Posted by Caedmon on May 14, 2006, at 14:14:40
In reply to Re: PARNATE-how long and how much., posted by JaclinHyde on May 13, 2006, at 20:14:08
I think your doctor is smart in being slow and steady about doses. Of course one may need more than 30mg, but it's not unreasonable to go slow.
I'm in the same situation. I'm starting out on Parnate. I want it desperately to work, because I have grad school in 3 months as well. I know I'll never make it through 2 years of intense classes, group work, clinic hours, and a thesis if I'm feeling the way I feel now! I've gotten a sort of sleepiness from Parnate, I can only call it a type of narcolepsy, which hopefully will go away with time or a different dose. If not, then I may augment with modafinil which I found useful in the past for my depression anyway.
But - I'm at 40mg of Parnate and it IS finally making a real impact. I feel less anxious, more sociable, less apathetic, and more motivated. It isn't consistent throughout the day, and it's been a slow "warming up" rather than a "BOOM! I'M ALL BETTER!" type of sensation. On the Goldberg Depression Scale I still rank in the "mild-moderate depression" bracket. So, perhaps after a while I may need a higher dose. But I am evaluating the doses in 2-3 week steps per my doctor's orders to really give the dose a decent chance rather than get ahead of myself.
On the one hand, a common reason for not responding to an MAOI is insufficient dose. On the other hand, after all the things I've read about tranylcypromine and withdrawal and potential for addiction, I think it's prudent to work closely with one's doctor and determine the right dose in a conservative manner. Please note the following letters in J Psychiatry Neurosci. 1994 November; 19(5): 382–384:
http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1188630&pageindex=1#page
http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1188631&pageindex=1#pageBest of luck!
- Chris
poster:Caedmon
thread:643633
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060510/msgs/643923.html