Pristiq for Major Depressive Disorder User Reviews (Page 4)

• Dem...
• May 30, 2017

"Originally went on Pristiq when I was 19, definitely didn't give it long enough to work and swore it off. I am now 22 and have been on the 100 mg for 4 months after easily the most traumatic and worst year of my life. As reluctant as I was at first, this medicine has been an incredible assistant in rebuilding my life. I did start off with awful side effects, including nausea, headaches, shaking/twitching, always tired, waking up during the night. I decided to stick it out, and I'm so glad I did. Although it was hard, after a month my body adjusted and my moods were noticeably more balanced. I felt more in control of my reactions to situations, and it aided me to rebuild my life one step at a time. I just need to give it a month for side effects to calm down."

• Her...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 19, 2021

"I literally took this medication for 1 day at 25 mg. I've been on so many meds, had ECT treatments, the whole 9 yards. It started with nausea and dizziness within an hour. By hour 2, my joints hurt so bad and I was extremely fatigued. I dissociated badly throughout most of the day at work, I had to be snapped out of it. That night after work, my muscles and joints hurt so bad and I was still dissociating so badly. I felt so, so bad, and that came with a whole new set of emotions. I emailed my psychiatrist. She called me the next day, literally 10 minutes after my daily dose (in which I cried and cried because I had to take this pill again) and told me to stop taking it immediately. That my body was metabolizing it too fast, and I should not be having these kinds of side effects at all. So, now we're on to Trintellix. And if that doesn't do the trick, some nasal spray treatment. So defeating."

• Jac...
• March 23, 2016

"I started on Zoloft over five years ago when I had uncontrollable mood swings, then changed to Pristiq. The Zoloft stopped the mood swings, and I fairly quickly changed, at the doctor's suggestion, to Pristiq, and the improvement in my functioning continued - far better than I was before. About four months ago, things were going so well I thought I could stop taking it, and after speaking to the doctor, slowly reduced my dosage until I wasn't taking any. I then experienced a strong return of depression, anxiety, and lack of drive. I am now one week into taking Pristiq again and haven't experienced any change yet, but didn't expect to as it can take six weeks to work. On my previous experience with Pristiq, I highly recommend it."

• Cal...
• June 7, 2017

"I have been taking this medication for almost a year. I have tried every depression medication on the planet. Seriously, I have tried ALL of them. I suffer from crippling anxiety, so I needed something that would help my depression and my anxiety. This medication has worked quite well for both. I have noticed a few things since I started taking these. My sex drive is completely gone. I have constipation issues and quite a dry mouth. Losing my sex drive has been completely terrible, I can't deal with crippling anxiety any longer, so it was worth it. This medication is pretty pricey, about $45 a month with insurance. Before I was taking this, I paid about $4 for 3 months. My doctor gave me a coupon/card, so when I use that, it only costs me $4."

• Mic...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 10, 2017

"I have been taking Pristiq 200 mg for over 2 years, and it has worked well for me. I have tried a number of SSRIs, and this has been the best but isn't perfect. If I forget to take my tablets at breakfast time, by mid-afternoon, I feel very nauseous, lose balance, and feel tired. Routine is important with these tablets. Side effects for me include some sexual performance issues, some weight gain, and poor short-term memory. I have had problems with generic versions of Pristiq, so I stick to the real stuff now."

• Rob...
• January 25, 2020

"First off, I hope most or all is somewhat well with everybody in here! Let's make this very short and to the point... I have been on Pristiq and the last few years the generic form of it for a total of around 7-8 years... I have been seeing countless doctors, of course, including my psych doctor, for these all of the sudden recent symptoms - 24/7 nausea, 24/7 dizziness, sore throat with a lump in it at times, just feelings of not being present in my own body, constantly thinking that I am going to pass away. It is so bad that I cannot play or spend quality time with my only grandson!!! Constant crying and doom. Had an endoscopy and a heart cath which turned out fine. Heavy blood work which is good... Doctors think possible tooth infection from rotted teeth, GI problem, or sleep apnea. Oh, and another huge symptom is really never being able to sleep! Could this medication be catching up to me???? And any thoughts for care on sore throat - all these for the past 4 months."

• Clo...
• May 20, 2018

"This drug killed the real me. I took it for three months for MDD. The first month of Pristiq was euphoric. The only side effect was insomnia. Week six, I experienced anxiety and panic attacks. I went days without sleep. I asked my doctor if Pristiq caused anxiety. He told me that antidepressants take time to work and encouraged me to try the drug a bit longer. My behavior became erratic. I reacted dramatically, even to the good things. I didn’t feel like myself anymore. Week nine, I was noticeably angrier. My overreactions worsened. Week twelve, I searched online for Pristiq. Anxiety showed up in each search. I decided to not take it the following Sunday. My mother wanted me to wait. I adamantly refused and do not regret this. I was considerably less anxious. I had no withdrawal symptoms. Come Tuesday, I saw my doctor. I asked about anxiety again. He confirmed that anxiety was a side effect of Pristiq. I told him everything. I’m not on Pristiq anymore."

• Ard...
• November 12, 2016

"Almost a year ago, I suffered a major depressive episode, and I have tried multiple medications. Although I experienced some minimal success at being able to get easy again and get out of bed, I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder as well as Generalized Anxiety. Being on a leave from work for months, I felt pretty defeated that I would be able to get back to 'normal'. I took a DNA test, and my doctors and I decided to try Pristiq. In the first two weeks, I had almost no side effects, but it did little for my mood, too. Now that I am finishing up my fourth week, I am finally seeing good results. It's early, so I couldn't rate this med a 10, but I am hopeful. This can work, but it's not a quick response! I think this one requires patience."

• Pri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 26, 2015

"Started on Pristiq one year ago. I had a slight positive change in my depression. I was able to get out of bed, shower, and do some work. However, I developed OCD where I had to continually rub my nose or pick my scalp. After 6-7 months, I became anti-social, completely lethargic, did not dress or shower for days but sat in a chair rubbing my nose! I had no range of emotion - no anger, no joy - no feelings. The death of a good friend did not affect me. I decided to stop Pristiq - slowly - and I have had hellish withdrawals reducing by 25% every 2 weeks. Withdrawals included depersonalization, confusion, inability to think clearly, panic attacks, tremors, nightmares, tremors, and out of body sensations. I would never recommend this drug."

• Meh...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 27, 2023

"I am currently taking Pristiq. When I first started taking it, I experienced noticeable side effects, despite being accustomed to antidepressants from having taken different types before. I had headaches, a yeast infection, and a decreased appetite. I could not eat and did not feel hungry. However, it did change me. I had more energy, even though I was still depressed, and started cleaning and doing many things. After a few weeks, my depression began to lessen, but I was also attempting to make myself feel better by doing yoga, meditation, and journaling. I became accustomed to the pill, but if I went 10 hours without taking Pristiq, I would feel strange and experience headaches, brain zaps, mood swings, and anger. After two days, I would experience severe withdrawal side effects such as crying, depressive episodes, and anxiety. After four days, I would feel suicidal and very angry. Although I am still taking Pristiq, I would like to stop taking it. However, I am afraid of the withdrawal symptoms, as I am still a student. Even if it might be helpful, I do not believe it is the answer."

• She...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 9, 2016

"I started Pristiq on Tuesday, July 5th, 2016, again. And I have lost 9 lbs already. I feel less depressed, however, I've been on it before, and I will warn you, do not skip taking it. The withdrawals are HELL!!"

• Cee...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 30, 2021

"I was put on Pristiq as one of my last resorts, after being on multiple antidepressants from every class and having severe reactions to them all. At first with Pristiq, I didn't realize anything was wrong. I thought, 'Wow, finally, something that may just work!' Although there was no change in my depressive state. Well, we are now almost 5/6 years later, and I have realized, by going back in my journaling (that has tapered off so much over the years), that I did and do have some bad side effects from this medication. I have lost my enjoyment for life that I did have. I used to actually like to do things like play video games, go shopping, read books, go to the movies, go to the gym, clean (I loved cleaning), etc. I have developed what my GP had diagnosed as hypersomnia, but it started right after my dose was adjusted to 50 mg, and I just feel lazy, and from all of that, I have gained weight. My depressive state is worse than ever. Now, to get off this stuff."

• Mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 16, 2021

"I’ve been on Pristiq for a week now. I was surprised how quickly it worked for me. I wake up grumpy and crabby, but within five minutes of taking my medication, I feel the fog lifting. I feel calm, more awake, and the irritation goes away. No major side effects either. I’m on 25 mg."

• No-...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 4, 2016

"After being on numerous medications over the years, my doctor decided to try me on Pristiq. I started on 50 mg once daily and took it for about a month. I had headaches almost daily within that time, and it increased my blood pressure. I felt like it wasn't making any changes in my mood or anxiety. Around the 6th week, everything went downhill. Fits of crying and rage, anxiety came back worse than before. I had the worst migraines I'd ever experienced, diarrhea no matter what I ate or drank, severe abdominal pain, and also chills pretty much all of the time. I called my doctor right away because I was becoming very scared and feeling awful. Definitely not a medicine for me!"

• Jam...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 11, 2016

"Just horrible. Sweating, panic attacks, diarrhea, limb jerkiness, tooth grinding, worse insomnia, feelings of unreality, and incidentally, I have taken this for several months and the side effects are still there, just milder. No idea why this was even approved in the first place since it's just a 'patent extender' for the almost identical drug Effexor (venlafaxine)."

• kat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 27, 2019

"Took the dose of 100 mg for about a year with Remeron and never noticed anything helpful about it. The only reason I stayed on it was because of the horrible withdrawals I had to deal with. This past week, I finally kicked it after taking 25 mg for about 3 months. Absolutely horrendous. Didn’t want to eat, I am dizzy, I’m shaky, have horrible constant vertigo/brain zaps, and got thrown into a depressive episode worse than I ever had before. I realize it was the withdrawals' fault. Do not suggest taking it unless you have experience with withdrawal."

• The...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 4, 2017

"I started on Lexapro in my early diagnosis with depression, it worked, but then I became immune to the drug. Then my psychiatrist recommended Effexor, which also worked for the short term. However, that was in the early years. For the past few years, I have been on Pristiq. I started on 50 mg, which did a good job of controlling the anxiety and lifting me out of depression. Last week, my psychiatrist upped my dose to 100 mg to see how I go with this. I am also on Epilim 1000 mg daily, as well as 200 mg of Seroquel for sleep disorder. I think taking extra Pristiq will help, though, see how I go."

• Pre...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 20, 2019

"Had to use triple dosage 300 mg for it to pull me out of major depression while pregnant. Bub was born healthy, no birth defects. Within a few weeks, I was back down to my regular 100 mg dosage. In the future, I will not go off meds during pregnancy, too dangerous. Note that changes in blood volume during pregnancy meant that lower dosages of 150, 200, and 250 made no difference. In Aus, you can request a national authorized script to reduce costs if you have to take larger amounts."

• Cat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 21, 2016

"I technically have bipolar II disorder, and I'm a rapid cycler, but most of the time I experience crippling depression. I take this along with Trileptal to curb any possible hypomanic side effects. I took a genetic test, and this showed up on my list of drugs that were okay to take. I'm on 25 mg, which is technically a starter dose, but I've found that it's more than plenty to help with my symptoms. Within the first couple of days, my depressive thinking (intrusive thoughts, suicidal thoughts, paranoia, etc.) and daily panic attacks went down to basically nothing. I have relatively low energy still, but it sure beats feeling suicidal and anxious all the time. The only side effects I have are constipation, and if I take it too late, insomnia."

• Son...
• March 1, 2016

"I took this at 11 am today, and by 3 pm, I was feeling like I was going to die! My heart was literally jumping out of my chest. I threw up several times, shaking, sweating, and couldn't breathe. I went to the doctor, and they said that my body had a reaction to it. Mind you, I'm only 47.7 kg and 5'1... tiny but mighty. I was on Zoloft, and everything was fine! Never, ever, ever, ever taking this medication again! 27 years old, and I've had depression since I was 16... Lexapro, Lovan, Zoloft- all amazing, but this one I would never touch... Honestly, my jaw is hurting, my teeth are numb, and I'm still shaking... but it's only 7:30 pm. Can't wait for this to be out of my system."

• Ice...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 1, 2022

"I have several comorbid mental health issues, including MDD, ADHD, and panic disorder, and this medication, Pristiq, has been wonderful for me. I finally gave a mouth swab a try to figure out which medications would work for me after 10+ years trying (and disliking) different antidepressants. I found out the only two medications I can properly metabolize are Prozac and Pristiq - the only two that have helped me ever. However, I have found I have way less side effects with Pristiq. I have been on 100 mg for a couple of years but eventually began feeling anhedonic/emotionless, which caused me to reduce my dose to 50 mg, and I'm completely satisfied. This medication has allowed me to escape the cycle of self-deprecation and intrusive thoughts. No side effects. The only reason I'm not giving a 10/10 is for two reasons - missing one dose is intolerable for me, I become completely debilitated from brain zaps and generally feel flu-like symptoms. Definitely not the medication for those who forget to take their pills often!"

• Emm...
• February 21, 2021

"Honestly, I’ve been on a lot of different antidepressant/anxiety medications (Lexapro, Zoloft, Paxil, Cymbalta, etc.). I’ve been taking it since July 2020, and yes, it takes your body a few weeks to get used to the medication, but the side effects aren’t as severe as some of these other reviews, or at least they weren’t for me. I had nausea, extra energy, felt kind of like you drank a coffee, loss of appetite, the brain zaps were no picnic either, but try not to freak out if it happens, it’s normal. It seemed to be working for me after the initial side effects go away. It felt great for awhile, but now I see why people can’t stay on these too long. I’m starting to get the 'zombie' side effects, pretty much can’t cry at all, and I feel emotionally detached, annoyed frequently, very tired, drained."

• Wil...
• July 11, 2016

"This is the 4th medication I've been on and the hardest one to work through. I suffer from mainly anxiety and PTSD, not so much depression. I am also extremely sensitive to medication and have experienced all of the side effects. Pristiq made me more depressed than ever, and I knew this was not me. I was always tired, then I halved the pill, and it's worked wonders!! Anyone suffering mainly anxiety, I suggest you do this before jumping ship. I have my energy back and am going to the gym almost every day. I also dropped weight using this medication. I'm getting back my life after losing to this drug for almost 3 months. Please try halving the tablet - best advice ever given :) Now I can go back on teaching rounds without suffering social anxiety."

• did...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 18, 2019

"Pristiq worked for me, but I had unbearable withdrawal symptoms, only dismissing after 2 weeks. Headaches, brain zaps, flu-like feeling, anxiety, and the worst insomnia. I didn't quit cold turkey. Slow tapering. Awful anyway. Couldn't come back since I was pregnant. Only take it if other natural ways fail to make you feel a little better. It may work for a while (which might be necessary), but know that quitting is the worst thing ever. Nobody deserves that. Be ready to be down for 2 weeks minimum."

• Lif...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 17, 2021

"Pristiq has changed my life. I am confident and happy. I put myself out there and now have two new job offers, when doing job interviewing in the past was a huge issue for me. Obviously, everyone is different, but this medication is worth a try! My only negative side effect is that I no longer have much of an appetite, so I have to remind myself to eat."