3.5 weeks on pristiq - when will it start working

[scottfromoz]

I was diagnosed with GAD and depression, the GAD is the real issue, it affects my life tremendously, and often escalates into panic attacks

I have been taking Pristiq (50mg) for 3.5 weeks now, the first 2 were absolute HELL, panic attacks daily, and a 100 fold increase in depression.  I am feeling pretty much back to "normal" now (pre pristiq), but not feeling any better, and also finding it a bit harder than normal to concentrate.

My doctor has said to wait until Friday (4 weeks) and then double my dose (to 100mg), but I am worried a: it will increase the side effects, and b: I will have to go through weeks of hell again.

I am pretty much feeling at a loss, I have no motivation to work, and I guess still feeling more down that previously.  I am not sure if I should double the dose as he suggests, or give it more time, or talk about going off it.  I dont even care about the depression (I have had it for as long as I can remember, and I didn't even realise it was not normal), i wish he had just given me something better for the anxiety.

At a loss....

Scott

[wez4816]

I would share these concerns with your Dr. I think a significant percentage of what helps is being able to trust your Dr. and feel like you have a good relationship with them, and that you are comfortable with the medication. The meds for treating anx/depr do take time as you know and can make you feel real crappy before they make you feel better. It also took me awhile to make friends with the medication and the fact that i had to tak them. And sometiems it can take awhile to find the right match. For me, I started feeling better in bits and pieces over time. So, i had to deveop a way to make friends with the anxiety until everything was working. In the long run, that process gave me a lot of new coping tools. Let me know how FRiday goes.