are you taking any other meds or did you go cold turkey from Effexor to Pristiq. The first 2 weeks on pristiq I had all the wierd side effects of it getting into me. I had to add Klonopin for a while for the jitters.

Check your dose and take it in the morning and not at night. It has a short half life and will usually wear off by late afternoon. If he has you on a double dose take first in morning and 2nd about 3 hours later.

I'm now in my third month on it and this stuff is great ...... on occassion i get a small headache but nothing else other than feeling very very good.

Cheers
JDS

Yeah, I went cold turkey. Things seem to be getting better. I was on 75 mg of effexor and noe 50 mg of Pristiq. Have you by any chance had any weight loss? That is one thing I am hoping for. I gained 30 lbs in 3 years on Effexor.

ok, so now it is like idk day 13 or 14. thought i was getting somewhat better but i was up until 4am. everytime i dozed off i woke up with a terrible panic attack and burning in my legs and arms. went to the dr. yesterday but that was before this. dr. said everything was ok so i assume this is just panic attacks and maybe the effexor wearing off.

ok, day idk 13 or 14 now, i thought i was doing better. went to my gp yesterday. he said everything was good. BUT...after that, i went to bed last night and everytime i dozed off i was awaken with a burning sensation in my hands and legs and a pounding heart, i did this about 6 times. i guess the panic attacks are trying to come back. i finally fell asleep around 4am. WHAT DO I DO NOW??

I've been having a roller coaster of a time. I worked my way up to Zoloft 200 mg with minimal effect on my depression. Last week, Tuesday, they decreased my Zoloft to 100 mg and started Pristiq. I had a fairly good day Sunday and Monday until 2 pm then crashed back down. It was such a tease as to how I should be feeling most of the time.

I have read the other posts and I haven't had any weight loss just a gain with the Zoloft. Sleep is difficult for me and I take Melatonin 6 mg which helps but it is still difficult getting to sleep.

I am so depressed of being depressed. I'm not able to work during all of this. How do the rest of you handle this???

2 months on 50mg. Less effective. Not sure if I should go to 100 or back to effexor xr. Kinda flat lining and going through motions. Not content or happy.

This is my 3rd day on Pristiq. I was previously on Effexor XR which quelled my anxiety but made me ponder daily on the best suicide method. No worries, though - thinking it and having the motivation to do it are two different things in my book. The first day on Pristiq made me sleepy (but that could've been caused by the fact that I had to sit through an 8 hour business lecture that day). The second night had me up until 4am. The 3rd day has me tired and antsy (more likely caused by the 4am bedtime and that I'm stuck at home trying to ride out Tropical Storm Fay). I'll stick it out until my 8 week sample runs out and I'll reassess then.

I also took Adivan for the first time today to counteract the fact that my girlfriend (who has ADD) had decided not to take her Adderall for a few days. Made me feel a little barfy and zoned out.

i'm now almost 4 mos on pristiq and have never been better. I am back to my old self again -- my Ivan score is in the low teens.

Pristiq takes a little while to get working -- jitters, side effects, nausea etc are all part of the beginning of taking it --

also i found in the first few weeks that when i would lay down i would feel the electrical pulses of the nerve endings starting to fire up again -- it was strange but that was when i knew it was working ---

cheers
jds

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bmoz said:
2 months on 50mg. Less effective. Not sure if I should go to 100 or back to effexor xr. Kinda flat lining and going through motions. Not content or happy.

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I was like that after 2 mos -- then went to adding a 2nd 50 every other day --to boost it up -- now a 2nd 50 every 4 days ---

the half life of this med is predicatable and you can work with it

jds

I am a lady and I am on day two. I will let you all know how it goes. So far, the dry mouth is the worst! I also am sleepy (it's a restless sleepy, if that makes sense) and my appetite has greatly decreased. I woke up at 7AM this morning (very rare for me; I am not a morning person and get up at 8AM on weekdays for work) only to take the med at 9AM and fall back asleep until 11AM. However, the side effects are more tolerable than most anti-depressants I have tried (and, trust me, I have tried almost all of them).

I haven't posted in a while mostly because I was just doing fine. So well i started to drop my dosage of Pristiq. About three weeks ago I came off it completely. Big mistake. Mood started to shift, anxiety, anger, bad sleep patterns etc ... all came back. Then the weight gain. Up 20 lbs in 8 weeks .... so yesterday I started back on it. I will do the 50mg for a week and see how that goes. I took the Ivan score today and it was high. 36. I had it down under 10 during the summer. 36 is not good I don't like it here. But Pristiq was the best med I had used so lets see what happens now.

Cheers
JDS

Day 6 back on Pristiq .... life is getting better.

Ivan Score down from 36 to 31.
Appetite suppressed and eating better
Weight down 4 lbs (that was fast)
Feeling better
Workouts in gym better
Clarity coming back
Energy coming back
Anger decreased
Focus coming back.

Rock On !

JDS

Ok we started pristig and man if it is the same as effexor then why do I have so many side effects from pristig thyat i NEver had with effexor
weird way out there dreams exsessive tiredness gastro sore really sore eyes suicidal thoughts etc etc etc
i had none of this with effexor and yet they are the same med pffffff
how does thta work
anyway thats my 2 cents worth.

they are not the same meds, same family but not the same ---

did you come off effexor first and then go onto pristiq or just move from one to the other?

If you read the early part of this thread when i started pristiq you will see that those early start up issues go away in a few weeks --- If you just went from Effexor right to Pristiq you are going to go through the off-effects of Effexor (which suck) and then take on the new start up of Pristiq and that may be what you are dealing with ---

hang in there
jds

Glad to read everyone's posts. I've tried so many antidepressants and my doc just gave me pristiq, was taking prozac. Been 4 days, haven't noticed anything yet. No prozac withdrawal or pristiq symptoms. Hope this one works. I'm running out of meds to try! I will advise everyone no matter what any doc says, never quit an antidepressant cold turkey! I had a psychotic episode, was afraid to sleep, felt constant electric shocks, felt like I was walking under water etc, and that was just from paxil. Always taper.

the electric tingles are an interesting feeling. It's the neurons in action. They put out a small measurable voltage seeking a connection. That's what the meds do is help them find the connection. It's uncomfortable for a few moments then it passes. I've had it occur when laying flat and emptying the mind for some rest and they are still hunting for something to do !

You should feel some effects on Pristiq by day 7. I use this little quiz to help track my changes -- write down your score each day http://psychcentral.com/depquiz.htm i'm 18 days back on and i have seen some good results again.

Cheers
JDS

Hello all,

I was taking Lexapro for about a year and gained 30lb. So my Dr. recommended Pristiq. Been taking it now for three weeks. It works great for anxiety and panic attacks which is my main problem, but feel depressed and extremly fatiqued. Which usually is not an issue for me. I was wondering if perhaps weening off the Lexapro is making me feel depressed and tired all the time. Has anyone had this simular experience and if so did the depressed symptoms go away?

Thanks

ok back on Pristiq now 26 days .. 50mg a day -- Ivan Score from 36 down to 26 ........ this stuff is working again.

Rock on

JDS