Posted by Reggie BoStar on January 26, 2009, at 1:50:30
In reply to Really tired on Pristiq!!, posted by Roslynn on January 3, 2009, at 17:40:11
I've been on it 7 weeks now and am starting to experience what you're talking about. Actually I was already totally exhausted on Cymbalta, my previous AD. The anxiety is a bonus.
My pdoc started me on Pristiq while I was weaning off of Cymbalta at the same time. My last Cymbalta was on 01/14. Ever since then I've been getting more and more anxious while remaining as tired as I ever was on the Cymbalta.
Tonight (well, now it's this morning at 2:30 AM EST) I've been climbing the walls. Walking around the house a lot, then sitting for a while to rest, then jumping up again to do mindless things.
I'm really afraid. I'm always anxious to some degree. The worst of it was being controlled by 60mg/day of Buspar. But now it seems like the Buspar isn't working so great any more.
So far this has been one lousy experience. My pdoc was trying to fix the exhaustion problems I had with Cymbalta. The only thing that happened was that my anxiety started going through the roof.
I've had my suspicions about Pristiq anyway. Effexor XR made me feel lousy when I tried that a few years ago. Now Pristiq comes along, and it's described as a "Metabolite of Effexor". That's a pretty cheap way to get another patent on Effexor before it goes generic. In crude terms, which always come easy to me, Wyeth has basically taken Effexor, partially digested it until the formula was different enough for a new patent, then packaged it up.
The PR suggests that the metabolic by-products that were discarded were the ones causing all the negative side effects of Effexor. The by-products retained are supposed to be the neurotransmitter precursors that help with depression.
WRONG. They tossed the wrong ingredients. For me Pristiq is a combination sedative and stimulant, with NO anti-depressant action.
What a waste. Between stopping Cymbalta and starting Pristiq, it's been 2 months of totally demoralizing depression and physical exhaustion.
Sorry to post yet another rant on totally ineffective, in this case also harmful, AD's.
I hope you start feeling better, Roslynn. I go to my therapist this Tuesday. Looks like I'll be putting in for another change in the meds.
Here comes another 2 months of misery. Thanks a lot, Wyeth.
Reggie BoStar
poster:Reggie BoStar
thread:867327
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090104/msgs/876246.html