"i give pristiq an 8 for effectiveness in treating depression, however i would give it a 10 for effectiveness as an anti-depressant because i believe it gives as much as you can ask for. it has also scored highest in the top 10 treatments for depression according to a recent australian survey. i am 18 years old, male and this is the first anti-depressant i have taken. in short, it brought me out of hell and out of a depth of despair, sadness and pessimism one naive to depression couldn&#039;t possibly imagine. it took about 3 and a half weeks to work well (i&#039;m on 50mg), has a stimulating effect but causes sexual side effects."