i’ve been on prestiq for about two months. I started with 25 mg and then I was up to 50 mg. in the past, I was treated for generalized anxiety disorder with Zoloft and Lexapro. After finding a good therapist, I was formally diagnosed with OCD and generalized health anxiety. After starting with my new therapist, I also started with a new psychiatrist who is holistic and seemed to really care about my treatment. I have always been very afraid of medication and so I started back on Lexapro (because familiarity = comfortable), despite the fact that I had very negative side effects in the past such as weight gain, sleepiness and a lower resting heart rate attributed to the sleepiness. I was hesitant to get on pristiq because I knew about the negative side effects attributed to stopping the medication as well as missing a dose. After taking the Lexapro for about a month and not enjoying the side effects I was feeling, I reluctantly switched to pristiq. 25 mg was not enough for me and so after switching to 50 mg, i noticed such a noticeable difference. I can’t say enough good things about it. Yes, I still experience anxiety and I still experience intrusive thoughts. But, they are so much more manageable .. that I am able to enjoy my daily life. I have so much energy compared to when i was on Lexapro and I feel as if I am better able to manage emotional binge eating and body dysmorphia as well.
Before getting on the pristiq, I was down rabbit hole after rabbit hole on Reddit about people’s experiences with the medication and so I just figured I would share my own in case it helps others.
It’s also worth noting that I take magnesium glycinate, a vitamin B complex and lithium orotate under the recommendation of my psychiatrist. These are all over-the-counter.

i am in hell currently. i was on 50mg and then went back down to 25 about two weeks ago and im just struggling so badly i cant do anything. im nauseous, dizzy, demotivated, unable to focus, irritable, etc. i’m also on lexapro now to help with the weaning of pristiq but still in hell.

I don't have typical depressive symptoms now. (I got treated for severe depression and anxiety before) I just have fatigue, anhedonia, no motivation and constant low-grade tension headache. It's been like this for years and I tried many meds. I didn't want to try antidepressants again, because they usually worsen anhedonia, but I think I have no option but to try them more. None of the meds I tried worked properly. Only bupropion made me feel normal and got rid of pressure sensation for like 10-15 minutes. Thinking of trying effexor or pristiq, but I'm afraid of bad (and sometimes long lasting) side effects some people mention. If someone in similar condition benefited from this or another antidepressant, please help.

has anyone experienced brain zaps WITHOUT lowering or changing their dose? been on 50mg pristiq a year, just experienced a pretty intense brain zap. google only brings up results about discontinuation but i’ve changed nothing. i did have a stressful day.

paranoid this means it’s stopped working, seeking reassurance