[christiem212]

I started Pristiq 17 days ago for Anxiety. I have tried a few other AD's with no luck due to side affects, either too tired or too shaky. Since I started Pristiq I have been sleepy, no energy but shaky and more anxious. I feel really out of it and not myself. I'm trying to just get though another 2 weeks of this and hopefully I will feel better. All the other AD's I've taken (Lexapro, Effexor, Zoloft, etc..) have had almost the same side effects. I can barely leave my house, I just go to work and then home. I feel like I could have a panic attack all the time!
So maybe it make you feel worse before it gets better? Does anyone have any advice? Or has anyone experienced these side effects?

I take Ativan when I really need it, .5-1mg a day. Which helps.
Thank You!

[remote_swimmer]

christiem212, on Jul 10 2008, 06:28 PM, said:

I started Pristiq 17 days ago for Anxiety. I have tried a few other AD's with no luck due to side affects, either too tired or too shaky. Since I started Pristiq I have been sleepy, no energy but shaky and more anxious. I feel really out of it and not myself. I'm trying to just get though another 2 weeks of this and hopefully I will feel better. All the other AD's I've taken (Lexapro, Effexor, Zoloft, etc..) have had almost the same side effects. I can barely leave my house, I just go to work and then home. I feel like I could have a panic attack all the time!
So maybe it make you feel worse before it gets better? Does anyone have any advice? Or has anyone experienced these side effects?

I take Ativan when I really need it, .5-1mg a day. Which helps.
Thank You!

Pristiq is the active metabolite of Effexor, so it's more or less the same stuff. It's just the way your body processes it is different, so it should have a similar side effect profile as Effexor. I found that Effexor definitely made my anxiety worse and then better. It took a few weeks and then there were a few dodgy periods after that, but if it works for you, it should be pretty solid.

Have you tried Paxil? Paxil tends to be the go-to AD for panic and anxiety. It is often somewhat sedating for people, but it also often works well on anxiety for that reason.

I'd give Pristiq another couple of weeks and then talk to your doc about moving on if it isn't doing much for you.

This post has been edited by remote_swimmer: 10 July 2008 - 10:02 PM

[BlueEyes]

Hi christie-

I've posted the links to the 2 popular Pristiq threads so you can read about more of our experiences with it. I have to say that I never had anxiety issues, but a couple weeks into taking Pristiq, I had some serious panic attacks, but they have subsided. My pdoc said that it can take up to 5 to 6 weeks to see the full benefits of Pristiq. Have you called your pdoc? Mine had me check in every 10 days or so when I first started taking it, to make sure the side effects weren't too severe. Maybe you should call and explain what is going on.

Good luck! Please keep us updated.

-blue

Pristiq thread 1
Pristiq thread 2

[christiem212]

Hi BlueEyes!

Yes, I read your threads, very helpful thank you. Are you still on the Pristiq? How long has it been? And at what point did all the Anxiety go away? I'm just hoping that if I stay on the Pristiq long enough all the side effects will go away and I'll start to feel good again!

Thanks for you help!
Christie

[BlueEyes]

christiem212, on Jul 11 2008, 07:32 AM, said:

Hi BlueEyes!

Yes, I read your threads, very helpful thank you. Are you still on the Pristiq? How long has it been? And at what point did all the Anxiety go away? I'm just hoping that if I stay on the Pristiq long enough all the side effects will go away and I'll start to feel good again!

Thanks for you help!
Christie

I started it on June 11th. But it sounds like I have a different diagnosis than you...? I'm not sure if you are taking it for depression or depression with anxiety. I am on it for depression only. I think the anxiety that I experienced for a couple of days was a side effect. That stopped two weeks ago. I would say that all of the side effects I had stopped last week. But again, every person's body is different. Also, I take it at night before I go to bed. When do you take yours? If you are taking it in the AM, maybe you should ask the pdoc if you can take it at night to see if that will help with the low energy. My pdoc said it depends on the person's body, some have to take it in the AM, some in the PM. The other thing I noticed is that I feel very tired if I don't get at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night. I make sure I go to bed early enough to get a full night's sleep so that I can feel normal the next day.

Remote Swimmer made a good point when they said that you may end up needing a different AD if you have anxiety symptoms (like Paxil). Unfortunately, the med-go-round sucks!

-blue

[christiem212]

BlueEyes, on Jul 12 2008, 08:40 AM, said:

christiem212, on Jul 11 2008, 07:32 AM, said:

Hi BlueEyes!

Yes, I read your threads, very helpful thank you. Are you still on the Pristiq? How long has it been? And at what point did all the Anxiety go away? I'm just hoping that if I stay on the Pristiq long enough all the side effects will go away and I'll start to feel good again!

Thanks for you help!
Christie

I started it on June 11th. But it sounds like I have a different diagnosis than you...? I'm not sure if you are taking it for depression or depression with anxiety. I am on it for depression only. I think the anxiety that I experienced for a couple of days was a side effect. That stopped two weeks ago. I would say that all of the side effects I had stopped last week. But again, every person's body is different. Also, I take it at night before I go to bed. When do you take yours? If you are taking it in the AM, maybe you should ask the pdoc if you can take it at night to see if that will help with the low energy. My pdoc said it depends on the person's body, some have to take it in the AM, some in the PM. The other thing I noticed is that I feel very tired if I don't get at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night. I make sure I go to bed early enough to get a full night's sleep so that I can feel normal the next day.

Remote Swimmer made a good point when they said that you may end up needing a different AD if you have anxiety symptoms (like Paxil). Unfortunately, the med-go-round sucks!

-blue

I am taking it for anxiety, I'm just depressed because I have anxiety! I take the Pristiq at night, it totally makes me tired. I'm even tired when i wake up and anxious, which is strange. I've never tried Paxil because of its bad rep but I've had almost the same side effects on all the AD's I've tried and never made it longer then 2 weeks on them. But I'm almost 3 weeks on the Pristiq (50mg a day), so I just praying that all these side effects will magically go away and I will feel great - panic free.
Thanks!

[emptybottles]

i too just started pristiq.
i'm new here, by the way. found the site upon google and decided that i will love it here. my name is kaity
my first day was yesterday, so i can't really tell much of how it's treating the depression overall, but i do know my first day was also hell in a handbasket. it gave me the worst case of nausea i've had in a really long time. it was like heartburn, indigestion, and an extreme stomachache all at the same time. i was actually on the way home with my boyfriend from going out to eat some sushi at our favorite japanese restaurant. i knew it was the medicine because that had never happened to me before. i had to take like, 4 tums and lay down for about an hour and a half before i didn't feel like i was going to throw up and i still didn't feel that great after that.

luckily today i woke up and took it again and haven't had the dreadful nausea. i feel pretty fine, besides being EXTREMELY tired. i feel like a zombie!

i would definitely like to keep in touch with everyone from these pristiq threads.

[Day2Day in the 518]

Welcome, Kaity/emptybottles! (I was never sure whether or not to ever "reveal" my real name on these boards... It's Jim by the way.)

Although I didn't have any side effects going onto Pristiq. I know that others have had ones similar to yours. From reading their posts (and "they" are welcome to jump in), the side effects seem to go away/decrease after 2-4 weeks. So... stick it out for awhile longer and keep us informed.

[remote_swimmer]

emptybottles, on Jul 12 2008, 05:44 PM, said:

i too just started pristiq.
i'm new here, by the way. found the site upon google and decided that i will love it here. my name is kaity
my first day was yesterday, so i can't really tell much of how it's treating the depression overall, but i do know my first day was also hell in a handbasket. it gave me the worst case of nausea i've had in a really long time. it was like heartburn, indigestion, and an extreme stomachache all at the same time. i was actually on the way home with my boyfriend from going out to eat some sushi at our favorite japanese restaurant. i knew it was the medicine because that had never happened to me before. i had to take like, 4 tums and lay down for about an hour and a half before i didn't feel like i was going to throw up and i still didn't feel that great after that.

luckily today i woke up and took it again and haven't had the dreadful nausea. i feel pretty fine, besides being EXTREMELY tired. i feel like a zombie!

i would definitely like to keep in touch with everyone from these pristiq threads.

Nausea and headaches are the most common side effects when starting an AD and Pristiq/Effexor is pretty bad on that front for a lot of people. I never had those, but I did feel pretty drugged-out for the a few days which is common as well. For me, the drugged-out feeling was the worst in the afternoons. Fortunately, those side effects disappear for the vast majority of people in the first couple of weeks.

This post has been edited by remote_swimmer: 14 July 2008 - 11:32 PM

[emptybottles]

thanks to everyone who replied
i'm doing so much better--no more nausea!
so i'm definitely planning to stick with pristiq as long as it continues as smoothly as it has.
again, thanks everyone for all the help.

[BlueEyes]

emptybottles, on Jul 15 2008, 07:13 PM, said:

thanks to everyone who replied
i'm doing so much better--no more nausea!
so i'm definitely planning to stick with pristiq as long as it continues as smoothly as it has.
again, thanks everyone for all the help.

glad to hear it! I hope you continue to feel better. keep us posted.

[SRS4574]

SO, HAS ANYONE CHANGED FROM EFFEXOR TO PRISTIQ? I HAVE BEEN TAKING PRISTIQ FOR A WEEK NOW AND I FEEL TERRIBLE. I FEEL THE SAME AS WHEN I HAVE TRIED TO COME OFF OF EFFEXOR BEFORE. I DONT UNDERSTAND...I THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING..AM I THE ONLY ON WITH THESE SIDE EFFECTS?

[jayscue]

Pristiq what can i say, yes I guess it helped me until I could not get a free sample, HELL!! I cannot afford this med I am a mother of 5 and no insurance so I guess my only choice was going off cold turkey. That was awful and still is. I have only been off 3 days and my temper and depression has doubled from what is was before I started. I do not know what to do because yes this med helps me but going off sucks!! I investigated this med before trying and what I saw was that there was not supposed to be horrible side effects from quitting and maybe the fact that I quit cold turkey made a diiference but the side effects of quitting are making me more whacky than I was before! I have had temper tantrums and today I just really do not want to live anymore. I feel awful!!! These drug companies come out with these new drugs that promise a new life but in the end they are looking for money!! No withdrawal effect they say then why do I feel like this. I want for the first time in my life for my life to end??? I am on Klonopin to help ease the pain of withdrawal but that only makes me wonder if the same drug company is getting a profit from my misery??? I was only on Pristiq for 2 months and this is what happened to me and I want to warn the whole world that the quote of less withdrawals is a ploy!!!

[taberli]

Hi everyone-

I am so glad to find this place - I have severe anxiety and panic attacks and my doc has had me on Pamelor and xanax - I take 50 mg of Pamelor daily and can take up to 5 .5 of xanax to get through a night at a resturant. My doc wants me to add Pristiq - has anyone take Pristiq with Pamelor? I tried Paxil before and had a very severe reaction - major tremors - manic (i jumped on my desk at work) and memory loss. Any advice is appreciated.

[suz0621]

jayscue, on Oct 23 2008, 11:30 PM, said:

Pristiq what can i say, yes I guess it helped me until I could not get a free sample, HELL!! I cannot afford this med I am a mother of 5 and no insurance so I guess my only choice was going off cold turkey. That was awful and still is. I have only been off 3 days and my temper and depression has doubled from what is was before I started. I do not know what to do because yes this med helps me but going off sucks!! I investigated this med before trying and what I saw was that there was not supposed to be horrible side effects from quitting and maybe the fact that I quit cold turkey made a diiference but the side effects of quitting are making me more whacky than I was before! I have had temper tantrums and today I just really do not want to live anymore. I feel awful!!! These drug companies come out with these new drugs that promise a new life but in the end they are looking for money!! No withdrawal effect they say then why do I feel like this. I want for the first time in my life for my life to end??? I am on Klonopin to help ease the pain of withdrawal but that only makes me wonder if the same drug company is getting a profit from my misery??? I was only on Pristiq for 2 months and this is what happened to me and I want to warn the whole world that the quote of less withdrawals is a ploy!!!

I just started taking Paxil when it first came out around 2001 and it made me manic and carefree (like Britney S...ugh) When I think back on the embarassing things that I did while taking it I just cringe. I am going through a major depressive period right now and reluctantly began Pristiq and I am REALLY nervous about having the same reaction. The number one thing I'll say to those on here...don't drink any alcohol while on these things...it doesn't go together at all. I'm scared for the side effects and god-forbid-the withdrawls if I have to stop taking them. Right now...I am feeling tired and a bit sick to the stomach and "plugged in". Hopefully this will go away. But I must admit I haven't been weepy.

This post has been edited by null0trooper: 01 January 2009 - 12:08 PM

[BlueEyes]

Guest_Deb_*, on Oct 27 2008, 07:51 AM, said:

Pristiq.....how long does this nausea last??? Ugh!

hopefully not longer than a few days!