Posted by Larry Hoover on October 19, 2004, at 8:54:47
In reply to Re: Selegiline Phenylalanine » karaS, posted by sfy on October 18, 2004, at 23:07:06
> I had to go off the mirtazapine I take for insomnia when I started the selegiline. I went through exhausting early morning awakening which just dragged me down. I started some Benadryl which helps a little but it's not as effective as the mirtazapine.
Mirtazapine withdrawal was the most difficult withdrawal of any I have ever experienced. I'm even including substances of abuse in this statement. It's awful hard to attribute lack of efficacy to the selegiline, IMHO, when mirtazapine withdrawal might be part of the picture.
> I haven't taken any other pure dopaminergics before.
Literally speaking, selegiline is not dopaminergic. It promotes dopaminergic processes, but indirectly, via PEA. I haven't finished my research into the subject, but there are two known substrates for MAO-B that are only degraded by MAO-B, and PEA is one of them. Dopamine is a substrate of MAO-A, too.
> I was on a brief trial of Wellbutrin but I'm not sure we gave it a fair shot (it also seemed to cause sexual problems but other factors might have been at play). I also took Nardil for over 2 years. It helped my social phobia but it's hard to say about other positive effects since I hadn't yet identified my anhedonia/dythymia then. I stopped taking it because of severe insomnia and thought I was well-equipped after CBT to handle things.
>
> My next step is probably Parnate but I'm a little wary despite of (and because of) my experience with Nardil. The insomnia issue is a big deal for me. After Nardil, the insomnia lingered for a long time which is why I was taking the mirtazapine. The diet is also a concern even though I had no problems with it before. But I don't see very many other options right now. (Some have suggested Cymbalta but I don't see it have major impact on my issue based on reports on the main board.)I feel for you, having to try and sort this out for yourself. Have you tried 25 mg trimipramine for sleep? It's also known as Surmontil. Taken one hour before bed, it sets me up well for sleep. At that dose, there's very little risk of interaction with selegiline.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:377600
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040928/msgs/404668.html