Posted by Vincent_QC on January 18, 2009, at 18:43:09
In reply to Re: Quitting Parnate » Vincent_QC, posted by Mickapoo on January 18, 2009, at 14:02:59
> Vincent,
> What side effects did you experience that caused you to stop using Parnate?
>
> MickapooHi Mickapoo!
Hummm hard to explain...I will do my best in English...forgive me if I do a lot of mistakes...my concentration level is very low as well as my cognitives abilities...anyway...After 6 whole days without having a Parnate pill in my system, I can now clearly say that the Parnate was A LOT hard on my physical capacities. I was not in a good physical shape at the begining... but the situation get deteriorated very fast on the Parnate.
I was feeling drained of all the low level of energy I had, like I was doing hours and hours of physical exercices without doing anything at all.
I had insomnia at night and extreme daytime sedation (Strange cause the Parnate are supposed to give some energy.
The worst side-effects was for my heart...especially high blood pressure with a slow pulse rate, I was able to see my heart moving in my chest...sometimes my BP was more high than 200/90...I had to take some Apo-Nifed pills to reduce my BP. Usually it was always around 140-160/80-90-100...so more high than the regular 120/70 I normally have...and all of this without eating food with tyramine...I was really strict on the respect of the diet (exception goes to whey protein shakes but I monitor my blood pressure each time I eat them and the BP was getting lower not higher with the protein shake and I had them only 3 or 4 times in the whole month experience on the Parnate). I had also orthostatic hypotension, but it was not too bad, I mean you can get used of it after a while and it tend to decrease after a couple of days...and it's often worse just after you up the dosage and everything return to the normal after a week...
I guess the Parnate was not a great drug for me, maybe because i'm not in a really good physical shape. I smooke a lot, I don't exercice a lot...on the Parnate it was worst, just take a walk was a "feat"... so I was not able to imagine myself on the Parnate and doing at the same time a diet to loose the weight, doing some exercices and live a normal life with a work, a return to the University to finish my studies and things like that...
The only one good thing that I was able to achieve with the Parhate was the decrease of my Valium intake by 10mg/day...I was at 20mg/day dosage before...4 pills of 5mg each day...During all the Parnate experience, I was able to reduce it to 10mg/day...Since I stop the Parnate, I return to the 20mg/day of Valium, it was a natural process, I don't realise it before 2 days ago. My brains crave for them...I still don't know why, since I don't change anything in my life since I stop the Parnate.
I meet the PDoc again this week, I will see what options he gives to me...I will TRY to suggest something who will make me less tired like an old TCA (desipramine: Norpramin, Pertofrane), it's one of the most specific norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor of it's class...with little to no action on the serotonin, since all the SSRI tend to make me feel worst in general with less energy, a lack of motivation and poor concentration, cognitives impairements...things like that, weight gain...I think it will maybe help. I know that TCA's in general are not great to help for social phobia and aneixty..but well maybe having more energy and motivation will help to improve my life and give me some motivation to do something of my life and regain my self-esteem...I just feel like i'm not usefull for this world now...that's a feeling I hate...
If the PDoc refuse, I don't know what will be my next option...Manerix (Reversible MAOI is out of question...it's not working), Cymbalta...for what I read since a couple of days I think I will never try it, the Luvox (only one SSRI I never try) don't seem to be better than the others SSRI's and just add mood stabilizer alone will not be really helpfull since I don'T have up and down...i'm always tired and out of energy since more than 2 years now...
Maybe a return to the Nardil, who was less harder for me in the side-effects will be a valid option...maybe just a regular stimulant like Dexedrine or the newer Adderall-Xr...Since the Ritalin don't do a lot of things on me in the past...I still don't know...I'm getting a little overstress since a couple of days...I have a lot of things to told to the PDoc and a lot of suggestions to do to him, but at the same time, I know that I will go to the appointment and say nothing of what I have to say because I will feel that i'm not the ONE who decide what is good for me and what is not good...and I will feel inferior to him as usual...
For now, I just continue to drink my usual 6 cups of coffee to find the little amount of energy I need just to survive at daytime (no, coffee don't make me more anxious...I stop several times all my caffeine intake and the anxiety never decrease)... I continue to take my 25mg of regular Seroquel at night to sleep more well. I can sleep more time at night(4-5 hours) but i'm still really tired at daytime...but not tired like I was on the Parnate, it's a more mental fatigue...not physical...
Anyway, blood pressure was the main reason why I quit the Parnate...
Hope it can help...and I hope you will not change your minds about the Parnate because of what I write...I mean, it's just my experience, I had several tries on other drugs when I never experienced side-effects, I had other tries where it was untolerable (like the Parnate), sometimes it was just ok...mean no decrease of my state...but no improve also...but having dangerous side-effects that implies the heart and the blood pressure, I think I can't take the chance to continue to play with my security like this...I just take a natural decision...I'm sure I will find something else to treat me...I don't give up...and I hope you will not give up also!!!
Take care!
Vincent ;-)
poster:Vincent_QC
thread:871054
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090104/msgs/874814.html