Posted by iforgotmypassword on January 12, 2013, at 16:20:48
Hi.
I hope I don't make this long.
I take a lot of lorazepam to function, this is not workable. I use it for both severe anxiety in public situations and to be able to think fluidly / initiate / relieve movement symptoms. Disinhibition it causes appears to be what I rely on for relief of both motor and cognitive complaints.
I already use memantine in an attempt to diminish it's use, avoid contribution to tolerance. It's effect is distinct from lorazepam, but it helps. I feel like if I took more it may help. Amantadine added on also further diminished my movement complaints, but I also had minor visual effects, which seems to be a consequence of mixing nmda antagonists, incl. herbs that incl nmda antagonism in their effects (like boiled asian cat's claw / gou teng) Amantadine also causes a strange visible vascular skin condition over time in an alarming amount of people, seems to be far more toxic the higher the dose, and is actually the less weird of the two.
Unfortunately, memantine in my doctor's practice is the weirder more off-label of the options, which is understandable, it got fda clearance as a dementia drug where even it's use as a dementia drug is questioned. It's off label use may even just still be becoming known, it isn't cleared for alcoholism like acamprosate, and doesn't have the seniority of amantadine. Doses up to 40mg seem common, anecdotally and in journals, one preparation being studied for an indication that I don't remember used 28mg of memantine.
What would be more useful is if there is more monograph-like instructions for prescribing that high. This may help my doctor feel better about the idea if I ask about it.
Thank you.
poster:iforgotmypassword
thread:1035318
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20130112/msgs/1035318.html