Pristiq (Venlafaxine)

General description:

Pristiq (Desvenlafaxine) is an SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor), which helps to treat MDD (major depressive disorder) by improving your mood and energy levels. It brings certain natural substances in the brain, such as serotonin and norepinephrine, to the balance. Depending on the dosage of Pristiq (25mg/50mg/100mg), each tablet contains 38 mg, 76 mg or 152 mg of desvenlafaxine succinate respectively. 

Product description:

There are three strengths of Pristiq tablets:

• The 25 mg tablet is tan, the 50 mg is light pink and the 100 mg is reddish-orange
• Tablets are square pyramid shaped with “W 25/50/100”  stamped on the flat side

There are 28 tablets in each blister pack 

Pharmacokinetics:

The exact mechanism of how desvenlafaxine works is unknown, but it has to do with inhibition of serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake in the central nervous system.  The drug is mainly metabolized by conjugation, and to a lesser extent, by oxidative metabolism (with the isoenzyme CYP3A4 acting as a mediator). It is distributed into non-vascular compartments. The desvenlafaxine volume of distribution is 3.4 L/kg at steady state, followed by intravenous administration.

Side effects: 

•  Dizziness 
• Anxiety
• Nausea 
• Blurred vision
• Troubles falling asleep 
• Weight loss/gain
•  Excessive sweating 
• Loss of appetite 
• Hypersensitivity 
• High blood pressure 
• Seizure
• Mania

It should be noted that the doctor, who has prescribed this type of medication, has thoroughly weighed all benefits and risks and concluded that the benefits it will bring are greater than the risk of having side effects. In many cases, taking Pristiq does not result in any serious side effects. 

Precautions: 

It is strongly not recommended to:

•   Drive or do anything that needs clear vision while taking the medication. 
•  consume  alcoholic beverages 
• take the medication during pregnancy, unless it is critically necessary 
• breast-feed 
• take MAOIs (Monoamine oxidase inhibitors), Aspirin, Triptans, Linezolid, medicine for weight loss

The established efficacy of Pristiq is 4-8 weeks, during which you will start to see changes in your organism and behaviour. It is very important to monitor changes in mood, appetite, sleeping habits so that your doctor can make adjustments regarding the dosage of the medication to avoid severe side effects.