Excedrin Addiction

[Midage50]

I have been taking excederin for at least 20 years. I get up in the morning and take two and take two around three or four o'clock. I have been trying to quite by either cold turkey or taking one in morning then one in afternoon. but i always end up back to taking 2 in morning. I have cut down in the afternoon tho. I have been experiencing some itching and hives with cold sweats.Does that sound right.I also am going threw metapouse. I am on 50mg aday of Pristig. I am not sure if thats giving me some side effects. I am at my witts end and do not no what to do next, Been out of work for 2 days need to go back tomorrow and do not have ay will power. if have to tho. I have no health ins.

[Midage50]

Thank you sarah. I did try slowly to come off the pristiq once because we had no more health ins. and thats what happen to me. the vivid bad dreams and insomia. now i am back on full 50mgs but i fond out my new ins. will not pay for the pristiq or the dr. i go to that perscibes it.  I do not no what is going to happen now. Do u have any suggestions?

[sara12345]

You should only taper off of it very gradually.  Break up the pills to go more slowly off of it.  I looked up side effects on-line, but only saw that  caffeine withdrawal is very real — producing enough physical symptoms and a disruption in daily life to classify it as a psychiatric disorder.  Not sure if it's true, but with any medication, going as slow as possible is the best.

With you in menopause, there are a lot of possible symptoms just from that.  How long have you been taking Pristiq?  Did your symptoms started with taking that?  I am also taking 50 mg of it.  I think it causes nausea for me, plus very vivid and often bad dreams.  I've never heard of that one, but it definately is from the Pristiq.  

Plus I suddenly had the severe depression return, lost the bad dreams and had terrible insomnia--a known side effect of going off of Pristiq.  I got a refill and with the new bottle, everything went back again.  I've notified the FDA and the manufacturer about it.  I think that the bottle was tampered with.  How to have confidence in a medication!!

All the best to you with your quest to get off of it which is very admirable.  Just go extremely slowly, then you'll be able to handle it.  

Sara