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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 Fred Anderson on March 3, 2000, at 14:12:27
Is it possible to combine Ritalin with an MAOI? This would be for treating ADD and Social Anxiety Disorder.
Posted by medlib on March 3, 2000, at 16:31:14
In reply to MAOI Ritalin, posted by Fred Anderson on March 3, 2000, at 14:12:27
> Is it possible to combine Ritalin with an MAOI? This would be for treating ADD and Social Anxiety Disorder.
NO! An MAOI (such as parnate) + an amphetamine-like drug (such as Ritalin) can lead to a potentially fatal hypertensive crisis.
A good website to check on possible drug-drug and food-drug interactions is drkoop.com. The "Drug Checker" is under "Health Resources"--not the most intuitive interactive interface I've come across--takes a bit of patience, but it works.
medlib
Posted by Stephanie L. on March 4, 2000, at 16:30:21
In reply to MAOI Ritalin, posted by Fred Anderson on March 3, 2000, at 14:12:27
> Is it possible to combine Ritalin with an MAOI? This would be for treating ADD and Social Anxiety Disorder.
I have taken stimulants with Nardil (an MAOI) for a few years now with no problem. I first tried
ritalin and am now on dexedrine. (In addition, I also take a tricyclic and Wellbutrin -- also contraindicated for use with an MAOI).This combination is the only thing which finally relieved my 3-year-long serious depression. I had tried other meds "one at a time" (including the ones in my current combo), but nothing really broke through the depression until I got on
my current regime.My doctor is experienced and tenacious, which is important. Also, we also consulted with a well-known pharmacologist who has written pharmacology guides -- he is very experienced in using unusual combinations.
I'm telling you more than you asked, but I hope this information is helpful.
Posted by Elizabeth on March 5, 2000, at 8:21:20
In reply to Re: MAOI Ritalin, posted by Stephanie L. on March 4, 2000, at 16:30:21
> > Is it possible to combine Ritalin with an MAOI? This would be for treating ADD and Social Anxiety Disorder.
Some -- perhaps most -- people can pull it off. (I didn't.) You need to be able to monitor it closely, though.
> I have taken stimulants with Nardil (an MAOI) for a few years now with no problem. I first tried
> ritalin and am now on dexedrine. (In addition, I also take a tricyclic and Wellbutrin -- also contraindicated for use with an MAOI).Jeez, you're collecting them all. :-) Seriously, I've taken tricyclics (amoxapine, nortriptyline) with MAOIs and it was fine except I didn't tolerate the side effects of the tricyclics. (That was how I got to be on MAOIs in the first place.) And I think Wellbutrin is fine -- I don't know of *any* documented MAOI-Wellbutrin interactions.
Posted by Kim on March 8, 2000, at 0:44:14
In reply to Re: MAOI Ritalin, posted by Elizabeth on March 5, 2000, at 8:21:20
> > > Is it possible to combine Ritalin with an MAOI? This would be for treating ADD and Social Anxiety Disorder.
>
> Some -- perhaps most -- people can pull it off. (I didn't.) You need to be able to monitor it closely, though.
>
> > I have taken stimulants with Nardil (an MAOI) for a few years now with no problem. I first tried
> > ritalin and am now on dexedrine. (In addition, I also take a tricyclic and Wellbutrin -- also contraindicated for use with an MAOI).
>
> Jeez, you're collecting them all. :-) Seriously, I've taken tricyclics (amoxapine, nortriptyline) with MAOIs and it was fine except I didn't tolerate the side effects of the tricyclics. (That was how I got to be on MAOIs in the first place.) And I think Wellbutrin is fine -- I don't know of *any* documented MAOI-Wellbutrin interactions.I was on Parnate for over 2 years--tried taking Ritalin w/it to no effect, but adding Dexedrine was helpful so that's what I stayed with. No problems for me taking Parnate w/Dexedrine, except it freaked out new pdoc so he took me off both.
Kim
Posted by Elizabeth on March 10, 2000, at 10:34:40
In reply to Re: MAOI Ritalin, posted by Kim on March 8, 2000, at 0:44:14
> I was on Parnate for over 2 years--tried taking Ritalin w/it to no effect, but adding Dexedrine was helpful so that's what I stayed with. No problems for me taking Parnate w/Dexedrine, except it freaked out new pdoc so he took me off both.
Woah! On what grounds? That's absurd -- if it was working for you, and you weren't having adverse reactions, I think it's a fine combination (so do my textbooks)!
Posted by Kim on March 15, 2000, at 1:09:32
In reply to Re: MAOI Ritalin, posted by Elizabeth on March 10, 2000, at 10:34:40
> > I was on Parnate for over 2 years--tried taking Ritalin w/it to no effect, but adding Dexedrine was helpful so that's what I stayed with. No problems for me taking Parnate w/Dexedrine, except it freaked out new pdoc so he took me off both.
>
> Woah! On what grounds? That's absurd -- if it was working for you, and you weren't having adverse reactions, I think it's a fine combination (so do my textbooks)!Elizabeth,
I never had adverse reactions from the combo; and made sure the new pdoc was aware that I was fully informed of the potential (theoretical) risks of the combination. It was just totally outside of his comfort zone. Although it was the best of some 30+ AD meds I've tried, my response still wasn't 100%; I got tired of hearing the word "addiction" at every appointment so I finally gave up the fight and went off the Parnate/dexedrine. He gave me Effexor XR, although SSRIs have never worked and I've tried Effexor before. My only partial response have been with MAOIs and I've never had problems with them. This is all more than you wanted to know.But the "good" news is that I finally found enough motivation to get a new pdoc, who I'll see at the end of the month.
Kim
Posted by Elizabeth on March 15, 2000, at 2:29:24
In reply to Re: Elizabeth--MAOI Ritalin, posted by Kim on March 15, 2000, at 1:09:32
Kim,
I think it's hard to get 100%. I'm not there either.
I'm glad to hear you're going to be seeing a new pdoc. I know it's a cliche, but there needs to be trust on both ends in a doctor-patient relationship.
Posted by Triss on March 4, 2002, at 14:45:55
In reply to Re: MAOI Ritalin, posted by Elizabeth on March 10, 2000, at 10:34:40
Posted by Elizabeth on March 10, 2000, at 10:34:40
In reply to Re: MAOI Ritalin, posted by Kim on March 8, 2000, at 0:44:14
>> I was on Parnate for over 2 years--tried taking Ritalin w/it to no effect, but adding Dexedrine was helpful so
>>that's what I stayed with. No problems for me taking Parnate w/Dexedrine, except it freaked out new pdoc so he
>>took me off both.>Woah! On what grounds? That's absurd -- if it was working for you, and you weren't having adverse reactions, I
>think it's a fine combination (so do my textbooks)!Hello Elizabeth. I was just browsing through a search... and came across this old post of yours and found it very interesting that you have _textbooks_ which make mention of MAOI+stimulant combinations. I'm wondering if perhaps you could provide the names of the editors and publishers, titles, year, ISBN No., etc. of these textbooks. I'd very much like to read (and possibly show my doc) exactly what these textbooks have to say on MAOI+stimulant combinations, since I can find very little literature on the subject otherwise (i.e. besides a very few journal articles by Fawcett et al.).
Thank you very much in advance,
Triss
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