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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by blackcat23 on November 2, 2005, at 6:40:15
First, thanks to everyone who has posted on Parnate and Nardil-- I've learned a lot of information from you! Here's my situation-- I started out taking Nardil for 3 days for atypical depression but became concerned about the possiblility of weight gain, so asked my dr to prescribe Parnate instead. The following day, I began 20 mg of Parnate. Yesterday, I took 30 mg- 20 in the morning and 10 in the afternoon. Today, I plan to do the same. In a few days, I'll begin taking 20 in the morning and 20 in the afternoon. That will be the final increase. I also take 50 mg Cytomel.
I woke up yesterday morning feeling so much better than I have been, but as the day went on, felt more and more drugged. Then, the dizziness set in and couldn't stand easily. What are your experiences with Parnate both in the first week and later in treatment? Thank you!
Posted by naughtypuppy on November 5, 2005, at 11:42:32
In reply to first days on Parnate, posted by blackcat23 on November 2, 2005, at 6:40:15
> First, thanks to everyone who has posted on Parnate and Nardil-- I've learned a lot of information from you! Here's my situation-- I started out taking Nardil for 3 days for atypical depression but became concerned about the possiblility of weight gain, so asked my dr to prescribe Parnate instead. The following day, I began 20 mg of Parnate. Yesterday, I took 30 mg- 20 in the morning and 10 in the afternoon. Today, I plan to do the same. In a few days, I'll begin taking 20 in the morning and 20 in the afternoon. That will be the final increase. I also take 50 mg Cytomel.
> I woke up yesterday morning feeling so much better than I have been, but as the day went on, felt more and more drugged. Then, the dizziness set in and couldn't stand easily. What are your experiences with Parnate both in the first week and later in treatment? Thank you!The afternoon somnolence and the orthostatic hypotension you are describing are very common side effects of Parnate. They should go away or diminish considerably as time progresses. They also get temporarily worse when you increase the dosage. I found that going from 30mg to 40mg per day made it really bad for about a month, but it did go away. Splitting the dosage (take 10mg at a time about an hour or 2 apart not, 20mg at once) can also help reduce these effects. Parnate gave me almost what I would describe as a mild euphoria about 2 days after I started that lasted about 3 weeks. This is probably due to the stimulating effect that will wear off after a time. It got a little emotionally bouncy for a couple of weeks after that, but it stabilized, but I didn’t get the euphoric feeling back, but I did get a good AD response. Don’t get discouraged if this happens to you. It is not poop out, but just a normal progression for this med. Just give it a fair trial, Parnate is an excellent med.
Posted by blackcat23 on November 5, 2005, at 15:33:21
In reply to Re: first days on Parnate, posted by naughtypuppy on November 5, 2005, at 11:42:32
Thank you for your response. I believe I have increased my dose too quickly-- I will take your advice and split the doses through the day. The dizziness, weakness, and fatigue was getting worse and I was beginning to worry about my health. I've noticed the hypotension particuarly bad in the evenings.
I have some other questions...
What symptoms has the Parnate helped you with? Are you able to exercise without becoming too weak/dizzy?
Do you experience loss of appetite? (this has been a major side effect for me and I think may have been contributing to my weakness/fatigue.)
Has it helped you with motivation to socialize or being productive? I've been feeling quite apathetic since I've begun the med, but mostly just dazed and weak.
Thank you!
Posted by naughtypuppy on November 7, 2005, at 14:17:07
In reply to Re: first days on Parnate, posted by blackcat23 on November 5, 2005, at 15:33:21
Let’s try this again. My first reply didn’t post!
>Thank you for your response. I believe I have increased my dose too quickly-- I will >take your advice and split the doses through the day. The dizziness, weakness, and >fatigue was getting worse and I was beginning to worry about my health. I've noticed >the hypotension particuarly bad in the evenings.
I’ve found that it is best to wait until the side effects have mostly subsided before increasing the dosage, otherwise they can be quite overwhelming.>I have some other questions...
>What symptoms has the Parnate helped you with? Are you able to exercise without >becoming too weak/dizzy?I suffer mostly from anxiety which the Parnate really seems to supress. Why do people with primarily anxiety disorders (which is the majority of people with mood disorders) seem to get stuck with just benzos and AD’s designd for major depression? Make you feel like a 3rd class citizen getting someone else’s hand me downs!. It also helps with the constant rumination. As far as exercise goes, I have to rest more often than I used to. I don’t seem to have the stamina I once had.
>Do you experience loss of appetite? (this has been a major side effect for me and I think >may have been contributing to my weakness/fatigue.).
The loss of appetite lasted for about 2 months in which I dropped about 15 lbs. I dropped another 15 lbs afterwards because of increased motivation/activity.
>Has it helped you with motivation to socialize or being productive? I've been feeling >quite apathetic since I've begun the med, but mostly just dazed and weak.
It certainly made me more motivated which is more than I can say for most other AD’s. For the first week I felt quite spaced out which is probably what your’e experiencing.
>Thank you!
This is the end of the thread.
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