"i don&#039;t know how i have lived for 34 years without this medication. pristiq has for me been a god send. i am now 5 weeks in, and have never felt this clear and focused. it&#039;s not a miracle worker, the situations i face daily still get me cranky and stressed, but i don&#039;t seethe anymore. i used to get angry with my kids for being &quot;naughty&quot;, and stay angry for ages, just getting worse and worse. now i take the time to be a &quot;mum&quot;, talking to them and not stressing about the little things they do. as for side effects, i had a little nausea, and irritability (which i still have at times, but i have 4 kids under 4, and my husband works away from home) but overall it&#039;s much more pleasant in our house. good luck to everyone."