Posted by Ame Sans Vie on October 6, 2004, at 14:40:19
In reply to Re: One month on selegiline now and loving it!! » Ame Sans Vie, posted by Optimist on October 6, 2004, at 9:42:42
> Congratulations on your success! It seems like your meds are more on the stimulant side of things, combined with some benzos.
Thanks! :-)
Yeah, it wasn't till fairly recently I realized the unfathomable advantages of catecholaminergic enhancement in my disorders -- hence my meds being "more on the stimulant side of things".
> Have you tried wellbutrin in the past, and if you have how does it compare to the selegiline?
My experience with Wellbutrin (actually Zyban, but they're both bupropion HCl) is limited, but I can say that the short time (two months) I spent taking Zyban was quite comparable to my recent trial of desipramine (Norpramin). Zyban is equivalent to 150mg Wellbutrin SR, if I recall correctly. It gave me the same bad dry mouth as desipramine and, also like desipramine, raised my blood pressure a bit. Neither of them, however, increased my anxiety levels. In all fairness though, I was taking 8mg/day Klonopin, 400mg/day Ultram (tramadol -- an atypical narcotic analgesic with properties similar to Effexor), and various hypnotics at different times (i.e., Halcion [triazolam], Restoril [temazepam], Ambien [zolpidem], Somnote [chloral hydrate], Placidyl [ethchlorvynol], Nembutal [pentobarbital]) at the same time as the Zyban; during my desipramine trial (300mg/day for two months) I was additionally taking between 8-12mg/day Klonopin, a bit of Xanax XR here and there, 60-90mg/day Adderall, barbiturate hypnotics (Seconal [secobarbital], and Tuinal [secobarbital 50%/amobarbital 50%]), and either 60-120mg Delsym (dextromethorphan polistirex) or 60-120mg Dexalone (dextromethorphan HBr). I'm pretty convinced that the similarities I found between these two meds are strongly linked to their relatively potent norepinephrine reuptake effects, though I know some would blame the desipramine dry mouth on anticholinergia, I never experienced this adverse effect on more powerful anticholinergics such as Elavil (amitriptyline) or Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine). I believe Wellbutrin/Zyban has about half the affinity for the dopamine transporter as for the norepinephrine transporter, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
As for the effects on my mental condition, 150mg bupropion HCl didn't help a bit, and I wouldn't dare increase the dose due to a lack of desire to be prescribed artificial saliva. Libido and sexual function were slightly enhanced, but that effect is ten-fold with selegiline HCl... for myself, anyway. :-D
> I was asking my pdoc about trying selegiline a year ago but she wasn't too hot on the idea. I'm currently taking wellbutrin 300mg per day, plus 5mg of Adderall XR twice a day. It seems to be working well, but the selegiline has always intrigued me.
Yeah, selegiline had intrigued me for quite some time before I finally decided to take the plunge with oral Eldepryl, seeing as how EmSam (the transdermal selegiline patch) doesn't seem to be appearing on the horizon anytime terribly soon.
By the way, I feel it quite important to note that I take my Eldepryl in a rather odd, but quite effective way: I always take it with food, as the literature asserts that this increases drug absorption three- to four-fold, however, I take 2.5mg of each dose sublingually, swallowing the remainder. I began taking it this way three weeks ago when my psychiatrist recommended it at my one-week checkup (we're being cautious and making sure to meet at least biweekly due to the combination of the MAO inhibitor and amphetamines) and the effect increased dramatically. I also open up my capsules of DLPA and simply swallow the crystalline powder inside, which seems to provide a more pronounced effect.
Any more questions, feel perfectly free to ask away! I've tried nearly every traditional psych med as well as a bunch of off-the-wall stuff, so if you're curious about other dopaminergics (e.g., Mirapex [pramipexole], Symmetrel [amantadine], Sinemet [levodopa/carbidopa]) or any other drug/alternative therapies, I can provide you with my experiences and personal opinions.
Glad to hear you're doing well on your current combo, though! :-) Mind if I ask how long it took you to arrive at your current plan? Just curious.
All the best to you,
~Michael
SAD, GAD, PD, OCD, agoraphobia, dysthymia, MDD, ADD, AvPD
poster:Ame Sans Vie
thread:399488
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041002/msgs/399669.html