Posted by tecknohed on September 23, 2007, at 12:51:20
OK. Nardil worked wonders for my SP (social Phobia) for a good while but in the end became just too problematic for me and lost most of its efficacy anyway. Its been the ONLY med which has REALY helped my SP. Amphetamines helped but the downsides are FAR too costly (I used to abuse/self medicate with them, and suffer the consequences!), & my pdoc would never agree anyway. Caffein has often helped (depending on what meds I'm taking at the time), at least for a short while but I very quickly build tolerance (after just a few days), ending up more fatigued than socially stimulated. All this tells me that adding a dopamine-increasing med to my current regime might help.
Since being off Nardil I've continued to take 1.5mg/day clonazepam which does help somewhat but it makes me depressed, or at least adds to it. I've tried adding Buspar but had a few problems, the worst being interference with my diabetes (caused many hypoglyceamic episodes, as if acting like or enhancing insulin). I've tried buspirone (whilst on Nardil) which made me irritable & more anxious so I'm not keen on trying it again. I'm now taking mirtazapine 30mg/day (been 5 days now) for the depression which hasn't properly kicked in yet, though I am getting 'some' periods of relief & its particularly helping my usual lethergy & somnolence (banished them in fact!). But even if & when it does kick in I 'know' I'm still gonna be too socially anxious to function properly.
So I ask, what other dopaminergic meds can I try adding? How can I get that 'Nardilness' back (GABA + serotonin + dopamine + noradrenalin [I need a noradrenergic med to get out of bed in the mornings]) Is a low dose AP my only option left, and if so which ones could I try? I know I could try another MAOI but I really want to avoid that route again if at all possible (ending Nardil has been HARD - not sure I could handle another MAOI poop-out or withdrawal).
I'm in a very deep hole at the moment, not sure how to get out of it. Got no friends. Never go out. Find it hard to even 'be' with my partner (& vice-versa). Cant even enjoy the things which usually bring me some sense of pleasure or a break from it all (I'm a keen fisherman, mad on it in fact but have recently found even that boring). All I do is dwell on that one short time Nardil made me feel human again. That med has betrayed me, at least thats how it feels. Man its not fair!
(I dont wish to alarm any Nardil users - it only poops out for some)
Sorry to 'babble' on.
poster:tecknohed
thread:784651
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070919/msgs/784651.html