"gained 30 pounds while on prednisone.  it was my 5th medicine to try. i was skeptical but it actually worked. pristiq made me so sleepy and in a constant state of lala land. gained 30 pounds while on prednisone and started pristiq at the same time. i have gone a year and a half and still haven&#039;t lost the weight. it&#039;s different for everyone, and weight gain isn&#039;t normal, apparently. i tapered off the 100mg almost a month ago and now i have so much energy! on the meds i was still depressed but was ok with it. off the meds, i&#039;m attacking the issues head on and trying to make up for the last 1.5 year stupor. i&#039;d just had enough of missing out on life. good meds if you want to sleep thru life and just not have to think about issues anymore."