Posted by jerrympls on January 27, 2004, at 20:05:28
In reply to MAOI withdrawal, anxiety, Xanax, PLEASE HELP, posted by mbailey on January 25, 2004, at 21:33:49
> My husband has atypical depression and was treating it with the MAOI, Zyprexa (60 MG). It wasnt working and he started developing anxieties. The doc decided to take him off and is weaning him by going down 10 MG every 4 days. He is currently at 30. At the time he started going off it, he was put on Lithobid (300 Mg, 2 tablets per day). His anxieties have been steadily increasing so he was put on Xanax (1 mg) every day in the morning a few weeks back. His anxieties are continuing to mount to the point where its rare he doesnt have them.
>
> 1. Is worsening of anxiety a typical MAOI withdrawal symptom? If so, what are the characteristics of it (he was not anxious before the past few months)? Does it continue as his dose goes down or is that unpredictable?When I went of Nardil, my anxiety increased substantially. In my opionion, 1mg of Xanax/day is hardly enough to cover severe anxiety - Xanax is short acting. I was on 4mg of Klonopin/day - which did help with the anxiety.
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> 2. Is Xanax the only safe way to treat anxieties for people coming off MAOIs?From what my psychiatrist told me - meds like Xanax are VERY safe in combination with MAOI's and are used for withdrawl.
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> 3. What other non-MAOI drugs successfully treat atypical depression?
>MAOI's are usually the best. Many times an SSRI combined with an anti-psychotic is used.
> 4. How long does it typically take to get the MAOIs out of your system once you reach 0?
After you have taken your last dose of an MAOI, the usual waiting period is 2weeks.
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> THANKS!Hope this helps
Jerry
poster:jerrympls
thread:305448
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040127/msgs/306210.html