Posted by KaraS on November 22, 2004, at 15:53:31
In reply to Re: still doing well on selegiline?? » KaraS, posted by Ktemene on November 22, 2004, at 7:59:34
> > Ktemene,
> >
> > What a pleasant surprise to see your name back on the board. How are you? Are you still taking selegiline and is it still effective for you?
> >
> > I tried it a couple of times with DLPA but it put me to sleep so I stopped it. Long story but I am getting ready to try it again.
> >
> > Kara
> >
> Hi Kara,
>
>> Thanks for asking about me. I am still taking 5mg Selegiline per day. This is month 4 on Selegiline for me. My doctor has prescribed Selegiline Hydrochloride capsules, and after breakfast I open the capsules and take the powder and hold it under my tongue for a few minutes. I also take either DLPA or L-PA, usually 500 or 1000mg in the morning before breakfast, and I then do aerobic exercise for 40 or 50 minutes. I read that exercise increases PEA in the brain (http://bjsm.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/35/5/342) and so I am hoping to increase PEA, and in any case exercise is helpful for depression.
Ktemene,
Sounds like a good program. Taking it sublingually may help to prevent any acid reflux problems. 1000 mg of phenylalanine plus exercise should make lots of PEA. I'd probably be a shaky mess from that much.
> Selegiline has worked better for my long-term atypical depression (lots of fatigue and somnolence) than any other mediation, and I have tried many. I still have problems with insomnia, and I have tried several different benzos and Remeron to deal with that. The problems with the benzos and Remeron is that they all make me feel tired in the daytime, but that feels like depression to me. Now I am trying melatonin, which seems to work as well and perhaps better than anything else for insomnia. Apparently melatonin also has neuroprotective properties, and I suspect that part of Selegiline's effectiveness for some of us is that it is neuroprotective.There is always that problem of once you overcome the anergia, then how do you deal with the resultant insomnia? I've tried melatonin. I never quite got the dosage right. It either got me to sleep but didn't keep me asleep or it I took the sustained release kind that made me groggy all the next day. It metabolizes to serotonin also so I wonder if it might possibly counter some of the dopaminergic activity you're getting from the selegiline + phenylalanine. Then again, maybe you could use a little more serotonin too.
As for the neuroprotective, that's a great extra benefit. I've read that although part of selegiline's activity is neuroprotective, that it's amphetamine metabolites can be neurotoxic. Some people take NAC or reduced glutathione to counter that. I think I'll start taking some NAC again.
>I am going through a stressful period at work, and so I am not doing as well as I was 10 weeks ago, but I think I dealing with the stress better than I would without Selegiline.
Even when our depression gets stabilized there are always those outside influences...
> I noticed that Larry has been trying Selegiline and had some problems with acid reflux. I did not realize that acid reflux could get that bad, and it is a shame that it is happening with a medication that might be helpful to him.Yeah, it's so hard to find things that work and then to not be able to continue to take them is frustrating (if not heartbreaking). Larry also mentioned that it was aggrivating his asthma. I'm a bit worried about that too.
> It is unusual that Selegiline + DLPA put you to sleep. Have you thought about trying L-PA instead DLPA? Some one, I think it was Elleff, suggested that d-phenylalanine might be sedating because of its inhibiting effect on enkephalinase.
Since last talking to you I have realized that I react paradoxically to many dopaminergics (including Ritalin). They all put me to sleep. This happens when I take selegiline without any phenylalanine. From researching and talking to people on this board I have learned that I might have hypersensitive dopamine autoreceptors. It was suggested to me by Larry that if in fact I did have this problem, that selegiline plus DLPA might be able to downregulate those autoreceptors. So I'm starting on this course of action again. If this doesn't work out for any reason, I will probably try Parnate which may be able to accomplish the downregulation as well. Even if that's not the problem, Parnate is a powerful AD for atypical type depression and so would not be a bad next choice for me. (I have to admit that I'm terrified of it though.)Glad to hear that you're still doing well. I hope the extra stress at work will pass soon.
Kara
poster:KaraS
thread:417964
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041118/msgs/419035.html