Posted by jedi on March 10, 2006, at 23:58:28
In reply to Re: Many people fear MAOI's...., posted by bassman on March 10, 2006, at 16:38:08
> I've read where some people say they feel better than they ever have in their life after starting MAOI's-and it's great to read from someone that's taken them that you won't instantly die if you have a bite of pizza. To me,and maybe others, not being able to ever have a glass of wine or a beer is a real minus (if you are REALLY suffering, nothing is too much to give up, like sex sometimes with SSRI's). Thanks for the perspective!
Hi bassman,
When Nardil broke my first major depression, almost ten years ago, it was like being struck by lightning. It did take four or five weeks to happen. But, I went from being hopelessly lost and on the verge of dying one day to being full of hope and energy the next. Since then I have had 2+ major depressions, each coming while trying to find a substitute for Nardil. My main problem with the med is weight gain from severe, sweet carbohydrate cravings. Up and down 80+ pounds multiple times is not really good on the health. Weight gain is also one of the symptoms of atypical depression for which Nardil is the gold standard. There is a school of thought that if you have atypical depression and social anxiety, you are not considered treatment resistant until you have had a six week trial on Nardil.On the diet thing. It is grossly overstated almost everywhere but here. The trouble is what is safe for me while on MAOIs may kill someone else. With that said, domestic bottled beer(Yech!)causes me no problems. White and pink wine have never bothered me even a little. I can eat mass quantities of pizza and chocolate with no problem. Aged cheeses and meats are the worst offenders. And, I guess you won't find me eating bananna peels on Nardil. Most over the counter cold remedies are off limits. Live with it or go get some real stuff(narcotics) from your GP.
I bought some codeine cough syrup once while in Canada. Codeine is sold over the counter in Canada. In small print that I could not read without eye glasses were the words "pseudoephedrine HCL". No MAOI warnings at all. The pharmacist at a major chain in Canada and the US said the cough syrup was fine with phenelzine. Obviously, she was wrong. I don't believe Nardil is subscribed enough in Canada for the pharmacist to know the danger. They are used to the reversable and less potent MAOIs in that country. Well, a trip to the ER and a very expensive CT scan convinced me to always read the fine print. I believe that users of MAOIs have to be a little more knowledgeable about their medications than the average person. The meds are just too dangerous to skip the "due diligence". This comes from a person that has been in the ER twice, over a period of 10 years, for food and drug reactions while on MAOIs I probably did not have to go to the hospital in either case, but better safe than sorry.
Some of my experiences,
JediPS Here is a MAOI diet that I have found no fault with. It was created by an early poster, Elizabeth. That lady must have a photographic memory. She is recognized by many of the early readers and posters on this board to be the "guru of treatment resistant depression". Hopefully, she still looks in occasionally to see that the information she provided is still helping people today.
Link:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010814/msgs/75408.html
poster:jedi
thread:618332
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060310/msgs/618676.html