Clonazepan and pristiq

[Tita72]

Hello,Here is my  Background, lost my Dad to cancer last year i took  care of him for 2 years, we were super close, Iong distance relationship with  Fiance,was supposed to travel in December 2010 didnt happen, i got really stressed out,waiting. I started suffering awful symptoms,beginning them mid July 2011, I had days when I was okay, but then days when I was almost,felt like i would have a heart attack, fainting, sweating, numbness in my arms and legs ,dizziness   ,vertigo,nauseas,migraines,So In September the 2nd,2011 to be exact i had another "episode" i felt i was going to die,and got really nervous,called a psychiatrist and prescribed Clonazepan  having 0.25mg in the morning and 0.25mg at night. on Monday,Sept 5th had an appoitment with Psychiatrist, and after i explained her my symptons,( i also cried,was overwhelmed) she said I had a severe depression, so she also prescribed me Pristiq 50mg one tablet per day in the morning after breakfast. I never took the Pristiq i am scared of the side effects,So all this time since September 3rd until ,now October 13th, I've been only on Clonazepan,I am scared of becoming an addict as I have read these pills tend to be addictive. I really dont feel depressed at all,I feel ok when i had my clonazepan dosage,but what if I become an addict, how can I start taking pristiq and not being scared? Like I said above , i feel more anxious and panic than depressed. So Pristiq will work with my anxiety? What about Clonazepan withdrawals?

[Paxiled]

A different perspective.  If your depression or anxiety occurred because of the specific event, loss of your father, and wasn't there before, this is a natural response and it will go away in time.  You can work on this with a therapist, and most psychiatrists would tell you to do this before trying medication, which is usually for intractable problems that you can't work on at all because the anxiety or depression is so debilitating (which it was in my case, when therapy didn't work).  Clonazepam is always addictive -- all benzos are addictive.  Pristiq isn't, but it's also very stimulating, so if anxiety is your main problem it wouldn't be the first choice -- it's more for chronic intractable depression.  Many doctors prescribe drugs as a first resort because that's all they do, particularly those you see on health insurance plans.  Most don't do therapy anymore, so they assume you're there to see them to get medication.  But it's your choice what to do.  My own opinion is to side with you, pristiq is a very difficult med, and your concerns are valid also about the addictive nature of clonazepam.  If you need them, you need them, though to me, after years of seeing psychiatrists, the ssris, not the snris such as pristiq, would seem to be a better fit -- pristiq is still on patent, so that's what many docs prescribe because that's what they hear about most from their pharmaceutical reps.  But if you feel you haven't exhausted other avenues yet and you don't need them, that's a valid choice, but you then should see a good psychologist so you're not left alone with this for it to fester.  Medication will never cure you -- therapy might not, either, but it might.  Medication at best will help you with your symptoms.  This is your choice to make, as you're the one who has to live with it, not your doc.  So now you have two different opinions to mull over, which can be a good thing or a bad thing!

[mammo]

I'm very sorry to hear about your dad, this is such a traumatic loss. I know you feel overwhelmed and your psychiatrist saw this which means the Clonazepam is not enough.  I'm sure your doctor wants you to continue the Clonazepam along with the Pristiq.  If not...your doctor would wean you of the Clonazepam to prevent withdrawal. Most of us who suffer with anxiety take both.  You have to look at anxiety as being like any other medical condition requiring daily medication to control the symptoms and not dwell on any side effects.  These are the only medications we get so hung up on the side effects with.  If you were diagnosed with another condition like Diabetes...you wouldn't worry about the medication needed to control it and this is no different! None of us want to take medication but for many...it's only only choice if we are to live a happy and productive life.  For every bad story you hear about these medications, there are thousands of good ones just like any other medication for any other medical condition.  Don't get hung up on the fact that because this is a mental issue that you should be able to handle it on your own.....we very rarely can, and it's wonderful that we do have choices to feel better.  If you haven't tried therapy...you should, this can also be very beneficial for your anxiety.  If the day comes when you no longer need medication, your doctor knows how to wean you off to prevent withdrawal.  The longer you wait on this the more you're living in misery and anxiety is holding you hostage.  You have a choice to break free of this, take advantage of it so you can move on with your life. I wish you all the very best!