Posted by Flipsactown on March 12, 2004, at 22:35:06
In reply to Re: Who has been on meds for 10+ years???, posted by sobeit on March 12, 2004, at 21:01:06
I have been on ADs (Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Effexor, Wellbutrin...for over 12 years. I am currently on Prozac, Remeron,Lamictal and Lithium. I have a pdoc appointment next week and I will ask to be put on Nardil. I have read several good comments about it. Why is it that pdoc shy away from MAOI? I know about watching what you eat and something about it interacting with other medication. At this point in my life (fifties) and still experiencing unipolar depression, I will take my chances and just be vigilant in what I ingest.
FST
> > Just wondering...as I heard some research that the 10 year mark is supposed to be the time that most people on meds find their 'optimal' treatment?? I feel like I am sometimes "close", but at many (and I *emphasize* that!) others I feel horrible and like I have gotten nowhere.
> >
> > Jay
>
>
> It's been 17 years since I began taking an MAOI (Nardil), initially for social phobia, but now primarily for recurrent atypical depression. It is the only med that has proved successful for me. Biggest battle has been surviving the numerous periods of experimentation with newer, "safer" meds that psychiatrists always want to try due to their fear of a mishap with the MAOI. The most recent attempt a year ago to transfer to a newer medication lead to an incredible episode of depression, resulting in a trial of ECT (that cost me $13,000 out of my own pocket) - it provided no relief at all. Two months later I was allowed to continue the MAOI, resulting in a return to a positive mood in less than two weeks. It would be incredibly interesting to know more about why individuals respond to specific meds -- what neurological characteristics, using fMRI or PET, are evident between someone responding to paxil vs. someone responding to parnate, and so on.
poster:Flipsactown
thread:311793
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040308/msgs/323803.html