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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by GregZ on May 20, 2003, at 9:28:31
Hi, I'm new to the group. I have pretty severe social anxiety (possibly avoidant personality disorder), plus a long-standing mild depression that has been with me nearly constantly for ten years (I am now 26).
I did some research into medications and decided I wanted to take Parnate. I had three reasons. Parnate is said to be good for (1) people who haven't responded to other antidepressants, (2) people with social anxiety, and (3) people with atypical depression. And I fall into all three of those categories.
I went in to see a nurse yesterday as a preliminary step before my seeing a psychiatrist tomorrow. I told the nurse my reasons for wanting to take Parnate. He said that I could always request Parnate, but recommended that I consider Effexor instead. Now I have 24 hours to think it over before I make up my mind.
I am still uncertain but am leaning in favor of taking Parnate due to the reasons I mentioned above. When I read about Effexor yesterday, no similar reasons compelled me. But I want to ask the opinion and experiences of other people here.
A little further information on me: I took Paxil in 1998, not as directed (I was stupid and took 80 mg a day), which made me manic. After the mania wore off, my depression and other problems returned, and I have not responded to any antidepressnats since then (I've tried Paxil, Serzone, and Zoloft). Hence my need to take a non-SSRI this time.
Well, I managed to say all that without writing a book, so I should be pleased and quit while I'm ahead, I think... I'd really appreciate any feedback you might have to give!
Greg
Posted by TR on May 20, 2003, at 11:15:56
In reply to Parnate vs. Effexor: must decide in 24 hours!, posted by GregZ on May 20, 2003, at 9:28:31
Besides Parnate, the only med combination I've ever tried which has had any noticeable impact upon my depression was a combo of Effexor and Abilify (though the effect pooped out pretty fast). For me, Parnate is unequaled in its ability to alleviate my depression, but I think Effexor is a good second choice.
> Hi, I'm new to the group. I have pretty severe social anxiety (possibly avoidant personality disorder), plus a long-standing mild depression that has been with me nearly constantly for ten years (I am now 26).
>
> I did some research into medications and decided I wanted to take Parnate. I had three reasons. Parnate is said to be good for (1) people who haven't responded to other antidepressants, (2) people with social anxiety, and (3) people with atypical depression. And I fall into all three of those categories.
>
> I went in to see a nurse yesterday as a preliminary step before my seeing a psychiatrist tomorrow. I told the nurse my reasons for wanting to take Parnate. He said that I could always request Parnate, but recommended that I consider Effexor instead. Now I have 24 hours to think it over before I make up my mind.
>
> I am still uncertain but am leaning in favor of taking Parnate due to the reasons I mentioned above. When I read about Effexor yesterday, no similar reasons compelled me. But I want to ask the opinion and experiences of other people here.
>
> A little further information on me: I took Paxil in 1998, not as directed (I was stupid and took 80 mg a day), which made me manic. After the mania wore off, my depression and other problems returned, and I have not responded to any antidepressnats since then (I've tried Paxil, Serzone, and Zoloft). Hence my need to take a non-SSRI this time.
>
> Well, I managed to say all that without writing a book, so I should be pleased and quit while I'm ahead, I think... I'd really appreciate any feedback you might have to give!
>
> Greg
Posted by Jack Smith on May 20, 2003, at 12:57:03
In reply to Parnate vs. Effexor: must decide in 24 hours!, posted by GregZ on May 20, 2003, at 9:28:31
I went through this exact same decision about six weeks ago. I too was leaning towards parnate and my doc suggested effexor and I decided to go with it reasoning that I could always try parnate later and that if effexor worked, I would rather be on it long term. Effexor has been pretty good but I still have not seen a complete remission but I am going to raise my dose again and see where it goes. . . . I am going to include a link to what people said about my combo. I thought I received intelligent advice but, of course, our situations are a little different. I do not have social phobia at all, I have atypical depression and GAD
JACK
Posted by lostsailor on May 20, 2003, at 20:27:48
In reply to Re: Parnate vs. Effexor: must decide in 24 hours! » GregZ, posted by Jack Smith on May 20, 2003, at 12:57:03
Please read up on MAOI's inhibitors tonight or in the am. I am being faced with a similar choice, as I have really run the gamut with meds, but basically told my pdoc of 8 years that there is no way I want an MAOI, which parnate is. There a a ton of really good reasons and only you can tell if you can/will deal with the side effects and dietary restricions.
With that in mind, will I try them--maybe. But if I don't see a totally good reaction for the switch , he knows , I'll "just say no" and live with life as is...
good luck and I really hope you and your doc have ex[lored ALL other avenues
In peace,
~tony
Posted by cubbybear on May 22, 2003, at 10:40:15
In reply to Parnate vs. Effexor: must decide in 24 hours!-greg, posted by lostsailor on May 20, 2003, at 20:27:48
Hello Greg,
I've never taken Effexor, but I've had terrific results with Parnate for more than 18 years. Does that say something? I know that every person reacts to every drug in a different way; there have been people on this board who did not like it or its MAOI cousin, Nardil. But for me, Parnate has been a life-saver. Of course, we all know about the dietary restrictions, but so what? Freedom from agonizing depression is worth more than a slice of cheese. Side effects seem to vary with everyone, but I've been pretty lucky in that area, too (mostly low blood pressure at the beginning and heightened appetite).I get really annoyed with the whole f...g medical establishment when they do their utmost to try and steer patients toward the drugs that make the most money--not what YOU say you want. The fact is, there's a lot less money to be made from Parnate (and you'd probably wind up paying less at the counter for it too).
But more to the point--try not to let other people steer you away from what you really want. That goes for whatever you want to do with your life. If you decide you want to try Parnate, go the extra mile and persist until you find a doctor who will prescribe it. End of rant.
This is the end of the thread.
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