Pristiq and Nausea: What Users Say (Page 5)

• Anonymous
• August 31, 2010

For Depression "I have been on Pristiq for 4 months now. Having never been treated for any kind of depression or mood disorder, I wasn't sure what to expect. The first 2 months I was at 50 mg, had few side effects of headache and nausea, but those subsided and I was generally feeling just not happy... not sad. I asked my doctor to try 100 mg and she agreed to go for it. Now, 2 months later on the 100 mg, I FEEL GREAT! No real side effects, with the exception of hot flashes and sweats now and then, but nothing too uncomfortable. I think the difference is higher dosage being more effective in my case is because I am overweight to begin with. I am down about 12 pounds now and blood pressure is holding steady (132/82) too."

• Obz...
• June 19, 2010

For Depression "I have been on Pristiq for 3 months now. I am a 23-year-old male who suffers from depression. It is only the second drug I have tried after Cipramil (which did nothing for me). I started on 50 mg, and at first felt great (minus minor nausea, headaches, and bad insomnia). However, in comparison to the depression, the side effects were well worth it, and my doctor said they would go away. The sides only lasted a week, and I felt pretty good. A few weeks later, however, I was feeling really bad again, so my doctor upped me to 100 mg. This did the same thing as when I first started the medicine, gave me small side effects, but made me feel a lot better in general. Sure enough, the side effects were gone after a few days, but now the 100 mg dose isn't doing much."

• VAc...
• February 19, 2011

For Depression "I have been taking Pristiq for two weeks now for depression. I have bad days, but good are outnumbering the bad now. The first week made me very tired and sick to my stomach, but I never threw up. Lost 5 lbs already, which I needed to do! I take Pristiq in the mornings and wake up feeling refreshed. Less anxious and feeling more positive about the future. I kept my Klonopin for when panic attacks hit (the number of those has dramatically decreased!). I do feel more like myself than I have in years! Better eyesight also! Good luck to all of you."

• Anonymous
• March 6, 2018

For Depression "The first time I was put on this, it worked perfectly. I wasn't depressed, wasn't suicidal, no side effects at all. Then a stupid doctor took me off them because he thought I shouldn't be on them. Now I'm back on them again and having the WORST side effects: uncontrollable shaking, head spinning like crazy, nausea, blurred vision, all-around sick feeling. It was horrible. It scared the crap out of me, and I will NOT be taking it again. I am not going through that pain again, it was too much. Felt like my heart was going to give out."

• Abs...
• August 25, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "Pristiq. Well. It's still early days, but I'd like to share my experience already with this medication. (I'm only on 50 mg, no idea how in the world people are surviving on 100 mg). The first few days can be described basically as absolute hell on earth. The side effects kicked in almost immediately after waking up the morning after taking it (night dose). It honestly felt exactly like coming down hard off ecstasy. I had absolutely no ability to function for hours. Then the nausea, the dizziness, the headaches, the jaw clenching, out-of-body feeling, feelings of euphoria and depression all at once. In short, it was an absolute joy! But it does get better! And it really works a treat. I find myself laughing a lot more, anxiety is half as bad."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 7, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "General mood leveling, couldn't really feel any emotion, which became monotonous and unbearable. Also not recommended if you have an eating disorder and cannot always force yourself to have it with food. Caused crippling nausea and copious amounts of excess gas to sit in my stomach, this still hasn't left after more than a year of stopping. Not for everyone."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 13, 2012

For Depression "I had been on Lexapro for over a year, and it was working great, with the exception of having zero libido. With my relationship at stake, I decided to try Pristiq. After about a week, I realized that I was back to my old irritable, pre-medicated self. I have been crying at the drop of a hat, snapping on loved ones, and I have been nauseous almost every day. Not to mention I went from 125 pounds to 137 pounds in a month. I talked to my doctor today, and she suggested trying Viibryd."

• She...
• February 7, 2016

For Depression "It's only been day two for me, and I will not be taking another one of these. Side effects straight away: sick to the stomach, no appetite, massive headaches today, no libido, horrible taste, and to be honest, all of these effects are bringing back my anxiety. My headache is not going away. I am going to choose nature tomorrow and get myself better the healthy safety way."

• Fee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 1, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "I've just started using Pristiq. I'm 5 days in. The first day that I took Pristiq, I was spacey, high, and felt like throwing up. The second day, I lost the feeling to vomit but still felt very high. Today, being the 5th day, I awoke with desperate feelings of anxiety and black clouds of worry. It's difficult to sleep-maybe 2-3 hours at a time, and actually falling asleep takes longer (even if I'm feeling the need to sleep). My head and neck muscles seem paralyzed when I yawn. It's as if they freeze and can't return to their normal position after the yawn is complete. Eventually, they do (five seconds). I still feel exceedingly high, but it's not a 'good' high. My skin is super sensitive, and I get intermittent chills."

• Anonymous
• January 7, 2010

For Depression "I have been on Pristiq (50 mg) for about four months to treat depression. I feel better and have more energy, but some side effects I've encountered concern me. When I missed a dose, it sounded like fireworks were going off in my head. I could hear 'zaps' and felt dizzy and nauseated. I didn't connect it to the medication, though, so I stayed in bed the next day, unmedicated, and the symptoms got worse. I was able to see the physician's assistant who prescribed Phenergan and Valium. I'm now a little worried about going off Pristiq. I never felt like this on Paxil or Effexor."

• not...
• August 7, 2009

For Depression "I tried taking Pristiq for 6 days. The side effects were so bad I could not function. I could not work, eat, or sleep and felt nauseous. My vision was blurry. My mouth was so dry, and my appetite was nonexistent. I only weigh 111 lbs, and I do not need to miss a meal. I have stopped taking this medication. I was taking 50 mg, and this is the first medicine I have ever taken for depression."

• tin...
• June 29, 2011

For Depression "I am a 67-year-old female, and I have suffered from fibromyalgia for approximately 35 years. With that being said, I have also suffered from depression over the years and have taken Prozac and Zoloft with no effect. For the past 3 months, I have been suffering from anxiety and depression and have been extremely nauseated and have lost 16 pounds. I was on venlafaxine for 2-1/2 weeks with no results and have now been on Pristiq for 9 days and instantly felt 100% better. I have my appetite back and have much more energy. I actually feel like living again. I hope my health continues to be better on the medication."

• ren...
• January 31, 2011

For Depression "I have been taking Pristiq for nearly 2 weeks due to losing my father in October 2010. I tried to fight my depression, but it was starting to control my life. I am feeling better, having a good day today has been a long time since I have had a good day. I have had some nausea and a bit of tiredness, but overall, I see light at the end of the tunnel finally. Don't feel ashamed of taking medication, depression is worse if not treated."

• lif...
• February 9, 2010

For Depression "I thought this was the best one yet. However, I experienced extreme nausea, which worsened with an increase from 50 mg to 100 mg. I am going through a washout period now and not sure what my physician will start me on now. Besides having the nausea, I also had gastrointestinal symptoms of abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and flatulence (gas). The medication was working for me, but the side effects made me miss work, not do my schoolwork, and affected my social life. I have been off of it for 5 days now and feeling no nausea and much, much better. Glad that it works for some of you!"

• Anonymous
• September 24, 2010

For Depression "I have been on Pristiq for 6 weeks now. The first week was hell! I had nausea, headaches, and just felt strange. After two weeks, I started to notice a difference. My husband notices more of a difference than I do, he says I am not as snappy or aggravated easily. We recently went through a rough patch, he was in a car accident, and everyone was okay, but if I didn't have this medication, I know I would have lost it! It really does keep me calmer, and my anxiety is almost non-existent. Right now, I feel a little bit anxious, so maybe I need to up the medicine to 100 mg. I have also had a dry mouth every day since taking this medicine, but the benefits have been worth it so far. No panic attacks in lineups, traffic seems a bit more tolerable."

• uns...
• April 14, 2009

For Depression "I was prescribed this medication for anxiety social phobia. I have tried a lot of medications and have been off and on with different ones, never really feeling fully recovered. This medication made me feel nauseous at first and gave me insomnia. Symptoms resided, but now I have sexual dysfunction, which is one of the side effects. I can't climax and hardly have any desire, plus I wasn't experiencing any improvement, so I stopped it."

• Anonymous
• December 7, 2010

For Depression "I'm on week 4 of taking Pristiq. I had nausea, loss of appetite, foggy head, sleepiness during the day, and sleeplessness at night for the first week. The side effects are all gone now, and I think I'm starting to feel a bit less depressed. I think this medicine affects a person so gradually that it's hard to tell for sure if you are improving. But when I look back to 5 weeks ago, before I started, I think I'm less depressed. I take 50 mg in the evening. I was taking it in the morning because my doctor said I might sleep better at night if I took it in the morning. But I found that I was very sleepy in the early afternoon when taking Pristiq in the morning. So I slowly changed to taking it at night."

• Anonymous
• April 2, 2009

For Anxiety "I've been taking Pristiq 50 mg daily for the past 7 months for anxiety and mild depression, and I can't say I'm much better for sticking with it. The side effects were horrible as I started - extreme dizziness, nausea, restlessness, sweating, impotence. Those subsided over the first week or two but quickly returned if I miss a dose. My energy level has not lifted and in fact may have decreased, but most importantly, I've felt more disconnected, numb, and unfocused since being on the drug. I've heard it's rough to come off, and I've been tapering back slowly, but I'm looking forward to clear thoughts and true feelings again."

• Anonymous
• January 8, 2012

For Depression "I have been off antidepressants for about 7 months, then I needed to go back on when I entered a very heavy ward (I'm a nurse) because I was becoming very anxious and could not work as well as I was. I was on Zoloft, but now I am trying Pristiq. I have been on Pristiq for 2 weeks now, the first few days I had side effects: increased anxiety, insomnia, nausea, and increased sweating, but all side effects have now subsided. Positives: I have not had any anxiety this week and have been confident at work, no depressive symptoms, I have lost weight (not meant to be good, but I'm happy about it). Negatives: I have noticed a slight decrease in libido, which might turn out to be a problem, and that's what I was scared of."

• Gib...
• August 4, 2010

For Depression "I was put on Pristiq for postpartum depression. I had already been on Zoloft but had to stop due to severe fatigue. I only stayed on Pristiq for one week, and it was the worst week. I had horrible headaches, nausea, and was suicidal. I had fatigue with this medicine as well. It definitely did not work for me. The only good thing is it decreased my appetite significantly."

• Anonymous
• September 6, 2010

For Panic Disorder "Pristiq did a good job reducing my symptoms dramatically. However, it gave me so much in return, which made my life complicated! I mean 50 lb weight gain over a year that keeps growing every month. I also cannot sleep at night as I could before. I see very vivid dreams and nightmares almost every night! It makes me wake up feeling tired. In addition, I had withdrawal symptoms when I once forgot to take my dose. I had vertigo, nausea, headache. I absolutely could not function."

• Anonymous
• January 10, 2022

For Major Depressive Disorder "I've been on it for 24 hours, and wow!! No upset stomach, nauseous feeling, and no extra food cravings. I feel energy that I have been looking for to start working out again and smiling much more. I know I have a long way to go and bumps to go over. It's not a magic pill, but to have energy again is priceless!! I hope that libido comes back soon. I've been on every SSRI, Wellbutrin, phentermine, Adderall, and Ritalin. I also maintain my kidney transplant for 25 years and prednisone for 33 years."

• vio...
• May 16, 2011

For Depression "I was diagnosed with clinical depression over 13 years ago. I took Paxil for 1 year and swore I would never take another depression medicine. After some extreme and consistent stress in 2010, I talked to my MD, and he suggested that my depression would not just go away on its own. After explaining my drug experiences, he prescribed Lexapro, and I took it for about 3 months. It was wonderful, except that it just stopped working, I had gained 10 lbs, and the sexual side effects were terrible. He changed me to Pristiq, which I have been taking for 16 days now. I never had nausea or dizziness. I feel less hungry than I did on Lexapro, and there are no sexual side effects. At first, I felt a bit spacey, but now I have more energy."

• Anonymous
• January 23, 2010

For Depression "I have been taking Pristiq for about 3 weeks now, and I am extremely tired 24/7. Now, mind you, I do have a busy schedule (full-time job and classes 24 hours a week). I do notice, however, that things don't bother me like they used to, and my crying has eased up a bit. I have started having some nausea, hopefully, the tiredness and nausea will diminish the longer I take Pristiq."

• Anonymous
• March 16, 2009

For Depression "My doctor prescribed Pristiq 6 months ago for major depressive disorder with anxiety. I have been on several different antidepressants, but this one took the longest to work. It took 6 weeks. I was nauseated for the first month. It finally started working, and I felt less depressed, but lately I am very moody and irritable. Sometimes all I want to do is stay in bed, and at other times I'm up all night (like now - it's 3:55 a.m.). Can't take this anymore. Good luck."