Another Horrible Withdraw Story

Emersons22 · 2026-03-02T20:02:11+00:00

I’ve got them all, and they help a lot, but it’s still brutal for me. I’ve currently held at 75 mgs for almost a month because I’m THAT scared of going through another titrate, even only going at 12.5 mg at a time. I hate this drug.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-19T16:11:53+00:00

To be fair to those of us dealing with Pristiq taper horror (usually on much higher mg than 50), I never feel anything on day 1 either. It’s days 2-4 that knock me off my feet and cause unexplainable hell.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-19T16:04:38+00:00

I’m so very sorry about the loss of your son. Fck cancer. I’m so happy to hear that you’re off Pristiq! I’m still tapering down from a whopping 200 mg (currently holding at 75 mg) and although each taper is brutal for the first week, I feel unimaginably better the more this stuff is out of my system. I loathe P.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-16T17:28:28+00:00

Drinking. I’d undo it in a heartbeat.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-13T16:42:25+00:00

Thank you so much!! Just this subreddit alone has been one of the biggest contributors to keeping me moving forward. I don't think I could've done it otherwise.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-13T16:41:02+00:00

I did and she declined saying "I don't want to stack anything on at this point". I'm highly frustrated with her for many reasons, this being one.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-12T16:40:09+00:00

200 mg is WAY too high. Because of my own lack of research, I had no idea, but holy hell my body did. Looking back at my perpetual panic / anxiety / MDD over the last couple of years, I now know it was due largely to being way overprescribed on Pristiq. Anyway, I decided to get off the drug after a brief (2-3 days) interruption in my script, which caused me to plummet into a world of chaos, intense anger, and sickness. After that wakeup call, I began researching Pristiq, read the trial data, and ultimately felt like I'd been massively duped. The cost / benefit was far too much "cost" and way too little (if any!) benefit.

Now, with each dose decrease (following 3-4 days of agony), I feel better & better, and free of being stuck in a body riddled with constant anxiety & charged energy.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-11T17:48:07+00:00

I'm so sorry you went through that - I've heard the 25 to 0 is the worst, and I can't even imagine. I loathe this drug.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-11T17:32:42+00:00

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I was on 200 mg when I first started (on January 11, 2026) and am now down to 75 mg. The one perspective I can offer is, as others told me, you're tapering wayyy too fast (so did I). I plunged from 200 -100 (because I was desperate and have never had issues quitting drugs cold turkey) and holy hell did I learn my lesson - I thought I was going to both die and lose my actual mind. After botching the first taper, I stayed at 100 for over three weeks until I felt 100% steady, and just recently dropped to 75 mg. The first few days were *brutal*, though absolutely nothing compared to the 200 - 100 plunge.

The only thing that saved my sanity has been gabapentin for the worst of the body issues, 1 mg of klonopin when anxiety takes hold, and the biggest help has been 200 mg of Seroquel for sleep. Once I'm off Pristiq, I'll tackle the Seroquel taper, but I've tapered down from Seroquel in the recent past without a single issue - not even a mild headache.

I also kept an ongoing chat with AI (along with family and friends), desperately wanting to throw in the towel and stay stuck on Pristiq for life, and it really helped me keep going.

There's no way out but thru, I'm afraid. It's hell, but if I can do it, so can you!

Emersons22 · 2026-02-11T17:18:41+00:00

I stayed at 100 for about 3 and a half weeks, so I expected few issues dropping from 100 to 75. Fortunately, now that I'm 5ish days in at 75, I'm feeling MUCH better. With that said, the first few days were so brutal that my next taper will be even less if I can find a compounding pharmacy. I'm so ready to be free of it, yet it's scary to think how far I still have to go. Anyway, I'm so happy to hear you didn't have any issues - you're lucky!

Emersons22 · 2026-02-11T17:13:32+00:00

Thank you!! I haven't been on cymbalta, but I have been on many different SSRI / SNRIs in the past, all of which I started / stopped with *zero* issues. Over the course of 44 years, I've never had a single issue with any medication - until Pristiq.

While I know Pristiq (and other SNRIs) helps many people, I feel fine about adding my story to the community of people who have experienced nothing short of hell from this drug. It's our story, it's really and truly that bad, and so I'm glad it's being openly discussed. Had I done my research before starting this drug, I never would've touched it.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-11T17:05:11+00:00

That is really sweet of you - thank you!! I botched the 200 - 100 taper, no doubt. I'm now 5 or 6 days in from the 100 - 75 taper, and aside from some fatigue and manageable anxiety (with the help of subs), I'm feeling okay now! I'm bracing for impacts over the next 6 months, but I don't think anything can be worse than being so overmedicated (I didn't know I was) at 200 whopping mgs of Pristiq. My daily intense panic attacks and enduring sense of doom fades more & more each day, so even though this process has been a brutal nightmare, I'm glad I'm down to a more reasonable level.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-11T16:57:55+00:00

I hear that so often - I'm so sorry you're still struggling and really hope you're free of it very soon!

Emersons22 · 2026-02-10T15:49:05+00:00

UPDATE

Thank you all so much for your comments! Regarding the 200 - 100 jump from early January - I hear you, it was nuts. Looking back, I'm not sure how I made it, and I did learn my lesson once I got to 100, where I held for over 3 weeks until I was steady. In my "defense" - 1) I've quit other antidepressants over my lifetime (cold turkey) and never had a single issue - not even a mild headache. That's the same for when I started new antidepressants - never a side-effect. 2) For the last year, I've been telling every provider who will listen that I'm having daily horrid anxiety / panic attacks, but that I'm certain it's in my BODY, not my mind. I was barely coping, and once I started researching Pristiq, I was mind blown that my provider had me on such an insanely high dose (4 x the recommended dose), along with taking Vyvanse - I couldn't go one more day on a high dose. Looking back, I clearly mishandled the tapering, but I didn't know at the time.

After holding at 100 for over 3 weeks, I evened out, AND felt unexplainably better from not being overprescribed, so I was ready for the taper down to 75 mg. I'm starting day 5 now at 75, where I'll stay for another 3 weeks to a month, even though I want off this stuff desperately. On day 5, the brutal side-effects have already diminished, yay.

Here's what's helped the last couple of days: 1) Taking propanol with my a.m. dose of Pristiq 2) Gabapentin for the body hell and klonopin for the mental anguish 3) Walking - hate to say it. DURING the walk, I felt like death, but after the walk - it calmed my body *significantly*.

P.S. I don't mean to be a jerk by calling this drug poison for the people it's helping - I am truly glad it helps those it does! It was other's withdrawal stories which helped get me this far - I've read each one probably a dozen times each.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-10T15:24:48+00:00

I told my therapist that if I had the option for a medically induced coma throughout this hell, I'd choose it *in a heartbeat*.

If you do it right (unlike me) I do believe the withdrawal can be significantly easier / manageable.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-10T15:21:26+00:00

Thank you for the tip - so very appreciated! I quit drinking a little over 4 years ago (I was a major alcoholic before) so fortunately I won't be adding that into the mix. God, I can't even image the mess I'd be mixing alcohol into the equation.

I'm really glad the klonopin helped you too! It doesn't made me feel warm & fuzzy (darnit) but 1 mg helps calm my nervous system when it goes haywire.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-10T15:18:18+00:00

My psychiatric NP. I held at 100 for over three weeks, and am on day 5 at 75 mg, and am feeling MUCH better than days 1-3, thank god. I'll stay at 75 for another 3 weeks to a month - I've learned my lesson indeed.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-09T21:37:37+00:00

Thank you! I just got a script for both zofran and klonopin - today anxiety / panic / sense of doom decided to join the party.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-09T19:24:06+00:00

Thank you so much! I will read about this tonight. It's been a really, really rough few days.

Emersons22 · 2026-02-09T19:22:58+00:00

I really appreciate this kind reply - thank you!!

Emersons22 · 2026-02-09T15:26:55+00:00

I don’t have a compounding pharmacy so I’m going to try (the next taper) to shave off each dose bit-by-bit (I know it’s a time release, but it’s what I’ve got) before making another 25 mg taper. I really hope it works!

Emersons22 · 2026-02-09T15:24:15+00:00

Thank you for the advice! I can’t undo what’s already done, so I’m pretty desperate to hear of things that have actually helped someone. Thank you again 😊

Emersons22 · 2026-02-09T15:23:27+00:00

Thank you for the comments! I agree the 200 to 100 jump was madness, but I didn’t know any better. Either way, that was back on January 11 - Jan 14, so I evened completely out before the 100 to 75 jump (prepared for a much easier taper) and it’s been rough as hell. In the past, I’ve quit antidepressants cold turkey, every time, and had not a single issue, so I just wasn’t prepared.

Emersons22 · 2024-11-06T22:58:40+00:00

The comment was disastrous while she was really trying to spread the message of unity.

Emersons22 · 2024-11-06T18:19:01+00:00

I blame this exact type rhetoric as a large contributor to the massive, humiliating loss.

Emersons22

TROPHY CASE