lilb421: day 2 w/o pristiq- should I go for day 3?

[lilb421]

Hi everybody!  First post here.  I have been on Pristiq for about 4 years.  At first it was 50mg per day then a little less than 2 years ago I was increased to 100mg a day.  (in there somewhere I was on klonopin for less than a year at the same time.  quit that mess cold turkey with some pretty brutal withdrawals) 3-4 months ago I tapered myself down to 50mg a day.  Last week my doctor advised me that I could start to ween off completely by taking half a pill every other day.  This morning should have been my half a pill day but I didn't feel horrible and I am very excited to be off this medication so I didn't take it.  

 

I've got a tiny bit of dizziness but only when I'm moving around.  No bad brain zaps yet.  I am weepy though.  Crying over weird things, remembering things from the past and crying over them, etc.  

 

I don't feel nearly as bad as I did when I stopped the klonopin so now I'm wondering- do I just not take anymore and let my body ride it out?  Or am I kidding myself and by this time tomorrow I will be a complete mess of a human if I don't take my half a pill because my body hasnt caught up?

 

Sorry if none of this makes sense.  Thanks in advance for any insights.

 

 

 

 

 

[basildev]

Hi lilb421,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

I moved your post to the 'introductions and updates' section. You can come back to this thread whenever you need to give us an update on your progress.

 

Firstly, you mentioned that 4 months ago you tapered down to 50mg - we believe that even 3-4 months to taper down from 100mg to 50mg is way too fast. Many people who taper from Pristiq don't notice serious withdrawal symptoms until 5 months out. To avoid serious discomfort, we recommend no more that 10% taper every 4-6 weeks. Read all about it in this link:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/300-important-topics-in-the-tapering-forum-and-faq/

 

Alternating doses every other day is one of the worst things you can do for your nervous system (the informaton in the link above will explain why). The good news is, you're only at day 2 so I recommend you go back to your original 50mg dosage and when you're feeling stable (IE: no withdrawal symptoms), you can begin to taper the right way.

 

Please add your medication history in your signature so we can get a clear picture of where you are. Instructions on how to do this are here:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

I wish you the best of luck with your taper.

[Altostrata]

Welcome, lilb.

 

After having benzo withdrawal, you will be very lucky indeed if you don't have withdrawal from going off such a high dose of Pristiq so quickly.

 

Severe withdrawal symptoms leave your nervous system sensitive to other neurologically active drugs and more prone to harsh withdrawal symptoms.

 

If I were you, I'd reinstate a quarter tablet (12.5mg) of Pristiq immediately and taper more carefully. See this topic about tapering Pristiq http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/876-tips-for-tapering-off-pristiq-desvenlafaxine/