Posted by not exactly on February 7, 2003, at 16:30:40
In reply to Re: Mirapex/Selegiline/Parnate » not exactly, posted by jumpy on February 6, 2003, at 23:18:34
> I haven't heard of people having difficulties with the switch from the patch to the pill and problems with the metabolite "ratios". Sorry to hear you were one of the few with this reaction.
Orally-administered selegiline results in significant exposure to numerous active metabolites, including l-amphetamine and l-methamphetamine. At the dosages required to induce robust MAO inhibition (MAO-A as well as B), these metabolites can dramatically alter the side effects and overall experience of selegiline, especially for those individuals (such as myself) who are highly sensitive to sympathomimetics. The selegiline patch avoids most of these problems by circumventing first-pass gut metabolism.
see:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/ncdeu/abstracts2001/ncdeu2011.cfm
http://www.parkinson.org/med25.htm> Actually, the diet is pretty healthy and easy to follow. No sausage, cheese, certain wines and beers ... they all add to a slimmer waistline and healthier heart.
The MAOI diet might be easy for some folks, but for me it would mean a radical change in lifestyle. I live on cheeseburgers, chocolate candy, and other junk food. I eat in ethnic restaurants where the menu items don't list all the ingredients and the servers don't speak much English. I go to potluck dinner parties. Cheese, soy sauce, aged meats, and other tasty tyramine tidbits could be lurking anywhere.
Before you try to tell me that I'd be much better off with a different diet, let me point out that I'm slim, fit, and quite healthy. I have low cholesterol and normal blood pressure. Even though I'm 56, most people think I'm in my 30's, especially if they've seen me dance non-stop for hours or trot up a steep mountain trail. I'm in fine physical shape despite (or perhaps because of) my "terrible" diet. My pcp is impressed - claims I have "good genes".
> if pizza mean that much to you, I guess your stuck. :-(
My comment about "How can I live without pepperoni pizza?" was mostly meant as a joke, but it is true that I really love pepperoni pizza - it's one of the few joys in my pleasure-starved anhedonic existence. Probably more than half of my favorite foods contain dangerous amounts of tyrosine. But my hesitancy to try MAOI meds is not because I'm reluctant to deprive myself, it's because I'm concerned about the irreversible side effect known as "accidental death".
I'm sure I'll try a "real" MAOI like Parnate eventually. My intellectual curiosity and my need to "leave no stone unturned" will ultimately be stronger motivating factors than my quest for better mental health (which is too often impeded by my pervasive "why bother" attitude). But it will be a daring and scary step.
- Bob
poster:not exactly
thread:138954
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030204/msgs/140017.html