Posted by Ktemene on January 27, 2005, at 20:07:13
In reply to Re: Nardil - VERY SCARED, posted by Maxime on January 26, 2005, at 19:57:16
> Thank for your response. What is Selegiline? Does it go by another name? TMS is readily available in Canada yet (please someone correct me if they know otherwise!). And what DLPA?
>
> I'm sorry for all the questions ...
>
> Maxime
>Hi Maxime,
Selegiline is an unusual MAOI, also called Deprenyl or l-deprenyl, that is mostly prescribed for Parkinson's disease. But it is also useful as an antidepressant. If you search the "Tips" section of Babble, you will find some information about it. At low doses (10mg and under), Selegiline is mostly inhibiting MAO-B, so it is increasing the amount of dopamine and PEA (phenylethylamine) that is available in the brain. Some people react very positively to low dose Selegiline (I had a very positive response to 5mg), and these people do not have to worry about the usual MAOI diet restrictions, because MAO-A is not much effected. At higher doses Selegiline does inhibit MAO-A and so the diet restrictions apply. Selegiline is an interesting medicine. It appears to have neuroprotective properties; in fact some researchers think that Selegiline is effective in Parkinson's Disease primarily because of its neuroprotective effect on the dopamine producing neurons and only secondarily on account of it MAO-B inhibition. (This may also be why Selegiline extends the lifespan of rats and dogs in some experiments.)
But most people do not have a robust response to low dose Selegiline. The usual dose required for robust antidepressant effect is 40mg to 60mg. However, Selegiline does have one very important and apparently unique property. It is the only MAOI that lends itself to a transdermal (patch) delivery system. The great advantages of the transdermal patch are that the medication is being delivered in tiny amounts at a constant rate over a number of hours, and that the medication avoids the first pass effect because it does not have to enter the body through the gut and liver.
The reason I thought that the Selegiline patch might be a good option for you is that you have responded well to Parnate in the past. Selegiline is said to resemble Parnate very much. And the patch is a superior delivery system. So there is something out there (or will be very soon- Bristol-Meyers has bought the distribution rights to the patch) that you have not tried that is very promising. The patch is called Emsam.
A lot of people have been waiting for Emsam to get the final FDA approval. (It got the FDA's "approvable" stamp in Feb. 2004.) There has been a lot of discussion of Selegiline on Babble. I have copied links to some of the most useful threads below. I especially recommend Adam's posts about the Selegiline Patch.
DLPA an amino acid: DL-phenylalanine. It is a precursor to PEA (phenylethylamine) which acts like the body's own endogenous amphetamine. Some researchers think that PEA is responsible for the mood lift that people get from vigorous exercise (runner's high). PEA is rapidly degraded by MAO-B. So Selegiline and DLPA make a good combination, and some studies have showed a strong antidepressant effect from the combo. DLPA is also a precursor for dopamine. And the D isomer (but not the L isomer) inhibits the enzyme (enkephalinase) that degrades endorphins. So it is helpful for dealing with pain or potentiating pain medications.
I have copied below some links to threads that have a lot more information.
I hope you are going to be feeling better soon.
KtemeneAdam
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010310/msgs/56603.htmlhttp://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991001/msgs/12397.html
Jemma
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030525/msgs/229420.htmlhttp://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030329/msgs/215120.html
Geranium20
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040418/msgs/350645.htmlHappySmurf
09http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040412/msgs/336766.htmlelleff
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040614/msgs/357744.htmlNemesis
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040811/msgs/377452.htmlPseudonym
www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041211/msgs/430276.html
poster:Ktemene
thread:447683
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050124/msgs/448885.html