Desvenlafaxine and Tiredness: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Mel...
• September 14, 2010

Desvenlafaxine for Anxiety "I am 35 years old, and I have 6 kids. My doctor prescribed Pristiq to help with the anxiety of day-to-day life. I have been on it for about 5 days now. For the first time in years, I am finally sleeping through the night. But I am having some side effects, such as tiredness and an increase in appetite. Hopefully, this will subside with time."

• Por...
• January 25, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Was taking with Lamictal for BP2. Wanted to try after having a year of success with Effexor in treating depression 2 years ago. Back then, I was underdiagnosed, so I took no mood stabilizer. Pristiq was nothing near Effexor to me. Was on 25 mg for the past 8 weeks. Week one: insomnia, anxiety, worse mood. Week 2: lifted mood, minor mood swings, mild anxiety, excitability, slight increase in interest in pleasurable activities, slight decrease in confidence, spontaneity, social speaking. Week 3: short depressive episode, apathy, lethargy. Sleep slightly improved. Week 4: everything from weeks 2 & 3. Also, MY FIRST PANIC ATTACK! From then on, heightened feelings that I could have a panic attack if I thought about it. Increased anxiety. Stopped taking it. Although I know I was on a very low dose, I just knew that it won’t work for me. I am on day 3 without it and I feel better, but I know relapse is coming soon, but so is my appointment. Half-life: 11 hours. Really???"

• ky1...
• July 5, 2011

Desvenlafaxine for Depression "It is good to hear that Pristiq has helped a lot of people, unfortunately, it did not work out for me. I felt okay in the beginning, but after 2 months on 100 mg, I started to feel irritable, nauseated, extremely tired, and had the most disturbing dreams. I will have to find something else."

• KBa...
• April 12, 2020

For Depression "I’ve been on Pristiq for 9 years. I began with 50 mg every 24 hours, but it made me lethargic and sleepy, so I took 50 mg every 36 hours. Over time, I just lost all drive and motivation to do anything. I went up to 100 mg 2 years ago, and shortly after, I ended up with adrenal fatigue. I don’t know if there’s any correlation between the two, but I’ve read SSRIs increase cortisol. What goes up must come down, and I totally tanked. I’m down to 50 mg every 24 hours, and my doc added 20 mg Prozac that has a much longer half-life. If I miss one dose or even try to stretch it out a few hours longer, I get really bad symptoms. I had side effects when beginning the drug, so I knew it would be brutal to come off. I went cold turkey off Lexapro years earlier, and I was dizzy but able to function. This stuff, no way!! All I can say about this drug is it pulled me through a hard time 9 years ago, but I wish I would have come off it 1 year after beginning it. Brutal!"

• arc...
• October 7, 2011

Desvenlafaxine for Depression "I am 58, a married father of 2. I had a major crash about a month ago. Got addicted to gambling and finally told my wife, then the crash. I have always had some anxiety throughout my life. Nothing like this. Been on it for 4 days, tired and sleep is so-so. My hope is that, given more time, I will see more benefits. Right now, it's a struggle to see getting better and tough for my son to see his dad suffering. The doctor says 1-2 weeks to see full benefits."

• Anonymous
• December 12, 2010

Desvenlafaxine for Anxiety "I have generalized anxiety disorder with panic and depression. I've tried Lexapro, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Trazodone, Klonopin. Everything made me feel like I was watching someone else live my life. Then I tried Pristiq. I felt great after a long time. I've been on it for 2 1/2 years now, and I'm sad to say that it's no longer doing the job that it once did. My doctor had me take it with Wellbutrin. That made me feel like I was about to bounce off the walls. Then we increased it to 100 mg. I felt awful, couldn't stop yawning and stretching and clenching my jaws. Plus my insurance wouldn't pay for it. I really wish they made it in 75 mg dosage - I just need more than I have but not as much as doubling it. Gotta try something else now."

• And...
• July 15, 2015

Desvenlafaxine for Major Depressive Disorder "I suffer from GAD, which is depression, anxiety, and insomnia. The episode started in March 2015. I felt tired every day. I increased my physical activity to make my body trigger to relax. It did not work. Within three months, my depression got worse. I felt anxiety, discomfort in my body, tiredness, and lost interest in my favorite activities, in other words, I survived. Then at the end of May, I started taking Quetiapine, 1 tab before night. It made me sleep 4-5 hours at night. Then I split 50 mg of Pristiq into 4 parts (12.5 mg) and took them for 4 days. Next 4 days I was taking 25 mg. Then 50 mg for the next 12 days. Now I am on 100 mg. After 45 days, I felt good relief. It worked! But I felt awful all the time before. I experienced lots of side effects."

• Anonymous
• October 29, 2011

Desvenlafaxine for Depression "Day 3 of Pristiq.... was just on Cymbalta for 4 months, and it was wonderful, and then I got really anxious all of a sudden and angry, so we switched. Prior to that, I was on Celexa, Paxil, and Prozac over 20 years. Am 50-year-old female with two sons and husband. Have not noticed any change yet. Anxiety is gone, but I don't feel 'positive' change, more neutral. I take it at night as prescribed by my doctor. I sleep well. I am more hungry now than when I was on Cymbalta and am worried I will gain back the weight I lost. Midday, I get a tingling in my forehead and thirsty. Am tired. Hope to feel some really positive results over the next few days, as others have posted. Time to have my life back."

• Red...
• July 2, 2011

Desvenlafaxine for Depression "Pristiq has been a catch-22 for me. The medication has helped to stabilize my mood and some thought processes, but there have been multiple drawbacks. During my first 2-3 weeks of taking the medication, I was even more tired and had to sleep for at least 3-4 hours after taking the medication, which prompted taking it at night. The BIGGEST DRAWBACK for myself is that Pristiq has made running and physical recovery double in time. I've added almost 1 minute and 20 seconds to my run time, additionally, it has become extremely difficult to find the motivation for working out. Because I enjoy competing in triathlons, this side effect for me has been devastating. For instance, an 8-mile run that would take me 44 minutes took me 1 hour and 9 minutes this morning."

• Goo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 13, 2021

For Depression "My GP recommended this medication after having tried various SSRIs over the years. The first 4 weeks were difficult - nausea, insomnia, jaw clenching, headache, increased anxiety, feeling jittery, fatigue. I almost gave up on day 12, however, I persisted with it, and by week 3 felt some improvement in mood. After 4 weeks, my GP recommended anti-nausea medication, which I now take with Pristiq in the morning. (I also switched to non-generic Pristiq after the first month. I don't know if that makes a difference.) Now in my 5th week, I feel calm, am sleeping better, and am not overwhelmed by negative thoughts. I feel more motivated to do simple things. I get a little tired mid-afternoon, but it's not too bad. I don't feel emotionally numb or on edge as I did with other medications. I would recommend persisting through the first month and using anti-nausea medication if you need to. I'm planning on staying on this medication for the rest of my life."

• Zam...
• September 9, 2009

Desvenlafaxine for Anxiety "I just started today and wasn't expecting to see any difference, as most antidepressants take weeks to see any difference. Today, about 2 hours after taking it, I felt so tired. Being at work didn't help. I have read many of the other comments and am hoping it's a miracle drug like a lot have said. I take Seroquel for sleeping that I think will help, as a lot of others say Pristiq interferes with sleeping. Hopefully, I will be back to write again, and hopefully there will only be positive results to write about."

• mim...
• January 20, 2010

Desvenlafaxine for Anxiety "I started taking Pristiq yesterday. Immediate nausea and tired, been up since 1 a.m. Hope this medicine works because everything and everyone has been getting on my nerves. Even my grandkids, which is not normal for me because they are my life. Do not take anything else with Pristiq. Maybe I can give a higher rating in a couple of weeks."

• Sue...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 20, 2019

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "Great medication for the problems I was having, except I stay hungry constantly, tired, and no energy, and gaining more weight."

• Sue...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 20, 2019

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "Great medication for the problems I was having, except I stay hungry constantly, tired, and no energy, and gaining more weight."

• Can...
• December 29, 2015

Desvenlafaxine for Depression "On it again for OCD and depression. Actually still tired after 6 weeks, switched to night and screws up my sleep pattern. Not sure when to take it. It does help, but can you live this tired forever?"

• Anonymous
• December 9, 2015

Desvenlafaxine for Depression "This is day two for me taking the medicine, and already my face has broke, I'm very tired, and I feel anxious at times and like crying at others. I don't like it. I'm going back to latunda."

• doe...
• November 16, 2009

Desvenlafaxine for Depression "Immediate insomnia, constant yawning, detached feelings, frequent urination, etc."