My psych switched me from Effexor to Pristiq yesterday. Has anyone tried it? Any notable side effects?

She did tell that it is "weight neutral" so I shouldn't have to worry about weight gain, like with Effexor (Woo hoo!!!) I'd only been Effexor for a month and had no side effects. She told me this was like Effexor but way better.

Another good thing about it is that she gave me a Pristiq pharmacy card that gives me 50% off my copay while the pharmaceutical company pays the rest of the copay- for the entire time that you are on Pristiq! For those of you that have had to pay for any newer antidepressants, you know what a good deal that is! I'm excited

Hey, I too was switched from Effexor to Pristiq several years ago. When I was on the EFfexor my blood pressure spiked really high. They switched me to Pristiq because it is just the metabolized form of Effexor, which means it has the same effect but without the side effects aka weight neutral. I liked Pristiq, but it really wasn't the answer for me. Since then, I have been diagnosed as bipolar and now take Lamictal, which has been my life saver. It sounds like a great fit for you and the monetarey benefits are certainly awesome!! Give me an update. I'd love to know how things are going.

mom I've been on Pristiq now for 3 weeks. So far, so good. At first I had problems with being so sleepy throughout the day. From what I've heard, the side effects are usually the opposite; more energy and trouble sleeping. Day 3 I was so groggy that I decided to start taking it at night instead of morning. That helped out a lot because I already take Trazadone at night to help me sleep anyway. I don't think it has fully kicked in yet; I've had a couple of really bad depression days. My anxiety is better, though. Thanks for the reply! Glad to hear you found your right med! THAT is half the battle, lol

Hi,
I have been on Pristiq for three months now. It is the first anti-depressant that I am taking, and it works very well for me. Aside from my nausea the first week, I haven`t noticed any side effects. Definitely no weight gain!
My mood is tremendously more stable!

Hi, I've been on it for 1 year, no adverse effects, each time they put the dose up though I get uber tired for a few days. Really good though I'm happy !

Pristiq users, please, just make sure you take it at the very same time every day and don't miss a dose. I was on it from July-Jan 11. For me if I missed a dose i was super duper confused and weepy. Also it is hard med to come off of. if you do decide to come off it, you can cut them!! My doc told me to take one every other day. I cried and started confessing to everyone everything I had ever done to them. NIGHTMARE! Then when I spoke with an Rph here in Wausau he told me to cut them down to go off them and take a lot of fish oil. it helped! whoohoo!

I am not on any antidepressants anymore, and if my food is in order, then everything is.

Sheila

I was on Pristiq for 2 years, and was recently switched to Effexor. For me, they do not work too differently, and I did not notice any significant weight changes with Pristiq. (My Abilify is another story...)