medstudent96 Pristiq 100 mg during 10 months-Side effects: HELP

[medstudent96]

Good afternoon and thank you for taking some time to read this.

First of all, sorry for my low English level. I will try to explain my case as clearly as I can.

Last year, I was diagnosed with depression. My psychiatrist prescribed me Pristiq 100 mg (one pill a day). I finished the treatment in July, 2015. However, since the middle of the treatment until now, I notice this subjective side effects:

-Memory problems, I have to make much effort to remember anything.

-I used to have a clear mind, since I took Pristiq, my mind is slow and I lost my esase of expression. (Is this that some people call "brain fog"?)

-Subjective feeling of intelligence loss.

-Great difficulty for reasoning.

-Loss of interest and illusion for all.

-And many others...

I'm very worried because I stopped taking the medication 5 months ago, but the symptoms continue, and sometimes, I think that they get worse.

If someone has taken this medication and is suffering similar symptoms, please post it in this topic. Are this effects permanent or they go over time? Help, please!

[Altostrata]

Welcome, medstudent.

 

That is a high dose of Pristiq. How did you go off it? Did you have withdrawal symptoms?

 

Please look around in the Introductions forum, you will see many people who have taken Pristiq.

[ChessieCat]

Hi Medstudent,

 

Welcome to SA.  I'm not able to answer your questions but someone will be along soon who should be able to.  I won't be logging in over the next few days but will check in later.  Good luck.  You have come to the right place.

 

BEFORE you take anything I suggest you wait until one of staff makes a suggestion of what amount to take if you wish to reinstate. 

 

Please start up an Intro/Update topic and one of the staff will move this post into it.  You can use your intro to ask questions and post updates about your withdrawal.  Also, please add a signature (instructions in the link below).  It will show up each time you post.

 

I've also added some helpful links which you can be reading whilst waiting for assistance.  Members and staff of this forum are very helpful and supportive. 

 

Please put your Withdrawal History in Signature

 

How Drugs Change Our Brain

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Why taper?

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Tapering off Pristiq

 

Withdrawal Symptom Checklist

 

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

 

CC




 

[medstudent96]

Hi Medstudent,

 

Welcome to SA.  I'm not able to answer your questions but someone will be along soon who should be able to.  I won't be logging in over the next few days but will check in later.  Good luck.  You have come to the right place.

 

BEFORE you take anything I suggest you wait until one of staff makes a suggestion of what amount to take if you wish to reinstate. 

 

Please start up an Intro/Update topic and one of the staff will move this post into it.  You can use your intro to ask questions and post updates about your withdrawal.  Also, please add a signature (instructions in the link below).  It will show up each time you post.

 

I've also added some helpful links which you can be reading whilst waiting for assistance.  Members and staff of this forum are very helpful and supportive. 

 

Please put your Withdrawal History in Signature

 

How Drugs Change Our Brain

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Why taper?

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Tapering off Pristiq

 

Withdrawal Symptom Checklist

 

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

 

CC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome, medstudent.

 

That is a high dose of Pristiq. How did you go off it? Did you have withdrawal symptoms?

 

Please look around in the Introductions forum, you will see many people who have taken Pristiq.

 

First of all, thank you for the fast answer!

As you asked me, I've added a signature with the information I consider relevant in my case. As you can see, I was on Pristiq 100 mg/day for 8 months. The last weeks, I reduce the dose to 50 mg/day and the last week, I took 50 mg in alternate days until I finished the box. Nowadays, I'm having the symptons that I have described and I'm very scared. If it turns out that these symptoms are permanent, I doubt I can finish my studies (I'm studying Medicine) and I'm very concerned about this. I'm going to consult another psychiatrist for a second opinion. The main problem is that people whom I speak doesn't believe me at 100%. They say things like: "This drug can't cause these terrible side effects", "These side effects are not described in the current literature (said by my current psychiatrist)" and nobody offers me a solution.

I will start an Intro/Update topic as soon as I can (I have an exam tomorrow).

Thank you again!!!!

[nz11]

Welcome medstudent96,

I was diagnosed with depression. My psychiatrist prescribed me Pristiq 100 mg

My guess is it appears the pdoc  diagnosed with depression shortly after you cold turkeyed the lexapro (escitalopram).

If that assumption is correct the diagnosis of depression was incorrect..you were suffering ssri withdrawal which just happens to tick a lot of boxes in the DSM.

 

I assume you didnt taper the escit. (i'm assuming you didnt...probably told 10mg is a small dose dont need to taper right?)

 

Your pdoc probably said 'well its about finding the right medicine for you everyone is different so lets try pristiq.?

Then you updosed to 100mg perhaps cos at 50 mg you were finding no relief (from the lex CT) so it was ok lets 'double the dose' .

 

What do you mean by 'last weeks' 2 or 3 weeks? at 50 mg then 2-3 weeks ? alternating.

Anyway you are in protracted ssri withdrawal and it can go on for many months or years in my case.

 

If it is too unbearable and you are unable to survive 'non-functioning ' then the only known way to attempt to remove wdl symptoms is to reinstate ...at a low dose in your case. At 5 months off it is a risk you may find relief you may not. It could easily turn into a slippery slope upwards ...with continual updosing.

 

Alternating and skipping doses triggers withdrawal symptoms.

 

later....you just bet me to post....

I'm going to consult another psychiatrist for a second opinion.

Its best to get a third opinion from sa before taking their advice ...they dont acknowledge ssri wdl ...and are in denial about it.

You may simply be switched again and given a benzo to take as needed.

 

They say things like: "This drug can't cause these terrible side effects", "These side effects are not described in the current literature (said by my current psychiatrist)" and nobody offers me a solution.

 

This is because the lit they are using is fraudulent. Yet pharma use it as propaganda.

Your testimony proves that doctors are not thinking for themselves and are blind to the evidence presented before their own eyes....and as such they are misinformed clueless and the only soltn for them is a RI, a switch , a double the dose or polydrugging. You may even get a whole new diagnosis.

 

As i see it you have one of two options

1. Remain drug free knowing that you are in wdl and it can go on for a year or two and find nondrug ways to cope with the withdrawal. It will come in waves and windows, or if you cant cope then

2. A small dose reinstatement.

 

Gotzsche said [insert mine] in 2015 , it is very dangerous to seek the advice of a psychiatrist for a person suffering things [any kind of psychological distress or anything from a sore toe to a headache] that an ssri can be prescribed for.

I totally agree with him.

 

I'm glad you are studying medicine ..someone needs to keep these people honest.

 

The main problem is that people whom I speak doesn't believe me at 100%.

The thousands on this site belief you 100% we are living it. Unlike the doctors who refuse to swallow their own medicine. So who would one listen to for no one knows a drug like those who are or have taken it.

 

Do you have access to a library ...silly question...well you might like to read two books

'Anatomy of an epidemic' by R Whitaker 2010 and

'Psychiatric drug withdrawal 'by P Breggin.2013

[Altostrata]

Withdrawal syndrome can last several months or much longer, it's impossible to predict how long it will take for you to recover.

 

You went off Pristiq very quickly. Skipping doses can also trigger withdrawal symptoms. Please read this link (thank you, ChessieCat) About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Can you get 25mg Pristiq? That might be enough to stop the withdrawal symptoms. Another option is to cut up a 50mg Pristiq tablet into quarters and take one quarter twice a day (25mg total).

 

A third option is to get a prescription for 37.5mg Effexor XR and take that -- venlafaxine is a sibling of desvenlafaxine.

[nz11]

oh yeah thats right i forgot about the pristiq saga...and the difficulty of tapering at lower dosages

 

mestudent you might like to read the thread on pristiq chessiecat gave you and you will see that someone on the inside of the med profession needs to do something about it.

Tapering off Pristiq

Are you able to protest from inside the med prof regarding this dangerous drug?

[Mort81]

Hello medstudent I am happy you found this website because the lack of medical knowledge on SSRI is staggering and scary. Unfortunately as I have found that going to PDocs is the most dangerous thing you can do, especially when in Withdrawal because of their lack of knowledge and willingness to throw more meds at a situation caused by meds. This compounds the problems 10 fold. Reinstating a low dose is the only way to Relieve symptoms, however at 5 months off this may not work and could cause more trouble . But the plus side is that it might work and provide relief.I was 7 months off when I found this site and was too afraid to try Reinstating because I felt I couldn't handle anything worse.

 

This site is recommended by David Healy himself who is one of the best and most knowledgeable Doctors in the world. I wish you luck and you have great support here.

 

Mort