Posted by Geoffrey Ruch on April 13, 2004, at 0:47:51
In reply to Re: Dopamine agonists (and CCK) - LONG POST! » Geoffrey Ruch, posted by Michael Bell on April 12, 2004, at 20:20:33
Thank you Michael and "King Vultan" very much for your insights. I appreciate that you responded so quickly.
I don't know why the web site I visited regarding Social Phobia specifically recommended Parnate over Nardil, but it certainly did-- and pretty emphatically. I'll have to look back at that and re-read what it says.
Anyway, I'm hoping that if you, Michael, are correct in that Nardil has the distinct advantage over Parnate of inhibiting the breakdown of GABA, that either adding Klonopin to Parnate (which I have been doing with modest success), and/or adding GABAergic herbs such as Ashwagandha and/or Gotu Kola and/or Valerian and/or others; and/or adding L-Theanine (a GABA "manufacturer" from Green Tea), etc. might make up for the lack of GABAergic properties of Parnate.
With respect to the Klonopin, which I have been taking 2mg of each day, I really don't want to be taking that for very long because of its potential for dependency. The web site I read said not to worry about this, but eventually I think it would be wise of me to cut down and go off of it somewhere down the road-- if not sooner.
And one more thing I wanted to "reveal" is that I have been adding a small dosage of 5-Hydroxy-Tryptophan (5HTP) as well as a small dosage of L-Phenylalanine (LPA). The 5HTP is obviously to enhance Serotonin levels, and the LPA is primarily to enhance the production of 2-Phenylethylamine (PEA, the brain's amphetimine "love molecule")-- DL-Phenylalanine (DLPA) might be a better choice, adding the demention of inhibiting the breakdown of endorphins; and perhaps DLPA is slightly more safe (I don't know). I realize that this could be a risky endeavor (and that these "supplements" usually are pretty strongly contraindicated with MAO inhibitors), but I have not had any problems with them so far. And I have read (from what seem to reputable sources) that these could potentially be helpful if used cautiously/wisely. I'm trying to be very careful (eg. checking my blood pressure regularly), and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anybody. I just have been debilitated by depression and anxiety/fear for so long that I feel like I need to take a chance. I kind of feel like I am on a depression/Social Phobia "cocktail," and I guess I'll see how it works out. [Note: I know that 5HTP is contraindicated because of the potential for the "Serotonin Syndrome," but I must say that I am confused about why Phenylalanine and Tyrosine are so contraindicated with MAOi's. I can understand large dosages being a very bad idea, but technically/scientifically I guess I just don't understand what the risk is, especially in small dosages.]
By the way, I just want to add, also, that I understand that healing depression and anxiety disorders, depending on the individual, often must involve much more than changing brain chemistry through medications, herbs, amino acids, etc. Supposedly Interpersonal psychotherapy or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (and others) can be very effective treatments in their own right-- with severe cases most likely needing both types of treatment synergistically. I have gone the therapy route several times throughout the years (in addition to medication) with little success, but I still believe that at some point it is going to prove very important.
Anyway, I welcome any responses to my post. Thank you.
poster:Geoffrey Ruch
thread:205134
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040412/msgs/335803.html