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With or Without??? Pristiq

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Posted 10/10/2011 12:07 AM (GMT 0)
Hi there, I have been taking 50mg of Pristiq for a little over 2mths now. My history is long but to make a long story short...I have adult ADHD and have managed that well and have always had mild symptoms of depression being a teen into young adult. However, I've always kept it under control and never needed any thing for depression until I had my daughter for slight "baby blues", where I took 30mg of Lexapro.
Again, to shorten the story....cause I could go on forever...my husband committed suicide a little over 3 years ago and left me with our 5 yr old daughter behind. To make this tragic of a story even worse, he shot himself on our 5th wedding anniversary!!! Yes happy anniversary to me I know?!

I moved about a year ago to start over and new...well the grief has been raging full blown with massive amounts of anxiety, tearful spells, uncontrollable emotions, anger, rage ( so bad that I just last night I was so mad that I busted my fiancee's closet door with a screw driver) I am a nurse and I teach patients every day on medications and side effects so I'm not stupid in how to treat myself. But my God, I feel like I need be in a straight jacket!! I go from feeling happy to just so depressed I can't even get out of bed. Since all this, I am "newly" engaged (Lord only knows why?!) to this wonderful man, but is some what distant and emotionaly attached. He too lost his dad at the age of 9yrs old.I could go on forever....this year alone I have been on Cymbalta, then back to Lexapro 20mg, then now Pristiq and I feel it hasnt helped at all. Cymbalta put 25lbs on me in over 2mths and made me exhausted. I just feel like the meds r making me worse and clouding my mind, help? Suggestions?
Posted 10/10/2011 12:20 AM (GMT 0)
What about trying 100mg of pristiq. That is what I take, and I take abilify with it. 10 mg. Maybe you need that, it helps the anti depressant work better. It is worth a try. At least see if bumping up the pristiq will help. But the combo really worked for me. And abilify works as a mood stabilizer too. Some people can't tolerate it, but it has been a life saver for me. I hope that you can find something that works for you. I know how frustrating it can be.

Take care, keep posting.

Hugs, Karen
Posted 10/10/2011 3:34 AM (GMT 0)
First of all, my condolences. I have dreamt of suicide, could tast it, touch it but never did...only because of my daughter...but it makes for a craappy life. She says"mom, you never have to worry about suicide.I think it is the most selfish thing to do, leaving behind all those people who love you"

Anyway, remember it takes up to 2months for some anti-depressants to kick in. I take welbutrin, abilify and seroquel (at nite). Lexapro made me feel godawful, never took cymbalta. Some will give you bad side effects. And yes, upping the dose can help.

BUT meds arenot all of it, as I'm sure you know...soundslike you could use a counselor to talk too. You seem frightened and emotionally numb, and loss of control scares all of us too.

I would urge you to find a counselor and they can work with your doc.

Let us know...this is a great place to vent-no judgments!!

Maggie
Posted 10/11/2011 5:41 PM (GMT 0)
Karen & Maggie-

I actually asked my psychiatrist if upping the dose of my Pristiq would be beneficial and he advised against it due to the fact that the side effects of the medication could increase. To it give another month and we would reevaluate it to see if other options would be needed. Honestly, I feel like a "Ginny Pig Pill Box"...I've never in my life have taken or trialed so many medications in one year.

Maggie- thank you so much for you empathy but I can tell you FIRST HAND SUCIDE DOESN'T KILL JUST THE INFLICTOR, BUT IT KILLS EVERY ONE AROUND YOU!!

It has changed my life forever, as well as, our friends and family. I have lost all since of confidence for myself, I live with the guilt that he left behind, and the responsibility of molding our daughter and keeping her mind free of any guilt. She keeps her daddy on a "pedestal" only due to the fact that I speak only good things of him, and keep him in active memory. When in actuality, I wish I had one moment in time to tell him how much hell he has put my life through...how forever hurt I will always be, and how dare him leave his family and run from a problem that we could of and WOULD OF WORKED OUT TOGETHER!! It is very selfish but my husband was Iraq Vet that served 18mths and came up with PTSD, not knowing that his symptoms were that bad...because the one's that do commit and succeed suicide, are silent killers. Meaning, they don't leave a paper trail and or any evidence leading up to explaining why she/or he would do such a devastating act...however it is planned but you will find no leads to the plan. I could go on forever.

In regards to the counselor, my daughter and I both received counseling for a year after he passed, she got better, however I became very submissive and dull and discontinued my sessions thinking I could deal with it on my own. I am now at my very bottom with a gorgeous diamond ring on my finger from a man that has chosen me, chosen to love me for every thing I am, love me enough to make me his wife...OMG!!!...and that scares the crap out of me! I constantly compare him to my 1st husband in my head...wishing he was more like him...cause we had such a close connection, he was truly my soul mate...and I have found it to be incredibly hard to cut the strings to my heart for my 1st husband to allow myself to reattach those strings to him. But I am currently seeking a professional counselor again as well as, starting a new beginning in my spiritual life and allowing God to heal me.
Posted 10/11/2011 6:02 PM (GMT 0)
Oh yes, I told my dtr not to worry I would never kill myself becaus eshe would be soooo mad at me. That's when she said the above quote.
I cannot even imagine the guilt you must feel, but you might have been what kept him going as long as he did. And I cannot imagine the horrors he endured-thank you for your service sounds alittle tame. It must be hard not to be soooangry w/ him and betrayed. If he had just said one thing, I'm sure you would have helped him thru it. And teaching your dtr a balanced picture of him is hard. I think when she gets older, she can probably take him off the pedestal in her own time.Life has a way of doing that.

Congratulations on yr engagement. I think you can keep a part of your heart for your 1st husband and still make room for a new guy-kind of like when you have another child, you don't love the 1st any less because of the 2nd. The heart has an infinite capacity for love...

God tells us to let go, to lay down our burden, that if we truly believe (and I do) we will not worry. I have been working on that along time....very difficult, but keep trying. After Katrina, I put it all in His hands, because I could barely decide to breath, nevermind anything else. Counseling is never a bad idea, as long as you trust them.
I know God will heal you, I pray sooner than later

Thanks for your response. I completely get the guinea pig thing. I've done ect's, visualization, 15 anti-ds, mood stablilizers, xanax and all that garbage. I am praying we all find the right combo for our lives. Let us know

Maggie
Posted 10/11/2011 6:24 PM (GMT 0)
Do you get side effects from the pristiq Cancan? Just curious...

Hugs, Karen
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