Posted by maxime on June 9, 2003, at 21:12:41
In reply to new to Parnate, posted by mmcasey on June 9, 2003, at 19:42:57
Hi there. IMHO you have been prescribed one of the best anti-depressants!
I am treatment-resistent bipolar 2 and have been on EVERY SSRI and several tricyclics. Parnate is the first med that has given me relief from the black hole of depression.
I take 80mgs of Parnate.
Every one is different of course, but the one side effects that most people experience is insomnia. Many people on Parnate take Trazadone at night to help them sleep.
Everytime I increased my dosage I experienced some nausea and dizziness, but that went away after 2 or 3 days. I also experienced extreme fatigue from the med even though it was causing insomnia. Unfortunately the fatigue stayed with me until I had been on the 80mgs for about 3 weeks or so.
The diet restriction have been the easy part for me because I am vegan. I have eaten some of the "no-no's" in moderation with no problems.
There are a few things to remember when you look online for tyramine
lists. First, any information before 1996 is old and mostly outdated.
They re-did many of the tests and found there are many more things we
can eat safely. Second, the generally acceptable levels are 1-4mg of
tyramine per serving, 4-6 can be dangerous, and over 6 should be
avoided.The main things to watch out for are aged items and things that can
contain molds. So, for example, draft beer is dangerous as some of the
hoses used to pour can contain mold spores (not worth the risk).
Bottled beer, from professional companies (not your friends), are safe.
Aged cheeses (like cheddar, Swiss, blue cheese, etc.) are not safe,
while "fresh" cheeses, like mozzarella, cream cheese, cottage cheese,
gruyere, muenster, feta, brie with rind removed, etc., are just fine.
Keep in mind, pizza is fine with mozzarella and parmesan, but not if
it's a mixed cheese as some are (like the Godfather's chain).Here is the best site:
http://www.vh.org/adult/provider/psychiatry/CPS/19.html
It is a definitive list of foods and their actual levels. Look down several pages and you'll see several lists of foods.
I hope that Parnate works for you. I call it the wonder drug! I had so many PDOCS tell me that I was going to have to live with depression and that I couldn't be helped.
And if the Parnate doesn't work, there are other MAOIs to try.
Keep us posted OK? I am a firm believer that MAOIs need some serious PR campaigns!! LOL!
Maxime
poster:maxime
thread:232738
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030609/msgs/232767.html