Does Pristiq Help With Anxiety

Dosage For Major Depressive Disorder

The recommended starting dosage of Pristiq is 50 mg taken by mouth once a day.

Its best to take your dose at the same time each day. You should continue taking 50 mg each day for as long as your doctor recommends.

The maximum dose of Pristiq is 400 mg each day. However, Pristiq dosages that are higher than 50 mg daily havent been shown to be more effective. Higher doses of the drug are also more likely to cause side effects.

Thoughts On 20 Important Pristiq Facts You Need To Know About

How To Take Pristiq

Use Pristiq exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Do not use in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended.

Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Use the medicine exactly as directed.

Take desvenlafaxine with water at the same time each day, with or without food.

Swallow the tablet whole and do not crush, chew, or break it.

Your blood pressure will need to be checked often.

Your symptoms may not improve for several weeks. You may have unpleasant symptoms if you stop using desvenlafaxine suddenly. Ask your doctor before stopping the medicine.

Part of a tablet shell may appear in your stool but this will not make the medicine less effective.

Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

Take the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose. Do not take two doses at one time.

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Pristiq: Weight Gain Or Loss

Most people want to be reassured by their doctor that they will not gain weight when taking an antidepressant. Unfortunately it is impossible to make guarantees and predict which drug will cause you to gain weight and which will cause you to lose weight. In general, Pristiq is considered to be more weight neutral than the SSRIs meaning that theres less of a chance that you will gain weight.

Some individuals that take it will pack on the pounds, while others will end up losing weight. Others may end up staying at their normal baseline weight throughout treatment. It is believed that the norepinephrine reuptake inhibition helps offset the potential weight gain that would likely result from the serotonin reuptake inhibition.

Can I Use Pristiq Or Effexor While Pregnant

Consult your healthcare provider for advice. He or she will weigh the benefits of taking an antidepressant vs. the risk to the baby. Neonates exposed to certain antidepressants, including SNRIs or SSRIs , in the third trimester of pregnancy, have developed serious complications.

If you are already on Pristiq or Effexor and find out that you are pregnant, consult your OB-GYN immediately for advice. If you are breastfeeding, consult your OB-GYN as well.

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Using Pristiq Together With Alcohol Can Increase Nervous System Side Effects

These side effects can include dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating.

Some people may also experience impairment in thinking and judgment.

You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with desvenlafaxine.

Do not use more than the recommended dose of desvenlafaxine, and avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medication affects you.

What Are Ssris And Snris

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like Zoloft and Prozac, and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors like Effexor and Pristiq are antidepressant medications, but they can help with anxiety symptoms as well. For this reason, many providers will prescribe an SSRI or SNRI if you have a combination of depression and anxiety.

SSRIs and SNRIs are not an instant fix for symptoms associated with an anxiety disorder, nor do they even provide immediate relief, Alonzo said. They work by interacting with the neurotransmitters and receptors in your brain, which can help regulate mood, sleep and energy levels. It is important for patients to understand that these medications may take four to six weeks for full effect.

Some patients may respond better to one of these medications than others. If after taking the medication for two weeks and symptoms have not improved, talk to your provider to have your medication regimen adjusted. Treatment trials with more than one medication are not uncommon.

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Alternative Treatments To Pristiq

For SNRI antidepressants, Pristiq is believed to be one of the better options available. But it is not the only option. You’ll want to make sure that you’re looking for alternatives that come with fewer side effects and interactions.

Some choose to use the natural medicine route. Kava is an anxiolytic herb that many believe is as effective as some brand name anxiety reduction drugs, although kava may interact with other medications and should only be used in the presence of a doctor.

Others may want to go the therapeutic route. Make sure that you consider therapy even if you choose to take Pristiq, as no medication alone can reduce your anxiety forever without it likely coming back.

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Warnings Of Pristiq And Effexor

All antidepressants, including Pristiq and Effexor, have a boxed warning of suicidality. A boxed warning is the most serious warning required by the FDA. Children, adolescents, and young adults who take antidepressant drugs have an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior. All patients on antidepressant medications should be carefully monitored.

Other warnings include:

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Can A Placebo Replace Your Antidepressant

Media outlets were abuzz early this year with the news that antidepressant drugs don’t get rid of depression. The source was a Jan. 6, 2010, report in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association analyzing data from six clinical trials of antidepressants conducted between 1980 and 2009, involving 718 patients. The study concluded that when people with mild or even moderate depression took a pill, their symptoms improved. The kicker: The improvement was the same, on average, whether the pill was a real drug or a lookalike placebo. Only among people with more severe symptoms did the real drugs have an edge over the placebo.

Studies like those make great headlines. Far more complicated is how to apply the findings in real life. You can’t diagnose or track depression with a blood test or an X-ray. Assessing improvement relies completely on the patient’s subjective reporting of his or her state of mind. Plenty of studies have shown that the drugs work, though placebo effects are notoriously high in antidepressant trials, and the drugs’ advantage over placebos is usually modest.

If you’re not sure you need an antidepressant any more, talk with your doctor about reducing the dose or weaning off of it. Never stop an antidepressant suddenly or on your own you may be risking severe withdrawal symptoms.

Pristiq And Other Medications

Below are lists of medications that can interact with Pristiq. These lists do not contain all the drugs that may interact with Pristiq.

Before taking Pristiq, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions.

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Pristiq and linezolid or methylene blue

Do not take Pristiq if youre receiving treatment with linezolid or methylene blue . Taking Pristiq with these drugs increases your risk of a serious side effect called serotonin syndrome. This is a dangerous condition caused by high levels of a brain chemical called serotonin in your body.

Pristiq, linezolid, and methylene blue can all raise your level of serotonin. When these drugs are taken together, your level of serotonin may be raised even higher.

If you need treatment with either linezolid or methylene blue, youll first need to stop taking Pristiq. Your doctor will monitor you closely for signs of serotonin syndrome. You can start taking Pristiq again 24 hours after your last dose of linezolid or methylene blue.

Pristiq and MAOI antidepressants

MAOIs are a class of antidepressants. A class of drugs is a group of medications that act in a similar way. MAOIs and Pristiq both increase levels of serotonin in your body.

• phenelzine

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Pristiq Mechanism Of Action

While desvenlafaxine uses are many, how the medication works is not fully understood. Even Pfizer, the manufacturer of the name brand drug, admits that the mechanism of action is unknown.

What is known is that it inhibits the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine. How the medication accomplishes this is what is not yet understood. While this may sound like it is then also unknown if the medication is effective, Pristiq indications have been carefully studied and these results repeated, meaning that even if the MOA is not fully known, the medicine does work.

Can I Take Pristiq If Im Pregnant Or Breastfeeding

Taking an SNRI antidepressant during late pregnancy could increase your risk of excessive bleeding after you give birth, and may cause serious medical complications in the baby. However, stopping the medicine may not be safe if you have a relapse of depression. Do not start or stop desvenlafaxine without asking your doctor.

If you are pregnant, your name may be listed on a pregnancy registry to track the effects of desvenlafaxine on the baby.

Ask a doctor if it is safe to breastfeed while using this medicine.

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What Drugs And Food Should I Avoid While Taking Pristiq

Avoid driving or hazardous activity until you know how this medicine will affect you. Your reactions could be impaired.

Ask your doctor before taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, Advil, Aleve, Motrin, and others. Using an NSAID with desvenlafaxine may cause you to bruise or bleed easily.

Avoid drinking alcohol.

What Are The Main Differences Between Pristiq And Effexor

Pristiq and Effexor are both SNRI antidepressants available in brand and generic form. Both drugs are approved for use in adults.

Pristiq is available as an extended-release tablet. Dosing may vary, but the standard dose is 50 mg daily.

Effexor is available in tablet form, and also as an extended-release capsule and extended-release tablet form. A typical dose is 75 or 150 mg daily .

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Pristiq For Other Conditions

In addition to the use listed above, Pristiq may be used off-label. Off-label drug use is when a drug thats approved for one use is used for a different one thats not approved. And you may wonder if Pristiq is used for certain other conditions.

Pristiq for menopausal symptoms

Pristiq isnt approved to treat menopausal symptoms, but sometimes its used off-label to treat menopausal hot flashes.

Pristiq can reduce how many hot flashes you have and how severe they are. One review of studies looked at people taking desvenlafaxine . These people had 55% to 69% fewer hot flashes with treatment than they had prior to treatment.

If youre interested in using Pristiq to treat menopausal hot flashes, talk with your doctor. They can discuss with you all of your treatment options and recommend which options are safest for you.

Pristiq for anxiety and social anxiety disorder

Pristiq isnt approved to treat anxiety or social anxiety disorder.

One review looked at the effect that desvenlafaxine had on anxiety symptoms in people with major depressive disorder. The review found that desvenlafaxine improved anxiety symptoms in people with depression much more than a placebo improved their symptoms. However, this doesnt mean that Pristiq will be effective for treating anxiety thats not associated with depression.

Pristiq shouldnt be used to treat anxiety disorders until more studies have shown that its effective for these conditions.

Pristiq for OCD

Pristiq for bipolar disorder

Can Pristiq Cause People To Feel Sleepy Or Drowsy

Yep, it can. And it often does.

Many people complain about Pristiq making them feel too sleepy to function well.

Pristiq and drowsiness are often known to come together.?

It?s just the nature of this medication to affect parts of the brain which dictate feelings of energy and awareness.?Pristiq can make you extremely drowsy. So know the risks.

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Will I Gain Weight While Taking Pristiq

While people react differently to PRISTIQ, clinical studies have shown no significant difference in average weight gain versus placebo.*

*Side effects may increase at higher doses. Data based on short-term studies and a 6-month phase of a long-term study of patients who responded to PRISTIQ. Individual results may vary.

Before Taking This Medicine

You should not take Pristiq if you are allergic to desvenlafaxine or venlafaxine .

Do not use Pristiq within 7 days before or 14 days after you have used an MAO inhibitor, such as isocarboxazid, linezolid, methylene blue injection, phenelzine, tranylcypromine, and others. A dangerous drug interaction could occur.

Tell your doctor if you also take stimulant medicine, opioid medicine, herbal products, or medicine for depression, mental illness, Parkinson’s disease, migraine headaches, serious infections, or prevention of nausea and vomiting. An interaction with desvenlafaxine could cause a serious condition called serotonin syndrome. Ask your doctor before making any changes in how or when you take your medications.

To make sure you can safely take Pristiq, tell your doctor if you have any of these other conditions:

• a bleeding or blood clotting disorder or

• low levels of sodium in your blood.

Some young people have thoughts about suicide when first taking an antidepressant. Your doctor should check your progress at regular visits. Your family or other caregivers should also be alert to changes in your mood or symptoms.

If you are pregnant, your name may be listed on a pregnancy registry to track the effects of desvenlafaxine on the baby.

It may not be safe to breastfeed a baby while you are using this medicine. Ask your doctor about any risks.

Pristiq is not FDA-approved for use by anyone younger than 18 years old.

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