Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 428123

Shown: posts 1 to 25 of 26. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

need you experiences with aurorix/manerix

Posted by tensor on December 12, 2004, at 5:17:38

Hi all,

as i wrote earlier i fail to respond to increasing dosages of remeron(30mg) and zoloft(100mg) and really would like to here your experiences about this little 'mythical' drug, namely aurorix(moclobemid). Have read many articles about it but i can't come to a conclusion, they differ too much. So i would like to hear from people with their own experiences with this drug. Did it help? What did you take it for? If it helped, how long took it?

Kind regards,
Mattias

 

Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix

Posted by ed_uk on December 12, 2004, at 6:14:54

In reply to need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by tensor on December 12, 2004, at 5:17:38

Hi Mattias,

I took Manerix a few years ago for the treatment of depression. I took 300mg twice daily for about 3-4 months. Basically, it didn't have any positive effects at all but at least it didn't have any side effects either. I had no withdrawal symptoms when I stopped it without tapering.

Manerix has been available in the UK for a while but is rarely prescribed. As far as I know it is not on the market in the US. I think I read somewhere that it's a very popular antidepressant in some parts of Europe (maybe Finland, you tell me!!!)

Regards,
Ed.

 

Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix

Posted by jclint on December 12, 2004, at 6:25:24

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by ed_uk on December 12, 2004, at 6:14:54

Its an odd one, is this drug :)

One one hand, there are some clinical studies that show its really quite powerful, and on the other, there are numerous anecdotes about it having no noticable effect whatsoever.

 

Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix » jclint

Posted by ed_uk on December 12, 2004, at 6:55:45

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by jclint on December 12, 2004, at 6:25:24

Hi J,

I know, it makes you wonder whether the studies are measuring the patients' symptoms by an inappropriate method.... or perhaps they are measuring 'improvements' in symptoms which patients don't consider to be very important.

Regards,
Ed.

 

Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix

Posted by tensor on December 12, 2004, at 7:52:25

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by jclint on December 12, 2004, at 6:25:24

> Its an odd one, is this drug :)
>
> One one hand, there are some clinical studies that show its really quite powerful, and on the other, there are numerous anecdotes about it having no noticable effect whatsoever.

This is exactly what i mean. Is it worth give it a shot? Btw, Ed, how long was your wash-out period if took ADs prior to aurorix? I know this is dependent on which drugs you are taking, because of their half-life.
I don't know how widely described it is in Finland, but i have never been suggested it. I do know it's marketed here. I'm gonna bring it up with my doctor, anyway.
I did order light therapy lamps but they haven't arrived yet :)

/Mattias

 

Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix » tensor

Posted by ed_uk on December 12, 2004, at 8:08:15

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by tensor on December 12, 2004, at 7:52:25

Hi Mattias,

I knew I'd read something about moclobemide and Finland. From psycho-pharmacology tips.....

Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 15:57:11 +0200 (EET)
From: Pekka Roponen <shrink@walrus.megabaud.fi>
Subject: Experience with moclobemide

Moclobemide is the most frequently prescribed antidepressant in psychiatric practice in Finland. According to a Finnish double-blind multicenter trial, it was as good as or better than fluoxetine in all aspects when treating major depression (DSM-III-R criteria). Moclobemide was better in patients with atypical features.

According to my judgement moclobemide is the drug of choice in major depression because it does not cause EPS or any other major side effects. Not all patients are helped by it, of course.

Moclobemide is routinely prescribed here in combination with heterocyclic antidepressants (not clomipramine). There is no reason to anticipate any special side effects. I myself combine it with trimipramine or maprotiline to induce nighttime sedation. But the combination with SSRI-type drugs is dangerous -- small overdoses combined can lead to fatal serotonin syndrome.


I think that moclobemide is probably worth a try even though many people on babble have a low opinion of its efficacy. Personally, I took moclobemide after Effexor. My washout period was three weeks. This was longer than is recommended but my pdoc wanted to be extra careful.

Regards,
Ed.

 

Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix

Posted by tensor on December 12, 2004, at 8:32:17

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix » tensor, posted by ed_uk on December 12, 2004, at 8:08:15

Thank you so much for this post. Now i have some ideas, especially the combo with trimipramine or maprotiline, to bring to my doctor. Can hardly wait.

Kind regards,
Mattias

 

Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix

Posted by TheOutsider on December 12, 2004, at 12:08:13

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix » tensor, posted by ed_uk on December 12, 2004, at 8:08:15

The idea of combining Moclobemide with another AD is a good one.
I took it on its own for a month, I went up to 600mgs, it was like a sugar pill for me.

I think that Moc can be combined with SSRIs or Clomipramine in low doses, I combined it with 10mgs of Citalpram and lived to tell the tale....

 

Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix

Posted by tensor on December 12, 2004, at 12:45:21

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by TheOutsider on December 12, 2004, at 12:08:13

> The idea of combining Moclobemide with another AD is a good one.
> I took it on its own for a month, I went up to 600mgs, it was like a sugar pill for me.
>
> I think that Moc can be combined with SSRIs or Clomipramine in low doses, I combined it with 10mgs of Citalpram and lived to tell the tale....

Hi,

the e-mail from Pekka Roponen that Ed posted in a thread above mentioned trimipramine and maprotiline. Do you or anyone here been on these particular drugs. I really can't stand the side effects of clomipramine and Mr. Roponen also rejected that idea. How did they work for you? s/e?

Maybe i should give Mr. Roponen a call :)

regards,
Mattias

 

Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix

Posted by vwoolf on December 12, 2004, at 14:28:58

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix » tensor, posted by ed_uk on December 12, 2004, at 8:08:15

I have been taking a South African Moclobemide generic called Depnil for the past 9 months 450m a day. It seems to have lifted my depression well in spite of intensive therapy, and I have suffered from no side effects at all. During this time I have kicked a thirty year addiction to Benzos (Serepax) without any difficulty. Before starting Depnil I was on Effexor and had a two week wash out between them.

 

Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix

Posted by tensor on December 12, 2004, at 14:39:49

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by vwoolf on December 12, 2004, at 14:28:58

> I have been taking a South African Moclobemide generic called Depnil for the past 9 months 450m a day. It seems to have lifted my depression well in spite of intensive therapy

Hi, what do you mean with 'in spite of intensive therapy'?

>During this time I have kicked a thirty year addiction to Benzos (Serepax) without any difficulty. Before starting Depnil I was on Effexor and had a two week wash out between them.

Why did you go off the benzo? Was it because the Depnil did the work instead? Or was it because you wanted to come off and it was easier with Depnil?

Thank you,
Mattias

 

Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix

Posted by sabre on December 12, 2004, at 22:30:36

In reply to need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by tensor on December 12, 2004, at 5:17:38

Hello Mattias
I tried Aurorix for social anxiety, panic and slight depression.
I only lasted about 2 weeks. I started out on 75mg and was energised by this in the first two days. Felt pretty good. Didn't last.
I tried lifting the dose up to 300mg (150mg x 2 per day) but found this awful. I felt tired and depressed. I also developed missed heart beats and it took a week after stopping the drug for them to go away.
I've heard it either works well or doesn't at all.
sabre

 

Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix

Posted by ravenstorm on December 12, 2004, at 23:48:49

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by sabre on December 12, 2004, at 22:30:36

Mattias, keep us appraised of your progress if you decide to try this drug. Several of us are interested to see if it will work for someone!

 

I will! And thank you all!! (nm) » ravenstorm

Posted by tensor on December 12, 2004, at 23:52:08

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by ravenstorm on December 12, 2004, at 23:48:49

 

Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix

Posted by vwoolf on December 13, 2004, at 3:46:45

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by tensor on December 12, 2004, at 14:39:49

Hi Mattias - In therapy I have been digging very deep into the past around issues of childhood sexual abuse and it keeps dragging my mood downwards - this is why I said that the depression was lifting in spite of therapy.

I had been trying to stop taking the Benzo for many years but with no success. It sort of felt as if I had cotton wool wrapped around my brain a lot of the time. I couldn't think clearly and was obliged to keep taking these pills five times a day. I am very pleased to be rid of them.

 

Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix

Posted by vwoolf on December 13, 2004, at 7:11:59

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by vwoolf on December 13, 2004, at 3:46:45

I just wanted to add that I stopped taking the Benzos a few months after starting the Aurorix. I just began to feel I needed them less. I slowly reduced them until, within about six weeks, I was off them altogether. I only told my Pdoc about it afterwards. Needless to say, he was very pleased.

I am very happy with the Aurorix. It feels almost as if I am not taking any medication at all, except for when I forget. Then I soon start to feel anxious and tense. The only very small side effect I ever notice is that I don't sleep very deeply, but it doesn't really bother me.

Good luck if you decide to go ahead with it. I would certainly recommend it of all the ad's I have tried (and I have tried a lot!).

 

Re: aurorix/manerix experiences--e-c-c-h!!

Posted by cubbybear on December 13, 2004, at 22:18:51

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by vwoolf on December 13, 2004, at 7:11:59

For all of you who have had good things to say about Aurorix, I guess I have to rain on your parade.
This stuff was almost like poison for me back around Dec. 2002. I had weaned off Zoloft, thinking that an AD like Aurorix might be chemically similar to MAOI Parnate which I had been taking previously (long story here which I'll omit).

It turns out that the Aurorix made my depression far worse, to the point where I was barely functional. And the worst part was having to wait several weeks till it was out of my system and I could be back at square one, where I belonged, with Parnate. So be forewarned--a few people posting on this board have had really bad experiences with Aurorix.
cubbybear

 

Re:vwoolf, dosage and timing and other AD's

Posted by ravenstorm on December 13, 2004, at 23:25:03

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by vwoolf on December 13, 2004, at 7:11:59

Just wondering how you space your doses and how much you take in each dose. Also, what other AD's have you tried and how did you react to those? Thanks!

P.S. Been there on that therapy issue. I feel for you.

 

Re:vwoolf, dosage and timing and other AD's

Posted by vwoolf on December 13, 2004, at 23:51:54

In reply to Re:vwoolf, dosage and timing and other AD's, posted by ravenstorm on December 13, 2004, at 23:25:03

Hi Ravenstorm, I take 2 x 150m in the morning with breakfast and 1 x 150m at about 5pm.

As to other meds I have taken, I tried Ciprimil and Effexor before the Aurorix. I suffered from Anorgasmia, weight gain and sleeplessness with the Ciprimil, and I couldn't stand the constant shock feelings with the Effexor. It made me feel quite spaced out.

Before that but many years ago, I took Anafranil but after a couple of blackouts and a seizure I changed to Tofranil. I don't remember whether it was the Tofranil or the Anafranil but one of them gave me huge problems with urination. With both I felt as if I was at a distance from reality. I stopped everything cold turkey (dumped all my meds into a rubbish bin at an airport) and took nothing except the self prescribed Benzos for the next 28 years. It was only with the onset of this latest depression that I have started taking AD's again - much to my disappointment.

 

Re: Thanks vwoolf. ed UK discontinuation?

Posted by ravenstorm on December 14, 2004, at 11:13:40

In reply to Re: need you experiences with aurorix/manerix, posted by ed_uk on December 12, 2004, at 6:14:54

Have you had withdrawal from other AD's? Just trying to find out if you are one of the lucky ones who doesn't have much withdrawal problems or if moclo really doesn't have a withdrawal syndrome.

 

Re: Thanks vwoolf. ed UK discontinuation? » ravenstorm

Posted by ed_uk on December 14, 2004, at 11:32:49

In reply to Re: Thanks vwoolf. ed UK discontinuation?, posted by ravenstorm on December 14, 2004, at 11:13:40

Hi,

I only had withdrawal symptoms from Paxil and Effexor.

Ed.

 

Re: Thanks vwoolf. ed UK discontinuation?

Posted by jasmineneroli on December 14, 2004, at 22:25:47

In reply to Re: Thanks vwoolf. ed UK discontinuation?, posted by ravenstorm on December 14, 2004, at 11:13:40

Hi Mattius:
Sorry, but my experience comes down to one word "horrendous"!
It was prescribed for my GAD (and some mild depression that was also present at the time).
I titrated up real slow from 150 to 600mg daily.
Got side effects at 300mg (headaches, nausea and lethargy) but no therapeutic effect at all. I continued on up to 600mg, whereupon I had severe migraine-like headaches, nausea, body-aches and more lethargy). I do think I had begun to feel a BIT lighter in mood, but at 600mg the S/E's were so severe I had to stop immediately.
I went down to 300mg then to 150mg, to 0mg, within about 3 days and experienced no withdrawal symptoms at all.
Previous to starting moclobemide, I was on a trial of Buspar and went directly to Manerix, with no wash-out period.

I should add, that like many drugs that have given me the same side effects, Manerix is metabolized by the liver enzyme CYTP450-2C19. I seem to have trouble with drugs that require this enzyme, so my experiences may not be typical.

At least, Manerix seems to have no withdrawal problems..so if it doesn't work, it's easy to drop.
Good luck,
Jas

 

Thanks for your input! (nm)

Posted by tensor on December 14, 2004, at 23:23:08

In reply to Re: Thanks vwoolf. ed UK discontinuation?, posted by jasmineneroli on December 14, 2004, at 22:25:47

 

Re: jasmineneroli ?'s

Posted by ravenstorm on December 15, 2004, at 19:57:13

In reply to Re: Thanks vwoolf. ed UK discontinuation?, posted by jasmineneroli on December 14, 2004, at 22:25:47

How slowly did you titrate? Like, two weeks at 150mg and then up to 300mg or faster than that? Do you remember how long total you were on it?

You always hear about this drug suppossedly being side effect free, but I believe that headache and nausea are listed in the PI sheet and you are not the first one I have heard state this. Just wondering if they are start up side effects or permanent. Why did your doctor ramp you up to 600mg if you were still having symptoms at 300mg? I don't think I'll ever understand pdocs!

 

Re: jasmineneroli ?'s » ravenstorm

Posted by jasmineneroli on December 16, 2004, at 1:00:04

In reply to Re: jasmineneroli ?'s, posted by ravenstorm on December 15, 2004, at 19:57:13

I went from 150mg to 225mg then to 300mg over 2 weeks. Then continued up to 450mg by 75 mg over another 2 weeks. Finally increasing to 600mg (by 75mg increments) over a total of about 6 weeks. I stayed on it a further 10 days or so at 600mg.

As for my Pdoc, I just followed his titration plan to the letter and I didn't tell him about my symptoms at 300mg. Partly because I so often get those type of S/E's, to almost every drug when I start them. Except this time they suddenly worsened at the 600mg dose. At first, I mistakenly thought I had a "body" flu, because it was "going around". Then I realized 10 days later that I was feeling just as bad (or worse).The migraine headaches were getting unbearable and I couldn't work. I just stopped taking Manerix completely, and the symptoms disappeared, but I realized I should taper off. At that point I went to my Pdoc, he wanted me to go down to 300mg for a day or two then 150mg, then off.

I had no problems discontinuing. I got a return of mild symptoms at 300mg, but at 150mg nothing.

One of the problems with a lot of side effects, is that they mimic illnesses like the flu, and if a bug is coincidentally around when you start up a new med, you're likely to blame the bug.

Since then, I'm just not as patient with side effects!!!!! I guess I was always hoping it would "work".
Hope that was the info you were looking for :)
Jas


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