Jump to content
SurvivingAntidepressants.org is temporarily closed to new registrations until 1 April ×

Tips for tapering off desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)


Altostrata

Recommended Posts

  • Moderator Emeritus
8 hours ago, Kevman2112 said:

essentially our reason for asking about half life is related to multiple doses per day and what the best time in between is.

 

That is correct.  If  the half life of pure desvenlafaxine was (for example) 36 hours then we could take powdered Pristiq every 24 hours without being concerned about interdose withdrawal.

 

8 hours ago, Kevman2112 said:

I have inter-dose withdrawal in the mornings to early afternoon and then 0 symptoms after 2pm (I was taking the full 37.5mg in the morning around 730.  Yesterday I split it up and took 25mg in the morning and 12.5mg right before bed.

 

It could take up to a week for the drug to reach a consistent level in the blood.

 

You might start to notice some improvement after a few days.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

I have been having interdose withdrawal when taking 2x per day, 2.125mg in the morning and 2.125mg later in the day.  Hoping someone can provide advice on 3 doses per day.

 

My current schedule is:

7:30am- 2.215mg.  Withdrawal symptoms until around 12-1pm

If I take my next dose at 3pm I feel better for the evening but have worse symptoms the next morning.  If I take my next dose between 4-5pm, I feel horrible in the evening but the next morning isn’t so bad. 
 

I assume I am not getting good coverage with this 2x per day method.

 

my question is, if I go to 3x per day, what should the split be?  If I go by peak plasma levels I would take it every 7 hours, essentially 7:30am, 2:30pm, 9:30pm.  Does this sound reasonable to anyone?

 

thanks in advance.

Multiple drugs for my teen years.  ~10 years on Pristiq 100mg.  
January 2021: 50mg Pristiq to 43.75. Stopped Viibryd at 10mg

March 2021: holding at 37.5mg.
April 2021: 25mg.  May 2021: 18.75 to 12.5.  
June 2021: 12.5 to (accidentally) 4.29mg.  Updose to 6mg using compounded Pristiq

August 2020: Crashed at day 35 of 5mg. Updose to 6mg

September 2020: 5.5mg from 6 after 38 days

10/2021: 5mg, 11/2021: 4.5mg, 12/21:4mg, 3/22:3.75mg, Propranolol 10mg prn

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

Has anyone tapered Pristiq by crushing the powder and making instant-release capsules? How did it work for you? How big was the dosage? I am trying to figure out if it's safe to go from 125mg ER to 125mg IR, taking 5 25mg capsules a day. 

  • Pristiq 94mg  (down from 125mg. having adverse reaction, tapering down. 20mg am, 25mg noon, 24mg eve, 25mg bed)
  • Klonopin 1.25mg since 2010 (tapering. Down from 2.5mg. All taken at bedtime)
  • Neurontin 2200mg since 2021 (controlling pain, but need to taper. 500 am, 500 noon, 500 eve, 700 bed)
  • Propranalol 20mg (bed)
  • Tamusolin .4mg (for kidney stone, temporary)
  • Risperidone: low dose taken for 4 weeks in 2019 for anxiety. Discontinued due to extreme reaction of agitation and sleeplessness
  • Seroquel: low dose taken in 2021 for anxiety. Discontinued for same reason as risperidone. Persistent agitation led to prescription of benadryl and propranalol.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I called Pfizer's medical information line today at (800) 438-1985 to try and find out more about how their Pristiq tablet's extended-release mechanism works, specifically:

1) How it is formulated

2) How many hours it releases over

3) How much medicine is released each hour of the process (it's not constant).

 

They were unwilling to give me any info that's not already in the package insert.  Has anyone out there been able to obtain any reliable answers to these questions? I saw some earlier posts about the matrix, and there's a link to a paper that cites a 24-hour release time, but that was with a custom, experimental formulation. What I'm looking for is bona-fide, reliable information for Pfizer's actual Pristiq pills.

 

Thanks a lot.

 

David

  • Pristiq 94mg  (down from 125mg. having adverse reaction, tapering down. 20mg am, 25mg noon, 24mg eve, 25mg bed)
  • Klonopin 1.25mg since 2010 (tapering. Down from 2.5mg. All taken at bedtime)
  • Neurontin 2200mg since 2021 (controlling pain, but need to taper. 500 am, 500 noon, 500 eve, 700 bed)
  • Propranalol 20mg (bed)
  • Tamusolin .4mg (for kidney stone, temporary)
  • Risperidone: low dose taken for 4 weeks in 2019 for anxiety. Discontinued due to extreme reaction of agitation and sleeplessness
  • Seroquel: low dose taken in 2021 for anxiety. Discontinued for same reason as risperidone. Persistent agitation led to prescription of benadryl and propranalol.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please read, and re-read, the first (pinned) post on this thread, in which are compiled the results of several people's painstaking research into Pristiq with almost exactly your situation in mind.  You'll want to incorporate the assertion therein about there actually being more pristiq in the caplet than gets delivered, i found that confusing.

Then read the whole thread yep 8 pages.

  

My personal best idea is to make liquid of your pristiq caplets, and dose yourself 3x/day with 1/3 of your daily dose.  that way the details of half-life and actual drug delivery won't matter.   you'll need a small syringe and a graduated cylinder for careful measurements, and a bit of arithmetic.  

 

And bear in mind that any reductions in dosage should be limited to 10% or less of your current dose, and no more than once a month.  Much safer to go slowly than to rush - you're DEPENDENT on this drug, and believe me, you don't want to know what doing without it will do to your brain!

 

You can read my sig to see how easily this can go wrong.  I was so happy to be almost finished tapering that I started going to fast, and what a horrible crash.  be careful!

 

i am not a doctor and this is not medical advice.  talk to your doctor about this and keep him/her/it informed of every step you take.    GOOD LUCK!

20090810 Dx GeneralAnxietyDisorder & PanicDisorder.  Rx Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) 50mg.  stable, side effects minor but blurry vision, impotence, others. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5418-ktp-weaning-from-4yrs-50mg-pristiq/ for more details.  

20140210 switch Pristiq50mg (can't cut them!) to Effexor (venlafaxine, V) same drug but easier dose reduction (and mfr TEVA's beads are handily ~= 1mg ea).  20140218 125mgV  0309 112mg 0401:100mg, 410:75, 0506:70, 0512:65, 0525:56, 0614:37.5, 0620:30, 0624:27, 0630:26, 0706:24, 0724:22, 0801:20, 0804:19, 0808:18, 0813:17, 0818:16, 0819:15, 0821:13, 0903:12, 0911:11, 0918:10, 0921:9, 0927:8, 1001:6, 1021:5, missed a day?, darn, it was going so well, or so I thought.  SEVERE ANXIETY, INSOMNIA. WAY TOO QUICK REDUCTIONS! hindsight: 0813:5%/5days, 0818:6%/5days, 0819:6%/1day, 0821:13%/2days, 0903: 7%/14days, 0911:8%/8days, 0918:9%/7days; 0921:10%/3days, 0927:11%/6days, 1001:25%/3days (still okay!) 1021:16%20days.  guideline is 10%/30days =  i am a self-diagnosed idiot

20141103 back to 6mgV, xanax next several days. 1111 insomnia bad, 10mgAmbien slept well. 1112 8mgV no Ambien; miserable. 1113 Ambien+xanax, tough night. 1114 Very Tired. 0.125Xanax, 25mgV at 10, better 10min later. 20141115 37.5mg V +Ambien. miserable month, still insomnia & anxiety. 1214 upped to 75mg V, ate .125Xanax. 1215 37.5mg mornings; force sleep for one week and come back". 20150115 lots of appts lots of chat but we never get to MY agenda = meds discussion.  Upping to 47.5mg mornings (no more xanax-, lunesta-forced sleep) but still anxious.  PAYING BIGTIME FOR TOO-FAST WEANING in OCTOBER 2014!  20150220 50mg V. 20150330 still anxy each am let's try reducing: 45mg V 1/day mornings. 20150511:42mg, 0611:40, 0626:39, 0710:38, 0717:37, 0731:33, 0813:32, 0915:29, 0927:28, 1004:27, 1015:26, 1101:25, 1116:22mg/day.  Still anxiety every morning, this sucks.  20151124 found a shrink who seems to get weaning: 20151125 add 10mg/day Prozac aka fluoxetine F, continue taper V to zero, then taper the F, "easier".  20151203:10mg Prozac=P 19mg V, 1213:10mgP17mgV, daily anx quieter but lurking. 1227:10mgP15mgV, 20160108:10mgP14mgV, 0124:10P13V, 0131:P10,V12. 0215 P10,V11.  0223:P10V10.  0314:P10V9. enjoying relatively quiet brain.  0407 P10V8, 0427P10V7, 0517P10V6, 0611P10V5, 0706P10V4, 0818P10V3, 0921P10V2,  1021P10V1, 20161128Prozac10mgVenlafaxine ZERO, 20170115 still anxious upped Prozac to 20mg/day, better anxiety control... 

20190301 finally stable enough to consider weaning again, started skipping one day / week.

20190501 started skipping every 3rd day so 13.3mg/day average.  several days long 1/2life must be why the docs think of prozac as 'self-tapering' i think it just means longer time between upsetting the cart and seeing apples all over the road.  skipping is bad practice, even with longlife prozac: let's do liquid: 20190902 first day of 13mg via 5ml liquid made from 13 20mg caps in 100ml water.  20190921 12mg same way(7.7%/20days).  20191010 11mg (8.3%/20days) 20191031 10mg (9.1%/20days) 20191124 9mg (10.0%/24 days) 20191213 8.5mg (5.6%/20 days) 20191231 8mg (5.9%/20days) 20200120 hit a wall?  going another 20 days at 8mg, just started Lisinopril for hypertension (caused by prozac withdrawal creating less-than-panic-grade anxiety??) and doubled atorvastatin to 40mg.  Minimizing changes in general and had a semi-panic 4am 1/20... BP still wild. 20200208 back to 9mg daily anxiety starting about 1/18.  

20200212 increase to 10mg prozac cap daily.  anxiety still there but clears within hour of drugs.  20200222 still anxy 2 hrs after 10mg, added another 1mg and mucho better.  20200223 11mg early.  anxious enough to be glad i can actually sit.  will wait another 5 days before adding another milligram. 20200229 12mg prozac still anxious.  20200317 13mgProzac still anxious.  20200610 15mgProzac.  bp under control with Losartan50mg (lisinopril cough dictates change)  

20201028 10am met w Dr S.  to switch back to Venlafaxine XR, "take 10mg prozac + 37mg VenlafaxineXR for a monththen quit prozac." i think i'll taper thanx... 
20201116 9am start 10mgProzac,37Venlafaxine,40Statin,25Losartan,81Aspirin.  20201230 5mgProzac,37Venlafaxine,40Statin,25Losartan,81Aspirin.
20210124 4mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A.  20210213 3.5mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A;  20210306 3mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A  20210328 2.5mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A; 20210501 2.0mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A;20210519 1.5mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A; 20210607 1.5mgP,37V,40S,50L,81A. 
20210614 1.0mgP,37V,40S, 50L,81A. 20210702 0.5mgP,37V,40S,50L,81A; 20210728; 0.0mgProzac,37.5Venlafaxine,40Atorvastatin50Losartan,81Aspirin; 20210917 0915am anxiety started about a week after dropping the last 0.5mg of prozac.  just took 0.10mg xanax.  20210929 1:28 PM I'm anxious after so carefully weaning off prozac - the last 0.5mg may need to come back??  instead, trying an extra cap of 37.5mg venlafaxine, let's see if there's sudden relief?  it seems possible.  fingers x'd.  not sure but 5 minutes later i think i feel better gawd i hope.  20210930 7am anxious out of bed, took drugs early and oops chewed them.  no more drugs 2day.  11:41 AM 10/1/2021 very jagged today, avoiding the shower.   took <1/6 of a .5mg xanax and still anxy at noon.  6:59 PM 10/4/2021 2nd or 3rd day of 75mg Venlafaxine  met w/ shrink 2day he says i'm doing  it right so  20210728 75.0mgVenlafaxine,40Atorvastatin,50Losartan,81Aspirin;10mgCarbidopa-Levodopa; 12/18/2021  112.5mgVenlafaxine, 40Atorvastatin, 50Losartan, 81Aspirin; 0.4mgFlowmax; 3x 25/100mgSinemet aka Carbidopa/Levodopa.    20220308 new neurologist, raising CL:  112.5mgVenlafaxine, 40Atorvastatin, 50Losartan, 81Aspirin; 0.4mgFlowmax; 4x 25/100mgSinemet aka Carbidopa/Levodopa.  possibly need to reduce losartan to avoid fainting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Has anyone out there tapered using Pristiq tablets manufactured by West-Ward (now Hikma) pharmaceuticals? I'm wondering if the extended-release nature of the tablet is the same as the Wyeth/Pfizer pills.

 

Basically, from reading this forum, my understanding is that the ER quality of the Pfizer pills is in the matrix, and if you cut them in half, each half retains some of the ER nature (but not all). I'm trying to figure out if the same is true for my West-Ward pills. I think I need to cut my 25s in half so I digest them faster because my IBS is causing me to pass them undigested.

  • Pristiq 94mg  (down from 125mg. having adverse reaction, tapering down. 20mg am, 25mg noon, 24mg eve, 25mg bed)
  • Klonopin 1.25mg since 2010 (tapering. Down from 2.5mg. All taken at bedtime)
  • Neurontin 2200mg since 2021 (controlling pain, but need to taper. 500 am, 500 noon, 500 eve, 700 bed)
  • Propranalol 20mg (bed)
  • Tamusolin .4mg (for kidney stone, temporary)
  • Risperidone: low dose taken for 4 weeks in 2019 for anxiety. Discontinued due to extreme reaction of agitation and sleeplessness
  • Seroquel: low dose taken in 2021 for anxiety. Discontinued for same reason as risperidone. Persistent agitation led to prescription of benadryl and propranalol.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator Emeritus
9 minutes ago, dteeger said:

I'm trying to figure out if the same is true for my West-Ward pills.

 

West-Ward:  From https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=7107a864-fcb3-4cbf-9fcb-061bef13be2d

 

Inactive Ingredients
Ingredient Name  
SILICON DIOXIDE (UNII: ETJ7Z6XBU4)  
HYPROMELLOSE 2208 (100 MPA.S) (UNII: B1QE5P712K)  
MAGNESIUM STEARATE (UNII: 70097M6I30)  
MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE (UNII: OP1R32D61U)  
POVIDONE K30 (UNII: U725QWY32X)  
SODIUM STEARYL FUMARATE (UNII: 7CV7WJK4UI)  
FD&C RED NO. 40 (UNII: WZB9127XOA)  
FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 (UNII: H77VEI93A8)  
POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED (UNII: 532B59J990)  
POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 1000 (UNII: U076Q6Q621)  
TALC (UNII: 7SEV7J4R1U)  
TITANIUM DIOXIDE (UNII: 15FIX9V2JP)  

 

 

Pfizer:  From https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=0f43610c-f290-46ea-d186-4f998ed99fce

 

Inactive Ingredients
Ingredient Name  
MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE (UNII: OP1R32D61U)  
TALC (UNII: 7SEV7J4R1U)  
MAGNESIUM STEARATE (UNII: 70097M6I30)  
POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED (UNII: 3WJQ0SDW1A)  
TITANIUM DIOXIDE (UNII: 15FIX9V2JP)  
FERRIC OXIDE RED (UNII: 1K09F3G675)  
POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED (UNII: 532B59J990)  
FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW (UNII: EX438O2MRT)  
HYPROMELLOSE 2208 (15000 MPA.S) (UNII: Z78RG6M2N2)  

 

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator Emeritus

The ones highlighted in yellow are the same.

The 3 additional ingredients in the West-Ward desvenlafaxine have the ingredients information below them.

 

The others are just colouring.

 

Ingredient Name

 

SILICON DIOXIDE (UNII: ETJ7Z6XBU4)

Silicon Dioxide (Inactive Ingredient) - Drugs.com

https://www.drugs.com › inactive › silicon-dioxide-170.html

In the pharmaceutical industry, silicon dioxide (also known as colloidal silicon dioxide) has many uses in tablet-making, including as an anti-caking agent, adsorbent, disintegrant, or glidant to allow powder to flow freely when tablets are processed. These compounds appear to be biologically inert.

 

HYPROMELLOSE 2208 (100 MPA.S) (UNII: B1QE5P712K)

 

MAGNESIUM STEARATE (UNII: 70097M6I30)

 

MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE (UNII: OP1R32D61U)

 

POVIDONE K30 (UNII: U725QWY32X)

Povidone (Inactive Ingredient) - Drugs.com

https://www.drugs.com › inactive › povidone-169.html

Povidone (polyvinylpyrrolidone, PVP) is used in the pharmaceutical industry as a synthetic polymer vehicle for dispersing and suspending drugs. It also acts as a disintegrant and tablet binder. It appears as white to off-white hygroscopic powder in its pure form and is readily soluble in water. Povidone has the molecular formula of (C6H9NO)n.

 

SODIUM STEARYL FUMARATE (UNII: 7CV7WJK4UI)

https://www.drugs.com › inactive › sodium-stearyl-fumarate-320.html

Sodium stearyl fumarate is a water-soluble lubricant used in the pharmaceutical industry for compressing tablets ("tableting"). Sodium stearyl fumarate is an inert, hydrophilic, tablet lubricant, useful in situations where other lubricating agents (i.e., magnesium stearate) fail to provide tablets of adequate stability, hardness, content uniformity, disintegration and dissolution rate.

 

FD&C RED NO. 40 (UNII: WZB9127XOA)

 

FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 (UNII: H77VEI93A8)

 

POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED (UNII: 532B59J990)

 

POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 1000 (UNII: U076Q6Q621)

 

TALC (UNII: 7SEV7J4R1U)

 

TITANIUM DIOXIDE (UNII: 15FIX9V2JP)

 

 

 

Pfizer:  From https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=0f43610c-f290-46ea-d186-4f998ed99fce

 

Inactive Ingredients

Ingredient Name

 

MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE (UNII: OP1R32D61U)

 

TALC (UNII: 7SEV7J4R1U)

 

MAGNESIUM STEARATE (UNII: 70097M6I30)

 

POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED (UNII: 3WJQ0SDW1A)

 

TITANIUM DIOXIDE (UNII: 15FIX9V2JP)

 

FERRIC OXIDE RED (UNII: 1K09F3G675)

 

POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED (UNII: 532B59J990)

 

FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW (UNII: EX438O2MRT)

 

HYPROMELLOSE 2208 (15000 MPA.S) (UNII: Z78RG6M2N2)

 

 

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks @ChessieCat that's really helpful. It looks like the West-Ward formulation contains one additional "binder/glue" agent, the Povidone. (The silicon dioxide and sodium stearyl look like they assist in the formation of the tablet but aren't binding agents). So it seems like both the Pfizer and West-Ward pills work on a similar glue-matrix basis. Fingers crossed. I'm going to have to cut the tablets and hope things work out.

  • Pristiq 94mg  (down from 125mg. having adverse reaction, tapering down. 20mg am, 25mg noon, 24mg eve, 25mg bed)
  • Klonopin 1.25mg since 2010 (tapering. Down from 2.5mg. All taken at bedtime)
  • Neurontin 2200mg since 2021 (controlling pain, but need to taper. 500 am, 500 noon, 500 eve, 700 bed)
  • Propranalol 20mg (bed)
  • Tamusolin .4mg (for kidney stone, temporary)
  • Risperidone: low dose taken for 4 weeks in 2019 for anxiety. Discontinued due to extreme reaction of agitation and sleeplessness
  • Seroquel: low dose taken in 2021 for anxiety. Discontinued for same reason as risperidone. Persistent agitation led to prescription of benadryl and propranalol.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Hi everyone,

 

I am in a bad situation and could use some advice. I take 95mg of Pristiq a day, as follows:

25mg 7am

25mg 2pm

25mg 7pm

25mg 11pm

 

Recently, I developed bad, chronic stomach problems and am passing all my ER pills. I cannot taper off Pristiq currently, as I also have severe withdrawal symptoms. So I can't afford to underdose. I have had no choice but to switch all my doses to instant-release, by crushing my tablets. ( I am also in the process of obtaining IR capsules from a compounding pharmacy). I know taking Pristiq IR is not proper, but it's my only choice at this point. I wanted to ask if people have had success in cutting/crushing Pristiq and taking it IR, or have had problems.

 

I did re-read the first 8 pages of this post, so I know that cutting/crushing works for some. But I was hoping to get additional anecdotes from people who've done it.

 

Any advice or anecdotes is much appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

David

  • Pristiq 94mg  (down from 125mg. having adverse reaction, tapering down. 20mg am, 25mg noon, 24mg eve, 25mg bed)
  • Klonopin 1.25mg since 2010 (tapering. Down from 2.5mg. All taken at bedtime)
  • Neurontin 2200mg since 2021 (controlling pain, but need to taper. 500 am, 500 noon, 500 eve, 700 bed)
  • Propranalol 20mg (bed)
  • Tamusolin .4mg (for kidney stone, temporary)
  • Risperidone: low dose taken for 4 weeks in 2019 for anxiety. Discontinued due to extreme reaction of agitation and sleeplessness
  • Seroquel: low dose taken in 2021 for anxiety. Discontinued for same reason as risperidone. Persistent agitation led to prescription of benadryl and propranalol.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
  • Mentor

Hi @dteeger, I have tried cutting Pristiq. I was possibly tapering too quickly (it was before I found this site), and was unable to continue at the time I tried. Felt much better when I went back to full dose. I experienced what others have called the feeling of "med dumping," where a rush of symptoms hit and I felt very activated and off. This is similar to how I feel taking Pristiq, but much more so due to the lack of time release. I have not yet tried crushing them up, but am considering. 

 

Have you found anything that's helped?

Pronouns: they/them/theirs 

Started on Prozac in early 2000s to treat cPTSD, been on various cocktails ever since.

2002-2004, 2017-2022: Buspar, tapered down to 0

2016-present: 100mg Seroquel for sleep -> May 2023: 90mg -> June 2023: 81mg -> September 2023: 72mg -> switched to brand name, much too strong, down to 60mg -> October 2023: 54mg -> November 2023: 50mg -> January 2024: 45mg

2016-Present: 100mg Wellbutrin SR -> January 2023: 75mg IR (37.5mg 2x a day) -> February 2023 (33.75mg 2x a day) -> July 2023 (30.37mg 2x a day) -> August 2023: 27.33mg 2x a day 

2018-present: 25mg Pristiq

2015-present: 600mg Gabapentin (200mg 3x a day) -> December 2022: 300mg Gabapentin (100mg 3x a day) per GP's recommendation after side effects -> March 2023: 90mg 3x a day (switched to liquid suspension) -> April 2023: 81mg 3x a day -> September 2023: bad generic, switched back to homemade liquid; too strong after bad generic, down to 70mg 3x a day, still bad. Adjusted slowly till at 60mg 3x a day, much better. Long hold till -> December 2023: 54mg, still feels too high after November Seroquel switch from brand name to generic, doc recommended 50mg which feels better -> January 2024: When Wellbutrin went down, Gabapentin started putting me to sleep, went down to 45mg, then 41mg to stay awake, so far so good -> February 2024: 36mg

Supplements: Multivitamin w/magnesium, probiotics, digestive enzymes, anti-viral nitric oxide nose spray as needed

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

How is a person able to go off of Pristiq with little discontinuation symptoms?? It seems to be quite difficult. 

2001 - Effexor XR - 75 mg 7/20/2021 - Prozac - 60 mg 5/12/2021 -  Cymbalta 

7/28/2021 -  Lexapro9/1/2021 -  lamotrigine  1/4/2022 - Prozac, Ativan 1 mg and Remeron 7.5mg 4/25/22 - Lexapro and Ativan 1 mg 9/11/22 - 50 mg PRISTIQ 11/15/22 400 mg gabapentin 11/27/22 off .25 mg Ativan (1 mg for a year)1/6/ 23 Busbar 5 mg 2x daily 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Altostrata changed the title to Tips for tapering off desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)
  • 3 weeks later...
On 2/28/2023 at 5:38 PM, Komp said:

How is a person able to go off of Pristiq with little discontinuation symptoms?? It seems to be quite difficult. 

This thread is packed to the brim with extremely valuable information. It's a long read but necessary.

 

Quote

 

Quote

 

 

On 4/6/2022 at 2:59 PM, ktp said:

My personal best idea is to make liquid of your pristiq caplets, and dose yourself 3x/day with 1/3 of your daily dose.  that way the details of half-life and actual drug delivery won't matter.   you'll need a small syringe and a graduated cylinder for careful measurements, and a bit of arithmetic.  

 

On 4/6/2022 at 2:59 PM, ktp said:

you're DEPENDENT on this drug, and believe me, you don't want to know what doing without it will do to your brain!

 

Don't I know it. I've tried a few times to get rid of 1 of the 50mg tablets. I lasted 1.5 weeks. 0.5 weeks longer than safe.

 

Eventually, I'll need to lower my Pristiq, as it's $3/day for 150mg. It was only raised beause I was in withdrawal from I.R. Seroquel the 2nd (?) time doing a -1/4 pill taper, and nobody in the small E.R. knew what to do. I learned by myself recently that they work on different Serotonins in the brain. I had to go back up on the Seroquel fast when the Pristiq didn't help. This was back before everything snowballed out of control. 

 

The I.R. Seroquel I'm forced to take so I don't go into withdrawal is my top priority. The Pristiq may be second due to it being ~$1,200/year. But that's a long way's away.

 

edit: I'm not sure how to remove Quote boxes.

 

Edited by Vancouver1986
Quote boxes

Current:   

#1Before-bed: 50mg I.R. Seroquel (since July 2021 due to a horrific limbic system reaction to LoLoestrin.)

#2: Before-bed: 50mg X.R. Seroquel (added in Nov 2022 at 3rd in-patient stay w/in 6 months because I was withdrawing so severely from a few unnecessary things at the same time)

#3: 150mg Pristiq ($3/day. Raised during 1st Seroquel I.R. taper attempt (took off 1/4 of a pill because didn't know about liquid until I learned about it myself earlier this year) because nobody knew what to do. Didn't work. Had to go back up on Seroquel I.R. Recently learned by myself that they work on different Serotonins.)

#4: 300mg AM + 300mg before-bed Gabapentin. During 2nd in-patient stay. Wanted to take just two doses of 100mg instead. But I was denied.

#5: 50mg Lamictal (raised 2x within 1 week but went along with it because I was so unwell with withdrawal.)

Past: Late 2021/2022: Abilify - anxiety. Lasted on it less than a week. Rexulti - suicidal ideation. Lasted on it less than a week. Latuda - at first, hypomanic. Soon thereafter: severe depressed, couldn't work/socialize, & wanted to drink. Sweat the bed the whole time. Horrific to come off of. Divalproex - 3 doses/day made me wonky/hypomanic. 4 doses/day made me anxious within days. Went back down to 3/day. Horrific to come off of.

2014-2017: Cipralex, Celexa, Zoloft, & the one that starts with an 'S': Anxiety, OCD, Intrusive thoughts, Diarhea (Zoloft), etc. Prozac: made me paranoid! Paxil: felt like I was on bath-salts! Cymbalta & Effexor: Irresponsibly Rx'ed too much. Flat (Cymbalta). High as a kite (Effexor). Appetite suppressed. Partial-insomnia. Sweat the bed. Almost numb body. Literally Constant Putrid Flatulence. Various Sexual side-effects. Wellbutrin: great energy, no pain, appetite suppressedn, felt like I had Autism within a few days of taking it. Had to stop. Asked for a way smaller dose, & he didn't get back to me. Pristiq since 2012 (besides when trying other Anti D's). Living with side-effects (ME/CFS, partial-insomnia sometimes, constant drippy-nose/snot to blow out.)

 

Mid March 2024: attempt a 13th & final withdrawal from 50mg I.R. Seroquel (inconsistent constant myoclonus all over + inconsistent severe tranquilizing of my forearms, fingers, shins, & toes - since July 2021. Reduced greatly when 50mg X.R. had to be added in Nov 2022, but still disabling). But this time, I've learned by myself recently about a liquid taper. In-patient places + myself only tried a 1/4 pill reduction. It made me admit myself to the Hospital a few times. Nobody since July 2021 ever once mentioned a liquid. Shocking. Also recently learned more about Seroquel (H1 & D2) & Histamine action/tranquilizing. + A low-histamine diet.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use Privacy Policy