Bipolar Disorder and Pristiq (desvenlafaxine): a new antidepressant

I recently opened a magazine and saw an antidepressant (Pristiq) I had never heard of- so I asked my coauthor Dr. John Preston to explain the mistique of Pristiq!

Hi…Pristiq (desvenlafaxine)is a clone of Effexor…I like it because the starting dose is often the therapeutic dose (50 mg)…with Effexor you had to start low (37.5 mg) and gradually increase the dose (often up to 150-300 mg)…also Pristiq has somewhat less nausea than Effexor….but like all antidepressants is absolutely can cause mania… John

**And as we all know… people with bipolar disorder can’t take antidepressants alone- and if they do take them- it needs to be in combination with a mood stabilizer such as lithium, depakote or tegretol! Pristiq sounds like a resort! Who names these things! Julie

PS: If you view this blog from amazon.com, you can see the whole blog at www.bipolarhappens.com/bhblog

Rachael

April 13, 2009 at 9:34 am

I was recently prescribed this new antidepressant along with lamotrigine. So far so good except for 1 hicup. I’ve tried so many different medications over the years (15 yrs) that I was desperate enough to try ECT. After my 5th treatment on Mar 6th (while still under anesthetic) I had a Ventricular Tachacardia. None of the doctors can tell me why it happened or if it will happen again. The cardiologists (who know nothing about psychiatric drugs) blamed the combination of the Pristiq and the anesthetic. Does your friend Dr John Preston have any ideas in this regard? If he needs any futher info I’d be glad to send it. I’ve been in a really bad depression since it all happened and my poor husband and two girls are having to cope with my awful moods. My psychiatrists here have been really good but there’s not as much info here because it’s fairly new.

Lisa

September 11, 2012 at 4:35 pm

Can someone recommend an antidepressant that will work with Tegretol? Seroquel brought out the symptoms of the Bi Polar. It is called “Seroquel Anger” It was awful! Help we need a different anti depressant!!!

Julie Fast

September 11, 2012 at 8:41 pm

Hi Lisa, Most drugs can be taken with Tegretol- the issue is whether they will work. The anger can defintely be a side effect- drugs can also cause an angry restlessness. Seroquel is an anti psychotic. If an anti depressant was taken and didn’t work- there are many a person can take. Wellbutrin has the least risk of mania- on the other end is Prozac with a higher risk of mania. I take zoloft- along with lithium and lamictal, so my risk is limited.

Thus, this is not a question that can be answered with one medication- it’s completely dependent on the person’s body chemistry. A good medication prescriber can figure this out. I always recommend psychiatric nurse practitioners. Keep me posted! Also, if you want more in depth help, you can sign up for a free 30 minute coaching session on http://www.JulieFast.com under the coaching tab. It took me a long time to find the right meds, but I did. There is hope! Julie