Posted by MARTY on April 15, 2006, at 1:38:09
In reply to Nardil Euphoria, posted by MalcolmS on April 14, 2006, at 0:42:42
Hi MalcolmS --
As I'm new to this forum can I ask you if you are too ?
I am sorry if some member answered you agressively without ANY reasons. Things like that doesn't look to happen often on Psycho-Babble.. it's the first time I see that anyway.
I think my 2 cents could interest you since I am a social phobic who as tried Nardil for 3 months and just stopped it yesterday morning.
Simply put, I had the exact same experience with Nardil as you do. I had those incredible weeks of happiness who made me tell myself "It's finally over.. the nightmare is OVER!" I was not very euphoric (euphoric is laughing right?)
I was just very well and happy. Happy to wake up and ask myself "Great! what will I do today ? how will I USE THIS DAY, let's SPEND IT WELL! a day is such a VALUABLE THING!" I was motivated and euthusiast about the future now that I was finally a "Normal person" .. I was asking myself "is it like that being normal ? I wake up, talk, move, love like a normal people.. so being normal SHOULD feel like that!"
I loved to see people.. I would go to the market just to enjoy being in a crowd without fear. I was able to be/walk in a crowd without thinking about people.. just thinking about everything and nothing.. while waiting to see my doc or the dentist I would enjoy to read a newspaper without taking care of people around me..
.. IT WAS A REVOLUTION.. A NEW LIFE ..And then, just like you, I felt I lost that feeling.. that the miracle has ended. For me it happend after I tried to withdraw from my antipsychotic "Risperdal" for 4 days. I started to be depressed to the point I cried two complete day. After I restarted Risperdal, things improoved to the point I was OK.. but the Nardil marvelous effect was gone and wasn't coming back. My heart was broken (yes I'm a man, but hey I got feelings too! lol ;) AND I WONDERED IF I WAS THE ONLY ONE TO "LOOSE THE NARDIL PARADISE" and if THERE WERE ANY WAY TO BRING IT BACK.
Heres the small things I know about it..
1- You're not alone. A lot of people taking a MAOI and especially NARDIL experience an episode of extreme wellbeing\euphoria not long (weeks) after they started the pill. Then after 1-4 months the intensity of the effect diminish to a stable level that is sometimes far from the initial level. My impression is that the stronger the inital 'paradise' effect, the harder the fall between the initial phase and the stable phase. So a person who would have feel a 2x less intense initial effect would have not feel as much as us the decrease of intensity, and maybe would not be alarmed by the change at all. Our problem seem to be that we had a too strong initial effect and now we are more focused on what we though Nardil was than what Nardil really do for us at the stable phase effect.
2. I understand you, loosing that 'dream' is really hard and painfull. BUT don't think that because Nardil is no more what you think it was, it can't help you anymore: After a while, after having accepted the huge decrease in intensity, something could happen. You could discover the real Nardil and discover that it can do what you thought it could do when you first decide to take it: Help you with your anxiety, your social phobia.. allowing you to live normally. Remember that when you decided to try Nardil you were not expecting 'Paradise and infinite happiness' ;) Be open to what Nardil can do for you now. Dont compare yourself with the 'euphoric' episode, try to compare yourself with you BEFORE, without taking Nardil.3. If in a couples of days or let's say 2 weeks if you got more patience then me ;) you don't feel comfortable enough with the new effect, INCREASING YOUR DOSE TO 90mg WOULD help a lot, if you can stand the increased side-effects.. yes it would help you, BUT not in the way you wish it could: the initial 'euphoria' will not come back. But you could access a better level of inhibition.. of innerself calm..
-----
That's how it happenned to me.1. I've understand that this phenomen was common and that I wasn't alone.
2. I've accepted the lost and started to concentrate on what the new, less intense, effect of Nardil could bring me.
3. I've upped the dose to 90mg to get the best
mg/bodyweight ratio so I could see the full potential of the real Nardil effect... Right now I've start yesterday to withdraw from Nardil because the side-effects was too strong on me. And I looking to try another MAOI, the little brother of Nardil called Parnate.
The reason I choose Parnate as my next antidepressant is that the 'amphetamine' effect (may be what you describe as 'euphoria') that Nardil initially gives you tend to stay. More energy, more motivation and that all last.
To be frank, I wonder if I choose to try Parnate and is 'amphetamine' effect because I'm searching to gain back that initial effect that Nardil gave me... knowing myself, it may well be the case. But if it were'nt for the side effects I would have stayed on Nardil ...
Be strong.. I KNOW how it feels like..
I understand what you mean by "a question of life or death" .. I urge you to choose life and to choose NARDIL FOR A SECOND TIME. In time you may well be surprised by this little joker.Btw, it should be because it touch me since I've lived the same thing not long ago.. but this is by far my longest post!! hope I didn't confused you.
Marty
poster:MARTY
thread:632925
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060412/msgs/633348.html