Posted by djmmm on April 10, 2003, at 21:21:47
In reply to Important but less common MAOI questions. Please?, posted by Questionmark on April 10, 2003, at 1:20:00
> Sorry, i know many of you are probably sick of answering all these MAOI-related questions, but... if you could answer some more it would be very appreciated. (i'm just gonna rattle em off as i think of them so there wont be much order, sorry). Oh, and a breif overview: i have major depression, inattentive ADD, anxiety problems (SP/SA), and, as i just recently learned, obsessive compulsive personality disorder. My appetite is dead and i need to gain weight. i've tried a number of med types but not MAOIs or TCAs. As far as prescription meds go, i want to be on nothing or an MAOI. im 22.
>
> 1) First, do you think an MAOI could be helpful for this crap without impeding anything else (as is always the case for me w/ any other med)? Is there salvation in a pill?Nardil cured my social anxiety and major depression...after trying every med and combo...I'm 24, been on meds since I was 15-16
> 2) For those who have been on one a long time (multiple years), did it work well for you for all that time? i know they're often quite beneficial for awhile at first, but i wonder if there's some kind of brain adaptation or anything that can occur and result in "poop out" or whatever.
I took nardil for a couple of years and only switched to parnate because of availability problems with Nardil...I find both drugs equally as effective
>
> 3) How about moderate dose Nardil with low-dose selegeline? You think that might be a good (and possible) combo?Most likely the Nardil will be enough...I wouldn't combine the two
>
> 4) How was your memory and cognitive faculties with an MAOI?no problems...
>
> 5) Here's an important one. If you were ever on awhile and quit, was the withdrawal pretty bad? How long were you on it, what dose, how long off?Yes the withdraw is bad...as bad as effexor, in my opinion...not having Nardil for a day gave me horrible nightmares, etc.
>
> 6) What side effects remained even as time went on? What if any made you quit? Were there any subtle side effects that really bothered you?Some sexual side-effects (not as pronounced as with the SSRIs, etc)...No side-effect, short of an allergic reaction should make you quit, but to answer your question, Nardil, for me, was almost side-effect free...in the initial first few weeks I experienced some minor hypotension, but that passed...never had a hypertensive reaction, never changed my diet.
>
> 7) Do you think they (esp Nardil or Parnate) might be bad for you-- particularly your brain? Do you think they might be neurotoxic at all, or hepatotoxic, or cause any permanent changes in the body?Phenelzine is a hydrazine derivative, which is widely known to be a carcinogen...MAOIs have caused hepatotxicity...they are not neurotoxins, in fact inhibition of MAO-B preserves neuronal integrity by preventing the breakdown of Dopamine into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which causes oxidative damage.
> 8) Can one go on an MAOI for awhile and then quit without having to suffer from more severe depression and whatever else? I.e., how long do withdrawal-type effects last?
I don't know...everyone is different...I think the general rule (for major depression) is to stay on a medication about a year AFTER you feel "better," to lessen the risk of relapse. Some people never experience withdraw...For example, I never gained any weight on Nardil, which is supposedly a common side-effect...Your reaction to a MAOI, and discontinuation of a MAOI will almost certainly be different than the "next guy"
> 9) This concept never used to bother me much, but for some reason it really does nowadays... If i take a drug that makes me a happier person, a better person, a more hopeful and confident and naive person, and one who can be more easily satisfied with life, then this person is not really me then right? i become someone who i am not. Of course this is the case with things as simple as even caffeine, but still (i have been trying to really reduce psychoactive substance use, including caffeine-- and she was always my greatest love, and..) at least occasional, controlled manipulation of personality is not quite as severe as an overhaul that is daily (as w/ an antidepressant). But anyway, do you think this is ... wrong, i guess? Am i being untrue to myself if i become a different person? Funny how one can hate himself so severely and yet still care so much about this sh*t. But, what you say?
We have all thought of that...but the state of depression, meaning chronic, debilitating, life altering depression (or severe social phobia, so severe that you can't live your life normally) Is not a "natural" state of life.... Antidepressants are intended to relieve symptoms, not cure problems, They should be used only to get you to a point where YOU can begin to heal yourself.
>
> 10) If they are irreversible inhibitors or MAO, why is it necessary to take it more than once a day? Does it make much difference if you just took it once/ day?Well, when I took Nardil I took it all at once, in the morning...Parnate I take 2x a day, once in the morning, and once before noon....The multi-day dose schedule was implemented for several reasons: side-effects, half-life, metabolism, and the wide variety of immediate effects from the medication.. for Nardil, this effect centers around GABA, and for Parnate, the immediate effects may be linked to catecholamine release. In theory, once adaquate MAO inhibition is achieved, a single dose every other day, or a low dose once a day schedule is is enough to maintain adaquate MAOI
>
> *** SO SORRY for how long this is. Even if you just answer some of this i thank you. Pleeease provide some input/advice though?. This tired drowning dog will be truly grateful.I think if there is any time to try a MAOI it is now, Younger people (our age) tend to have fewer side-effects.
poster:djmmm
thread:218087
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030407/msgs/218387.html