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Re: MAO/ beer/hops/Med Alert Etc.

Posted by Jennifer on June 15, 2000, at 0:36:40

In reply to Re: MAO/ beer/hops/Med Alert Etc., posted by Adam on June 14, 2000, at 22:51:25

Dianne, I TOTALLY AGREE with Adam. It sounds like a ton of stuff to have to get used to, but after the medication works...after nothing else has, you are willing to avoid those minor things you can't have. I would give up much more for how well it worked. I went from "ready to be restrained in a hospital" to "on a picnic with the kids" in 4 days. Awesome! Well worth it!
If he is understanding at this point of any cause & effect, or delayed gratification, explain that it often starts working fairly quickly. If it doesn't work, there are no restrictions after you are off the medication for 2 weeks. Walk him through this and provide wonderful meals within the diet, and other activities instead of beer. Patience is clearly a virtue at this time.
Adam is also right on about ODing...it has the same affect as eating the wrong thing...and there are many things they can do for it in the ER. It may take hours for the affects of an overdose or tyramine intake to be seen, so he would need to be observed at least 12 hours in the emergency room. There are many better ways to commit suicide than with this drug. As a matter of fact, overdosing is the least common reason for having a reaction. Number one is taking another med that reacts to it (allergy, cough/cold, Demerol, asthma etc) Number 2 reason is a food reaction. Both of those are still rare though. I always have the same pharmacist and have him check ALL my medications, not only the prescription ones. Plus I keep a drug book and look them up myself. If you're into exact statistics, they will follow next. If it will only drive you crazy...quit here. Jennifer

In the US in 1998 (last year posted) there were 440 exposures to MAO's reported to poison control centers.. Of these, 37 occured in children under 6 years of age, and 352 were in those over age 19. 200 of the total exposures were UNINTENTIONAL and 144 were intentional. Out of these 440 people, 22 had major adverse outcomes, and 7 died. Confession time: my own daughter was one of the 37 children. Climbed up on my counter, into the medicine cabinet, open the childproof bottle (at age 2) and put some in her mouth. When I caught her, there were pills in the sink with the orange coating missing, but I didn't know if she took any. I called my pediatrician to let her know we were on the way to the ER. She called poison control, and forwarded the info to the ER. When we got there, they gave her liquid charcoal (that was a fight), checked on her after an hour, and sent us home. They didn't believe me that she needed to be admitted...they said poison control confirmed she could go home. I monitored her all night, and when the pediatrician called the next morning, she was very surprised to find us home. Then she was livid when she found out we were sent home against her advice because poison control HAD told them to admit her. (because of the often delayed onset of symptoms).
You are doing a great job by becoming as educated about MAO's as you can, because many people don't know what to do. Once your husband finds out how good life is on it, he will then become interested in the diet...but not yet. Oh...by the way, the pills she took were very bitter inside, and most likely sucked off the candy coating and then spit them out. Luckily it worked out, but the more knowledgeable you are, the better. Jennifer

> Dianne,
>
> I had the same fears about Parnate the first time it was suggested to me (about a year-and-a-half ago). No one tried to persuade me to try them, it was just an idea that was floated. At any rate, after responding to an MAOI, I am so happy that I tried it, and I am not at all bothered by the dietary restrictions. It's a more than equitable trade.
>
> I also had tried just about every class of drug under the sun except an MAOI with little success. It's worth it for him to try. Try to make him see that.
>
> I think I remember reading that Parnate is not a particularly lethal drug in overdose, unlike the TCAs, for instance. Also, it's not all that easy to actually kill yourself by eating the wrong foods while on an MAOI. Actual deaths caused by tyramine-related hypertensive crises are very rare. Not to be morbid, but if I was really serious about killing myself, I'd try something else. Probably all I'd get out Parnate + a pound of Stilton cheese is many hours of truly unpleasant illness. Parnate in combination with some medications might be a more serious concern. Perhaps a partial solution would be to put those medications someplace safe and out of reach.
>
> But, really, if your husband is in that much of a risk for suicide, I might think seriously about getting him into a hospital. Perhaps he could start Parnate there.
>
> > Ugh! These last couple of posts have made me very sad. I know I have to share this information
> > with my husband and I fear it will mean he won't try Parnate. He doesn't believe it will help his
> > depression (b/c he has tried SO many other meds. that have not helped), so he sees these restrictions
> > and precautions as very extreme for no benefit. Obviously, he would feel differently if the Parnate
> > helped, but he can't even imagine it helping in his current state of mind. The Parnate also scares me
> > because if it does not help, it seems like it will be giving a person with pretty strong suicidal ideations
> > as very easy means of hurting himself. I'm not sure what I am asking here. I'm just feeling
> > scared and uncertain of how to proceed. I realize in the end these decisions lie with him, but
> > he seems to really be at the end of his rope and not able to make good choices for himself.
> > Thanks for listening.
> > -Diane


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poster:Jennifer thread:37074
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000610/msgs/37340.html