Posted by blackjack on June 28, 2001, at 11:16:06
In reply to Parnate withdrawal, posted by Regina on June 27, 2001, at 0:15:04
As with any psych-med, your milage may vary considerably. I have been on Parnate twice (the most effective single med I've ever used) and had to go off it twice, because, in my case, even exceeding the maximum recommended dose, I began experienceing withdrawl symptoms when I was still taking the drug, and my depression relapsed to boot.
I got sysmptoms very similar to what some people get coming off of Effexor. I was very anxious, phobic, aggitated, confused and prone to random crying jags. In addition, I got the "brain lightning" electrical sensation so bad that I shouldn't have been driving (did anyway--lived to tell the tale), nightmares, and leg spasms in my sleep. I was also, for some reason, apologizing for everything I did and could not parallel park. All-in-all, it was one of the most singularly unpleasant experiences of my life.
The really annoying bit is that, unlike Effexor, you have to be really careful with taking anything to alleviate the sysmptoms until the Parnate has washed out of your system, since Parnate does not play nicely with other meds. I can't say that tapering helped (I tapered the first time, went off quickly the second), but I was getting these symptoms BEFORE I reduced my dosage.
The good news is, the symptoms were mostly gone (other than the relapse of depression) within 2 weeks. And keep in mind, I was on 3 times the dose you were, so I doubt it will be that bad.
I do agree that you might want to try a higher dose. I know the PDR info says that if you don't respond to 30 mg/day, there is no point in going higher, but that's just bull.
poster:blackjack
thread:68039
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010625/msgs/68245.html