Pristiq to Effexor

[andrewm88]

hey everyone, today my psychiatrist switched me from 50mg of Pristiq to 37.5mg of Effexor XR, he said the 50mg of Pristiq was too much, anyone ever done this switch or have experiences on the 37.5mg of Effexor?

[gracegirl22]

pristiq is the same as effexor ! Pristiq has more antidepressant  than effexor ,but virtually the same .IF YOU GAIN WEIGHT ON ANY OF THESE THAN YOUR DOSE IS TO HIGH!   I ACTUALLY LOSE WEIGHT ON  BOTH! i have never got the weight gain thing?

[andrewm88]

my psychiatrist said the 50mg of Pristiq was too strong for me, so essentially he wanted to keep me on the 'same' medication but at a lower dose.

[Paxiled]

Pristiq and Effexor are essentially the same medication, so the switch should be relatively easy, and save you some money, too.  I'm not sure I understand the switch, because Pristiq is the new Effexor, so if it isn't for financial reasons, kind of hard to see the point of going through it.  Certainly some people have different reactions to them, and so just because Pristiq works also doesn't guarantee Effexor will work, and it might work better, who knows.  Me, I'm confused here.  I went through a similar thing switching from Lexapro to Celexa, which have a similar relationship to one another as Pristiq to Effexor, but for me it was because Lexapro wasn't working well and I have problems from going off a different med, but normally they're considered to be so similar you don't move from one to another.  

[jlroesner]

My psychiatrist switched me from Effexor to Pristiq and believe me I was scared to death!  I'd heard nothing but horror stories about coming off Effexor and I can not stress to you how afraid I was!  My doseages were a little different.  I had been taking 150mg of Effexor and switched down to 50mg of Pristiq.  I am happy to report no withdrawal symptoms at all, even though my doseage was lowered considerably.  (I think, if I remember right ~but don't know for absolutely sure~50mg Pristiq = 100 mg Effexor XR).  It was a smooth and easy transition.  Mentally, I've noticed no difference either.  It was completely smooth.  Good luck!  Let us know how you are.  Jen

[alsky]

effexor has been great for me.   dont get scared off by side effects.  give it a good month