Posted by Optimist on March 2, 2005, at 20:28:26
In reply to Re: Parnate, posted by ed_uk on March 2, 2005, at 6:35:44
> Hi Brian!
>
> How are you doing on Parnate? Any change? I know it's only early days!
>
> Ed.Hi Ed,
Thanks for checking in. :)
I would say things are getting better day by day. One thing I have to say is I'm pretty surprised with some people's intolerance of side effects with Parnate. It seems like such a mild drug to me, in terms of side effects that is, not antidepressant efficacy. I don't discount any one's experience with this drug though. I tend to not have many side effects with drugs anyways.
I'm sure you may be shocked but I'm taking 100mg per day now and aren't really experiencing anything negative. Still some mild sexual dysfunction but nothing too major. Less than 20mg of Prozac for sure. I've also heard that it's supposed to go away for the most part on Parnate. With Prozac I'm not as sure.
At 100mg I've noticed much more stimulation, a pleasant mild euphoria I guess the right word would be. Some caffeine contributes significantly to this effect and they seem to work synergistically together. I've noticed I'm becoming more friendly and outgoing as well... more apt to strike up conversations with people. I'm sure this will only get better with time. The prosocial effects of Nardil seem to not kick in till a month for most people. I wonder if Parnate is similar in that regard?
Still no problems with sleeping, hypotension, or mid-day tiredness. I have noticed my mouth is significantly more dry than usual. This seemed to kick in around 60mg, but it's not too big a deal. I drink a lot of water normally anyways.
I think my little blip last mon and tues may have been due to adding some responsibilities to my life and the stress that ensued. I've started looking for a new job to try and find something better than where I currently am, and felt a little guilty for not getting anything done on my days off last week. I do feel that I am looking more to the future though, and planning goals for my life. I find when I'm depressed that is very hard to do. Any concept of future plans and goals at that time felt anxiety provoking to me. Some of my depression ties in to existential analysis I believe. It has been on my mind for the last 10 years or so, what I want to do with my life, and being dysthymic throughout that period made goalsetting very difficult. Actually I made lots of goals but could never stick to them. The bottom always seemed to fall out, or I would become unsure of myself and bail. It's most likely part biological susceptibility, and part perception of life events. I do think there is a strong biological component to it though. It's hard to tease the two apart and figure out what is causing the problem at any particular time.
I'm most likely going to ride out the 100mg for awhile now. I think the peak of MAO inhibition is around 80mg, and it's starting to get expensive at this dosage as well, around $150 CN... all out of pocket. I need to get some insurance! With that and all the supplements I buy it can get pretty expensive. I take a lot of vitamins and minerals, etc... I'm a strong believer that you have to have all the necessary enzymes, and chemical reactions operating properly in order for a medication to work properly.
Hope all is well,
Brian
poster:Optimist
thread:460810
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050227/msgs/465691.html