Posted by King Vultan on August 3, 2004, at 7:48:56
In reply to Re: Mirapex?, posted by KaraS on August 2, 2004, at 17:40:30
>
> Todd,
> I know that somnolence can be a side effect of Mirapex but I don't understand why if it's dopaminergic. How can it give people a lot of motivation if they're feeling exhausted... or is somnolence only a factor when the drug doesn't work well?
>
> I also have selegiline high on my list of things to try. In fact I have some at home. I've only tried 5 mg. a day for a couple of days at this point. It was slightly stimulating but I didn't feel any more motivated. I'm planning on trying a higher dose and/or combining it with DLPA. I read, though, that since it's metabolites are amphetamines that it can show up as a positive on drug tests and I'm looking for work right now. So I put the selegiline aside for a while. Am I correct on this? If so, do you think that something like Mirapex could produce that same result on a blood test?
>
> I think I've read in previous posts that you are currently on Nardil but would like to make that switch to Parnate. Have you made the switch yet? If so, how's that going so far?
>
> Kara
I've looked into the issue of dopamine agonists and dopamine receptors and do not really understand this somnolence thing. However, I think it's worth pointing out that most of the common drugs that work on dopamine also work on norepinephrine. Think of Wellbutrin, the stimulants, and the MAOIs. Maybe it's the accompanying norepinephrine activity that is actually providing a large part of the energy and activation.As for selegiline, I have an article written by a group of pdocs who prescribe MAOIs (this is one of the ones I am always posting links to) in which they say the dosage needs to eventually get to 45 mg/day for a fair trial to have occurred. You are correct in your assumption that amphetamines are the results of selegiline metabolism; my book "Psychotropic Drugs" says that "It is metabolized to three active compounds, including amphetamine and methamphetamine, which may account for its therapeutic action." There is absolutely no chance a dopamine agonist like Mirapex could produce the same result, as it has a completely different kind of structure and works on a different principle (it simulates dopamine).
I am in the middle of tapering off the Nardil. I was at 7 x 15 mg/day and have been dropping one pill every three days, which seems to be working fine. Currently, I'm on the second day of 3 x 15 and am starting to feel the difference. It's taking more psychological effort to keep my spirits up, but there are some positives, such as my libido returning to at least a small extent. I also have had some dreams the last couple of nights, which I hadn't had in over four months. Withdrawal symptoms have not been too bad, mainly some tinnitus and a bit of vertigo. My last dose of 1 x 15 is scheduled for 8/10, and my first 1 x 10 of Parnate is scheduled for 8/24 after a two week washout.
Todd
poster:King Vultan
thread:373220
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040730/msgs/373530.html