Posted by sailor on January 14, 2004, at 22:32:36
In reply to Re: pdoc making me jump hoops for maoi's, posted by brussell on January 14, 2004, at 16:37:39
There's a woman on PB who's been taking 100mg/da Parnate and doing well. Jessica is the name she's been at 100 mg for 10 months and calls it a "life saver". Also a study with treatment resistant depressives at U of Penn. Med School, they dosed subjects at a range from 90 to 170 mg/day. They reported no unusual side effects and positive results, although conducted with only seven "refractory depressed patients."
Coincidentaaly, I am on a Parnate trial and saqw my nurse practitioner about moving up my dosage from the 30/day she had me on. She agreed to go only to 60, because that is the PDR guideline and also Glaxo Smith Kline's (the manufacturer. However, as we know from PB contributors, "off label" dosages and useages are often effective and safe for lots of patients. The conservatism about Parnate is due I believe to worry about law suits from "cheese reactions" and the drug companies have been pushing "safer" drugs to docs as a marketing strategy. That's too bad about Parnate because it is one of the most effective drugs for a small class of treatment resistant depressives, and has been truly "miraculous" for many.
I am starting at 60 mg today and go back in 3 weeks for f/u. If I think it is beginning to help, and I'm not having side effect problems (so far nothing serious--some drowsiness, low appetite, mild orgasmic difficulty. No BP changes at all), I will argue strongly for the right to increase my dose. I f I can't get cooperation I'll have to seek help elsewhere, as I don't believe in giving up on a drug prematurely after investing lots of time and money, and sometimes suffering. Of course, there's a chance tto, that these next 3 weeks may tell me Parnate is a big problem and I won't want to continue. But I do insist on the right to participate in my health care decisions and some practitioners are clearly threatened by that.
PARNATE USERS: please post your past and/or current experiences with this drug for the benefit of those of us now tring it. I will continue to post as soon as I have useful updated experience. Thanks to all of you Patience and persistence to all. Regards, Sailor
poster:sailor
thread:300768
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040114/msgs/300938.html