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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Tom Twilight on June 1, 2006, at 13:11:22
Hey all
I'm very dispirited at the moment by my Parnate experience
I'm currently on 20mgsParnate is supposed to be energising, but for me it feels like some sort of sedative!
(This just goes to show how differently we react to drugs)I have felt very depressed and lethargic over the last few weeks, which is quite unusual for me.
I've been wanting to sleep all the time, say ten or twelve hours a night, and I've felt very foggy headed, and hopeless.Normally I'm Anxious and somewhat depressed, I believe my situation and the anxiety is contributing to this!
Didn't realise it was down to Parnate untill I forgot to take my afternoon dose.
The anxiety came back, but also some motivation, so I was a bit less depressed.I'm really confused by my reaction to Parnate:
Why is it so helpful for anxiety, but not depression?
Why is it making me sleepy!
I thought it was supposed to be the most activating MAOI!Does this mean Nardil will be a waste of time for me?
Will I react the same way?
Posted by Phillipa on June 1, 2006, at 13:25:46
In reply to Bizare reaction to Parnate!-Any advice?, posted by Tom Twilight on June 1, 2006, at 13:11:22
Could you phone Ed? He said you two talked on the phone once. Love Phillipa
Posted by deuce224 on June 1, 2006, at 13:38:08
In reply to Bizare reaction to Parnate!-Any advice?, posted by Tom Twilight on June 1, 2006, at 13:11:22
TRUST ME. give it more time. 2 days is nothing. My head was foggy for 3 weeks, but eventually it lifts.
Posted by kimcrazylady on June 1, 2006, at 13:56:29
In reply to Re: Bizare reaction to Parnate!-Any advice?, posted by deuce224 on June 1, 2006, at 13:38:08
You may just not be on a high enough dose yet. I always get very tired when beginning Parnate and still do whenever I up the dosage. Several hours after I take it, I need short nap, but this goes away in time. Also, when on a low dose, I don't get as much of the stimulating effects as I do on the higher doses.
These meds take time, so please try to hang in there and give it a chance at a therapeutic dose.
Posted by Tom Twilight on June 1, 2006, at 14:00:01
In reply to Re: Bizare reaction to Parnate!-Any advice?, posted by deuce224 on June 1, 2006, at 13:38:08
> TRUST ME. give it more time. 2 days is nothing. My head was foggy for 3 weeks, but eventually it lifts.
Sorry, you've completely misunderstood me!I've been on Parnate for over a month
I know that 40mgs is supposed to be the effective minimun dose for depression.
I'm reluctant to go this high because I'm worried about the fatigue.
Would also probably cause bad insomnia to which I'm prone.
Also the withdrawals would probably be very unpleasant from this dose!
Just going down from 30mgs to 20mgs was a bit unpleasant.
Posted by Caedmon on June 2, 2006, at 19:50:53
In reply to Re: Bizare reaction to Parnate!-Any advice?, posted by Tom Twilight on June 1, 2006, at 14:00:01
I am three weeks into taking Parnate 40mg. I thought the sedation would never end. So much for being a stimulating antidepressant, I thought!
Past few days it suddenly changed and now I'm all *energetic* and the brain fog is gone. It is a very speedy feeling. It does take time. I've read that it can unfortunately take months before sedation goes away. I think a little modafinil/ adrafanil would go a long way for many of us!
~~~~
"Phenelzine and tranylcypromine have been reported to cause severe daytime drowsiness in a small number of patients. Use of caffeine and vigorous exercise were not helpful. It is noted to be transient but only after months of being on the drug. It is suggested that hypersomnolent bipolar depressed patients seem to be at the greatest risk. The substitution of isocarboxazid is effective in some patients (Teicher et al 1988). On the other hand, MAOI-induced insomnia is estimated to occur in 4-17% of patients. Trazodone 50-200 mg/d was effective in treating this problem in 12 of 13 affected patients (Nierenberg and Keck 1989)."
- from http://www.tu.edu/user_files/10/19.htmlAlso:
J Clin Psychiatry. 1990 May;51(5):192-3.
Afternoon fatigue and somnolence associated with tranylcypromine treatment.
Joffe RT.
Department of Psychiatry, St. Michael's Hospital, Canada.
The author examined a series of 23 depressed and 15 obsessive compulsive disorder outpatients who were treated with 40-80 mg/day of tranylcypromine to determine the frequency and clinical features of fatigue and somnolence. Four (all depressed) of the 38 patients experienced hypersomnolence and fatigue in the late afternoon. The somnolence was severe enough to impair their ability to work and drive. Afternoon fatigue and somnolence appear to be important and not uncommon side effects of tranylcypromine treatment.
PMID: 2335494 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
***
Am J Psychiatry. 1988 Dec;145(12):1552-6.
Severe daytime somnolence in patients treated with an MAOI.
Teicher MH, Cohen BM, Baldessarini RJ, Cole JO.
Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Eight patients with hypersomnolent, anergic major depression benefited markedly from treatment with relatively high doses of phenelzine or tranylcypromine but experienced intense afternoon somnolence and disrupted sleep. Reducing the dose of monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) or substituting isocarboxazid sometimes provided relief, but altering the schedule of drugs or meals did not. Bedtime sedation alleviated the disrupted sleep but had little effect on daytime somnolence. The mechanism underlying this side effect is unknown; sleep deprivation, narcolepsy, or hypotension does not account for it. Patients given an MAOI should be assessed for this disturbance and cautioned to avoid risk of injury when it occurs.
PMID: 3273886 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
~~~~Good luck,
- Chris
Posted by sweetnlow on June 3, 2006, at 9:31:52
In reply to Bizare reaction to Parnate!-Any advice?, posted by Tom Twilight on June 1, 2006, at 13:11:22
I had tremendous fatigue on Parnate and I took it for eight weeks and it never subsided.
But Nardil worked great for me (except weight gain side-effect).
Posted by Tom Twilight on June 3, 2006, at 15:01:28
In reply to Re: Bizare reaction to Parnate!-Any advice?, posted by sweetnlow on June 3, 2006, at 9:31:52
Fascinating that Parnate made sweetenlow feel fatigued, but Nardil did not!
Posted by ed_uk on June 4, 2006, at 15:16:49
In reply to Thanks Guys!, posted by Tom Twilight on June 3, 2006, at 15:01:28
Hi Tom
I don't think your response to Parnate can be used to predict your response to Nardil. Nardil and Parnate seem quite different.
Regards
Ed
Posted by christophrejmc on June 7, 2006, at 21:49:32
In reply to Thanks Guys!, posted by Tom Twilight on June 3, 2006, at 15:01:28
> Fascinating that Parnate made sweetenlow feel fatigued, but Nardil did not!
This may actually be pretty common. I've seen a lot of reports about excessive daytime drowsiness and fatigue with Parnate and very few (actually, none that I can remember) from people taking Nardil. I've also taken the two myself and have found Parnate much worse than Nardil in that regard.
In my case, it only seemed to affect me after I had taken a dose; unfortunately, more than 10mg of Parnate at a time gave me spontaneous elevations of blood pressure so I had to take it throughout the day in divided doses.
It also caused insomnia which didn't exactly help the daytime sedation.
Nardil had no effect either way for me. The only side-effect from Nardil I had was weight gain (which, compared to other drugs that cause weight gain, was not bad at all). Still.. I'm probably so vain that I would take Parnate over Nardil if I had to do it again.
-CJMC
Posted by Questionmark on June 10, 2006, at 14:40:15
In reply to Re: Thanks Guys! » Tom Twilight, posted by ed_uk on June 4, 2006, at 15:16:49
i know from personal experience as well that this is true.
> Hi Tom
>
> I don't think your response to Parnate can be used to predict your response to Nardil. Nardil and Parnate seem quite different.
>
> Regards
>
> Ed
This is the end of the thread.
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