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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 GOGO on August 18, 2007, at 23:36:59
I've been reading posts for a month now, and everything's getting more confusing .... There are SO MANY !!!!!
I've been dabbling w/ SJW and Sam e .... These don't work. I don't think SSRIs will work for me.
I suffer from GAD, SA, and depression due to low self-esteem, low self-confidence, and lack of energy.
So far ... most ppl here seem to have good history w/ Nardil ... but weight gain is a huge issue for me ... Any suggestions for combos to maintain current weight?
Has anyone tried combining it with klonopin and adrafinil?
Posted by girlnterrupted78 on August 19, 2007, at 0:19:04
In reply to NARDIL COMBOS FOR WEIGHT LOSS?, posted by GOGO on August 18, 2007, at 23:36:59
I also tried SAMe, with zero results. Never tried SJW, and have tried several SSRI's, of which only ONE worked pretty well (Celexa) but for a limited amount of time--like all SSRI's do.
I'm currently on Nardil, and I guess I can tell you that I'm the exception to the rule in terms of side-effects and results:
*Does it work? Not yet for me (after 9 weeks on it,) although I only increased the dose a few weeks ago. I'll give it another month and see how it goes.
*Did I gain weight on it? Not a pound. (However, I follow a strict vegan diet, never indulge in junk food, chocolates, cookies, etc.. and my diet has caloric limit.)
*Do I have side-effects? Yes, Syncope (blackouts) and some mild anxiety (mostly shaking during the evening.)
By the way, I combine Nardil with Klonopin without a problem. I only take 0.25mg Klonopin because if I take 0.5 I feel weird. Kind of depressed and unhappy--it sort of kills my personality.
I know some people might gain weight, but UgottaHaveHope said his doctor was more concerned about the blackouts than about the weight gain, so I guess it works different for each person.
In my case, it hasn't made me hungrier (or get craves for carbs) and it hasn't slowed my metabolism either, so I can say that I never had that side-effect.
Good luck
Posted by tecknohed on August 19, 2007, at 17:26:33
In reply to NARDIL COMBOS FOR WEIGHT LOSS?, posted by GOGO on August 18, 2007, at 23:36:59
I just stopped Nardil after several years.
It definitely gave me the munchies, especially sweet stuff though not untill about a year into it's positive effects.Combined with clonazepam made no difference, only made me more tired & sleep more.
I also combined Provigil (similar to adrafinil) with Nardil but had no effect on appetite, except maybe the first week or so (it is a kind of stimulant which, incidentally, pooped out on me eventually anyway).
I'm very soon going back on Marplan, another MAOI which as I remember from before had quite an 'activating' effect of its own without any increased appetite. I found it too activating back then (I was trying it as a Nardil sub for SP) but was one DAMN good antidepressant!
I'm hoping that this time, coupled with clonazepam my anxiety will reduce without the lethargy I eventually got with Nardil.
Parnate is another MAOI with some amount of 'activating' qualities but you'll have to ask others bout that one as I've never tried it. Yet.
Posted by blueboy on August 20, 2007, at 15:20:20
In reply to NARDIL COMBOS FOR WEIGHT LOSS?, posted by GOGO on August 18, 2007, at 23:36:59
> I've been reading posts for a month now, and everything's getting more confusing .... There are SO MANY !!!!!
Unfortunately, personal nerve chemistry varies widely. All you can do from hearing anecdotal reports is to get an idea of the range of possibilities. You have to try it to know how it will effect you, sorry. Even worse, it takes a long time on it at full dosage to tell.
> I've been dabbling w/ SJW and Sam e .... These don't work. I don't think SSRIs will work for me.
>Again, guesswork and estimation never did me much good. Experiences with SJW and especially Sam E are not particularly valuable predictors of prescription anti-depressants.
> I suffer from GAD, SA, and depression due to low self-esteem, low self-confidence, and lack of energy.
>Sounds familiar :)
> So far ... most ppl here seem to have good history w/ Nardil ... but weight gain is a huge issue for me ... Any suggestions for combos to maintain current weight?
>I would certainly give a few SSRI's and/or SSNRI's a full chance before trying any MAOI. MAOI's are very "dirty" drugs and I wouldn't try one until I had eliminated other possibilities.
My sympathy about weight gain, it's not a pleasant subject for many of us. Nardil definitely put a lot of weight on me.
I tried every other type of antidepressant on the market. My choice came down to: Would I rather spend my life lying in bed, or gain 20 pounds and be able to work, do chores, take a shower every day, etc.
> Has anyone tried combining it with klonopin and adrafinil?
It combines very well with klonopin; in my case, there were no extra side effects and the benzo took away some of the severe insomnia that I got from Nardil.
Adrafinil I don't know anything about. I would be extremely cautious.
Posted by Jedi on August 21, 2007, at 1:38:06
In reply to NARDIL COMBOS FOR WEIGHT LOSS?, posted by GOGO on August 18, 2007, at 23:36:59
Hi,
You will have a hard time finding a MD who will prescribe a MAOI without going through at least a SSRI, a tricyclic and one of the newer meds such as Cymbalta. If you get a really good PDOC and your depression is atypical,(According to the DSM-IV, the patient with atypical features experiences - mood reactivity, with improved mood when something good happens. In addition, the DSM-IV mandates at least two of the following: increase in appetite or weight gain, as opposed to the reduced appetite or weight loss of "typical" depression; excessive sleeping, as opposed to insomnia; leaden paralysis; and sensitivity to rejection.) they may try a MAOI after a failure on SSRIs. None will start with a MAOI.About two hours of exercise per day helped me lose weight on Nardil. I also augmented with bupropion, but it is contraindicated with Nardil, so good luck getting it precribed. It did help with my Nardil weight problem. Then there are the stimulants, but you should have a really experienced psychopharmacologist to do this augmentaton.
I use Nardil augmented with clonazepam. This provides the best helped I have ever had for my social anxiey.
Be Well,
Jed> I've been reading posts for a month now, and everything's getting
more confusing .... There are SO MANY !!!!!
>
> I've been dabbling w/ SJW and Sam e .... These don't work. I don't think SSRIs will work for me.
>
> I suffer from GAD, SA, and depression due to low self-esteem, low self-confidence, and lack of energy.
>
> So far ... most ppl here seem to have good history w/ Nardil ... but weight gain is a huge issue for me ... Any suggestions for combos to maintain current weight?
>
> Has anyone tried combining it with klonopin and adrafinil?
This is the end of the thread.
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