[Elissabetta]

....as I was waiting for my Doctor to call this morning ( which he never did), I saw an advertisement for this...is anyone familiar with this? It looks like a new medication that deals with depression, fatigue, body aches, etc...

[mrsD]

It is a chemically modified form.
http://www.rxlist.com/pristiq-drug.htm

Desvenlafaxine (O -desmethylvenlafaxine) is the major active metabolite of the antidepressant venlafaxine, a medication used to treat major depressive, generalized anxiety, social anxiety and panic disorders.

Many drug companies do this~~ when their patents run out, they use the active metabolite as a new drug.

Other examples are Claritin to Clarinex
albuterol to Xopenex
Seldane to Allegra

Because potencies change with metabolism, milligrams will look different, typically lower.

But in essence it is the same drug in the body, doing the same things. It is NOT a new entity.

[Vowel Lady]

GOODNESS!
I spoke w/ a friend today. Her father had a stroke a few months back. The doc put him on this and told the family it was for memory issues. (?) Is it like Effexor??? I am baffled. He seems quiet, but happy. I was not privy to discussion about any depression problems.

[Snoopy]

Here is some information about Pristiq:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/d...s/a608022.html

I used it for about 2 and a half weeks to hopefully treat my anxiety and panic attacks. I had to get off it because it made me suicidal.

[CarolynS]

This is my first time on this board and my first post...will open another thread to intro myself...

Here is the story behind Pristiq....a personal prespective only:

I have a psychiatirst who oversees my mental health meds. I was in his office a short time ago, and since I go into the Part D Gap/Donut Hole by the 1st of May each year, he knows I need samples to survive the balance of the year.

He said he couldn't give me samples of Effexor anymore, but he did have a new drugs to replace Effexor and it was Pristiq. Okay, I am not happy with this, but do I have a choice.

Pristiq has worked well for me...50mg. It is a good product, I don't discount this, and it has worked well for me (Major Depressive Disorder since childhood). The 50 mg dose of Pristiq is said to be as effective as 150/300 mg of Effexor and I do agree from my personal experience.

Why no samples in the doc's closet...Well, seems Wyeth (the pharma) has told the drug reps to NOT leave anymore Effexor samples in ANY doc's sample closets (this includes my Internist too). Seems Weyth would like to sell Pristiq instead...why? Because the patent on Effexor will end soon and it will move into generic form soon after...Weyth will lose a cash-cow.

There was an aticle here at PsychCentralNews, "Low-Dose Pristiq Effective for Dpression" I don't have enough posts (must have 10 posts) to include the link, so you will have to seek it out if you care to read it.

There was also an article in the New York Times, March 1, 2008, "FDA Approves Wyeth Antidepressant," that includes this excerpt: "With the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Pristiq, Wyeth said the company planned a big sales effort to introduce the product to psychiatrists and primary care doctors. Wyeth needs a product that will replace some of the revenue expected to be lost to generic competitors of Effexor XR, whose patent protection expires in 2010. Sales of Effexor XR last year were $3.8 billion."