Pristiq For Depression And Anxiety Did Not Work (Top voted first)

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My Son went to the Dr. for anxiety and depression, pristiq created more problems for him, panic attacks, insomnia, loss of appetite and he had black outs, got into some legal trouble and says he does not remember anything about that night. Anyone else had this type of problem?

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4

Dear sir,

Except for the legal trouble I had all the syptoms you described when I was put on this horrible drug. I had never had panic attacks, black outs, crazy thinking untill they put me on this medication. I wish you luck. After two weeks off this medication it is like someone took a bag off my head. I am my normal self, can function again and have not had nausea, anxiety or crazy or fuzzy thinking. Good luck to you and your son,

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7

I have had depressive episodes over the past 10 years or so. Have been able to function but it takes so much energy to get through a work day when feeling down, there isn't much room in life for anything else. Was on Effexor for a year and came off it, thought I was dying. Swore I'd never take antidepressants again. But of course 4 years later the depression re- emerges and my dr has just prescribed pristiq. The posts here have me terrified about going back on these drugs. And I am scared about taking them and worried about the quality of my life if I don't. I don't know what to do. I feel the medical profession had me backed into a corner- dammed either way.

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1

I was first prescribed 50 mg and now have been raised to 100 mg of Pristiq a day and 60 mg of Buspar for anxiety and depression. I have noticed that I have been getting irritated and grouchy more often while on the medicine. I have been on for about 3 months now and have set up an appointment to discuss this with my doctor. Not happy at all with this combination. I also had a loss in appetite, but no blackouts.

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10

I mean Pristiq is known to have very little sexual side effects.

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11

My husbands personality totally changed on anti anxiety meds for four years and lastly on pristiq. Not for the better but definitely for the worse. He became a different person in all ways possible. Compulsive gambling, no feelings at all about me, no impulse control, anger and rage and now lies compulsively. All the complete opposite of the man I was married to for six years before the pills. Now he is addicted and won't come off them. He is scared of the withdrawals as he has tried once before. He thinks he will die without them. He has done the most horrible things over the years and everyone who knows what he has done is shocked at him. They are all saying how is it possible for a pill prescribed by doctors to change someone this much. He was never diagnosed with anxiety or depression but was started on them seven years ago by a GP for one small panic attack. Since then two different GPs have written out prescription after prescription without any follow up or proper diagnosis. My life was turned into hell and I have tried all avenues to fix this. He will not listen and while on these meds thinks he does nothing wrong. He has delusions of grandeur and looks at himself for prolonged periods in the mirror. And if he is challenged about any lies he tells he will rage and then not speak for weeks. Be careful when starting on this medication. It is very hard to withdraw from after long term use. Only take it if you really are suffering with depression but I would never touch it myself. My marriage to a man who loved me more than anything is now down the drain and I could not get him off the stuff no matter how I tried. And those pills make him not care at all about me or anything else he does.

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13

I have been on Pristiq 3 years +/- 1 year. I don't notice any relief of depression. I remain homebound and am frequently plagued with upper GI upsets. Too scared to leave home, often too scared to sleep. I am on other meds for other conditions - anxiety, high BP, chronic pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, insomnia. I have tried most every anti-d on the market. None have relieved DC the depression. Paxil created a rage reaction. When I forget my Pristiq, I find myself in tears most of the day. A 200mg dose of Pristiq averts the tears. Overall, I have found in the 20+ years of battling depression that no med and no amount of therapy are effective. I do champion the use of Ultram, off-label, as a mood stabiliser. It is not in the least bit effective as a pain reliever. Unless something truly new comes along, I have no hope. I trudge through every day simply waiting for bedtime, when I have a chance at sleep. I've tried many meds for sleep, I've done as one doctor suggested and took no meds for 3-4 days, in the belief that my body would simply fall asleep from exhaustion. Nope. There are some people who simply cannot be helped

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2

had a severe seizure while on pristiq, had been taking the medication for about a year. I was getting more depressed, moody, and irritated, then wham!!! I know it was the pristiq, anyone else?

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3

Hello, I have been on pristique approx 6 months. Didn't work well at all well for me. Went from 50 -100mg no difference. So Doc gave one week to get off them weening, not sure if that is long enough. Went cold turkey for 3 days, about an hour ago had 1/2 table. Never felt so Ill. Going to try EllexorXR end of the week. Roll on Thursday. Cannot function like this..
Good luck to everyone. My full side effects are dizziness even if I just move my eyes. Buzzing in the ears. Can't work do anything at all All I want to do is lie down and wait for it all to pass. Even writing this post is taking it out of om of he'll of an effort..

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5

I am sorry that so many have had such problems and bad experiences from taking this medication.

Unfortunately, virtually any drug that acts on brain chemicals, such as this one, can have the opposite of its intended effect in some people that try it. The reasons why this happens are not known, but it is a known phenomenon.

Thus, the best thing anyone that starts experiencing such issues can do is to stop taking the medication and contact their doctor immediately for assistance and to see what their other options may be.

Are there any questions or comments?

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6

Hi just wondering how long you took pristiq for?

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8

I was put on Pristiq 100mg for depression and Anxiety. I have been taking it now for 13 months. I mostly suffer from Anxiety. My experience is that Pristiq is making me more Anxious and now depressed and hopeless most days.
I've been seeing a new psychiatrist. I saw him today and asked to be weaned off this med. I feel I was better off before Pristiq.
I've been reading a lot about meds today online. Very scary info. I read good Amazon reviews on a suggested book The Mood Cure by Julia Ross. I'm going to go in a holistic direction from now on.
I hope I can survive the withdrawals. I do take Xanax as needed and it's the only thing that makes me feel normal, not worse.

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9

Pristiq was probably not the correct medication if he was a first-timer. There are basically two different types of antidepressant medications; neither should be used for anxiety. One type is an SSRI, a Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitor, and the other is an SNRI, a Seratonin and Norepanephrin Reuptake Inhibitor. He should have started with an SSRI, such as Zoloft. Pristiq is an SNRI, which regulated Seratonin and Dopamine. Probably, the reason the doctor gave him Pristiq is because Pristiq is known to have sexual side effects. My advice, I did go to med school, would be to get a Benzodiazapine for the anxiety, and get on Zoloft for now. Benzo examples are Xanax, Klonopin, and Valium. Good luck!

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12

Psycho..... God has nothing to do with your pill addiction, you do. Own your behavior

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