I believe this is a relatively new drug. My girlfriend said her doctor prescribed it to her and told her that it does not lead to weight gain.

She hasn't really been taking it long enough to give me her opinion.

Is anyone familar with this med? Does it work?

Many thanks.....

Yes, thats a new drug the company I work for recently came out with... I've heard good things about it but in reality.... everyone reacts differently to drugs so she'll need to try it to see if it works for her.... thats the only way.

http://www.pristiq.com/
She should read up on it and if she experiences any side effects or has any concerns she should call her doctor right away.

Good Luck & Please... let us know how she does on it

.

I just found this thread, so I thought I'd add my 2 cents. I have been taking Pristiq for almost a month. I took Effexor a few years ago and really liked it, but it did a number on my blood pressure (a really high number) so I had to stop taking it. I had been off meds for a couple of years, but fall is a bad time for me. I hate it when the kids go back to school, my grandmother died in September, my father died in October, I miscarried in October (these things happened in different years) and then this year my mother-in-law passed away in September. I felt that this year I needed some extra help.

Anyway, my doc put my on Pristiq about a month ago and I am very happy with it. I'm not "over the top" happy, I just feel much more stable. I was always very emotional, especially around my TOM, but since I started Pristiq, I have been calmer and better able to deal with frustrations. It's kind of hard to explain.

I read a lot of posts on this site advocating alternatives to depression meds and I do agree that some of these are important. I understand that there are vitamins and supplements that can help with mood and energy. I also understand that exercise can play an invaluable role in mental health. However, I also feel that no one should be made to feel inferior if they need the meds. It has taken me years to understand myself well enough to know when I can get through on my own and when I need help and I celebrate that knowledge.

I have no intention of staying on Pristiq on a permanent basis, but I know that right now it is allowing me to be settled enough to cope with things and that's good enough for me.

For all those who feel the same way, I am here.

Susan I'm so glad its giving you the boost you need, thats wonderful !!!! I agree with you, there's no shame in being on meds, none whatsoever.

I just got prescribed this today. My mom has depression and I've always had anxiety. I was on paxil years ago but it didn't work for me. I've been off of it two years, but these past few months I've had no energy, poor sleeping and some lovely crying jags. They've also tested for thyroid, B-12 deficiency, and anemia. (And I'm not pregnant, lol)
I'm so tired of feeling "down" all the time.
I've nervous about the nausea. Was it bad for any of you?
I appreciate the advice chickies! I feel kind of guilty for having to go back on medicine, even though I know it's nothing to be ashamed of.

Chickybird,
As I said, I have been on Pristiq for about a month and I am very happy with it. I have had no side effects (definitely no stomach pain) and feel very good, very stable. My irritability has improved dramatically and it is even helping with my anxiety. I also have Xanax to take as needed and I think I've only taken it once in the last week. When I started the Pristiq, I was taking the Xanax once or twice a day. You should also know that if you go to Pristiq's web site, you can download and print a voucher that you can take to your pharmacy with a prescription and get a free 30 day supply. That really helps with the cost. Good luck. And don't feel guilty about taking meds. Not everyone can help their depression with diet and exercise and if taking the meds makes life better, then go for it. Taking the meds is a small price to pay for feeling calm and in control every day.

Susan

Thanks for the kind words. I've been dizzy and queasy today (yuck), but hopefully that will pass soon. I'm doing a 9 hour drive the day after Christmas and I don't want to feel yucky during the trip. Haven't really noticed a mood change yet, but it has only been one day, lol.

Chickybird,
I hope that the nausea goes away or at least subsides enough for you to make your trip comfortably. Hopefully, you will start feeling the mood changes soon, but I have read posts on another site and some people say they have had results in the first week and others say it has taken up to a month, so be patient. I have noticed a really big difference in the way I deal with things and I love it. This morning my DH started really getting to me, but instead of starting a fight, I was able to talk to him rationally, which is a HUGE leap for me. I wish you a wonderful Christmas and will continue to hope for the best for you with the Pristiq. Keep me updated.

I've been on this for about a month now--big difference! no nausea, no crying jags. It's great! I've also been able to lose weight Thanks for the help ladies!

I've been on this for about 6-7 months. And it made a heck of a differance. However I tried to quit taking it, and I just fell apart all over again. So has anyone ever quit taking it all together.

Thanks so much for all of your posts. I am so hoping pristiq doesn't cause weight gain. Had been on Lexapro for a year, gained so much weight...maybe because the Lexapro really wasn't helping with depression. Hope this does and allows me to lose all the weight I've gained. Thanks for all the wonderful comments about being on medication not being something to be ashamed of. Hope all of you are all doing well in whatever is going on in your lives.

Hey there,
In my years of trying every drug known to man, my feeling is that it's not so much that a drug will cause weight gain, but that how it makes us feel affects how we eat and exercise. Or it could just be that I'm a blimp.

It's tough losing weight - my weight gain is all down to depression - undiagnosed and wrongly treated for two years. I was a wreck. Now it's years on and I've finally found a drug that works, but the weight is still with me.

When I first started on meds, my doctor said that it was the same as being diabetic and needing insulin, or being short sighted and needing glasses. Depression is a chemical insufficiency (kind of) in the brain. You can't fix it yourself. You can't just get over it. You need help to regulate your chemical levels. No-one should feel guilty about taking meds for this - if nothing else, look at it as taking meds for the people you love. I know I'm fricking awful to be around when I'm unmedicated - so I take meds so that those around me don't suffer.

So, Leenie - you're also a pharma employee? Kindred spirits!

The drug companies are selective about which studies they reveal. If a study looks like it makes women gain weight they suppress the study. How can a happy pill be a happy pill if it makes you fat. It is the most under reported side effect after sexual disfunction.

Antidepressant advertising is directly targeted at manipulating normal healthy women to want to be medicated. Women must stand up to big pharma’s bullying them to over-medicate with antidepressants washing out their emotions & personalities and interfering being mothers, sisters, brothers, daughters, partners and lovers.. Women are targeted for antidepressants by big Pharma in the same way that tobacco companies targeted us 70 years ago. Drug companies are so effective at selling unhappiness to women that women take more than twice as many antidepressants as men. Like effexor Wyeth/Pfizer plans on using modern marketing techniques and direct payments to doctors to have over prescribed instead of used based on evidence based diagnosis.

I have been on this since March. If anything, the first couple weeks it helped me lose b/c of the nausea. But, it did level out.

I do like the "evenness" that it gives me..... but I just got to my last samples and my insurance does not cover it. So, I am not sure what I am going to do now. I would not consider stopping it at all (I would pay whatever they wanted), BUT..... I have NO desire for (TMI WARNING)_____________
sex at all. None.... Zip.....Nada..... Zilch. So, I am considering not taking it.
Has anyone else had this issue?

I have read that you can produce what this gives you by tweaking your diet. I am considering this. I am just not sure.

Tammy

I took Pristiq a couple of years ago and did not have that particular side effect. I did have it with Paxil, though so I stopped taking it. That is a very common side effect with anti-depressants but not everyone experiences it. I would talk with your doctor. There are other things you can try.

Pristiq is the metabolized form of Effexor, but supposedly with less side effects. If you like the Pristiq, the Effexor might be an option if your insurance covers it. It worked okay for me but not well enough and I eventually stopped taking it. Since then a have seen a psychiatrist who diagnosed me with bipolar disorder and put me on a mood stabilizer and I have felt better than I have in I can't remember when. Just don't give up. There are many options out there.