Posted by Ame Sans Vie on May 30, 2003, at 4:53:31
In reply to Mirapex Q's--Ames Sans Vie, posted by Jack Smith on May 27, 2003, at 21:18:04
Hi Jack, glad to hear someone else is taking the leap of faith to try this wonderful drug. I truly can't wait to hear your personal reaction to it.
> At what dose did you start out and how often a day, spaced at what hours?
I started at 0.5mg three times daily, four times the recommended dose of 125ug tid. I found it most effective spaced throughout my daytime hours only--8AM, noon, and 5PM seems to work great.
> HOw fast did you get up to your target dose?Once again, I defied the rules. The titration schedule should be 125ug tid the first week, 250ug tid the second, 375 tid the third, and so on and so forth. I ramped up from 0.5mg tid to 4.5mg tid (the max FDA-recommended dose) within five or six days.
> How fast did you start feeling positive, antidepressant effects?
By the fourth day, I remember waking up early, not needing my morning coffee--or even a cigarette. I went for a jog, I started seeing a therapist again, and I applied for a job (all with the additional help of benzos, of course--the Mirapex was "merely" the motivation/sociability I desperately needed). Now a former agoraphobe, housebound two years, has been working for the past week--and my God, is it wonderful.
> What side effects did you experience?
At the beginning, there was transient nausea, as I ramped my dose up so quickly. But it wasn't horrible, and didn't last long. I just made sure to take it with food and keep some real ginger ale on hand just in case. I can honestly say I haven't experienced a single other side effect, except the reversal of the sexual side effects of Lexapro.
> I have 60 .5 mg pills coming my way in the next week or two and I want to know how to proceed.
Well, good luck to you! I might suggest buying a pill cutter and cutting the pills into quarters at first, maybe taking 125ug tid for the first four days, then doubling every four more days. That should do it while avoiding most of the nausea, unless you think you can handle it, which I'm sure you can. Let me know how it goes!
> JACK
Michael
poster:Ame Sans Vie
thread:229574
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030530/msgs/230157.html