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Desvenlafaxine

Medication SNRI antidepressant mental health
Aka: Pristiq
Brands seen in Singapore: Pristiq
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
HealthHub: symptoms of depression such as low mood
When to take
HealthHub: with or without food; tablet swallowed whole
Take with
Water · hh: alcohol can worsen low mood and add sleepiness
Pros & cons
Pros
  • Hh: an snri for depression symptoms
  • Hh: once-daily tablet, with or without food
  • US label: 50 mg is both the starting and target dose
Cons
  • Hh: nausea, poor sleep, dry mouth, sweating
  • Hh: it may raise blood pressure — check-ups matter
  • Hh: stopping suddenly brings dizziness, nausea
Sources
  1. HSA — Listing of Registered Therapeutic Products (data.gov.sg open dataset, 5,511 rows, cached in full and filtered locally) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The single registered desvenlafaxine product reads 'Prescription Only' — SIN13859P Pristiq Extended-Release Tablet 50mg, DESVENLAFAXINE SUCCINATE 75.87 mg EQV DESVENLAFAXINE, ATC N06AX23.”
  2. HealthHub (National Medication Information workgroup, SG) — Desvenlafaxine: what is this medication for · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Desvenlafaxine belongs to a class of medications known as Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI). It is used to treat symptoms of depression such as: Feeling sad, Loss of interest in usual activities”
  3. HealthHub — Desvenlafaxine: how should I take this medication · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Desvenlafaxine may be taken with or without food. Swallow the tablet whole, do NOT chew or crush it … You may experience unpleasant effects such as dizziness, headache, difficulty sleeping, irritability, and nausea if you suddenly stop”
  4. HealthHub — Desvenlafaxine: what precautions should I take · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Heart, kidney or liver disease … high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, history of stroke, seizures (fits), increased eye pressure (glaucoma), low sodium in the blood (hyponatremia) or bleeding problems … Desvenlafaxine may increase your blood pressure.”
  5. HealthHub — Desvenlafaxine: common side effects · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Nausea, vomiting or loss of appetite … Difficulty sleeping … Dry mouth … Constipation … Dizziness … Mild nervousness … Headache, increased blood pressure … increased sweating … Decreased sexual drive or ability”
  6. HealthHub — Desvenlafaxine: what food or medication should I avoid · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Avoid drinking alcohol while taking Desvenlafaxine as it can worsen the symptoms of your depression and cause excessive sleepiness.”
  7. HealthHub — Desvenlafaxine: important warning for people under 25 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The following changes have been observed in some patients particularly below the age of 25 years … New or worsening thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life; Worsening agitation, restlessness, violent behaviour”
  8. US FDA label for PRISTIQ (desvenlafaxine) extended-release tablets, section 2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION, via openFDA (Wyeth/Pfizer, effective 2026-04-28) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Recommended dose: 50 mg once daily with or without food … There was no evidence that doses greater than 50 mg per day confer any additional benefit”
  9. US FDA label for PRISTIQ, sections 2.7–2.8 MAOI switching and linezolid / methylene blue, via openFDA · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “At least 14 days should elapse between discontinuation of an MAOI … and initiation of therapy with PRISTIQ … at least 7 days … after stopping PRISTIQ … linezolid or intravenous methylene blue … increased risk of serotonin syndrome”
  10. US FDA label for PRISTIQ, sections 2.2–2.3 maximum doses in renal and hepatic impairment, via openFDA · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Moderate renal impairment: Maximum dose 50 mg per day … Severe renal impairment and end-stage renal disease: Maximum dose 25 mg per day … Moderate to severe hepatic impairment: Maximum dose 100 mg per day”
  11. US FDA label for PRISTIQ, section 2.1 general instructions for use, via openFDA · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Tablets must be swallowed whole with fluid and not divided, crushed, chewed, or dissolved. In clinical studies, doses of 10 mg to 400 mg per day were studied.”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.