Pristiq vs. Effexor XR

Hi. I am new to the forum. I have been on Effexor XR for 18 years and it has worked really great for me. However, I believe it has stopped working. I began getting all the feelings and symptoms of Major Depression returning. My doctor put me on Pristiq. He had me quit taking the Effexor XR 150 mg. and go straight to 50 mg. Pristiq. This is my 2nd day on Pristiq and I feel awful. I am dizzy, feel like I can't function at all. Is this normal? Is anyone on Pristiq after taking Effexor XR and it is working well for them? I feel very scared as if I am losing my sanity. If anyone has any help or information for me, could you please reply. Thank you so much.

 

HI BEEN ON BOTH. PRISTIQ IS A GOOD MED. YOU WILL FEEL BETTER
SOON. EFFEXOR POOPED 4 ME AS WELL.

WITH HEALING COMPASSION,

JAMIE

Hi, so glad to have found this forum and found because I too have been on Effexor for a long time, almost 16 yrs at 300 mg per day AND I have to take mine at night which docs have said is a bit odd. I'm finding it just isn't doing it for me anymore and when I saw my Psy 3 mos ago told him the same and his response was he couldn't think of anything else (we have tried added Risperdal which was great but then I developed that condition where you get jittery and racy. He also tried taking me off Effexor couple years ago and trying Zoloft but that didn't work AT ALL)

Have a apt today and was researching .... wondering why he didn't suggest Pristiq but do have concerns for transitioning from Effexor to Pristiq.

Thank you SOOO Much and Hugs to you too!!!

I only found this site because I see Doc today and feeling like I am doing his job ... Amazing what support and smile/hug can do.

Hi again, friends.

Having a strange day. Eyes puffy, exhausted and very twilight zoneish. Has to be Cymbalta. Will be so glad when all this passes.

Best wishes to the new ones (like me) with your meds. Pristiq? Will have to research that, my doctor has never brought it up. I have major depression, anxiety which can lead to agoraphobia. Cymbalta worked gret when I was on it, sadly I thought I was cured lol.

First time I've ever been laid off and I'm having a lot of problems dealing with that. Thus my return to Cymbalta. Hard to look for work when I'm dealing with the effects of going back on.

Not to mention, menopause! Yikes. Cruel combination.

Love you all. Karen, you are super. Trina good to see you, and you too as well Jamie! Please forgive me for not acknowledging everyone. Totally out of it today.

Peace, love & health.

Thank you Karen, Jamie, Organist , Kara, Abizzygirl, Zzwaldo and anyone else I failed to mention. Last Thursday was my second week on the Viibryd. I still haven't felt that it is working. I don't know if I just need to give it more time or what. I am just so miserable at this point and don't really know what to do. I go back to my doctor on the 17th and I am praying he will do what he feels he needs to do to get me back to normal. I have this fear of nothing is going toork. I guess it is normal to feel this way when you are going through major depression. Do you all think I should give the Viibryd more time to work? Is it normal for an antidepressant to take this long to work? I also am scared it won't work because it is an SSRI opposed to an SNRI which is what Effexor was. I shouldn't feel this way I know and I am trying to be positive in my thinking that Viibryd.will wor. If any of you have any input please reply. I thank all of you so much. God Bless you all.

Thank you so much Trina. I am trying to be patient. Yes i will talk to my doctor about everything. It is just so scary because when i took the effexorxr it seemed to work within a couple of weeks. Then after 18 years it stopped working. It made me feel normal. I am afraid i am treatment resistant although i know i can't be with the effexor working so well for as long as it did. I suppose i am being overly anxious. Thank you for your suggestion. God Bless you. Thank you so much.

Pam

Hi PamLynn,

Patience is the way to go. Many antidepressants take six to eight weeks to work all the way. Effexor worked right away for me too. I was on it for over 15 years. I switched to pristiq. I also take abilify, it is a mood stabilizer and makes antidepressants work better. You might want to talk to your doc about something like that. I take xanax too, though I am trying to wean myself down on that one. I have taken that for more than 20 years now. That is the only reason I would want to stop it. Just been too long.

I hope that the med you are trying starts working for you. As long as you aren't feeling bad I guess.

Take care and keep posting.

Hugs, Karen