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.