Generic Name: desvenlafaxine

What’s the Story?

Pristiq is commonly called the ‘son of Effexor’. Effexor is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor in the central nervous system used for depression. Pristiq came to the market just before Effexor became generic, claiming that it was a potent serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. This sounds very similar, but the mechanism is spiced up a little by being ‘potent’. Comparing the two medications profiles side by side, both have (no surprise) the same side effects, same mechanism of action and same chance of causing a withdrawal reaction if the medication is stopped abruptly. The only difference between these two medications is that Pristiq can cause major wallet toxicity While Effexor is now generic and covered by most insurance companies and costing $50 or $60, Pristiq costs well over $100 or has a brand name copay. In our opinion, this is a major difference in cost with no added benefit.

Pristiq is the same as Effexor except for the price.