a new Pristiq guinea pig here.....

[BlueEyes]

Hi all-

I am new to this whole thing, as in diagnosed by a pdoc just yesterday. I took my first dose of Pristiq last night. I really have no clue about what to expect with it, and it kinda freaks me out that I can't be my usual research happy self with the drug since it is so new. Most things written about it have been negative, but I'm hoping that is because people are more likely to bitch about something that didn't work than they are to jump online and write about how much they loved it....right?? Anyway, I feel like a total test subject, and thought I should share. And since Pristiq isn't mentioned in too many places here, I can't just lurk the board in secret to find out what other people are experiencing.

Annnyway, I know it's a little early to be posting things about my experience, but I had such weird side effects with just the one pill, that I thought I should....

• nauseous an hour after taking it
  
• restless and unable to sleep
  
• woke up dizzy and nauseous with a headache
  
• chills off and on all day today
  
• this weird feeling of being halfway to the point of barfing, but not. like the muscles in my throat were tightening like a gag reflex...it intensifies when I drink liquids. Has been going on all day. effin' weird!
  
• just feeling hazy and out of it in general
  

of course I have nothing to compare it to...any opinions?

- s

[Isolde]

Hi all-

I am new to this whole thing, as in diagnosed by a pdoc just yesterday. I took my first dose of Pristiq last night. I really have no clue about what to expect with it, and it kinda freaks me out that I can't be my usual research happy self with the drug since it is so new. Most things written about it have been negative, but I'm hoping that is because people are more likely to bitch about something that didn't work than they are to jump online and write about how much they loved it....right?? Anyway, I feel like a total test subject, and thought I should share. And since Pristiq isn't mentioned in too many places here, I can't just lurk the board in secret to find out what other people are experiencing.

Annnyway, I know it's a little early to be posting things about my experience, but I had such weird side effects with just the one pill, that I thought I should....

• nauseous an hour after taking it
  
• restless and unable to sleep
  
• woke up dizzy and nauseous with a headache
  
• chills off and on all day today
  
• this weird feeling of being halfway to the point of barfing, but not. like the muscles in my throat were tightening like a gag reflex...it intensifies when I drink liquids. Has been going on all day. effin' weird!
  
• just feeling hazy and out of it in general
  

of course I have nothing to compare it to...any opinions?

- s

Hi!! Welcome to the Guinea Pig cage. I had a little nausea the first day I took Pristiq. Since then, about 10 days ago, I haven't noticed anything changing. I hope this stuff works. I am tired of the depression.

[SinNaps]

Hi BlueEyes,

I started Pristiq four days ago. This afternoon I started googling for information on the pill for the first time and didn't find many positive comments yet. People saying Wyeth was just putting Pristiq out as a money-rescue for when Effexor goes generic... well, whatever the politics going on... I feel worse than right before I took that first pill.

Similar to your list... plus for me it's as if a huge head cold is about to start - teetering on dizzy, almost wanting to throw-up, completely sucked dry of energy AND strength - if I don't force myself, DRAG myself across a room as much as possible, my legs gets so antsy from not moving. I'm restless with no get-up-and-go to take care of it.

Anyway. My personal experience. I'm giving it until I wake up tomorrow. If it's still like swimming through the twilight zone with swamp goggles on, I'm not swallowing anymore. I did read on one site where a woman felt better after taking Pristiq for awhile. But it was one out of many. Then again - it's very new. Who knows? I guess it's all about what we want to try to get what.

Or something like that.

Peace.

[BlueEyes]

thanks for posting your experiences you guys. today is the first day I've actually felt pretty decent in months. I am assuming its the pristiq, even though it's only been 3 days. the side effects I listed before are almost all gone, and have been replaced with dilated pupils and a feeling of being a tad bit slower when I move around than usual. I am still having problems sleeping. but, all in all, my moods have evened out a lot, and I feel less overwhelmed by things.

I am hoping both of you end up getting good results...maybe stick with it a little longer? I read that pristiq sometimes takes a couple of weeks to notice anything. or is that just for med? I don't know, still new to this and the lingo and such.

I just hope that I stop feeling like I am a defective human being not worthy of good things. ugh.

[BjornGlitchy]

Welcome to Crazyboards! I don't have any experience with Pristiq but I've gone through A LOT of meds to get on the right cocktail. A lot of side effects go away with time. Some people are lucky and the first meds they try work well. Most people I think have to go on the med-go-round and experiment with different ones. I had really bad luck because my liver is a little funky.

Good luck with everything

[Isolde]

Pristiq definitely working. Now I have to deal with the inevitable insomnia. Here I am at 3:00 am, not slightly tired. I will give pdoc a call tomorrow and see what she says. I have already taken Seroquel AND klonopin. Still no sleepy.

[BlueEyes]

oh. my. god. the insomnia!

is it possible for that to subside on its own, or am I going to have to get something to help me sleep? it seems to be getting worse every night.

[Isolde]

I am reducing some of the Ritalin SR that I take. I will see how that works. I am glad that the Pristig is working, so far, with few other side effects.

[alex]

oh. my. god. the insomnia!

I use melatonin to induce sleep. You can get it in the vitamin section of most stores.

I usually take it pretty early on -- like 8 or 9PM to get to bed by midnight. It's safe stuff, since melatonin is naturally occuring in the body anyway, and is the very thing that regulates sleep. It doesn't "knock me out," but makes me drowsy. A true insomniac can push through the effects of even melatonin, so you have to make an effort to give into the drowsiness.

In general, insomnia sucks ass. It does so with a high-power vacuum style. I wish there was a good solution for it, because I get hit by insomniac phases many times per year. The down side to almost any sleep aid is that it can keep you sleeping longer than you want, and make it difficult to wake up. So, take it very early in the evening -- before 9PM, and help it by TRYING to sleep, not trying to stay awake and fighting the effect.

[Artemisia]

oh. my. god. the insomnia!

I use melatonin to induce sleep. You can get it in the vitamin section of most stores.

I usually take it pretty early on -- like 8 or 9PM to get to bed by midnight. It's safe stuff, since melatonin is naturally occuring in the body anyway, and is the very thing that regulates sleep. It doesn't "knock me out," but makes me drowsy. A true insomniac can push through the effects of even melatonin, so you have to make an effort to give into the drowsiness.

In general, insomnia sucks ass. It does so with a high-power vacuum style. I wish there was a good solution for it, because I get hit by insomniac phases many times per year. The down side to almost any sleep aid is that it can keep you sleeping longer than you want, and make it difficult to wake up. So, take it very early in the evening -- before 9PM, and help it by TRYING to sleep, not trying to stay awake and fighting the effect.

I second the melatonin recommendation. I personally take an orange-flavored dissolving sublingual version (1 mg). It's quite yummy and relaxing, which probably contributes a lot to its effectiveness. (Hey, if the placebo effect works out, why not let it?)

[Isolde]

I am able to sleep now with the Pristiq. Seems that for me, the side effects don't last very long which is a good thing. My pdoc claimed there would be less side effects with Pristiq than with Effexor. I can't say for sure, having never used Effexor. In any event, Pristiq seems mild enough to prevent side effects and is seemingly strong enough to work without making hyper.

[BlueEyes]

Isolde, I am glad to hear that it's working for you. 9 days in for me and the side effects seem to be gone. my mood was all over the place for the first week (a happy day, a sad day, etc.), but for the last few days I have felt "normal" and in a good mood. And, the insomnia has gone away. YES! Thank you for the melatonin idea, I had never heard of it.

[Isolde]

I am getting the feeling that the Pristiq isn't really working. I have been depressed for a couple of days now. I hate it all.

[Day2Day in the 518]

I'm new to CrazyBoards and new to Pristiq. (I just posted something under another area because I'm on Lamictal too... Lots of crossover on these boards.)

I'm almost 2 weeks on Pristiq now. (weaning off of Lexapro while increasing Lamictal)

Only side effect was a nasty bout of self-loathing last night that may have been brought on by a couple of beers and a check of my weight. (I had put on 20+ pounds when I added Lamictal to my Lexapro regime. Doc thinks the weight gain is the combo, not the Lamictal itself. Thus, the switch to Pristiq.)

I'm anxious (bad word choice) to keep up with everyone's experiences with this new drug.

[Isolde]

I'd have to say that Pristiq has helped somewhat. My pdoc says to hold off on upping the dose, being bp and all. This isn't a jolt type of drug, to me, anyway.

[BlueEyes]

I'm new to CrazyBoards and new to Pristiq. (I just posted something under another area because I'm on Lamictal too... Lots of crossover on these boards.)

I'm almost 2 weeks on Pristiq now. (weaning off of Lexapro while increasing Lamictal)

Only side effect was a nasty bout of self-loathing last night that may have been brought on by a couple of beers and a check of my weight. (I had put on 20+ pounds when I added Lamictal to my Lexapro regime. Doc thinks the weight gain is the combo, not the Lamictal itself. Thus, the switch to Pristiq.)

I'm anxious (bad word choice) to keep up with everyone's experiences with this new drug.

Welcome to CB!

My Pristiq update:

It will be 3 weeks today since I started taking Pristiq. I hate to say this for fear of jinxing myself, but I feel like a new person! My boyfriend says he feels like he is dating a new girl and is cheating on the old me. I never thought I would feel "normal" or better, but I do. The only remaining side effect is dry mouth. And I did have 2 panic attacks about 10 days ago, which I've never had before. The pdoc gave me some Xanax should I start feeling like that again. So far so good though. I think the Pristiq has also curbed my appetite, or maybe that was just depression causing me to binge constantly and crave sweets?? Either way, I can function without eating chocolate/candy/ice cream daily. No more overwhelming cravings.

I hope I'm not the only one who is having good luck with this!

[Day2Day in the 518]

That's good to hear, Blue Eyes. I'm really happy for you.

I had a great day today. Nothing big happened. I just felt really good all day and I really noticed it. I even mowed the lawn when I got home from work! Hopefully, there will be more of these types of days than not.

Let's keep our fingers crossed and stay in touch.

[mistybelle]

I'm new to this site today. I found it when I was trying to find out about Pristiq . I am trying to stop taking Prozac b/c of weight gain. I use to take effexor and loved it. Did not like coming off of it. I will keep reading your results and try to decide if I should take the plunge. Thanks for posting your experiences.

[Guest benicetoanimals]

I'm new to this site today. I found it when I was trying to find out about Pristiq . I am trying to stop taking Prozac b/c of weight gain. I use to take effexor and loved it. Did not like coming off of it. I will keep reading your results and try to decide if I should take the plunge. Thanks for posting your experiences.

[Guest benicetoanimals]

I have extreme anxiety which lead to depression. I was on Effexor XR for 3 years and it was GREAT. It took about 2 weeks to get rid of start-up symptoms. However I gained a lot of weight. I tried to taper off over a long period of time and the withdrawal symptoms were nasty so I climbed back on. (My doctor, whom I do really like, continues to say "Effexor doesn't cause weight gain." Makes me a little angry.)

After another year I switched to Cymbalta - climb up the Cymbalta while decreasing the Effexor is definitely a way to avoid the nasty withdrawals. Cymbalta was not as effective FOR ME and caused rapid weight gain. In four year I've gained over 100 pounds as it is, with 20 coming from just 2 months on Cymbalta!

So...I've just switched form Cymbalta to Pristiq and have been taking it for 9 days. (tapered off Cymbalta first then started Pristiq) My doctor told me it was like Effexor XR but without many impurities that caused side effects. It seems to be working ok but I need a stronger dose. While researching this week I can't find anything about using this drug for anxiety. I'd like to increase the dose but all I read is that it does no good and only causes problems.

So I thought I'd go back to trusty Effexor but now I'm reading (on such sites as this one) that the patent is gone in 2010, thus the switch(?) by my doctor to Pristiq.

So there's my story, with the buried question - is anyone using Pristiq for anxiety?