Shown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Girlnterrupted78 on July 11, 2007, at 6:07:38
I started taking Nardil a month ago. I started with 45mgs, which didn't do much, went up to 60mgs, and then my p-doc said "try 90mgs" so I did.
Anyway, I started on 90mgs, and I had been on 90mgs for 4 days when this happened:
I was eating dinner (I take 45mgs of Nardil with breakfast and 45mgs with dinner.)
I had 45mgs right before dinner, and I had a soy yogurt. Half way through the yogurt, the lower back of my head began pounding really really hard and painfully, nonstop. It was easily the worst headache I've ever had. I immediately stopped eating the yogurt and I figured, it must have been the soy. I didn't really want to go to the ER, (my p-doc said "if you have a headache, go to the ER!!") I waited ten minutes to see if the pain would subside, but it didn't. I was willing to wait more, but I started getting scared, and if I didn't go, I knew my p-doc might never trust me again and even take me off the Nardil. So I went.To make a story short, my BP was perfectly normal. So I was sent back home. They said it could've been a "transient reaction" but so far, I didn't have a hypertensive reaction at that point (in the ER.)
Next morning, I had my breakfast with soy milk (my list of foods lists soy milk in the 3rd category: 1.Foods to avoid, 2.Foods to eat occasionally, 3.Foods to eat without restriction. Yogurts aren't listed at all, so I figured soy milk was ok. Well, within half an hour, the horrible pounding headache started all over again.
Fine, next time I went to the store and got RICE milk. This can't be a problem, I figured. Well, shockingly as it sounds, the story repeated and the headache was back. At this point I knew something was wrong. It just couldn't be the rice milk too, and why was the soy milk listed as safe if it wasn't? -- that was too much .. So I decided to do an experiment. The next morning I had my 45mgs of Nardil on an empty stomach and decided to wait and have breakfast an hour later. And bingo! Yes, the pounding headache came within half an hour(before I had anything to eat) and lasted another half an hour. It was unbearable. I'd walk all over my room trying different positions to see if I could stop it even for even just 10 seconds, and no matter what I did (lie down, sit down, stand up) it would not stop. Finally I found a position though, where it managed to stop for like 20 seconds;I arched my back and my head as much as I could.. and the pounding got transfered to my neck without the pain, but within 20 seconds the position was obsolete and it started again.
Later that day, once the pain was gone, I decided to try my soy milk (which I had been sad to let go of, and left in the fridge just ready to dump it..) well, no reaction! Soy yogurt, no reaction! So it was none of the above, it was the NARDIL ITSELF!!!
Does anybody know why am I having horrific headaches on 90mgs of Nardil? What on earth is going on? I mean, I never heard of anyone having pounding headaches unless they're having a reaction, but I had those headaches just with the Nardil itself. Anyway, ever since, I went down to 60mgs, I don't get the headaches anymore, all I get is a painless pounding in my chest, and a little bit of anxiety with it (which doesn't bother me all that much.)
I also developed syncope from taking Nardil. I keep getting very light headed when I have to do big efforts or when I get up from bed. One night I got up to use the restroom (I had been deep asleep), and half way through, I saw everything black and lost my equilibrium, lost half my consciousness and fell on the floor hitting my head and knocking everything around down.
Anyway--sorry about the long post--but if anybody has had these side effects with Nardil, or knows anything about them, I'd appreciate any info you could give me. I don't get to see my p-doc until in 2 weeks, so I will get his input later on.
Thanks a lot
GI78
Posted by Jedi on July 11, 2007, at 12:03:05
In reply to Awful, pounding headache on Nardil, posted by Girlnterrupted78 on July 11, 2007, at 6:07:38
Hi,
No idea on the headaches. Obviously if your BP was not high, it was not a tyramine hypertensive reaction. It is not a good idea to jump from 60mg to 90mg in one shot. This med takes some time for the body to adjust, and side effects are worse if titrated up too quickly. You've probably seen this posted, but the generally accepted effective dose of Nardil is 1mg/kg of body weight (divide your weight in pounds by 2.2). Are you prone to headaches? It sure makes it a lot harder to tell if the headache is tyramine related, if you are. I believe that anyone on a MAOI should have an automatic blood pressure monitor, especially if headaches are common for the person. The orthostatic hypertension that you describe(low blood pressure and dizziness on standing) is a very common side effect of MAOIs. It will decrease in time, or there are other medications to control it.
Be well,
Jedi
Posted by Jedi on July 11, 2007, at 12:11:36
In reply to Re: Awful, pounding headache on Nardil » Girlnterrupted78, posted by Jedi on July 11, 2007, at 12:03:05
This is the end of the thread.
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