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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by greywolf on May 27, 2008, at 9:11:55
Currently I'm taking Abilify 10mg/day and Xanax .5 at 5x/day, but depression has been increasing dramatically. My psychiatrist has now added Pristiq to the mix.
I was wondering if anyone has experienced Pristiq and could give me thoughts on its effectiveness vs. SEs.
Thanks.
Greywolf
Posted by brooke484 on May 27, 2008, at 22:23:31
In reply to Starting Pristiq today, posted by greywolf on May 27, 2008, at 9:11:55
I'll be interested to see how it makes you feel. It makes me very sleepy. I'm not really sure when to take it, so maybe that's part of my problem. I've been taking it at noon, but by 4 I find myself falling asleep and after my nap I can hardly keep my eyes open. Are you supposed to take your dose in the morning? I find that I'm tried from about 4 until I go to bed (around 1am), but I haven't been sleeping well either which doesn't make sense if I'm so tired during the afternoon.
Sorry I can't help more. I've only been on it a few days. I hope it helps you.
brooke
Posted by greywolf on May 28, 2008, at 9:19:16
In reply to Re: Starting Pristiq today, posted by brooke484 on May 27, 2008, at 22:23:31
> I'll be interested to see how it makes you feel. It makes me very sleepy. I'm not really sure when to take it, so maybe that's part of my problem. I've been taking it at noon, but by 4 I find myself falling asleep and after my nap I can hardly keep my eyes open. Are you supposed to take your dose in the morning? I find that I'm tried from about 4 until I go to bed (around 1am), but I haven't been sleeping well either which doesn't make sense if I'm so tired during the afternoon.
>
> Sorry I can't help more. I've only been on it a few days. I hope it helps you.
>
> brookeThanks, Brooke. I went to the pharmacy yesterday to pick my scrip up, but Pristiq is so new they didn't have it in stock. So, it's coming in today.
I'll post my experience with it after a few days, but if it's just a patent-extender for Effexor, I don't have high hopes.
Greywolf
Posted by brooke484 on May 28, 2008, at 21:20:24
In reply to Re: Starting Pristiq today » brooke484, posted by greywolf on May 28, 2008, at 9:19:16
Well, I'm off it (I know, that didn't take long). The past few mornings I've been waking up with a fast heartbeat, but I just thought it was my anxiety. Well, this morning was awful. The fatigue was bad enough, but I can't take palpitations along with my heart beating a mile a minute. Plus, I was having trouble falling asleep and then I would wake up early and couldn't get back to sleep without taking some Ativan. I didn't think this would work because Effexor made me worse instead of better, but my doctor had samples so...
Let me know how it goes for you.
brooke
Posted by brooke484 on May 30, 2008, at 22:14:20
In reply to Re: Starting Pristiq today » brooke484, posted by greywolf on May 28, 2008, at 9:19:16
.
Posted by greywolf on June 2, 2008, at 12:14:35
In reply to So how do you feel? (nm), posted by brooke484 on May 30, 2008, at 22:14:20
Sluggish and tired, just the way SNRIs and SSRIs always make me feel. So far, no difference from Effexor, which was not effective for me.
Pretty sucky, but it's not Prisiq's fault. These things just don't work for me.
Thanks for asking.
Greywolf
Posted by brooke484 on June 2, 2008, at 22:55:04
In reply to Re: So how do you feel? » brooke484, posted by greywolf on June 2, 2008, at 12:14:35
That's how I felt. One day I could not get off the living room floor.
It's on to EMSAM next. I'm starting that on Fri. It was either that or Luvox.
Wish me luck!
brooke
Posted by amdew717 on July 1, 2008, at 9:45:15
In reply to Starting Pristiq today, posted by greywolf on May 27, 2008, at 9:11:55
I have been on Pristiq for 3 days now. Today is the first time i've come onto this board to see what others have experienced. i did not want to be influenced by anything i may have read and i wanted my body to tell me the story.
i am a 55 year old male with dysthymia or atypical depression. i have had success with Nardil until recently and i noticed it wasn't working nearly as well. plus the difficultly to reach orgasm is a major drawback for me.
sorry to say, the Pristiq story has not been very happy. here is what i have experienced so far:
*Horrible Anxiety, especially in the morning
*Frequent urination & difficulty initiating
*Erection problems & extremely delayed ejaculation
*Impaired Vision
*Drowsiness after taking iti decided to not take it this morning because of the drowsiness. i thought i'd read up on it today and if my finding were confirmed, i would probably discontinue it. however there doesn't seem to be much on here to confirm my finding, and most of the posters for this Med seem to be women, the intended target for this new drug.
i'm going to read up on Cymbalta since my pdoc had suggested that.
a peaceful day to you all,
James
Posted by bissie66 on July 2, 2008, at 13:39:19
In reply to Re: Starting Pristiq today, posted by amdew717 on July 1, 2008, at 9:45:15
Sorry it didn't go better. I too am switching from Pristiq to Cymbalta due to side effects. Besides, my insurance charges charges me twice as much for Pristiq. My side effects were different - extreme constipation. Also the tiredness though. That's impossible to live with. Thanks for sharing your experience though. I hope Cymbalta is better.
Posted by bluebayoula on July 7, 2008, at 22:13:02
In reply to Re: Starting Pristiq today » amdew717, posted by bissie66 on July 2, 2008, at 13:39:19
Hello, I thought I'd add my two cents here. I've been taking Pristiq for about a month now. I have depression, sometimes major dep, anxiety and ADHD. You can search on my user name for a more thorough explanation of my background. For what it's worth, when I first started taking Pristiq I experienced some increased anxiety and although it was unpleasant, I decided to continue and give Pristiq a full try.
I've read some of the negative things on blogs, some from the medical community and some from the pharm rep community, and it sounds like a lot of people are concerned that Pristiq is just another patent extender. That may be true to a degree but I was curious to see if there was some merit to the claim that it had a lower side effect profile compared to effexor. I had some experience with effexor and although the treatment was very successful the withdrawal was pretty bad.
So here is what I've observed in the little over a month. At first some increased anxiety but also increased productivity and focus at work.
When I took Paxil I experienced the inability feel sexual desire or achieve orgasm. On Pristiq I've had a complete reversal and to be honest, I think this is the most sexual desire I've felt in a long time and I have no problem acheiving orgasm. This effect took a 2-3 weeks to manifest.When I took Paxil, I felt great, a little too great, and too laid back and not motivated (I liked it but I can't function that way). After a few weeks on Pristiq I feel normal as if I'm not taking an antidepressant. I've noticed that others have reported not feeling anything and interpreting that as the drug is not working. That may be true but I've noticed that I'm less depressed and I can think clearly and express myself which is a big deal for me and I have some anecdotal evidence to believe this to be true. I wonder if you have to be pretty observant to see these changes in yourself. One reason that I believe it's working is the way people around me react to me. I'm a nicer person and they're reacting to me in a more positive way.
I don't feel as anxious as I did when I first started taking it so it may be that axiety symptoms take a little longer to alleviate. I'm not sure how that will pan out but I no longer feel like I have to have something additional to combat my anxiety although I hope for some additional relief.
I hope this makes sense and if anyone has any questions I'm willing to share anything I know.
Chris
Posted by dcruik518 on July 8, 2008, at 19:30:32
In reply to Starting Pristiq today, posted by greywolf on May 27, 2008, at 9:11:55
Pristiq reaches its peak plasma level about 7hrs after you take it. Those of you who find it makes you sleepy might be best off taking it sometime in the evening. Ultimately, however, with such a long duration of action, Pristiq should reach a steady state plasma level and you ought to be able to take it whenever without noticing much difference. I took it for 2.5 weeks and felt just a little worse, I think, but really it seemed more like it wasn't doing anything. I think maybe I should try it again for a good 4 wks. I don't know how long on average it's supposed to take before it starts working. I've tried Effexor in the past and didn't like it. DRC
Posted by christiem on July 9, 2008, at 16:30:54
In reply to Re: Starting Pristiq today, posted by dcruik518 on July 8, 2008, at 19:30:32
I started Pristiq 2 weeks ago for Anxiety. I have tried a few other AD's with no luck due to side affects. Since I started Pristiq I have been sleepy, no energy, shaky and more anxious. I'm trying to just get though another 2 weeks of this and hopefully I will feel better. Maybe it make you feel worse before it gets better? Does anyone have any advice? Or has anyone experienced these side effects?
I take Ativan when needs, .5-1mg a day. Which helps.
Thanks!
Posted by bissie66 on July 12, 2008, at 19:27:14
In reply to Re: Starting Pristiq today, posted by christiem on July 9, 2008, at 16:30:54
I do know that there's a very good chance you won't feel the benefit for 4 weeks. The side effects of sleepiness - yes, I had that big time. My hands often shake with A/D. NOt sure if that's what you mean by shaky. I would say def wait the 4 weeks if you can. All the best.
Posted by alicek on July 25, 2008, at 12:52:34
In reply to Starting Pristiq today, posted by greywolf on May 27, 2008, at 9:11:55
I started pristiq a week ago. The first few days were horrible!! I was so tired, and yawned like every minute. My friend suggested to start taking it at night. I take it around 8:00pm. I feel pretty good now. I do have to take ambien to sleep though. I really suggest to take this med in the evening.
Posted by kumquat on September 10, 2008, at 17:22:22
In reply to Re: Starting Pristiq today, posted by bluebayoula on July 7, 2008, at 22:13:02
That is soo wonderful for you!!
I hope you continue to have these wonderful experiences.
I have just started Pristiq today.
This is the first AD that I have been willing to try in a long time.
Currently, on Zoloft, and some MS. I hope my experience is as positive as yours.
Namaste ~ K
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