Extreme Exhaustion With Pristiq

This is my second try on Pristiq. The first time round, I did not feel any positive effect until four months of taking the medication (200mg). After a little over four months, I woke up one day feeling less anxious, brighter, and more positive about my future. However, with the good, came the bad: extreme exhaustion. I could barely get out of bed, barely walk, barely function. I stopped the meds because I couldn't deal with the lack of energy.

I decided to try Pristiq again after a failed course of a different medication, and the same has happened again: meds seemed to "kick in" after four months, including the accompanying exhaustion.

Has this happened to anyone else? Did Pristiq's effects take so long to kick in for you? Does the exhaustion go away?

Any words would be appreciated. Thank you!

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I had been taking Pristiq (Desvenlafaxine) 50mg for 8 years, and my mail order pharmacy just substituted a generic made by West-Ward in my last refill. They allegedly checked with my physician but not with me. Interesting to note: the insureds (my) cost for the drug dropped significantly; however, the amount paid by the mail order pharmacy went up. Since when does a mail order pharmacy prescribe a generic where their cost went up? I'm guessing there must be some sort of financial incentive for the mail order pharmacy to achieve a certain quantity of the generic fulfillments, then West-Ward gives them a rebate. Most importantly, how am I feeling after two weeks on the generic? I was taking Pristiq for anxiety. Honestly, I don't feel it's working the same. I had an inability to cry on the Pristiq, and I actually feel a little more weepy and irritable, but I didn't like the fact that I couldn't cry, so maybe this will be a good thing. I'll keep you posted (no pun intended).

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@Indie,

From my observations reading other related discussion threads here, Prolia appears to be riddled with unusual side effects ranging anywhere from A-Z. Granted some individuals do have a positive experience. However, NIH.gov does list: "tiredness / sleepiness / weakness / dizziness / faintness" as side effects that you should discuss with your doctor.

My guess is that these side effects probably start to subside as Prolia begins to leave your system - but who really knows how long that might be?

If you want to check out additional stories from other patients who've also experienced challenges on Prolia, I'd encourage you to run a search here on MedsChat for "prolia side effects". Perhaps sharing your story in one of those related threads will also yield some valuable feedback.

Hope all is well with you!

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