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PRISTIQ supports
you throughout your
treatment with My
Progress Tracker. This
downloadable interactive tool lets you easily chart your progress over time, and share your results with your doctor. See demo

Considering PRISTIQ? Request a free information kit. Already taking PRISTIQ? Join A New Day®, an educational program designed to help support you during treatment.

How to Take PRISTIQ

Eating right, getting enough sleep, and drinking plenty of water can all help you feel better.

One 50 mg dose daily.

With PRISTIQ, you can start at a dose proven to relieve depression symptoms: 50 mg. In fact, you may even remain at this dose throughout your treatment.

Some health care professionals may prescribe a different dose of PRISTIQ. If you have severe kidney problems, the recommended dose is 50 mg every other day. That’s why it’s important to tell your doctor about any current or past health problems. Take PRISTIQ exactly as your health care professional has prescribed, and let him or her know if you have questions.

When stopping PRISTIQ, your health care professional may gradually decrease your dose slowly to keep you from experiencing side effects. Do not stop taking PRISTIQ without first talking to your health care professional.

How you should take PRISTIQ

  • Take PRISTIQ exactly as your health care provider has told you.
  • Take PRISTIQ at about the same time each day.
  • PRISTIQ may be taken with or without food.
  • Swallow PRISTIQ tablets whole with water. Do not divide, crush, chew, or dissolve PRISTIQ tablets because the tablets are time released.
  • Talk with your health care provider about how long you should use PRISTIQ. Take PRISTIQ for as long as your health care provider tells you to.
  • Do not stop taking or change the dose of PRISTIQ without talking with your health care provider, even if you feel better.

Possible side effects

As with any medication, you may experience side effects when taking PRISTIQ. In clinical studies at the 50 mg dose, the most common side effect was nausea. It was generally mild to moderate and occurred most frequently during the first week of treatment. After one week, the rate of nausea decreased to a level similar to that of patients taking a placebo (sugar pill).

Other side effects included dizziness, sweating, constipation, and decreased appetite. In general, side effects occurred most frequently during the first week of treatment in clinical studies.

This is not a complete list of side effects (see Important Safety Information). In clinical studies of the recommended 50 mg dose, the percentage of people who stopped taking PRISTIQ due to side effects was similar to placebo (sugar pill).

If you miss a dose of PRISTIQ

  • Take it as soon as you remember.
  • If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose.
  • Don’t try to “make up” for the missed dose by taking two doses at the same time.

If you take too much

Do not take more than the prescribed daily amount of PRISTIQ

  • If you take more PRISTIQ than the amount prescribed, contact your health care professional immediately.
  • In case of an overdose, call your health care professional and/or poison control center or go to the emergency room right away.

Who should not take PRISTIQ

Do not take PRISTIQ

  • If you are allergic to desvenlafaxine, venlafaxine, or any of the ingredients in PRISTIQ.
  • If you currently take or have recently taken an MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitor).

Next: Keeping Your Doctor Informed »

Indication

PRISTIQ® is approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder in adults.

Important Safety Information for PRISTIQ

Suicidality and Antidepressant Drugs

Antidepressants increased the risk compared to placebo of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in children, teens, and young adults. Depression and certain other psychiatric disorders are themselves associated with increases in the risk of suicide. Patients of all ages who are started on antidepressant therapy should be monitored appropriately and observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, or unusual changes in behavior. PRISTIQ is not approved for use in children under 18.

  • People taking MAOIs should not take PRISTIQ.
  • All patients taking antidepressants should be observed closely for signs that their condition is getting worse or that they are becoming suicidal. This is very important when an antidepressant is started or when the dose is changed. Patients should be watched for becoming agitated, irritable, hostile, aggressive, impulsive, or restless. These symptoms should be reported to the patient's health care professional right away.
  • Tell your health care professional about all prescription and over-the-counter medications you are taking or plan to take, including:
    • Medicines to treat migraines or mood disorders, to avoid a potentially life-threatening condition
    • Aspirin, NSAID pain relievers, or blood thinners, because they may increase the risk of bleeding.
  • PRISTIQ may cause or make some conditions worse, so tell your health care professional about all your medical conditions, including if you:
    • Have high blood pressure. Your blood pressure should be controlled before you start taking PRISTIQ and monitored regularly
    • Have heart problems, high cholesterol or triglyceride levels, or a history of stroke
    • Have glaucoma or increased eye pressure
    • Have kidney or liver problems
    • Have or had bleeding problems
    • Have or had depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior
    • Have or had mania, bipolar disorder, or seizures or convulsions
    • Have low sodium levels in your blood
    • Are nursing, pregnant, or plan to become pregnant.
  • Discontinuation symptoms may occur when stopping PRISTIQ, especially when therapy is stopped suddenly. Talk to your health care professional before you stop taking or reduce the dose of PRISTIQ.
  • Until you see how PRISTIQ affects you, be careful driving a car or operating machinery. Avoid drinking alcohol while taking PRISTIQ.
  • Side effects when taking PRISTIQ 50 mg may include nausea, dizziness, sweating, constipation, and decreased appetite.

Please see full Prescribing Information including boxed warning and Medication Guide.



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