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okb78 - Pristiq cold turkey for 14 days..


okb78

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Hi there,

 

New to the site and 1st post.

 

I stopped Pristiq 14 days ago pretty much cold turkey after 8 months on 50mg per day; and went through quite a euphoric few days, I felt on a high and really positive, this suddenly y changed on about the 8th day when I snapped and went into a depressive mood. I felt really tired (like fall asleep at the wheel tired) and extremely irritable. Things have progressively gotten worse since then and I have been having crying episodes, thought s of suicide, feelings of total despair and hopelessness. I am so sleepy and HUNGRY. I am only getting a about 4 hours of sleep at night, I am eating out of control amounts of food and really crappy stuff that I wouldn’t ordinarily eat, in fact I have gone from 55kg to 58.7kg in a matter of weeks. I am craving really fatty unhealthy food. I space out and can’t concentrate and I don’t want to be anywhere except bed and alone.

 

I wanted to go off Pristiq as the side effects of being on it seemed worse than my actual depression. I felt numb most of the time, like a zombie, lost all interest in everything I used to love, and stopped hanging out with my friends and doing things that I once enjoyed. Couldn’t stand noise – radio or peoples voices really irritated me. I had no interest in sex and certainly wouldn’t initiate any kind of shenanigans with my partner where once I would be doing this almost daily. I would become quite angry at times and very irrational. I became paranoid and suspicious of people. I wanted to quit these drugs and try to find alternative therapies to help me with my depression. Especially as I want to try for a baby in a couple of years.

 

I am hoping that the Pristiq will eventually be out of my system but I don’t know how long it will take – is it different for everyone or is there a ‘rough’ time frame?? My partner is starting to really question staying with me I think because I am being so horrible and moody to be around.

Does anyone have any suggestions on alternative ways to deal with these withdrawals??

 

Cheers

OKB

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Hi & welcome,

 

Sorry you are having such a rough time. Its not entirely surprising given you have gone cold turkey. Your withdrawal symptoms are

telling you that your system has gone into shock and isnt coping. Rather than 'toughing' this out - (they may not go away) - I recommend that

you reinstate your Pristiq and reduce by 10% every 4 weeks or so. This is the very consistent advice given on this site about tapering off antidepressants.

 

I understand your desire to get off them. However, you need to prioritize getting off them in good shape rather than in the shortest amount of time. Your well-being and relationship are

worth being patient for.

 

take care

 

Dalsaan

Please note - I am not a medical practitioner and I do not give medical advice. I offer an opinion based on my own experiences, reading and discussion with others.On Effexor for 2 months at the start of 2005. Had extreme insomnia as an adverse reaction. Changed to mirtazapine. Have been trying to get off since mid 2008 with numerous failures including CTs and slow (but not slow enough tapers)Have slow tapered at 10 per cent or less for years. I have liquid mirtazapine made at a compounding chemist.

Was on 1.6 ml as at 19 March 2014.

Dropped to 1.5 ml 7 June 2014. Dropped to 1.4 in about September.

Dropped to 1.3 on 20 December 2014. Dropped to 1.2 in mid Jan 2015.

Dropped to 1 ml in late Feb 2015. I think my old medication had run out of puff so I tried 1ml when I got the new stuff and it seems to be going ok. Sleep has been good over the last week (as of 13/3/15).

Dropped to 1/2 ml 14/11/15 Fatigue still there as are memory and cognition problems. Sleep is patchy but liveable compared to what it has been in the past.

 

DRUG FREE - as at 1st May 2017

 

>My intro post is here - http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2250-dalsaan

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Okb78,

I tapered off of Pristiq over several months and am having terrible protracted withdrawal. I found this site too late to reinstate and taper more carefully, but you have that opportunity.

 

I strongly encourage you to reinstate and take advantage of the information on this forum. You weren't on Pristiq long and will likely do fine with a slow taper.

 

B

Pristiq tapered over 8 months ending Spring 2011 after 18 years of polydrugging that began w/Zoloft for fatigue/general malaise (not mood). CURRENT: 1mg Klonopin qhs (SSRI bruxism), 75mg trazodone qhs, various hormonesLitigation for 11 years for Work-related injury, settled 2004. Involuntary medical retirement in 2001 (age 39). 2012 - brain MRI showing diffuse, chronic cerebrovascular damage/demyelination possibly vasculitis/cerebritis. Dx w/autoimmune polyendocrine failure.<p>2013 - Dx w/CNS Sjogren's Lupus (FANA antibodies first appeared in 1997 but missed by doc).

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It sounds like you've tapered too quickly. Few people have any idea the healing process involved in getting off these meds. It is NOT a matter of getting the med out of your system. These meds alter the structure and functions of neuroreceptor sites; that is how they work.

 

That can and does heal, but the process takes some time, and going off too quickly (even over several months) can lead to months or even years of needless suffering.

 

Pristiq is tricky because of the nature of the tablet. There has been a discussion of that in recent days. Look for the "sticky" thread here on how to taper off pristiq. Reinstate the med if necessary, in order to stabilize before a slower taper or crossover, after reading the options.

 

What was your taper schedule?

I was "TryingToGetWell" (aka TTGW) on paxilprogress. I also was one of the original members here on Surviving Antidepressants

 

I had horrific and protracted withdrawal from paxil, but now am back to enjoying life with enthusiasm to the max, some residual physical symptoms continued but largely improve. The horror, severe derealization, anhedonia, akathisia, and so much more, are long over.

 

My signature is a temporary scribble from year 2013. I'll rewrite it when I can.

 

If you want to read it, click on http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/209-brandy-anyone/?p=110343

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I took one every second day for a week then went cold turkey.. Clearly this was not the best solution.

 

Am thinking now about going back on for a month to stabilise then taking one every second day for a month, then every third day for a month and so on..maybe if I try a much longer taper it might work better. I found in the past that I would forget to take one almost every second day anyway and with no side effects at all.

 

I am thinking now that I was so happy in the first week off them because it was still in fact in my system still. ??

 

Gahhh.. I just want to feel better! It is really horrible. I am now starting to get really dizzy and my head feels like pressure is building up in it. Have been having crying fits all day as well. Not helpful when trying to work!

 

Thanks everyone for your support and advice. Thank goodness I found this forum!

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That's why I asked. I had a feeling...

 

There are so many variables about these meds with different med histories, genetics, etc. that I almost never feel comfortable stating anything as fact. Usually just as what I've learned works for most people, or relating my own experiences (and stating it is such).

 

But I've been on withdrawal forums for six years now (vowed early on that if I ever got through this I'd try to help others), and one of the few things I've never seen an exception to has been that alternate day dosing causes nothing but problems. Ironically, more and more doctors seem to be suggesting alternate day tapering now. With the result that people end up turning to the internet when they're in trouble from it.

 

Alternate day dosing seems to throw the brain and nervous system into chaos. It's like going in and out of withdrawal. (Even if you don't feel it at the time; different people metabolize meds at different rates and some of us don't feel the effects of drops in dose as soon as others. And very few people feel it within a day - these meds work by altering the nervous system at the cellular level, and it's a cumulative process - very different than taking an aspirin and feeling better within an hour!)

 

So I urge you not to do that. Alternate day dosing for longer periods of time doesn't help. The meds need to be taken regularly with the levels in the bloodstream kept as constant as possible except for doing slow drops that are a tiny, manageable percentage of the most recent (not original) dose. Tiny drops and only when the brain has stabilized (healed sufficiently) to do another tiny drop (10% or less, depending on the individual) of the most recent dose taken.

 

As I mentioned, people in this group are trying to figure out how best to do that from a time-release, I believe it is, med like Pristiq. Altostrata, who founded and runs this group, knows more than I do about doing those things and will advise you further.

 

As for that initial period of feeling great - that happens with some people. I recognized it immediately when you described it. Very similar to what happened with me after I tapered too fast off paxil. I'm not young and I have a lot of long-standing chronic medical problems, but I felt better and better with every (too fast, I learned later) drop in dose and then terrific briefly once off the last dose. I had zaps and whooshes and things (no idea what they were at that time, but figured they'd go away shortly so I ignored them) - but my aches and pains (which preceded my paxil use) fell away and I felt better (and more stamina and energy) than I had since I was a kid.

 

Then I hit a wall. I woke up in a hell I could never have imagined possible. I don't know for sure what preceded it, but I suspect it was something I've heard termed "hypomania." Or something close to it. I didn't do reckless things like some people I've heard of, but it was probably something similar and more physical in my case.

 

This is just conjecture on my part, but I think once off the med, some of us experience either a sudden release of stored-up medication, or maybe (more likely) a release of some biochemicals in trying to compensate for the sudden change in the chemistry in the neurological system.

 

Like I said, that's pure conjecture. I've learned a lot about these meds, but I'm no scientist. I don't even think science has explanations for a lot of these phenomena. But feeling too good too fast usually seems to precede a crash, and that's why some things in your post set up flashing warning lights for me and I hoped you'd keep an open mind about possibly needing to reinstate at least a partial dose for a slower taper or crossover to another med. (Like I said, Alto knows much more about that and will give you better advice.)

 

Recovering from these meds isn't always pleasant, but don't let the stories of withdrawals of people like me and many others here scare you. The problem is most of us had no idea about any of this when we went off the meds. Many of us are here because we know it doesn't have to be this hard, and we want to help others have quality of life while healing and shorter recoveries (even if not as short as they'd like!) than we did.

I was "TryingToGetWell" (aka TTGW) on paxilprogress. I also was one of the original members here on Surviving Antidepressants

 

I had horrific and protracted withdrawal from paxil, but now am back to enjoying life with enthusiasm to the max, some residual physical symptoms continued but largely improve. The horror, severe derealization, anhedonia, akathisia, and so much more, are long over.

 

My signature is a temporary scribble from year 2013. I'll rewrite it when I can.

 

If you want to read it, click on http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/209-brandy-anyone/?p=110343

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Welcome, okb. Pristiq is a very difficult drug to taper -- because it does not have a variety of dosages and the time-release coating is important, so cutting it up may cause problems, too.

 

Read this entire topic http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/876-tips-for-tapering-off-pristiq-desvenlafaxine

 

AND PHONE THE FDA AT 1-800-FDA-1088 AND TELL THEM YOU ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM.

 

Now, as to your immediate situation. Since the damage is done, if I were you, I'd immediately cut up a Pristiq tablet and take a quarter of it. It is possible a relatively low dose will lessen your withdrawal symptoms and the immediate-release won't be too harsh on your nervous system.

 

If this works, I would stabilize for at least a couple of weeks while you figure out what else to do.

 

You may need to take a quarter tablet twice a day, as without its coating Pristiq has about the same half-life as regular Effexor. Are you working with a doctor you like?

Edited by Altostrata
paragraph breaks

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Hello Altostrata,

 

Thank you for your reply. I have read the link - it is so hard to know what the right thing to do for me is.. Wahhh..

 

I just took a quarter and hope it makes me feel better than I am feeling now. I only had about an hour of sleep last night. I can't settle at all, just so tired but wide awake and random thoughts keep popping into my head and my brain won't let them go. Really silly stuff too. Restless and annoyed at not being able to sleep, I had to come and sleep on the couch so I didn't keep my partner awake all night. With increasingly little sleep, I am finding it very hard to function during the day.

 

Yesterday I was feeling so bad that I had two glasses of red wine and it made me feel sooooo much better - I expect this has something to do with serotonin and pleasure responses in my brain. Needless to say I stopped after two even though I wanted to keep drinking because it made me feel and act more like myself.

 

I thought I had a great doctor when I found her in November last year. I originally went and saw a psychologist because I was feeling so low and she referred me to this GP. She listened and put me on Pristiq straight away and said that there would be little side effects (maybe some nausea) and that there were little side effects when stopping. She told me that people who write bad stuff about drugs online is because they have had a negative response to them and that people who are happy with the drug rarely post about it... Earlier in the year I stopped Pristiq cold turkey for a week and had to go away to Sydney for work for 3 days; which consisted of being in a training room being talked at for 3 whole days followed by after work drinks each night (and my crew like to drink!).. On the last night we were there, I had too much to drink and had not been sleeping at all and a work colleague (and good friend) had a go at me about something and I lost it. Over-reacted and went into a spiral of deep depression, I checked myself into hospital at 4am in the morning because I was worried I would jump out the hotel window. I went back to my GP and told her about it. I also told her some of the things I had been experiencing and she got my thyroid checked but told me to go straight back on Pristiq (I already had). My thyroid came back as being over-active - no treatment for this but more bloods done two weeks later. They came back as under-active. I then had an ultra-sound on my thyroid and it showed Hashimoto's. More bloods two weeks later and it had stabilised. She gave me a script for more bloods in a month to 6 weeks which I just got done two days ago and I am waiting for her to call me with those results.

 

I think I am a bit dubious of her now because of her lack of attention to what I was saying about being on the meds - everything I told her she seemed to say was not Pristiq but something else. I also have been battling on with Pristiq because I don't want her to think I am some sort of hypochondriac and always at the doctor... I guess when you get shot down a couple of times by your doctor you lose faith in them being able to monitor the condition better without discounting that the medication may be the problem. She never spoke to me about tapering off them at all if I ever wanted to. When she calls with my blood results I will most likely make an appointment to go see her and explain everything and see what she says. Maybe if I am a bit more serious with her it will help. I always just feel like I am being a bit of a whinger.

 

I have never tried any other anti-depressant but maybe that is something we should look at. Is there an Australian number for me to call or is the FDA still appropriate given that I live in Australia?

 

Again, thanks for your post.

 

Cheers

OKB

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You may report to the FDA. The Australia system is here https://www.ebs.tga.gov.au/ebs/ADRS/ADRSRepo.nsf

 

It sounds like your GP is not a reliable source when it comes to information about psychiatric drugs. This is not unusual.

 

Pristiq has a very high incidence of adverse symptoms when starting http://www.furiousseasons.com/archives/2009/05/adverse_events_reports_mount_for_pristiq.html and, of course, like its sibling Effexor, is very difficult to stop but even more so because of the lack of dosage range.

 

If I were you, I'd be careful with alcohol. It may have helped you because it is a CNS depressant and your CNS is hyperactive from withdrawal. But it can also further destabilize your nervous system.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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I took a quarter pill yesterday as suggested and my stomach was really upset for a few hours.. Mild jaw clenching and compared to how I have been this last week, I was pretty hyper (managed to get lots of work done even though I only had an hour's sleep the night before).. Later in the night, my eyes were the size of saucers and my speech became affected but on the whole I didn't feel utter despair. I was in quite good spirits really.

 

I managed to get about 5 hours sleep last night - whacko dreams though - and feel pretty good today. Am continuing to take another quarter today.

 

I spoke to my GP yesterday and am going to see her next week about tapering. She told me that she has had success tapering with some of her other patients (I do wonder how many patients she has on Pristiq - am I allowed to ask!?)

 

I think it is weird how these drugs don't seem to be 'addictive' in my brain but my body has other ideas about that..

 

Evil medicine this Pristiq.

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  • Administrator

So a quarter-dose gave you some relief?

 

Read this entire topic carefully http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/876-tips-for-tapering-off-pristiq-desvenlafaxine so you will be informed when you talk to your doctor.

 

Yes, you can grill her about her experience with Pristiq. I recommend you do so, so you can assess her true level of knowledge. A lot of doctors are faking it when it comes to tapering.

 

If she wants you to alternate doses, that's a no-no.

 

A switch to Effexor XR might be the best route for you.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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How are you doing, okb?

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Back on them full time 50mg per day.

 

Feel like I used to feel.. not much at all really. Am drinking a bit, for some reason it makes me really impulsive and drinking makes me feel more myself, happy and fun. Don't think my Liver is too happy though.

 

Might see another Doctor and see if they can help.

 

Cheers

OKB

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It's really not a good idea to add stress to your nervous system with alcohol while you're on a psychiatric drug.

 

You seemed to be doing okay with the taper, why did you go back on a whole dose?

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 2 years later...

I took one every second day for a week then went cold turkey.. Clearly this was not the best solution. Am thinking now about going back on for a month to stabilise then taking one every second day for a month, then every third day for a month and so on..maybe if I try a much longer taper it might work better. I found in the past that I would forget to take one almost every second day anyway and with no side effects at all. I am thinking now that I was so happy in the first week off them because it was still in fact in my system still. ?? Gahhh.. I just want to feel better! It is really horrible. I am now starting to get really dizzy and my head feels like pressure is building up in it. Have been having crying fits all day as well. Not helpful when trying to work! Thanks everyone for your support and advice. Thank goodness I found this forum!

I did not read the entire thread Okb not yet but this bit spoke to me...

"in the past that I would forget to take one almost every second day anyway and with no side effects at all"

 

Not being able to stand music or peoples voices is a side effect.  Every other day is a bad idea keeping the drug at a stable level is important and take it the same time every day will help to ensure this. 

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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Back on them full time 50mg per day. Feel like I used to feel.. not much at all really. Am drinking a bit, for some reason it makes me really impulsive and drinking makes me feel more myself, happy and fun. Don't think my Liver is too happy though. Might see another Doctor and see if they can help. Cheers OKB

I took effexor it is rather like the drug your one... being impulsive and drinking to calm down a bit and feel more normal and not great signs.  Being impulsive and drunk again not a good mix... it has hurt me before.  I am not preaching but I do hope you talk to your doctor about how your feeling and try to not drink. Lack of libido is a side effect of most of these drugs lowering your dose slowly as per the taper schedule may well help you regain your sex life in time. If your taking you med every day not and not missing doses as you once were you are actually dealing with a drug increase at this time something else for you to consider.  I do wonder if you were "forgetting" as the drug was over stimulating you so taking less might help but you can't take less of this drug by missing doses it has to be regular dosing. 

 

I hope you come back and think about this  long and hard.  

I wish you peace.

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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