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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 22 of 22. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by emme on February 22, 2005, at 22:33:04
Antidepressant effects still holding. I've had to drop the dose back down to 5 mg b/c I can't tolerate 10 mg or 7.5 mg. I'll see if the benefit holds at the lower dose. Drawbacks: lotsa fatigue, spacey brain, and I swear the stuff is making me feel weak. I'm encouraged enough by the improvement to try to work with the dosage for the time being to see if we can minimize the side efects.
Posted by SadDoggie on February 23, 2005, at 7:26:37
In reply to memantine update, posted by emme on February 22, 2005, at 22:33:04
I would like to post my experience too. I had to start at 2.5mg because 5mg made me spacey and basically didn't make me feel good. At 2.5mg it seemed to augment my other meds so it was not bad. After 4 days though I didn't get an effect anymore and raised it to 5mg. I was able to tolerate 5mg now. I got an augmenting effect for another 4 days or so, but it lost it's effect again. I tried raising it to 7.5mg but was not able to tolerate that dose. Not a very good experience for me but not totally bad or useless. Others might have a better experience. I have not tried it with an opiate yet and it might be more useful then.
SadDoggie> Antidepressant effects still holding. I've had to drop the dose back down to 5 mg b/c I can't tolerate 10 mg or 7.5 mg. I'll see if the benefit holds at the lower dose. Drawbacks: lotsa fatigue, spacey brain, and I swear the stuff is making me feel weak. I'm encouraged enough by the improvement to try to work with the dosage for the time being to see if we can minimize the side efects.
Posted by SLS on February 23, 2005, at 7:40:43
In reply to memantine update, posted by emme on February 22, 2005, at 22:33:04
Hi Emme.
I lost the reply I had written to your post. Grrr.
Anyway, I experience the same fatigue and weakness that you descibe. I restarted memantine at 20mg to see if it might help now that I am taking Parnate. I doubt it will. At the very best, I would guess that I will respond to it no better than I did the first time I took it with imipramine. My experience was very much as SadDoggie described. Tachyphylaxis.
- Scott
> Antidepressant effects still holding. I've had to drop the dose back down to 5 mg b/c I can't tolerate 10 mg or 7.5 mg. I'll see if the benefit holds at the lower dose. Drawbacks: lotsa fatigue, spacey brain, and I swear the stuff is making me feel weak. I'm encouraged enough by the improvement to try to work with the dosage for the time being to see if we can minimize the side efects.
Posted by SLS on February 23, 2005, at 7:43:03
In reply to Re: memantine update » emme, posted by SLS on February 23, 2005, at 7:40:43
I forgot.
Once you find a dosage of memantine that you can tolerate, you might consider adding in selegiline, Adderall, or Wellbutrin if your response to memantine is inadequate.
- Scott
Posted by emme on February 23, 2005, at 16:11:09
In reply to Re: memantine update » SLS, posted by SLS on February 23, 2005, at 7:43:03
Hi Scott,
Good luck with the retrial. If memantine doesn't pan out for your on this second go-around, at least you can say you gave it the best trial you could.
Interesting that you had the weakness also. So I'm not losing my mind. I'm distressed by how quickly my muscles are fatiguing in classes at the gym. And we're talking like 2 lb hand weights. My legs were extremely weak in step class, which is unusual. Did you also feel an increased need to stretch your muscles? I'm really hoping this will resolve.
As for augmenting, unfortunately I can't do the selegiline. I used it for quite a while and I had a lot of good days on it, but I finally realized it was fueling some sort of nasty cycling. Wellbutrin = too stimulating. Maybe I'll ask my doctor about adderall. I'm trying a speck of provigil to help with the fatigue.
em
> I forgot.
>
> Once you find a dosage of memantine that you can tolerate, you might consider adding in selegiline, Adderall, or Wellbutrin if your response to memantine is inadequate.
>
>
> - Scott
Posted by emme on February 23, 2005, at 16:14:00
In reply to Re: memantine update » emme, posted by SLS on February 23, 2005, at 7:40:43
I just looked up tachyphylaxis.
Thanks for the new vocab word. :)
Posted by Sarah T. on February 23, 2005, at 23:08:52
In reply to Oh, and.... » SLS, posted by emme on February 23, 2005, at 16:14:00
I've read about memantine. It's used for different purposes. What are you folks using it for? Are you using it primarily as an augmentor? Isn't it an NMDA antagonist? Are you using it for that purpose and, if so, do you think it helps?
Posted by emme on February 24, 2005, at 6:58:21
In reply to What are you using memantine for?, posted by Sarah T. on February 23, 2005, at 23:08:52
> I've read about memantine. It's used for different purposes. What are you folks using it for?
Depression.
> Are you using it primarily as an augmentor?
I also take Lamictal.
> Isn't it an NMDA antagonist?
Yep.
> do you think it helps?
So far, yes. Others here are have reported only fleeting improvement. But mine is lasting a few weeks so far.
Posted by SLS on February 24, 2005, at 8:36:41
In reply to Re: memantine update » SLS, posted by emme on February 23, 2005, at 16:11:09
Hi Emme.
I wonder if taking magnesium supplements might enhance the action of memantine?
- Scott
Posted by emme on February 24, 2005, at 13:53:28
In reply to Re: memantine update » emme, posted by SLS on February 24, 2005, at 8:36:41
Hi Scott,
By what mechanism would it do that?
I take 200 mg Mg citrate now. I guess I could think about bumping it to 400.em
> Hi Emme.
>
> I wonder if taking magnesium supplements might enhance the action of memantine?
>
>
> - Scott
Posted by SLS on February 24, 2005, at 20:57:49
In reply to Re: memantine update » SLS, posted by emme on February 24, 2005, at 13:53:28
> By what mechanism would it do that?Under normal circumstances, magnesium ions act to block or inactivate NMDA receptor channels. They hop on and hop off.
How are you feeling now?
- Scott
Posted by SLS on February 24, 2005, at 21:21:47
In reply to Re: memantine update » emme, posted by SLS on February 24, 2005, at 20:57:49
Hi Emme.
Do you find that you are less tolerant of cold weather?
- Scott
Posted by emme on February 24, 2005, at 21:56:31
In reply to Re: memantine update » emme, posted by SLS on February 24, 2005, at 20:57:49
>
> > By what mechanism would it do that?
>
> Under normal circumstances, magnesium ions act to block or inactivate NMDA receptor channels. They hop on and hop off.
>
> How are you feeling now?Depression improved and more motivated - at least mentally. I can't believe this stuff works. This is very good. I don't seem to be having a lot of intense emotions. So I'm worrying that this will mean that my ability to ultimately experience good emotions in a strong way will be compromised.
OTOH, perhaps my emotions have actually been hyperactive for a long time and that what I'd be left with is a normal range of human feeling. Dunno yet.
Physically, I don't feel well. Tired and just generally unwell. And I'm still kind of foggy. Part of my spaciness might just be tiredness. I'm going to work with this for a little while longer b/c the relief from depression is really lovely.
If this doesn't end up being workable, I think prozac was next on the list. I think it's the one SSRI I haven't tried and I've always been under the impression that it's less likely to cause apathy than the others.
How are you doing with the 20 mg?
em
Posted by emme on February 24, 2005, at 22:03:13
In reply to Re: memantine update, posted by SLS on February 24, 2005, at 21:21:47
Hi Scott,.
> Do you find that you are less tolerant of cold weather?
Good question. I seem a little chillier than I was a few weeks ago. But I am always cold blooded and so it's a little hard to tell. If it is making me colder, it's nothing like what Celexa did to me in that department. I take it you're having trouble with cold on memantine?
em
Posted by SLS on February 25, 2005, at 7:13:11
In reply to Re: memantine update » SLS, posted by emme on February 24, 2005, at 22:03:13
Hi Emme.
I think I'm going to cut back to 10mg for a few days and work back up. Starting memantine at 20mg was counterproductive, mostly because of the sleepiness, spaceyness, fatigue, muscle weakness, and perhaps less overall functionality it has produced. I don't recall experiencing any of this over the summer, when I used the manufacturer's starter-pack to titrate. I have a big family occasion coming up next month, and I don't want to do anything that will make it more difficult to get through it.
I have been less tolerant to the cold over the last week or so. Yesterday, I caught a chill that had me shivering under the blankets. I haven't taken any memanting since yesterday morning. I seem to be alright now.
If you are receiving such benefit from memantine, I think you should continue to work with it and perhaps add an activating drug of some sort (modafinil, methylphenidate, amphetamine, bupropion).
- Scott
Posted by emme on February 25, 2005, at 13:31:18
In reply to Re: memantine update, posted by SLS on February 25, 2005, at 7:13:11
> I have been less tolerant to the cold over the last week or so. Yesterday, I caught a chill that had me shivering under the blankets. I haven't taken any memanting since yesterday morning. I seem to be alright now.Maybe ramping down and going back up slowly will avoid some of that. Or perhaps you are coincidentally fighting off a cold?
> If you are receiving such benefit from memantine, I think you should continue to work with it and perhaps add an activating drug of some sort (modafinil, methylphenidate, amphetamine, bupropion).
Yeah, I'm hanging on to the feeling as long as I can. :) It'll probably take some patience to work with this. I've been trying a speck of provigil. Despite the drowsy fatigue, I also feel a little tired/wired some of the time(even w/o provigil). My pulse is increased on memantine too. We are cautiously dropping my dose of Lamictal to try to lower the overall amount of medication in me.
Keep us posted on the memantine retrial. It would be nice if you got some benefit that lasted more than two weeks. You're still on cymbalta, right?
em
Posted by SLS on February 25, 2005, at 14:12:19
In reply to Re: memantine update » SLS, posted by emme on February 25, 2005, at 13:31:18
> Keep us posted on the memantine retrial. It would be nice if you got some benefit that lasted more than two weeks. You're still on cymbalta, right?
I dropped the Cymbalta several months ago and returned to Parnate + nortriptyline. It is an old recipe for me, but it helps me function. Unfortunately, it's a dead end.
:-(
- Scott
Posted by SLS on February 25, 2005, at 16:03:12
In reply to Re: memantine update » SLS, posted by emme on February 24, 2005, at 22:03:13
Hi Emme.
Have you experienced any dizziness?
What dosage are you taking now, and how much do you plan to take?
I'm going to try taking some magnesium.
- Scott
Posted by emme on February 25, 2005, at 16:45:24
In reply to Re: memantine update » emme, posted by SLS on February 25, 2005, at 16:03:12
Hi Scott,
Now I remember that you're on parnate + notrip. I gotta get a better memory.
> Have you experienced any dizziness?
Yes. Mostly at night when I was tired. It seems to have stopped, either b/c I adjusted or b/c I lowered the dose. The depersonalization/derealization has eased up a bit too.
> What dosage are you taking now, and how much do you plan to take?
5 mg. If possible I'd like to try to drop memantine down to 2.5 mg, but I won't think about that until I see how I feel with less Lamictal. We're hoping that some of the brain fuzz might ease up with less medication in me. I swear, a clear head has become like the holy grail.
> I'm going to try taking some magnesium.
How much are you going to try?
em
Posted by ed_uk on February 26, 2005, at 11:01:50
In reply to Re: memantine update, posted by SLS on February 25, 2005, at 7:13:11
Hi Scott!
>I think I'm going to cut back to 10mg for a few days and work back up.
Maybe you don't need to work back up. Perhaps you'd get a better effect from a lower dose. What do you think?
Ed.
Posted by SLS on February 26, 2005, at 13:56:01
In reply to Re: memantine update » SLS, posted by ed_uk on February 26, 2005, at 11:01:50
> Hi Scott!
>
> >I think I'm going to cut back to 10mg for a few days and work back up.
>
> Maybe you don't need to work back up. Perhaps you'd get a better effect from a lower dose. What do you think?
You've got my vote!Thanks for the suggestion, Ed. I think I'll stay at 10mg.
You do good work here.
:-)
- Scott
Posted by ed_uk on February 26, 2005, at 14:00:52
In reply to Re: memantine update » ed_uk, posted by SLS on February 26, 2005, at 13:56:01
Good luck at 10mg :-)
Ed.
This is the end of the thread.
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