Posted by Sparkboy on November 17, 2001, at 16:24:06
In reply to Re: MAOI for Atypical other than Parnate, posted by sjb on November 16, 2001, at 7:49:07
> John,
>
> Thank you so much for your post. I'm printing it out to take to my next appt. Scared right now. Thinking more about what you said and willing to give Parnate a try again. Last time I was still on Topamax, also, so maybe that combo wasn't good for me. Doc told me I have to wait 'till December to start as was taking some Prozac up 'till Oct something. Any recommendations on the teaching hosptials? I'm on the east coast but would consider going ANYWHERE. By the way, if it worked well for you, why did you go off and how are you now?sjb,
Check out the Langley-Porter Institute at UC San Francisco. They are thorough and highly competent. They use a team approach where several residents and a team leader work on different cases with one team member assigned as your primary doctor. They do all kinds of tests and check for more mundane physical issues that can manifest psychiatric symptoms as well as EEG, MRI, etc., to address the psychiatric issue. It's possible to get a correct diagnosis much more quickly, compared to wasting several years with doctors in a home town. A correct diagnosis gives you a solid foundation for everything that comes after without the risk and guesswork of endless drug trials.
I went off Parnate because it quit working for me after 3 months. A very unusual experience; I felt a little disoriented at first, to be in such a sea of calm, after so many years of fighting to control anxiety. It only stabilized for 2-3 weeks after the AD effect first kicked in. Then I started having relapses. At first they were only for about 5 minutes once a week. These grew longer and more frequent over the 3 month period, like a mathematical progression. At 3 months, I crashed completely and went off the drug. Side effects weren't bad when it was working, but intensified when the AD effect failed. Retrials of Parnate would work for a while, but I'd crash sooner every time. The experience was still beneficial, however, showing me what I can and should feel like, and what my true capabilities are when unhampered. Such a positive response to a drug demonstrated the biological basis of my case, especially given the lack of a troubled background which the doctors told me is more often what they see.
Do not let my experience with Parnate discourage you. There are things to learn and benefits to be had from the experience, and people can have such different reactions to the same drug. I put more emphasis on getting a correct diagnosis.
Today my regimen keeps the worst at bay, but it's low-grade to moderate depression and varying levels of anxiety. Being out of the social and employment mainstream is my greatest concern, but I've found through experience that forcing it only makes matters worse. The anxiety creates a sense of alienation and unfriendliness; trying to fake it just adds a layer of phoniness. I have found that the signals I send out are most often behind my problems with people (which I'm no doubt exaggerating). Not feeling a positive center leads to constant second-guessing and insecurity, not a good thing for coping with the one or two jerks one must deal with daily in any work setting.
I don't worry about these things like I used to; Parnate restored a mental agility that eliminated failure in those awkward social moments. Things I used to obsess on became non-issues when depression was eliminated. That made it less personal. :-)
--John
poster:Sparkboy
thread:83164
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011113/msgs/84524.html