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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by mathew on September 4, 1999, at 7:25:19
I'm on effexor (150mg), its not working out. My psychiatrist has mentioned Parnate as a possible next step. I've read of Parnate having an amphetamine like effect. Can anybody substantiate this claim?
Thank you
Posted by Kim on September 5, 1999, at 2:53:21
In reply to Parnate's stimulant effect, posted by mathew on September 4, 1999, at 7:25:19
> I'm on effexor (150mg), its not working out. My psychiatrist has mentioned Parnate as a possible next step. I've read of Parnate having an amphetamine like effect. Can anybody substantiate this claim?
>
> Thank youI've been on Parnate for 3 years. It makes me so drowsy that my pschDr. added dexedrine (which IS an amphetamine) to it. But then, drowsiness is a problem with most ADs for me--even Prozac made me sleepy. Also, amphetamines have a reputation as "diet drugs," but that's not been my experience with the Parnate, even with dexedrine added, I've still gained undeserved weight.
Kim
Posted by Robin on September 5, 1999, at 9:13:30
In reply to Re: Parnate's stimulant effect, posted by Kim on September 5, 1999, at 2:53:21
> > I'm on effexor (150mg), its not working out. My psychiatrist has mentioned Parnate as a possible next step. I've read of Parnate having an amphetamine like effect. Can anybody substantiate this claim?
> >
> > Thank you
>
> I've been on Parnate for 3 years. It makes me so drowsy that my pschDr. added dexedrine (which IS an amphetamine) to it. But then, drowsiness is a problem with most ADs for me--even Prozac made me sleepy. Also, amphetamines have a reputation as "diet drugs," but that's not been my experience with the Parnate, even with dexedrine added, I've still gained undeserved weight.
> KimFrom what I have experienced Parnate makes me very tired. I have only read one message board in about 200 that one person had a stimulant effect from Parnate.
Kim, I am thinking about adding Dexedrine to my Parnate what does of Parnate and Dex are you on?
Robin
Posted by anita on September 5, 1999, at 17:25:52
In reply to Re: Parnate's stimulant effect, posted by Robin on September 5, 1999, at 9:13:30
Hi,
Parnate also made me tired, at higher doses. However, when I decreased my dose from 80mg to 30mg, it became more activating. Perhaps a reduction in dose would help?
I don't know if adding another amphetamine-like drug would help with the tiredness, since I tend to believe that it is the amphetamine-like metabolite of Parnate that
can make some people tired. Paradoxical responses to stimulants aren't that unusual. Shorter-acting stimulants, like Ritalin, tend to be more activating for most ppl than
long-acting ones.anita
Posted by Elizabeth on September 6, 1999, at 1:21:56
In reply to Re: Parnate's stimulant effect, posted by anita on September 5, 1999, at 17:25:52
Hi. The rumor you heard is due to the fact that Parnate's chemical structure is *very* close to amphetamine (at one time, amphetamine was thought to be a metabolite of Parnate), and also to some clinical observations that Parnate was more stimulating (caused more insomnia, agitation, jitters, ?increased alertness?) than other MAOIs. In addition, there are a few patients, including myself, who have spontaneous episodes of dangerously high blood pressure (not due to food or drug interactions) on fairly low doses of Parnate. (For me it happens if I take 20mg or more in a single dose, which is why I'm only on 30mg total now.) It is the sort of reaction one might expect to see if, a person on a MAOI took, say, amphetamine. This does not seem to happen with other MAOIs.
Many people do have drowsiness, especially in the mid-to-late afternoon, on Parnate and other MAOIs. Not what causes this; perhaps it's because
almost everyone takes it in the AM, so they are experiencing a sort of rebound. I get it too, but only mildly (I take 30mg in three divided doses, which probably minimizes this).Anita is right to point out that there are people who get drowsy on amphetamines as well!
Posted by Dr Rock on September 6, 1999, at 1:46:21
In reply to Re: Parnate's stimulant effect, posted by Elizabeth on September 6, 1999, at 1:21:56
Trial and error I came to the same conclusion. Low doses seem to have an amphetamine like action- severe- nothing would let me sleep.
I went from 40mg in AM to a BID dose of 60 and find the problems with mid afternoon lethargy as well as mid evening lethargy.
Next step will probably be a TID dose of 90mg (total). Positive side taking almost no medication for sleep.
Now if I only didn't fall asleep while listening to clients it would be helpful.
Posted by donald on September 6, 1999, at 2:29:27
In reply to Re: Parnate's stimulant effect, posted by Dr Rock on September 6, 1999, at 1:46:21
> Trial and error I came to the same conclusion. Low doses seem to have an amphetamine like action- severe- nothing would let me sleep.
>
> I went from 40mg in AM to a BID dose of 60 and find the problems with mid afternoon lethargy as well as mid evening lethargy.
>
> Next step will probably be a TID dose of 90mg (total). Positive side taking almost no medication for sleep.
>
> Now if I only didn't fall asleep while listening to clients it would be helpful.I have taken Parnate for about 15 months. For me, it was the drug of last resort. It took me about 6 months to adjust to the side effects. I have found that I can have small quantities of no no foods such as soy sauce and not have a reaction. I have chocolate but not in the evening. I stay away from caffeine, in general. I am very careful about avoiding the cheeses and eat fresh meats.
I take my dosages in the AM. One to two hours apart. I am rather hyer in the morning, almost manic. I do get very lethargic in the late afternoon. Sometimes, I feel that I need to pull the car over on the way home from work. For the most part, I can sleep at night. I have to be careful to avoid chocolate or caffeine. If I wake up in the middle of the night, it is hard to fall back to sleep. About twice per month, I take an Ambien or Klonopin to go to sleep. I am very anti-tranquilizer. For the most part, if I read for awhile, it puts me to sleep. My wife's snoring can be a problem and then I sleep elsewhere. It does not effect my sex drive or sexual performance. This is a nice change from the SSRI's which just made me dysfunctional. I think that they may even have increased my sex drive.
My main concern is the Neuropathy in my feet which I spoke about in another entry.
Overall, I have found that the Mao was very difficult to adjust to. However, I have learned to live with and basicly function like a normal person. It certainly is better than the SSRI's that just poop out on you.
Posted by anita on September 6, 1999, at 15:16:18
In reply to Re: Parnate's stimulant effect, posted by Dr Rock on September 6, 1999, at 1:46:21
Dr. Rock,
Be careful with a 90mg dose. I went up rather quickly w/ Parnate (about 10mg per week), and about 10 days after I was at 80mg, I suddenly
became toxic. It was like amphetamine toxicity, and lasted about 3 days. I think I tend to metabolize many meds quickly, and thus it takes longer
than usual to build up a steady level, but since it's hard to tell how you metabolize a drug, I just thought I'd warn you.Good luck,
anita> Trial and error I came to the same conclusion. Low doses seem to have an amphetamine like action- severe- nothing would let me sleep.
>
> I went from 40mg in AM to a BID dose of 60 and find the problems with mid afternoon lethargy as well as mid evening lethargy.
>
> Next step will probably be a TID dose of 90mg (total). Positive side taking almost no medication for sleep.
>
> Now if I only didn't fall asleep while listening to clients it would be helpful.
Posted by Seamus on September 10, 1999, at 20:44:29
In reply to Re: Parnate's stimulant effect, posted by Dr Rock on September 6, 1999, at 1:46:21
> Now if I only didn't fall asleep while listening to clients it would be helpful.
LOL!
This is the end of the thread.
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