Posted by Robert_Burton_1621 on February 9, 2015, at 8:22:12
In reply to Re: Starting Parnate after 15 yrs treatment-resistance, posted by europerep on February 5, 2015, at 16:10:51
> In a way, people who know a little bit about depression are more problematic than people who just know nothing, because the former really think they understand depression even though they have no idea how broad the spectrum of depression is, and how dark one end of that spectrum is.
>Very well put! I agree absolutely.
> Of course, those foods that are still completely forbidden must really be avoided, but I'm sure you know all that...>
Thanks for the cautionary reminder. I had expressed myself ambiguously in the earlier post. The only foods I've been advised it's okay to introduce myself to slowly are those in the "be careful with" column.
> As far as side effects are concerned, I struggled with pretty bad insomnia too. I eventually started using zolpidem, but quickly 10mg weren't enough anymore, and I sometimes went up to 30 or 40mg per night, which I think is really not a good idea. What did help was exercising though.>
This is very interesting. When did you exercise so as to feel the benefits of it while you were battling the insomnia?
The insomnia and daytime sleepiness is a problem. I am on 30mg now. But it is only my first week. And I have learnt some interesting things about sleep, depression, and anti-depressants which help me to put my frustration with the insomnia into perspective. I'll list them below, but just in my words and according to my understanding of the science. I am no pharmacologist. If anyone spots a howler, please do point it out!
(1) REM sleep involves a (total?) suspension in the neurotransmission of certain monoamines (serotonin, noradrenaline);
(2) depressed patients are known to have excessive REM sleep: latency is reduced and duration is extended;
(3) apparently the excessive REM phases of sleep contribute to the consolidation of emotions of "negative valence", thereby reinforcing depressive traits like rumination and prolonging depressive episodes;
(3) sleep-deprivation has been found to relieve depressive symptoms, if only temporarily;
(4) most anti-depressants reduce REM sleep, but MAOIs do so very significantly, at first.
My tentative conclusions are:
(1) the sleep-disregulation which parnate induces is a function of its supression of REM sleep;
(2) this supression of REM sleep may be precisely what someone suffering from depression needs, at least in the initial stages of drug treatment;
(3) the insomnia is actually evidence that the drug is working as an anti-depressant.
Does the above strike people as plausible?
> That's all I can think of right now. I wish you good luck with trial, there are people for whom it works really really well!
>Thanks, ER. I am certainly staying hopeful.
poster:Robert_Burton_1621
thread:1075968
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20150129/msgs/1076155.html