Posted by delna on March 15, 2010, at 10:37:26
In reply to Re: Parnate and Provigil/NUVIGIL?, posted by mrm1036 on March 15, 2010, at 6:15:43
> I acknowledge that my dose of Parnate (100 mg) is a relatively high dose but it is the only antidepressant that has ever helped me (after being on who knows how many different combinations of antidepresssants over the past 28 years).Hi,
Regarding your dose of Parnate, yes it is so true that many people need higher doses .
Just for your general interest, you may be interested in these 2 tips by Dr Ivan Goldberg (who has been prescribing Parnate forever) that also speak positively of high doses for resistant cases (plus augmentation with stimulants).
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 1995 13:33:03 -0800 (PST)
From: Ivan Goldberg <psydoc@psycom.net>
Subject: Non-response to tranylcypromineThe commonest reason people do not respond to tranylcypromine (Parnate) is an inadequate dose. When using an MAOI I follow platelet MAO levels and keep increasing the dose is sufficient to reduce those levels almost to zero. This often takes > 60 mg/day of tranylcypromine.
If a month or so on 80 mg/day or so does not lead to a significant improvement, the next thing I usually do is to add a psychostimulant such as methylphenidate or dextroamphetamine to the cocktail. Starting with small doses, the dose is gradually increased until the patient is taking about 30 mg/day of dextroamphetamine, or twice as much methylphenidate.
Date: Fri, 14 Apr 1995 15:06:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: Ivan Goldberg <psydoc@psycom.net>
Subject: MAOIs in high doses and with stimulantsThere are recently been a number of warnings posted there that MAOIs should not be prescribed together with psychostimulants. While that is the conventional wisdom, if universally implemented, it would deprive many severely and intractably depressed people from relief.
In the olden days, the early 1960s, we used to treat some patients with resistant depressions with up to 200 mg/day of tranylcypromine and if that was not effective potentiate it with dextroamphetamine, starting with 2.5 mg once a day and gradually increasing to 15 or 20 mg/day.
Until it was recently withdrawn, a 60ish year old patient of mine was only able to continue in his professional work by taking 170 mg/day of isocarboxazid + 5 mg of dextroamphetamine t.i.d. Since the isocarboxazid became unavailable, he has been doing almost as well on phenelzine 135 mg/day + the dextroamphetamine.
When treating patients with unusually hard to treat syndromes it is often necessary to use combinations [and doses] of medication that are conventionally considered to be contraindicated.
poster:delna
thread:939525
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100305/msgs/939628.html