Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 840750

Shown: posts 1 to 16 of 16. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Parnate Experiences/Help Please

Posted by eric wagner on July 19, 2008, at 10:31:40

I would appreciate anyone w/ positive/negative experiences while taking Parnate to please share them
I began Tranylcypromine Sulfate (Generic Parnate) 3 weeks ago
I took:
10 mgs. for 5 days
20 mgs. for 5 days
30 mgs. for 5 days
I have now been on 40 mgs. for about a week
My Dr. said w/ the lack of side effects, I could go up to 40 mgs.
I'm guessing that's the highest he wants me on - for now?
I believe the FDA max. is 60 mgs./day
I've also seen somewhere it said no higher than 120 mgs./day
Many of the posts I have read, some people do not see any positive effects until upwards of 80 mgs./day & I have read many are on 120 mgs./day & even up to 200 mgs./day
I have a very high tolerance for medications & was wondering if anyone has any insight on this
I'm an otherwise healthy 33 year old male
I have been on many, many medications for depression/ADD for the past 10 years, w/ only a short-lived, very positive response to Methylphenidate
Any response will be much appreciated
Eric M. Wagner

 

Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please

Posted by eric wagner on July 19, 2008, at 10:40:56

In reply to Parnate Experiences/Help Please, posted by eric wagner on July 19, 2008, at 10:31:40

Any good augmenting medications would be very helpful/appreciated also
Eric M. Wagner

 

Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please » eric wagner

Posted by Quintal on July 19, 2008, at 12:07:55

In reply to Parnate Experiences/Help Please, posted by eric wagner on July 19, 2008, at 10:31:40

Parnate made my depression worse initially until I raised the dose to 40mg. Within a month I was taking 80-120mg a day. The maximum my pdoc would prescribe was 30mg so I had to come off it, but those three months were some of the best I've had in the last five years. I was also taking 200mg Lamictal as a mood stabilizer and augmenter. Also 4mg clonazepam for anxiety and to help with the insomnia.

Q

 

Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please » eric wagner

Posted by Maxime on July 19, 2008, at 17:21:44

In reply to Parnate Experiences/Help Please, posted by eric wagner on July 19, 2008, at 10:31:40

How do you feel now at 40mg? Maybe you should keep it at that dose for a few weeks before augmenting.

I was on 80mg of Parnate and then 100 mg of parnate. I only responded once I was 80 mg. But if you are responding at 40 ... then sit there for a bit.

Maxime

 

Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please » eric wagner

Posted by Zeba on July 19, 2008, at 18:25:13

In reply to Parnate Experiences/Help Please, posted by eric wagner on July 19, 2008, at 10:31:40

I take 40 mg. per day, and it has been working well for me. I am no longer depressed. Yes I have days when I am feeling down, but it is associated with something negative that happened that day, and by the next day I am back to being okay again. I don't take anything else with it for now, but my pdoc wants me to add Abilify, 5 mg. to help with the emotional upheaval I experience when we work on trauma issues in therapy. I took 2.5 mg. and felt like I had been hit by a Mac Truck. So I am not taking it now and will check with him on Tuesday.

Zeba

 

Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please » eric wagner

Posted by Tomatheus on July 19, 2008, at 22:43:25

In reply to Parnate Experiences/Help Please, posted by eric wagner on July 19, 2008, at 10:31:40

Eric,

A 1989 study by Amsterdam & Berwish found that four out of seven participants with treatment-refractory depression were completely responsive to Parnate in doses ranging from 90-130 mg/day.

So, even though I would give 40 mg/day more time to see how it works, I wouldn't rule out trying a higher dose of the medication if 40 mg doesn't work out.

Tomatheus

==

REFERENCE

Amsterdam, J.D., & Berwish, N.J. (1989). High dose tranylcypromine therapy for refractory depression. Pharmacopsychiatry, 22, 21-25. Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2710808

 

Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please

Posted by eric wagner on July 20, 2008, at 12:29:39

In reply to Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please » eric wagner, posted by Maxime on July 19, 2008, at 17:21:44

> How do you feel now at 40mg? Maybe you should keep it at that dose for a few weeks before augmenting.
>
> I was on 80mg of Parnate and then 100 mg of parnate. I only responded once I was 80 mg. But if you are responding at 40 ... then sit there for a bit.
>
> Maxime

I have no response at 40 mgs.
How quickly did you go up to 80 - 100 mgs.?
When you say you responded at 80 mgs., how did you feel - lack of depression, energy, focus, ambition, etc.?
Thank You for responses
Eric M. Wagner

 

Just be careful!

Posted by jaclinhyde on July 20, 2008, at 22:45:20

In reply to Parnate Experiences/Help Please, posted by eric wagner on July 19, 2008, at 10:31:40

Parnate like the rest of the MAOI's can be sheer heaven if you are careful. If you abuse it like I did (one of its metabolites is a very close match to amphetamine) you may end up having a psychotic episode. One night I went to bed and the next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital a week later. I actually walked to someone elses house and rang the doorbell thinking it was my house. Long story short I was whisked away by helicopter to a hospital where I couldn't even feed myself for a week and was talking to invisible people! My husband said that I said some horrible things to my then 15 year old son which I will never forgive myself for even though my son realizes that it 'wasn't me.'

What I am trying to say is you just have to be very diligent with Parnate. I was the one that created my own trouble by taking too much of it (welcome to mania city!); I really can't blame the drug itself. It DOES work. Just remember there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

Peace

 

Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please » eric wagner

Posted by Crotale on July 21, 2008, at 12:58:15

In reply to Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please, posted by eric wagner on July 20, 2008, at 12:29:39

Eric,

What other meds are you on, if any? 40mg seems like an awfully low max dose to me.

-Crotale

 

Re: Just be careful!

Posted by eric wagner on July 22, 2008, at 9:54:02

In reply to Just be careful!, posted by jaclinhyde on July 20, 2008, at 22:45:20

> Parnate like the rest of the MAOI's can be sheer heaven if you are careful. If you abuse it like I did (one of its metabolites is a very close match to amphetamine) you may end up having a psychotic episode. One night I went to bed and the next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital a week later. I actually walked to someone elses house and rang the doorbell thinking it was my house. Long story short I was whisked away by helicopter to a hospital where I couldn't even feed myself for a week and was talking to invisible people! My husband said that I said some horrible things to my then 15 year old son which I will never forgive myself for even though my son realizes that it 'wasn't me.'
>
> What I am trying to say is you just have to be very diligent with Parnate. I was the one that created my own trouble by taking too much of it (welcome to mania city!); I really can't blame the drug itself. It DOES work. Just remember there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
>
> Peace

How much were you taking which caused the troubles?
Thanks
Eric M. Wagner

 

Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please

Posted by eric wagner on July 22, 2008, at 9:56:06

In reply to Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please » eric wagner, posted by Crotale on July 21, 2008, at 12:58:15

> Eric,
>
> What other meds are you on, if any? 40mg seems like an awfully low max dose to me.
>
> -Crotale

Just 40 mgs. Generic Parnate
I see my Dr. Friday & will inquire as to raising my dose to a level which hopefully will produce positive effects
How much were you on, & how long did you take to get to the dose which provided the maximum response?
Thnaks
Eric M. Wagner

 

Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please

Posted by Justherself54 on July 22, 2008, at 17:52:59

In reply to Parnate Experiences/Help Please, posted by eric wagner on July 19, 2008, at 10:31:40

Having been on Nardil and now Parnate, it's been my experience that the MAOI's take longer to work than SSRI's...you've only been at 40 mg for a week...I've stayed at 30 for over a month and a half to see if I would respond further..I've just now seem my pdoc and am going to try 40 mg with very careful montitoring of my BP...I wasn't able to get to 30 mg previously due to severe hypotension, but now I've developed hypertension and Parnate has lowered it to the normal range, so here's hoping I can make it to 40 mg.

I'd give 40 mg more time to see if you'll respond...I didn't think I was going to respond at all this time but after a month at 30 I started to get benefit from it..

 

Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please » eric wagner

Posted by maxime on July 22, 2008, at 19:08:35

In reply to Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please, posted by eric wagner on July 20, 2008, at 12:29:39


>
> I have no response at 40 mgs.
> How quickly did you go up to 80 - 100 mgs.?
> When you say you responded at 80 mgs., how did you feel - lack of depression, energy, focus, ambition, etc.?
> Thank You for responses
> Eric M. Wagner

I noticed an increase in energy and an ability to focus. People around me I seemed "lighter" which I think they meant "less down". Parnate was always very good for motivation and focus but it failed as a mood brightner for me. My mood brightened on Nardil.

I went up quickly to 80 mg from 40mg ... 10 mg every day.

maxime

 

Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please

Posted by okydoky on July 23, 2008, at 12:05:35

In reply to Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please » eric wagner, posted by maxime on July 22, 2008, at 19:08:35

When I used to take Parnate I went up to 30 or 40mg within a few days. Once on 30mg I felt an immediate lifting of my depression. It usually only took three days. It was like night and day. In the end after several years I needed more but watch for side effects on larger doses and make sure you have some preparation for the possibility of hypertensive crisis. Be it Procardia at home or knowing with a bad headache to get the ER immediately. For me and I have seen others this medication has worked miracles. I hope it does for you.

 

Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please

Posted by Another Phil on July 24, 2008, at 14:19:21

In reply to Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please, posted by okydoky on July 23, 2008, at 12:05:35

My experience is unusual, but Parnate induced severe bipolar cycling for me (which I had never had before). At first, I didn't realize what was happening. Within three days of starting at 10 mg, I felt better than I had ever felt in my life. I didn't realize that I was manic at the time. About 10 days later, I crashed into the worst depression I've ever experienced. I simply couldn't function, crying hysterically nearly every waking moment. At 39 years old, I had to have my mom stay with me (a humbling experience, to say the least). My grossly irresponsible pdoc at the time pushed my dose higher and added in Depakote as a mood stabilizer. (Hmmm. Meds induce bipolar. Increase the dose and treat the bipolar symptoms. What could possibly go wrong?) I began ultra-rapid cycling for about two weeks: utterly non-functional in the mornings, gradually improving as the day went on. Eventually, things did even out (the sever cycling stopped), but the antidepressant effect wasn't great and there was a whole laundry list of really bad side effects (severe insomnia, severe constipation, myoclonic jerks, acne, and a bunch of other less annoying ones). Once I was out the crisis, I could finally think clearly enough to fire that awful pdoc (our relationship had become adversarial at that point) and get a new one who agreed that Parnate was a terrible drug for me and that I should get off of it. As I began to taper off of it, I started cycling again (living with mom again, see above) so my pdoc said there was really no downside to stopping cold turkey. I did, and went through about two weeks more of cycling, then the cycling stopped and hasn't returned. I went from being on the verge of hospitalization (which I resisted heroically, but probably should have done) to being merely miserable again.

I don't mean this to be an anti-Parnate rant, because I know it really works for a lot of people. In fact, Selegiline, another (albeit unusual) MAOI, really works well for me and gives me much more energy. Unfortunately, it also makes me kind of stupid (which, I know is the opposite of most people's experience). I'm sticking with it for now because the memory of relatively recent bad depression scares the crap out of me, but I know I can't stay on it forever. It's making it difficult for me to focus on any complex work.

Good luck to you.

Phil

 

Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please » Justherself54

Posted by Zeba on July 26, 2008, at 22:39:29

In reply to Re: Parnate Experiences/Help Please, posted by Justherself54 on July 22, 2008, at 17:52:59

Glad to hear you are getting some benefit from the Parnate. Will you take it in split doses? At first I took all 40 mg. in the a.m. and was practically falling asleep by 2p.m. Now I take 20 mg in the a.m. and 20 mg. at lunch, and I don't end up feeling tired.

Parnate has done the same for me. It lowers my bp. Weird, but so I end up taking my bp med in the evening instead of the a.m.

Zeba


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