Posted by christophrejmc on April 22, 2005, at 19:36:43
In reply to Effects of Selegiline's amphetamine metabolites?, posted by cache-monkey on April 21, 2005, at 12:24:24
> However, selegiline metabolizes into a couple of amphetamites (l-amphetamine and l-methamphetamine). I've heard that these are the "bad" isomers of the drugs. What does that mean in terms of their CNS/periphery effects?
L-amphetamine and l-methamphetamine primarily affect the peripheral nervous system (as opposed to the d- isomer which affects the CNS more), leading to side-effects like agitation, insomnia, hypertension, tachycardia, tremor, nausea, and anxiety (I do not know how frequent these side-effects are, you can check rxlist.com). These side-effects usually do not cause problems unless the dose is greater than 5mg.
From my experience, the most pronounced side-effect was insomnia, which did not cause me to discontinue use. The stimulation from the selegiline was comparable to a few too many cups of coffee. You'll want to avoid other stimulants like caffeine, nicotine, and nasal decongestants until you know how the medication will affect you (dietary restrictions are usually not required, but the drug interactions of the traditional MAOIs often apply).
I was smoking before I took selegiline and had no intention to quit, but I couldn't stand smoking while on it. The effect is really quite remarkable.
Good luck,
Chris
poster:christophrejmc
thread:487473
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050418/msgs/488132.html