Has anyone experienced side effects with Pristiq?

[becks175]

I have gained weight, have a bigger appetite, and now am more depressed than ever.  At first it was great an I attributed the weight gain to the Holidays,  I hardly eat anything,  

[Frankie46]

Well that takes care of my question..I was goin to stop Cymbalta to get on Pristiq,
I am bipolar.extreme racy thoughts...I also have HPlori it would probably kill my stomach..sheesh..
I was told it would be good for me.. some kind of estrogen...since my full hysterectomy & not gain any weight..Diabetes run in my family also..Hello left Coast Chick..

[LeftCoastChick]

I would get a check up with your doctor before making any decisions, extreme reactions are not the "norm". At lot of people eat more when they are depressed, it's called "emotional eating", when I've really been down, I couldn't get enough food in me. Once my moods became stable again, then I've pretty much stopped all binge eating completely.

It's not that you gain weight as a direct result of the drug, but you have more urges to eat. Massive weight gain isn't seen in these drugs like the anti-psychotics used for severe cases of schizophrenia.

Do you have a psychiatrist? It's really important that you have a specialist involved in your health care. All of these meds take a while to get out of your system, you have to remember they are altering your brain chemistry, it rebalances the chemicals that were causing your depression. I wouldn't make a hasty decision.  If this med isn't working that great, there are a ton out there, and not only in that class of drugs, I'm no longer using anything in that class and doing much better, BUT you need to see a psychiatrist to figure out a good combination.  The previous poster had an extreme reaction, and there are a lot of variables, like other health conditions. That happened to me in Dec with another drug I was on, I found out I was borderline Diabetic, after reacting badly to Lithium, in hindsight I'm glad I had the reaction, or I wouldn't have been treated for the Diabetes.
Get in as soon as you can, get a referral, that med may need augmentation or levels changed. Hang in there, it will get better!

[liddle0me]

Hi Beck
I am new here, but while searching for side effects for Pristiq, I found your question.  I wanted to respond.
I began taking Pristiq in early January. My doctor told me it didn't produce  the side effects like weight gain, ect.... that are commonly experienced with other anti-depressants such as Paxil, Lexapro, and so on.
So I took the Pristiq for approximately 5-6 weeks, and I had a very bad scare due to the Pristiq.  I got extremely sick at my stomach a couple of weeks ago.  I began vomiting, and then diarrhea. After 4 hours, the diarrhea turned into nothing but blood.  When I went to the doctor, it was discovered that I was passing blood through my urine as well.
I have since tried to ween myself off of the Pristiq, and I feel like I am so dizzy that it feels as though I have an inner ear infection.
I have gained ten pounds in two months, and since being on Pristiq, it makes me want to eat all the time.
From my experience with taking Pristiq, it is a HORRIBLE drug.  The doctors tell patients to try to stick with taking the medicine until it has a chance to build up in your body, and to give it a chance to see if it is right for you, but by the time you discover it is not a good thing to be on, your body is addicted!!!
Just my opinion.
Liddle0me