Posted by Elizabeth on October 15, 1999, at 20:12:27
In reply to Re: dropping Parnate, posted by Adam on October 15, 1999, at 18:29:47
> Funny you should want to sleep for O-chem. When I took it (which seems like an age ago), I used to wish at three in the morning
> that there were more hours in the day (I was a double major, just to make my life more difficult than it already was.) I think if
> I had had selegiline back then, I would have been in heaven.I believe the sleep loss may be mucking with my memory and attention. I had an exam yesterday and it sucked quite a lot. I could handle the work load if only I were able to do a decent job. Part of it is anxiety, but experience tells me that anxiety is also worsened by sleep deprivation.
I slept less than normal on Nardil, but it was regular at least, and it was enough to get by on (I seemed to need less sleep, though I wasn't manic). But this is just ridiculous!
> Anyway, is there nothing you can take in addition to parnate to get some sleep when you need it? I guess since you're already on
> three of four meds you probably want to avoid unfettered polypharmacy.Are you kidding? "Polypharmacy" is my middle name. :-) Modafinil was just making things worse, so I stopped taking that; the only things I take on a daily basis now are Parnate (tapering off), lithium, and a Ca/Mg/K supplement. Yeah, I've tried an awful lot of sleep aids. Ambien works somewhat but it doesn't last long enough.
> I don't know if we are in any way similar, but what I know of myself is that after trying numerous meds an MAOI is about the only
> thing that has worked for me.After talking to my doc, I think I'm going to do as JohnL suggests and go with the TCA/MAOI combo. I've never had an adequate trial of a tricyclic. I'm hoping to use sneaky tricks to avert the side effects this time. (Desipramine gave me jitters, BTW.) If Marplan turns out to be a problem, I may drop it and substitute low-dose Parnate.
>Remeron was one thing I tried, and while I slept like a baby, it made me feel drowsy when I didn't
> want to be, and as for its supposed anxiolytic effects, I more or less atrributed them to the fact I was in what often felt like
> an antihistamine fog.Not too surprising! My thought is that it would be worth a try, but given that it's rather unpredictable, the tricyclic-MAOI combo might be preferable.
>As an antidepressant, I think it did attenuate my dysphoria to some extent, but it had nowhere near the mood
> elevating effects that selegiline has had. I've heard that parnate is perhaps the most mood-elevating AD out there. Are you sure
> you want to kiss that goodbye?It's not like I can't ever go back on it! But yes -- if I can't function adequately, it's not worth it to me.
Thanks...take it easy.
poster:Elizabeth
thread:13117
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991016/msgs/13227.html