Desvenlafaxine for Fibromyalgia User Reviews

• she...
• October 22, 2009

Desvenlafaxine "I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia approximately 5 years ago. I was taking Cymbalta to help with the pain until my prescription insurance no longer covered it. My doctor gave me a month's supply (samples) of Pristiq. I've been taking it for 3 weeks now, and I've felt like myself for the first time in 5 years! My house has seen more cleaning in the past 2 weeks than it has over the past five years! I was a neat freak before Fibro, and I'm all of a sudden a neat freak again! I love it! I do still have pain, but I'm able to control it with Darvocet. Pristiq gives me energy and ambition! I no longer have to take my daily nap(s)! I feel like I have a second lease on life! I could go on and on all day, but I need to get back to my cleaning!"

• fox...
• April 14, 2012

Desvenlafaxine "I am 37 years old, suffered 8 months with unbearable pain. Took Lyrica and Plaquenil for 6 of the eight months with little or no relief. Started Pristiq and Xanax less than a week ago, and I can feel all the twitching and excruciating pains gradually going away. I feel like I'm gradually awaking from a terrible nightmare."

• Anonymous
• May 27, 2011

Desvenlafaxine "Pristiq seems to be the medicine that works the best for my fibromyalgia. I was taking 100 mg awhile and felt great, except for not being able to sleep well, so I went back to 50 mg. I may go back to 100 mg and take something for sleep. God bless all of us with this disease. I have had this for 9 years and have tried everything."

• Emi...
• February 13, 2011

Desvenlafaxine "Diagnosed with fibromyalgia several months ago, probably have had the symptoms for more than a year. Cymbalta made me a zombie, Pristiq has been an answer to prayer. I am pretty much pain-free, unless I exert myself or sometimes just have a bad day. But the good days far outweigh the bad. Still nap occasionally, still have insomnia occasionally, but am totally happy with the way I feel."

• jks...
• September 25, 2009

Desvenlafaxine "Suffered excruciating lower back pain and was taking Vicodin 2-3 times daily for my fibromyalgia. I've been on Pristiq for about 3 weeks. Pain has diminished 98-99%. (Sometimes feeling 100% relief. However, miracles I don't expect.) Only on occasion did I take a Vicodin (and on that day only 1 time). This was only due to lower back discomfort I didn't want to deal with, but not excruciating pain!"

• Bra...
• December 3, 2016

"I have been dealing with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) for over 12 years. I am a 31-year-old male who is in overall athletic shape. It is important to note that my mother has fibromyalgia and it is quite possible that I have it and not CFS. My CFS diagnosis was after a bout of chronic mono in my 20s. I have tried many antidepressants over the years because a common effect with the chronic fatigue has been depression. I was prescribed Pristiq 4 weeks ago and I feel normal again. My energy level is much, much better. My mood has improved drastically. My energy level still is not what it was before mono, but the improvement has been great. My only side effect has been a slight decrease in sex drive and a harder time reaching orgasm."

• Anonymous
• May 15, 2010

Desvenlafaxine "I am 28 and have fibromyalgia and joint disease. I don't have a sex drive anyway, so I did not notice any difference with Pristiq on that side effect. I did however notice that I no longer woke up feeling 88, but 28 again. The pain and soreness went away dramatically! I have been able to clean more and walk more, but I have not noticed a big change in energy level. Just to have a day without soreness and stiffness was worth it for me. I do have a little dry mouth, but I drink a lot of water anyway. As far as sleep goes, I occasionally had insomnia before, but it does make it a little worse, and I had night sweats for the first week on it."

• hap...
• March 15, 2011

Desvenlafaxine "I reviewed a number of SNRI medicines in search of one that might work for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome in addition to major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. After reading about Savella and finding this review site, I suggested Pristiq to my doctor, as it seemed to be a good bet for the ailments I needed relief from. I was diagnosed recently with FM/CFS after 6 months of these conditions. I found Pristiq alleviated the worst of the pain. I still have some and am on 10 mg of Elavil to help me 'sleep' as the key side effect for me from Pristiq is worsening insomnia. I have a bad case of it, and as anyone with FM and/or CFS knows, we only get shallow, mostly broken, and non-restorative sleep."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 22, 2015

"I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia for a few years now, was raised to 450 mg a day because my pain kept increasing. I had chronic fatigue, was DX'd with sleep apnea, have a CPAP mask, and take all kinds of medications just to be able to sleep. I kept having very bad days to where I could barely walk and would get very shaky and twitchy. Finally, I was DX'd with severe depression and anxiety, and was prescribed Pristiq. From day one, it calmed down my anxiety and has taken away 90 to 95% of my pain. I have a ways to go in my depression, but I'm no longer confined to my bed. I've been on it for almost a month now and absolutely love it. I have a little trouble with sleep sometimes, but with my CPAP and sleep meds, I'm able to get great sleep."

• My...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 3, 2016

"I have been on Pristiq for almost 4 years. I have almost no go-to pain on this medication, however, the side effects of no sexual drive and no emotions are so much better than the excruciating pain I was in. I highly recommend this medication for fibro, but please read every bit of information you can about trying to get off of it. Makes you want to die with the withdrawal. And I don't have health insurance, so I have to pay $335 per month, but it is so worth it to be able to function in life."

• Tri...
• February 23, 2012

Desvenlafaxine "My Dr. prescribed Pristiq 50 mg after taking Cymbalta because of the terrible side effects. The only side effect Pristiq has given me is the lack of sexual desire, but Trazodone 50 mg, which I also take, balances out that effect. I also take Tranxene 7.5 mg before bedtime and get at least 5 hours of straight sleep! I am doing much better."

• Anonymous
• November 7, 2009

Desvenlafaxine "Killed my sex drive (the only remainder of my life without fibromyalgia) and gave me terrible dry mouth that did not go away as my doctor said it would. After six months of dry mouth and no libido, along with no symptom relief, I said enough was enough and quit cold turkey. I experienced no withdrawal effects, and thankfully both the dry mouth and lack of sex drive went away soon thereafter. I feel like this medication made me more depressed by decreasing my already low quality of life. It also made me feel as though my emotions were non-existent, which some may view as a good thing, but I prefer to be able to feel and experience emotions."

• And...
• December 19, 2022

"First day on this drug. The doctor gave it to me for anxiety because I must try to go back to work for financial reasons. I was breaking down, crying, and breathing fast for days. This drug knocked me on my butt for a few hours, but I was not in pain. This worked better than ketamine infusions! I still don’t feel right, but with all the other antidepressants I’ve tried, I’m hoping this will go away too!"

• Anonymous
• October 6, 2009

Desvenlafaxine "Since I have been sick, I have been through tons of medication, most of which I had bad reactions to. With my condition, my depression got worse, and mood swings started to occur. My doctor had tried putting me on an antidepressant before, one that landed me in the E.R. So I was skeptical about trying something else, but when I did decide to try Pristiq, at least I had some side effects, nothing big. It was probably me just adjusting, but finally when I had, my doctor started noticing a huge difference, and so did I. I smiled more and cried less."

• sou...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 28, 2025

"I was diagnosed with fibro at age 35. Now I'm 61. Effexor was the gold standard for my fibro pain for years, and I thank the Lord for it. I only need 50 mg once daily of Pristiq, its successor, and results have been extremely good!"

• cou...
• February 3, 2011

Desvenlafaxine "I've been using Pristiq for two and a half months to control my chronic ear pain and depression. Like most antidepressants, there are side effects. Looking back, it wasn't always easy, but I would do it again."

• pin...
• January 9, 2012

Desvenlafaxine "Bad side effects for 2 weeks when starting this medicine. Tolerated it fairly well for a couple of months. I was on 50 mg, then 100 mg. It did raise my blood pressure. No libido issues like I had when on Effexor. It did nothing for my fibromyalgia, and it took me a few weeks to stop it. Coming off the Pristiq was worse than starting it. Very nasty headaches every day. It also made my hair fall out at an alarming rate. Handfuls. My hair stopped falling out about a month after I stopped the Pristiq."

• MGH...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 29, 2023

"Severe adverse reactions started on the second day on 50 mg. Migraine, total loss of appetite, constant nausea, lethargy, rapid heart rate with breathing difficulty, and tightness in upper chest, arms, and back muscles. I stopped taking it, and it took several days to fully recover from all of these symptoms, a nightmare for sure, and I was very close to requiring some type of medical intervention. No SSRIs for me ever again."

• psy...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 16, 2014

"I am suffering from severe fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome for the last 3 years and was initially on duloxetine up to 60 mg. Initially, at a lower dosage, it helped to alleviate my pain by up to 50 percent, and actually, I felt like after many years I woke up fresh around 6 am in the morning at a dosage of 60 mg, but within a week, it made me a zombie, especially at night. I had difficulty sleeping, and in the midnight, I started to have an electric shock-like sensation. Then I started on pregabalin and increased the dose to 300 mg, which elevated my pain by around 70%, but I put on a lot of weight and joint pain. I settled on 50 mg of desvenlafaxine with 80% pain relief, with 150 mg of pregabalin further helping me. This combination worked best for me, but still, some painkillers raised my LFT 8 times, further causing fatigue."

• Anonymous
• August 13, 2011

"I am a Chilean psychiatrist working with a psychological team and have experience with 50 patients suffering for many years from fibromyalgia with excellent results."

• sha...
• June 21, 2011

Desvenlafaxine "Started on Pristiq just over 2 weeks ago. I'm starting to feel less pain. Still a bit twitchy, but definitely feeling better about life in general."

• XSa...
• May 26, 2009

Desvenlafaxine "I tried Cymbalta unsuccessfully (intolerable side effects) before one of my doctors had me try Pristiq. Side effects are not too bad. This may be helping with my fibromyalgia pains."

• Anonymous
• December 30, 2011

Desvenlafaxine "I have been on Pristiq for muscle condition and fibromyalgia pain for over a month. No improvement in pain. Wish I had some of these marvelous results."

• Bil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 14, 2022

"Does nothing for my fibro pain. On it for 8 weeks now. Will taper off. Disappointing."