User Reviews for Pristiq oral

I’ve been on Pristiq for 10+ years now & it’s worked the best out of the many different drugs I’ve tried for my depression.

All side effects. Feels like poison. Can't sleep. This drug is the worst of all the ones I've tried, including Zoloft.

Before you take every comment on here to heart, remember that everyone's experience is different because every BODY is different. I had tried Prozac and Lexapro before trying Pristiq, and those "horrid side effects" people talked about with this medicine is what I experienced with Lexapro and Prozac. They just weren't for me. I started taking Pristiq 4 weeks ago, and I can't tell you how HAPPY I am that I made the switch. I finally don't feel exhausted all day every day; I finally don't have suicidal ideation on a regular basis, or get depressed from hearing a certain song or the weather changing; I feel so much more confident, energized, and happy! It really has been a saving grace for me. The moral of the story here is that if this doesn't work for you, check on other options! And if anything, please talk to a psychiatrist! I went to my GP for the other two medications, and they clearly didn't understand my needs. My psychiatrist got it right, and I am so grateful for that! Read More Read Less

None of the benefits, but I got all the terrible side-effects. Worst medication I've ever taken.

I struggled with debilitating anxiety and panic attacks throughout my life. Having had tried most antidepressants and even some anti psychotic meds before without much relief, I was very sceptical to try Pristiq. Not going to lie, the heightened anxiety in the first 4 weeks made me almost quit the treatment. I am glad that I stuck with it though, this is the most balanced and grounded I have ever felt and I have handled some of the most stressful times in my life with so much ease recently. I am so grateful that we finally found something that works for me. Read More Read Less

This medication had no positive benefits.

I was on Lexapro for 11 yrs and went off when I retired. I crashed a year later. I was prescribed this and honestly the same day I felt the change. it has been amazing for me. yes I still have "down"days but I can get out of it easily with a walk. I love this pill and will never go off. I have energy, no weight gain (unless I have a few weeks of overeating), level mood and I feel normal.

I've been on and off of anti depressants for over 10 years and this is the first SNRI that I have taken. It has been a little over a year since starting it and it has changed my life. I notice no sexual issues as I have in the past, and my day to day life is quite bearable - no major depressive issues as long as I don't miss a day. I've noticed that it is best for me to take it a few hours before bed. I do notice the next day if I have forgotten to take a pill as I will get very emotional and slightly dizzy. Read More Read Less

I’ve been on a lot of different medications. I experience side effects very easily which is why I was put on pristiq. I only made it two days because the side effects were insane. I felt like I was on adderall and sleep medication all at the same time. So much energy, but so tired. On day two, I couldn’t even get off the couch. My anxiety was so bad. I had a migraine and terrible nausea. When I woke up on day 3, I felt like my brain had been abused and made the decision to give it a break. I don’t doubt this works for people, but it definitely wasn’t for me. Read More Read Less

40 pound weight gain in only four months despite increasing exercise and marathon training

Pristiq is one of the easiest most effective and quickly acting antidepressants I have ever used. And I have been taking many. No side effects, no weight gain, no anxiety, insomnia etc But it requires consistency. If you miss your dose you may feel somewhat under the weather, so be punctual!

I have been on every antidepressant med under the sun over the last 30 years. I’ve had horrible experiences and awful side effects with all of them. I was very skeptical about trying yet another med but my doctor advised this one works differently than the others. I’ve been on 25mg of ER for 6 months and I have to say I’m so happy with it! My symptoms are reduced by 70% with almost no side effects (just very minor dry mouth). My energy and mood are much better. If I miss more than 3 doses I do start to feel my PTSD symptoms returning but not severe withdrawals like some meds cause. It was slow to take effect but so worth it!Read More Read Less

At First, I was beyond happy that I finally felt some relief. Yes at first. Yes I have trauma that has not been addressed, yes there is mental illness and dysfunction in my family but I needed to function despite the emotional and mental baggage. I’m a mama and can’t be hiding in my room or frozen in state of panic when my son asks me who’s knocking at the door. Up all night with obsessive thoughts.. just a mess. So I started my meds and he’s it worked and I was better but also apathetic... almost numb. A year into taking the meds we lowered my dose (from 100 to 50mg). I also gained 100lbs... I stopped caring about my waistline and gave in to every single craving. This had never ever happened before but again I was apathetic and in denial that the meds had anything to do with it because I was finally feeling better. I also started to read a lot about mental health and how to become more proactive with my challenges. Sorry for the ramble... this medication will do that make you apathetic so you have to pay attention to your lifestyle. I am slowly weaning off and hope to never have to take medication again. Sending everyone the very best always. Blessings. Read More Read Less

After my mother passing away unexpectedly in April it changed my life emotionally. It seemed that this event broke me and caused me to have anxiety, heart palpitations, immense sadness etc. Yes, I know you are supposed to grieve, but after 5 months and each day of having horrible anxiety issues and uncontrollable emotions of sadness crying over anything, I needed some help through this tough time. Beforehand, I would highly suggest anyone that is ultra sensitive to medications like myself to have your doctor do a Gene Sight test. This test was a life savor and the results showed that I am very sensitive to medications and have sensitivity to serotonin. Out of the many antidepressants out there 3 showed up that would be suitable for me and Pristiq was one of them. I am on day 9 and let me tell you, yes it does work if it is a suitable medication for your chemistry. Yes, you do get side effects and I'm only on 25mg. The first few days were dry mouth, light headiness, decreased appetite, sensitivity to lights (car lights etc.) a few episodes of emotions crying and makes me feel that I drank coffee or an energy drink. It has helped my anxiety and is getting better each day. I take Pristiq everyday at 7:30 AM so that I am able to sleep at night. I'm not sure if it has effected my sleep, as I've been taking an Advil PM at night as I read it could possibly create insomnia at first. I didn't want to risk my sleep cycle and I will stop taking Advil PM after another week and try to sleep naturally once again. I can see why people will stop this medication the first week especially on larger doses due to side effects. Don't give up and if you are having immense side effects ask your doctor to give you a lower dose. I'm finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and feeling "normal" again. Read More Read Less

I have had a TERRIBLE experience with this drug. I’ve long had anxiety, and have tried other antidepressants in the past, and have never had a positive experience with them. Basically, they don’t actually help my problems, and come with a bunch of side effects. When I started this med 3 weeks ago, my resting heart rate was 60-65bpm. After starting this med, my heart rate rapidly began dropping, until it reached the low 40s at fines. I was sent to the ER, but I guess nothing is wrong, though hard to know these days since you can’t get medical care due to Covid. I’m now tapering off with an every other day regimen. Every day I don’t take this nasty pill, I start to feel better and my heart rate starts to look more normal. On the days I have to take it, I sit around worrying if my heart rate will plummet lower. After this experience, I will never take another antidepressant because they don’t work for me and my issues. I guess I’ll just have to deal. If people don’t like the fact that I’m not an optimistic or happy, they can walk on by. I’m not going to make myself sick so I can pretend to be happy. Read More Read Less

Very sick to my stomach. Stopped eating for days. I decided that no way was I going to wait around for the s.e. To lessen because it’s a ridiculous expectation. Cannabinoids work better than this hideous little pill.

This is the best medicine I've ever been on. I have tried many and this one keeps me balanced. I am borderline bi-polar, have suffered SAD and have dealt with a lot of trauma in my life. I have "high Highs and Low lows", have a hard time keeping that middle zone on a daily basis. I am very much an extrovert, love being around people, long summer days and hate the winter with a passion. With all that being said ~ This has been the life changer. I am happy 98% of the time now. I can not recommend this enough! Give this one try. I took Paxil and Zoloft. But this was worked for me!! Read More Read Less

The first few days were a little rough with nausea and some headaches.. but I can tell you this immediately helped with my social anxiety. I barely get nervous anymore and I haven’t had a single anxiety/panic attack since taking this pill. My sadness hasn’t gone completely away, which I like because I’d rather not be an emotionless robot. It did help my sadness not come with the suicidal thoughts. I take this with buspirone 5mg twice a day and I cannot even explain how much this has helped me. If you’re reading this and you’ve tried many SSRI’s that NEVER seem to work, give this a goRead More Read Less

I wish this drug would be taken off the market. I cannot even begin to explain the hell this drug has put me through. RESEARCH THIS DRUG BEFORE STARTING!!!! IT IS VERY DANGEROUS AND GETTING OFF IT IS HORRENDOUS!!!! I will never take another anti-depressant again after my experience with Pristiq. The withdrawals are worse than any depression you could ever experience — and I used to be suicidal. Pristiq is awful!!!!

15 years on Lexapro , went down from 40 mg Lexapro since June 2020, horrible withdrawals, down to 10 mg am and 10 mg pm by January 2021 . hospital visits, so many brain mri"s , cat scans, blood work, hormones tests all good. started Pristiq about a week ago 25mg am and 10 mg Lexapro pm . my racing toughts and crying spells as of yesterday started to get better, read a lot of bad reviews about pristiq not working in few months dont know what to do.