Posted by LostBoyinNC1 on July 28, 2002, at 21:44:23
In reply to MAOI Wowie!, posted by Jackd on July 28, 2002, at 17:13:52
> I've finally decided after getting a second opinion that Parnate is my next option. I just need a little support from any of you who have been or are on MAOI's.
>
> First of all, how long should I wash out for? No, let me refraise that: What is the shortest period that I can wash out for without sacrificing too much safety? I'm on Remeron 30mg, Lamictal 200mg, Concerta 18mg, Klonopin .5 mg, and Lithium 900mg. I only plan on stopping the Remeron (unless someone suggests I stop any others), and as of last night I have stopped it cold turkey. I know, I know... I am taking off from work for the next week or so in order to do this and thus I have a small window of time to suffer...You are askig for it possibly. Do what your doctor tells you to do, dont ask for advice about MAOIs here on psychobabble. Your doctor knows how to safely get you on an MAOI. Definitely the Remeron must go and probably the Concerta as you can have reactions with amphetamines very easily. I know you can take all the klonopin you want on an MAOI so you can keep taking that. Two weeks is the recommended washout. For the SSRI Prozac its a five week washout MANDATORY.
>
> Also, from the little I know, it seems the main culprit of drug interactions with MAOI's and AD's are SSRI's.
>Not true. You can have interactions with any antidepressant on an MAOI. Sometimes in rare cases tricyclics are combined with an MAOI but its not common. Rarely stimulants like Concerta are combined as well, but again thats rare. Combining MAOIs with lithium or lamictal is no problem generally.
> I have tried reading up as much as I can regarding the diet. I know I can't pick through trash and eat banana peels and rotting protein and dairy products, but what CAN I eat? I mean, what's a good, fast, easy food source that I can eat? Mind you, I'm 220lbs and a powerlifter. I eat 6 meals a day, and peanuts just won't cut it. Is pasta ok? Can I drink supermarket milk or do I need to drink it straight from the udder?
> What is out there that tastes good, is loaded with calories and protein, and practical?Just eat normal food, but go by the list your psychiatrist provides you with. The main rule is for EVERYTHING to be fresh. Dont eat leftover meats. Or leftover anything for that matter. I bring home my meat products from the grocery store and immediately store each hamburger or chicken breast or steak individually in plastic ziploc bags and stick them in the freezer. This way I maintain maximum freshness for all meat products.
Turn your temperature dial up to the max level in the summer if you live in the southern half of the USA, to keep all your foods cold and fresh. I drink skim milk and dont use it near its expiration date. Drink lots of water. I drink fresh orange juice, again not near its expiration date. Total cereal for breakfeast. I cut out coffee totally, caffeine is bad for people on MAOIs. Although I have had a couple mugs of decaff recently and that went fine.
If you are a powerlifter, eliminate all the OTC bodybuilding supplements crap. You dont need it, and its actually dangerous on MAOIs. NO EPHEDRA supplements!!!! Minimal use of caffeine. NOOOOOOOO ECA stacks!!!! No protein powders unless you get one that your doctor specifically says is OK. If you drink a soda, pick one that is caffeine free.
If you must take OTC vitamins, buy top quality ones at yuppie health food stores that dont have yeast in them and have no dairy products in them. Most cheap vitamins have yeast products in them and thats a major no no. And even then, clear the vitamins with your psychiatrist first. Just totally avoid all herbals on MAOIs. DANGEROUS.
I also dont eat cheese. They say you can eat cream cheese or cottage cheese but I havent tried that yet. I dont eat cottage cheese anyway, thats nasty. I decided basically to just kick out cheese on MAOIs.
The key rule is FRESH and no fermented or aged foods. When it gets near its expiration date, throw that shit out.
When you go on an MAOI, thats the time to eliminate most red meat for health reasons (you should do it anyway) and just go with chicken, eggs, milk, turkey and maybe fresh fish (real fresh) for protein sources. Red meat just clogs your arteries up, makes you fat. You can make hamburgers out of "turkeyburger" meat and instead of steaks or hamburgers eat grilled chicken breast. Lots of baked potatoes, I eat a couple carrots everyday with lunch. Bread is fine, pick whole wheat bread. Pasta is fine, use turkeyburger instead of hamburger for the spaghetti meat...much healthier. Just dont add any parmasagn cheese to it...or any kind of cheese or you will find yourself having an intracranial bleed and an ER visit, which wont be fun at all
I ate out once so far, in Chapel Hill. I was nervous as a cat. I ate a grilled turkey breast sandwich and for dessert I had key lime pie...one of my favorites. I did fine, no reactions. But you need to be careful when you eat out. Im still learning the diet. Its actually quite healthy.
poster:LostBoyinNC1
thread:114046
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020725/msgs/114076.html