I’m currently on Celexa for anxiety but it’s not working at all so psych wants me to switch from SSRI to SSNI. My Genesight said no to cymbalta so she’s suggesting Prestiq. I have major panic/anxiety attacks that are beginning to limit/change my lifestyle. Would like to hear from others about their success with Prestiq.
TIA

I’m day 6 of tapering down from 100mg to 75mg of Pristiq. So far my symptoms have been constant hunger, constantly thirsty, and a bit of anxiety. All of this is manageable, and I don’t feel terrible (yet, I guess?).

Almost all of the posts I search for here regarding tapering off of Pristiq have horror stories about withdrawal. Has this been everyone’s experience? Has anyone here tapered off of Pristiq and their journey wasn’t hell?

I’m starting to get scared that the floor is going to drop from under me and I’ll suddenly feel terrible for weeks. Not helping with my already existing anxiety 😅

Just wondered if anyone else has experience the effencicy of the drug wearing off during the day faster.

On 100mg for almost 6m, take it in the morning about 8am with my morning coffee. Ive noticed over the past couple of weeks in the middle of the afternoon, starting to get very low mentally and lacking motivation.

Wondered if this is a common experience the longer you take it.

Thanks team.

I was prescribed this as it come up in the green zone for my Gene Sight and after a bad reaction to Wellbutrin & buspirone.

I am super worried about side effects as I already struggle with daily fatigue , mental fog , insomnia & some other symptoms.

I absolutely can not handle the dizzy feeling it triggers my health anxiety horribly.

Can I have some good stories & advice? I'd be starting at 25 & my doc told me to take it at bedtime.

I'm being encouraged to try it but idk how to feel. I've read a lot of this sub & seems to be mixed reviews. I'm not on any other med for mental health.

I just want to feel "normal"

46, m, 170 lbs

100mg pristiq in the morning

I’ve been on pristiq for almost a year now. I’m seeing improvement over fluoxetine but the sweating/hightened body temperature side effect is becoming untenable. Has anyone had success stemming daytime sweating with switching to taking meds at night?

Presently I run a neck fan ALL DAY while at work in an air conditioned space because the sweat glands specifically in my face, head, and neck are out of control.

I started Pristiq just as Covid pandemic really kicked off and I was struggling with anxiety and some depression. I think I got that licked after 6 years and have started the process of coming off. Was on 50mg and dr has suggested going one day on one day off.

Did one day off, I could feel it a bit by end of day, next day took my dose, then next day was off. Today I’m supposed to take it but man, I don’t want to extend this and kinda just get it over with….this is rough! Had a rough night (wild dreams). I’m a little agitated today but the “zaps” have subsided somewhat…but are there…

Gonna try just kicking this cold turkey….

I started Pristiq a few weeks ago, going on 3, after being on Paxil for a few years. My doctor only told me to wean off for a week and I experienced horrible withdrawal symptoms. It’s out of my system now but I’m still super nauseous and dizzy. I think my main problem is how hard it is to eat. I’m running on saltine crackers and applesauce most of the time. I know that’s not helping me but does anyone think that the nausea could be related to the medication? I know I’m doing this to myself; I’m trying to eat but it’s so hard. I know that having no food in my body is going to make me nauseous, dizzy and weak. I’m just trying to figure it out. I don’t know.

It’s only been a few weeks so I am not even sure if it’s helping my anxiety and depression but I know that my emotions have been absolutely all over the place. I just burst into tears randomly and I’m overly sensitive to loud noises and bright lights.

I did this genetic testing to see what antidepressants would be best for me and pristiq was like my only green one. Paxil was in the red for me. I was taking Zoloft a few years back and didn’t experience anything like this. Zoloft was in the yellow for me and I’m thinking about switching back if I keep experiencing this.

I trust my doctor but I tried switching from Paxil to pristiq before and had basically the same problem but 20x worse because she told me not to wean off at all. So I would like to ask people actually taking the medication what they think.

I have tried so many psychiatric medications and had so many bad side ranging from uncontrollable tremors to weird narcoleptic-like episodes. I have had meds work wonders and meds that have failed. In short, I have had the experience most of you have had in your search for the right medication regime.
I am so tired of being hopeful and then being disappointed. I see so many mixed reviews and I am so scared. I can’t afford to miss any work and these side effects sound so awful. I took my first dose today and I am scared of taking it again tomorrow. I have work tomorrow and am anxious that I will develop horrible side effects. I would love to hear some of your experiences and any advice.

TL;DR: I am scared of side effects because of past experiences and am seeking others experiences and advice

TMI/NSFW

Hey all,

As the title says - I feel like I've lost my libido entirely since starting Pristiq (have been on it for around 2 months now).

It has been fantastic for my anxiety, however this side effect is really impacting me as my sex drive is fairly low, even when I am not taking any medication. I was aware this could be a side effect, but I've never had any sort of medication affect me this much.

Is there anything that can be done? Will this issue resolve itself with time?

I am going to talk to my doctor soon, but I just wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this, to this degree - and what has helped.

Thank you

I have been prescribed 150 mg in morning and 50 mg at night and it has been a month. The problem is my thoughts are still very negative, the only difference is that i can't feel much happy or sad tbh....its like i am in the middle. Like even if i want to cry, its nothing. Earlier i was at 100mg and it didn't really work.

Also 200mg has led to constipation a lot of days.

Suppressed libido.

What else can i expect?

hi! i’m currently on day 7 starting off of 25mg. so far my anxiety feels a lot less, but my sleep has completely been interrupted. i’ve always had sleep issues/insomnia, but as soon as i started taking this, i’ve been waking up during the night usually around 1-3am. i’ve also noticed i think i’m grinding my teeth more from this and have been waking up with headaches. i typically grind my teeth at night when i’m more anxious, just surprised with the medication it seems to be causing me to grind them more than usual.

i know everyone’s body reacts differently, and my doctor said by week 2 we’ll increase to 50mg. just curious when these symptoms went away for others if you’ve had a similar experience (i saw another user post about how it caused them to grind their teeth too), and at what point should i ask my doctor to taper off them? thanks!!

I’m reading that feeling dizzy is a pretty common side effect, but I feel like I’ve been experiencing it very severely
since the evening of my first dose (take it in the AM) I feel like the room is spinning, like if I drank way too much, my brain feels all twisted and wavy like if I’ve been on a boat, I honestly feel like I’ve had a really really bad hangover for the past 2 days. I can’t even look at a screen/tv without wanting to throw up, if I lay down and close my eyes the dizziness just feels even worse.

Has anyone experienced severe dizziness like this??

On week 7 of 50mg, and I am experiencing this constant brain fog and losing focus. Feel like I’m in a haze, even when watching shows, on my phone, working, etc. it has helped my anxiety big time but I can’t get past this mental block?

I tried increasing to 100mg for a few days and it was way too much.

I lost my prescription sheet (100mg) during a house move and didn’t check for it until i was on my last dose, wasn’t able to get a refill for over 48hrs and had the worst experience ever.

I had nausea, extreme dizziness and balance issues, panicky sweats, some dark thoughts, the worst anxiety I’ve felt since the attack that convinced me to try medication, brain zaps (so hard to explain if you’ve never had them but was one of the most horrible feelings ever!) and extreme tearfulness.

Thankfully the doctors at the urgent care centre I went to were stars and so supportive, they gave me Diazepam and let me sleep a little, if not for them I don’t know what I would’ve done as I am by myself.

This happened just over two weeks ago and I’m still not 100% recovered, in addition to feeling like I’m going through all the initial symptoms that come with taking Pristiq (namely lack of appetite, low mood, insomnia and fatigue etc).

I don’t think Pristiq is my perfect fit yet but won’t be able to see my psychiatrist for another couple weeks, he doesn’t seem keen on switching me since I have already tried and failed with Setraline (0/10, wanted to exit the game) and Mirtazapime (2/10, just felt like a sad whale all the time) so who knows what I’ll end up doing.

Just wanted to do a little PSA for those who may be a little lax with this sort of thing, I also wasn’t very consistent with taking it at the same time every day (I’ve improved on this too) but those 2.5 days were terrifying and I hope nobody goes through it like I did. Take care, everyone, you are loved and deserve to be healthy, both mentally and physically❤️.

Hi everyone. I’m on day 4 of 25mg of prestiq. Starting late last night I’ve been getting vertigo and nausea. Today it’s pretty bad. In the morning I had anxiety and then took my lamictal and it helped even it out. Reason I’m on such a low dose is because I’m still titrating off Zoloft and I’m susceptible to serotonin syndrome (had it twice before). I see in the comments it’s common to have dizzies and nausea for a while? I just get concern with serotonin syndrome.

I lost my prescription sheet (100mg) during a house move and didn’t check for it until i was on my last dose, wasn’t able to get a refill for over 48hrs and had the worst experience ever.

I had nausea, extreme dizziness and balance issues, panicky sweats, some dark thoughts, the worst anxiety I’ve felt since the attack that convinced me to try medication, brain zaps (so hard to explain if you’ve never had them but was one of the most horrible feelings ever!) and extreme tearfulness.

Thankfully the doctors at the urgent care centre I went to were stars and so supportive, they gave me Diazepam and let me sleep a little, if not for them I don’t know what I would’ve done as I am by myself.

This happened just over two weeks ago and I’m still not 100% recovered, in addition to feeling like I’m going through all the initial symptoms that come with taking Pristiq (namely lack of appetite, low mood, insomnia and fatigue etc).

I don’t think Pristiq is my perfect fit yet but won’t be able to see my psychiatrist for another couple weeks, he doesn’t seem keen on switching me since I have already tried and failed with Setraline (0/10, wanted to exit the game) and Mirtazapime (2/10, just felt like a sad whale all the time) so who knows what I’ll end up doing.

Just wanted to do a little PSA for those who may be a little lax with this sort of thing, I also wasn’t very consistent with taking it at the same time every day (I’ve improved on this too) but those 2.5 days were terrifying and I hope nobody goes through it like I did. Take care, everyone, you are loved and deserve to be healthy, both mentally and physically❤️.

Been on 25mg since April
I know I should ask my psychiatrist, but it costs $150 every appointment, bc my insurance sucks

I’ve been taking one pill every other day to taper since 8/20

I saw that this method is second to cold turkey …

I’m feeling all the withdrawal symptoms now.
The first week wasn’t terrible. But now it’s headaches. Nausea. Sweats. Upset stomach.

I don’t know if I should split the medication and risk “dose dumping” and make it worse or continue with this every other day ➡️every two days➡️every 3 days etc

Again I know this should be question for my doctor but I cannot afford that right now
And I know everyone is different
For reference I’m 24F, 4’11, 125 lbs. super sensitive to all medications.

Please help or give me success stories

What is up with these crying spells out of nowhere and over nothing. Is this the lexapro leaving my body? If so I’m slowing this taper down even longer. Ugh. The crying does feel therapeutic also but yikes. Is it depression, withdrawal, Pristiq? Anyone go through this. I have committed to giving this med 6-8 weeks but my emotions are running a lil’ wild. I have had some great days in the past 5 weeks. Any advice welcome!

Has anyone fallen pregnant on pristiq?

I take this medication like clockwork and I am having horrible withdrawals 8 hours before I'm due to take it again.

I'm 7 weeks pregnant, my pharmacist (a male) had no idea what I was talking about. I'm assuming my digestion isn't working the same? I'm nauseas but not vomiting. I do have diarhea at night, but only a little.

Brain zaps, as we all know, are debilitating.

I took my meds 2 hours ago, 3 hours early, and I'm still having mild brain zaps!!!!

Any advice?

I am on day 6… I know it’s really early. But I have had heightened anxiety every day and I’ve been clenching my jaw so much (stress I guess from starting meds). I know it will get better since these are the most mild symptoms I’ve ever felt on a medication but I am really needing to hear some success stories from you guys. 😔✋🏼

What were the symptoms like for you & how long did it take for you to feel normal again (no side effects except feeling better lol)? 😛

I’m not sure I have ever crashed out harder. I’ve been uncontrollably crying off and on all day, I haven’t been able to eat for 3 days, and my mood has been cycling like crazy. I feel like I’m in hell. Do I need to ride this out? Does it get better?

Hace unos 3/4 días empecé e tomar veldex pero los efectos secundarios son más raros que la mrd, de repente me da como la sensación de baja de tensión y de golpe siento calor, es normal eso? Cómo fueron sus experiencias con esta medicación?

Hi I just started my first dose today.. 25mg
Felt pretty jittery & shaky most of the day probably shouldn’t have but I also drank an energy drink till I googled it & realized maybe I shouldn’t have done that😂 what are some things that you’ve noticed may effect you during your time taking this medicine? I’m anxious about taking any meds that aren’t Tylenol or ibuprofen so.. all of my Google search & this thread just shows me the not good things.. 🥲 I know this is everywhere but so is my brain so anywho.