Posted by softheprairie on August 9, 2010, at 4:47:04
In reply to Re: Nardil is killing me - must find alternative! Help » Enigma, posted by ed_uk2010 on July 24, 2010, at 17:41:34
> >Selegiline worked (for a while) and I want to switch back to it (but poops out rather fast). Emsam worked for my depression but I was allergic to the dermal transfer technology and got awful poison ivy (well worse) rashes.......
>
> Have you tried selegiline orally disintegrating tablets (Zelapar)?
>
> Zelapar is only approved for use in Parkinson's disease but it may have other applications. With Zelapar, the selegiline is absorbed across the lining of the mouth. The idea is to reduce MAO inhibition in the gut and to reduce the formation of selegiline metabolites (which may cause adverse effects).
>
> I have no idea what dose of Zelapar would be needed to exert an antidepressant effect. It would be useful to hear from someone who has tried it.
>
I took Zelapar in 2007-2008. I found some benefit from Emsam, but did not like the patch form, and asked my pdoc if other forms of selegiline were available. I took the dose of Zelapar where each orally disintegrating tablet was 1.25 mg, and I slowly worked up to 15 mg., or something like that. Although, I guess that doesn't divide evenly. Maybe it was 16 mg. I am pretty sure I got up to 10 or more tablets a day. It gave me a little relief, but I came to think it wasn't enough, and I wanted to move on to try something else. (Also, the hassle of following the MAOI diet when on that high of a dose. Plus, I knew I was costing the insurance a lot, for not much benefit.)Just as a warning, I am kind of surprised my insurance covered it. I think this high of a dose was costing them something like a thousand dollars a month.
Luckily, desipramine has been much better for me, and I don't have to follow those diet and other med restristions of MAOIs any more.
poster:softheprairie
thread:955737
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100731/msgs/958004.html