this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2024
9 points (80.0% liked)
Melbourne
1869 readers
47 users here now
This community is a place created for the people of Melbourne and Victoria. We are a positive, welcoming and inclusive community. We might not agree about everything, but we always strive to stay civil and respectful.
The focus of our discussions is based around things that effect Victoria, but we are also free to discuss our local perspective on wider issues. Or head to the regular Daily Random Discussion thread to talk about anything.
Ongoing discussions, FAQs & Resources (still under construction)
Adoption Certificate for Nellie, the Daily Thread numbat (with thanks to @Catfish)
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Oh I should've clarified I meant tapering from the lowest dose tablet. Basically you can't cut Pristiq tablets in half as it'll disable the extended release mechanism, which means the half-tablet will now enter your bloodstream more rapidly than intended which has its own side effects.
So you don't need to go from 100 to 0 in one hit, but it's still 100 -> 50 -> 0 with no in between. The 50 -> 0 is a fuck so I strongly recommend doing it before you have other commitments. I did it in the middle of a major work fuckup and IT WAS REALLY NOT GOOD, I mean bursting into tears spontaneously and shaking and brain zaps every few minutes and feeling like arse squared. In hindsight I should've taken medical leave
Good luck - I know exactly what you mean about the masking, anti depressants certainly are useful for some stability but they really can be difficult to work with in addressing the deeper stuff for real. I'm on adhd meds now and they have been much better for me, but the burnout when they wear off in the morning is rough and I still distinctly feel like I'm on something rather than being myself, and I don't know if I want to be like this forever....
Phew thats a relief, not so awful as my initial assumption! I know not to halve the tablets but I didnt know why, so yeah I'll defo get my doc involved.
Pwoah! That time at work must have sucked major balls, holy shit. I don't think I would have survived. Your willpower is amazing!
I don't want to be on meds for the rest of my life, if I can help it. I'll try and get it out of the way before I do anything else for sure. I wasnt great this weekend, I won't be great coming off haha. I appreciate you taking the time to help me with this, you've given me confidence and reassurance. Thank you! ๐
You got this! I had to stick it out at work because of my visa situation, it was a matter of survival. It did break something in me though (I chalk that up to being socially isolated and having an unsupportive work environment, not necessarily the meds themselves). Knowing what I do now I'd be more careful around commitments when tapering off psych meds.
When coming off Pristiq my GP had me do 2 days cold turkey before getting onto Prozac (fluoxetine) to tide me over until I could see a psychiatrist. So at least it wasn't days and days of agony.