Hey all. I wanted to share my story and see if any of you are going through the same. Back in mid May, I talked to my PsyD, who recommended moving up to 100 mg from 50 mg of Pristiq for mood and energy enhancement. At the time, my anxiety had been in check for 6 years. Even though I had periods of stress from Lyme Disease, the pandemic, and managing a small business, 50 mg kept me in check just fine. 

When I moved up to 100 mg, everything changed. Initially it was all good, no complaints, and it seemed like an easy transition. Then came a few scary days about 4 weeks in where my appetite just disappeared, and I felt faint. After that, I decided to go back to 50 mg, and it's been tough ever since.

Mistake #1, fast taper. I went from 100 mg a day to 75 mg a day, and then 4 days later, down to 50 mg a day. In retrospect, I should have gone down to 75 until I felt good, and then made the next drop. Initial side effects were exactly what you'd expect. Headaches, sluggishness, brain fog, and needing to nap a lot. Luckily I was on vacation with family at the time, and had lots of down time to chill when I wasn't feeling good. I figured "Oh, this isn't the worst thing. I can get past this, and I'll feel even better next week!" WRONG.

That part was easy, the subsequent weeks have been hell physically and emotionally. First, there were the periods where I physically couldn't stay awake. I would be forced to lay down and sleep 30-60 minutes, or else feel faint. Then came the intense mood swings and anxiety. I would go between smiling and crying. Spells where I would call friends and family, telling them I thought I was sick and dying. Night sweats and hot flashes all the time. Anxiety ramped up to the point where I had muscle and joint pain. Sleep has been majorly disrupted; I can sleep for 10+ hours and still not feel rested.

Don't let this scare you away from experimenting with doses under the care of your doctor, but rather put a reasonable taper plan in place along with guidance and support. I pray I never have to remove myself from Pristiq at 50 mg; I can't imagine what my body would do to me...