Posted by Snell on April 15, 2014, at 5:51:08
Hello. I've been taking Parnate (tranylcypromine) 60 mg/d for eight (8) months and the side effects (the fragmented sleep and the anxiety) are starting to eat me alive. (I haven't lost response to the antidepressant properties of the medication.) These side effects have become very bad in the last month.
For the sleep we've tried zolpidem and zaleplon. We can't use any of the antidepressant sleep meds (mirtazapine, doxepin, trazodone) for obvious reasons. At this point I fall asleep for an hour and a half. That's usually it for the night. Then, in the afternoon, I will get hit by a wave of exhaustion that knocks me out for between two and three hours. Please don't tell me not to take naps. Sleep medicine doctors are on it; it is not a "nap"--it's getting hit by an avalanche.
For the anxiety we've tried about four different SGAs as well as raising my clonazepam as well as lamotrigine. We even tried gabapentin.
One of the worst problems is that because the MAOI interacts with *everything*, we have an arm tied behind our back in fighting these side effects.
So two questions: (1) Is there something you could think of that would allow me to stay on the Parnate/tranylcypromine? But what I'm really wanting to know is (2) How long do I have to be off the Parnate before I can begin my old, beloved regimen of venlafaxine and EMSAM?
A request: I'm sleep-deprived and irritable and don't think I could handle replies that are overly pedantic or patronizing. Thanks.
poster:Snell
thread:1064250
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20140328/msgs/1064250.html