"i have bipolar 2. have been in a combination of lithium and pristiq for 5 years and it worked perfectly, however. in august i suffered a very rare side effect of pristiq know as rcvs which besically cause my cerebellum arteris to spasm resulting in two severe strokes. thankfully i have recovered well but had to be taken off the pristiq immediately. as i couldn&#039;t take any my meds for risk of strokes reoccurring i was put on lamotragine. so combine two mood stabiliser, one for mania and one for depression i am now almost back to what i was like prior to the strokes. lamotragine has been a lifesaver!"