Posted by stargazer2 on January 21, 2008, at 8:21:37
In reply to Re: Took all three, Nardil, Marplan and Parnate » stargazer2, posted by 4WD on January 20, 2008, at 22:47:09
I really had no side effects with either Nardil or Marplan when I first tried them (late 80's early 90's) They were both original formulas then and worked like a charm. Remember this was many years ago and both of the formulas changed so that I wouldn't be able to comment on how they might work today, except I am currently on Nardil and it is working well enough with some side effects that I can tolerate.
Personally, since my first successful MAO was Nardil, I would start with that. I have side effects that eventually mellow out after being on a set dose for awhile. The dose that I am currently on is 60 mg. It may take a few months to get the dose right and get used to the side effects.
I take nothing for insomnia but occasionally have early morning wakenings, but nothing that really bothers me too much.
If Nardil doesn't work, I would try Marplan next. The second time I took Marplan (2006), it did not work, but it may have been because I was also on Lamictal and between the dizziness and memory issues, I had to come off of them. I wish I was just on Marplan alone to see if this may have worked since the first time I took Marplan, it worked alone.
I realize now, after further evaluation, it may have been the combination of a MAO and something else that might have resulted in a failed trial and therefore the next time I have to try another med, I will try Marplan alone just to prove my theory.
My advice is just to try them and don't get too caught up with the side effects, since the primary goal is reduction of the mood disorder and then other meds could be added to fine tune any side effects that persist.
Back in 1987, the psychiatrist I saw for meds, prescibed Nardil as the second AD she tried. It was a success and worked after a few days, or so it seemed at the time. Back then there were so few meds for depression, but she wasn't afraid of MAO's at all, since they were prescribed without the fear that they are associated with today. This is overblown, since the SSRI's have less side effects supposedly, but I had more with them than MAO's.
My worse days with depression were in the 90's and in the last 6 yeras or so, when I tried every new med for depression and none of them really worked very well. Those have been my darkest days as many years passed and I functioned on the periphery with little joy or life.
I envy that everyone today can be helped so much with a forum like this. I had to believe in my doctor and keep trying over and over for years without any other form of support. It was just me and him and most of the time, I felt so alone and often times came very close to giving up. I'm amazed that I was able to work most of those years because I was so depressed and out of sorts. It proves you can force yourself to do just about anything you have to do, even if you are suffering greatly. People do it everyday just to survive.
Time will tell if I can actually function at work again or if will cause me to relapse as it has done in the past. It's been about 2 years now and I am finally stable enough (?) to start looking for a job...scarey though and my confidence is low, but the time has come to move forward and see if Nardil will hold me together in the real world, and not just in my secure and stressfree non-working world.
Stargazer
poster:stargazer2
thread:807806
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080114/msgs/808101.html