Posted by UgottaHaveHope on February 19, 2007, at 11:51:48
Based on the posts I've read on here and other places, it appears that if someone gives a MAOI a fair trail (at least two months) and does not have a medicinal conflict, they appear to almost always have a positive effect on depression, anxiety, etc., with the majority. (Of course, there are exceptions, as with any med).
I guess what I am trying to say, and this may be my own slanted perspective, is that it appears you hear less "unsuccess" stories about MAOIs than you do SSRIs, etc. Really, the only constant negative about MAOIs I read about everywhere are the dietary restrictions.
I realize "death" is not a fun side effect to think about with MAOIs, but on the other hand these drugs have been around so long (50 years) that the good news is that the restrictions and conflicts appear to be pretty well-documented, meaning it is pretty cut and dry on what to avoid. And, maybe this is just me, but the SSRIs can have dangers, too, hence the "black box" warnings.
So what do you think? Are MAOIs the "gold standard" for treatment of depression and anxiety? Are many people MISSING OUT by not trying them? In my opinion, a medicine around 50+ years (MAOIs) should've been kicked to the side decades ago, but there is something keeping them around. Something special.
Thoughts?
poster:UgottaHaveHope
thread:734115
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070219/msgs/734115.html