Posted by malcolm664 on June 24, 2007, at 16:24:54
In reply to Nardil Update (after 3 months), posted by nutjob on June 24, 2007, at 12:26:45
> I've been taking Nardil for the last 3 months for social anxiety and depression. I started at 30 mgs for 1 week, 45 for 1 week, 60 for 6 weeks, and finally 75 mgs/daily.
>
> My symptoms of SA and depression are in complete remission. I have never had such a rhobust response to any single med or combination of meds in my life--and i've been on virtually all of them over the last 10 years.
>
> The side effects were pretty nasty at first. Once I moved up to 60 mgs I felt heavily drugged and euphoric (like a mild opiate/amphetamine buzz). I had balance issues and dizziness, and my eyelids sagged. I could hardly stay awake during the day, and at night I typically awoke after only 2 or 3 hours of sleep. I had severe constipation, urinary retention, impotence, and orosthatic hypotension so severe that at times my vision and hearing would become blurred and I would nearly pass out.
>
> As for now:
> Orosthatic hypotension: completely gone
> Constipation: completely gone
> Urinary retention: much better
> Fatigue: only occurs for 1 or 2 hours after taking med, and only when I'm sitting idly alone or trying to read
> Sleep at night: 5-6 hours on average
> Dizziness: completely gone
> Drugged feeling: completely gone
> The only side effect that continues to be troublesome is my inability to ejaculate. I can get an erection and I have more sensation than I did on any SSRI, however I still can't climax. However, I've read countless posts in the psychobabble archives from people who say that this does effect DOES subside over time as well--however it can take upwards of 6 months in some cases. I am more than willing to wait.
>
> The euphoria has given way to a milder state of constant well-being, increased energy levels, enthusiasm for life, increased drive and focus, increased follow-thru with mundane tasks. My thoughts are clearer. I have increased patience, heightened tolerance for frustration, and far less anger. I'm extremely optimistic about the future, and seldom does anything get to me.
>
> Prior to nardil I drank a liter of rum daily. I smoked marijuana heavily. I sat in my apartment in a state of severe depression, with suicidal thoughts, ruminations, and bouts of agitation, frustration and anger.
>
> Now I have virtually no desire to drink. I still struggle with the urge to smoke pot, but when I do give in to this urge I find that the therapeutic effects of the drug are greatly diminished for days afterward--thus I have more than adequate incentive to quit smoking altogether.
>
> I'm 25 years old and for the first time in my life I can look any girl in the eye without hesitation. I can approach people without fear. I went from having virtually no friends 3 months ago, to having more friends than I know what to do with these days. I'm no longer afraid to apply for jobs, speak up in class, take my shirt off at the pool, and eat in public.
>
> The most incredible thing about Nardil is the effect it has on Rejection Sensitivity. All my life I've felt these unbearable sensations in my stomach in response to the slightest hint of rejection. Consequently I had few romantic encounters in spite of countless opportunities, and those I did have were unbearably painful. Now those sensations are completely GONE--it's as if the nerves that facilitate these sensations in my stomach have been numbed. No longer is my capacity for reasoning and sound decision-making warped by this terrible affliction of rejection sensitivity.
>
> I never thought life could be so good. I strongly urge those who are taking Nardil to have patience with the side-effects. Further, DO NOT mistake the initial euphoria of Nardil for the actual longterm therapeutic effect of the drug--this is a huge mistake. If you are at all prone to addiction, as I am, you will likely be vulnerable to making this mistake, and might be tempted to up the dose too quickly or to assume that because you are no longer high the drug is no longer working, as I did. This is simply not case. The actual therapeutic effect and feel of the drug is deceptively subtle, such that when you are alone or idle you might find yourself questioning whether the drug is actually working once this euphoria has passed. NOT THE CASE.
>
> Be patient folks. This is your life were talking about. Best of luck to all.
>
> --nutjob
>
>Your description above almost exactly mirrors my own experience with Nardil. It literally changed my life.
However, once the initial euphoria wore out I did indeed mistake that for the drug not working, so I stopped it. My doc was not experienced at all with MAOI's to warn me that the hypomania was just a temporary side effect, not the main effect of the drug. In fact, it was during that time (while the Nardil was at it's peak) that I actually enrolled in bartending school (as a way to make some extra cash). I had to drop out when the wonderful euphoria that I woke up with everyday stopped, b/c I mistakenly thought that the drug itself wasn't working anymore.
And I had some disastrously bad job interviews (still my #1 social nightmare) during that time which convinced me that the drug had pooped out on me.
I actually saw another doc (a psychopharmacologist) whom I'm still seeing during this period of time to see if we could recapture some of the initial good feelings and superconfidence that I felt when the Nardil kicked in, but with no success.
So now I'm on another MAOI (Parnate - 80 mgs); combined with Klonopin and Lunesta; haven't felt hypomanic or euphoric in the least but my doc says that's probably good, b/c that means that the effects of the drug will probably last indefinitely. The Parnate seems to have lessened by general anxiety and depression which is perhaps the most I should expect from any med.
But those several weeks when the Nardil first kicked in will forever remain etched in my memory as the happiest I've ever been.
Would that it could have lasted indefinitely.
Malcolm------
poster:malcolm664
thread:765385
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070622/msgs/765454.html