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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by g_g_g_unit on July 28, 2013, at 5:48:41
day#2 - taking 50mg every 12 hours. feeling dysphoric and stimulated, which i wasn't expecting.
i was on clonazepam for about 5 days before i started the riluzole (doses from 1-3mg) and stopped suddenly. even though i had a *paradoxical* reaction to clonazepam while on it, could i still possibly be feeling effects of withdrawal?
it's a pity there aren't many riluzole experiences online to check with. this thing better f--- work
Posted by Tomatheus on July 28, 2013, at 8:35:56
In reply to started riluzole, posted by g_g_g_unit on July 28, 2013, at 5:48:41
g_g_g_unit,
Thank you for sharing your Riluzole experience (or what your response is looking like so far) with us. I hope that the medication will produce some decent benefits for you in the long run.
T.
Posted by g_g_g_unit on July 28, 2013, at 9:08:38
In reply to Re: started riluzole » g_g_g_unit, posted by Tomatheus on July 28, 2013, at 8:35:56
Thank you Tomatheus. I'm just concerned about why I'm feeling agitated so early on, though like I say, contemporaneous Clonazepam withdrawal might be complicating things.
I also understand Riluzole shares some similarities to Lamictal and that can produce agitation at the start?
anyway, I'll keep people updated. I'm posting daily comments in a mood journal but might try make it public in honor of everyone who donated to make the trial possible
Posted by Tomatheus on July 28, 2013, at 9:42:27
In reply to Re: started riluzole » Tomatheus, posted by g_g_g_unit on July 28, 2013, at 9:08:38
> Thank you Tomatheus. I'm just concerned about why I'm feeling agitated so early on, though like I say, contemporaneous Clonazepam withdrawal might be complicating things.
You're welcome. Judging from my own experience with clonazepam, I wouldn't discount the possibility that you might still be experiencing some kind of aftereffects (possibly withdrawal) from taking the medication. When I took clonazepam (which my psychiatrist prescribed for restlessness), I didn't notice any benefits, but noticed that I was constantly tapping my foot. I only stayed on the medication for a few days, and the foot-tapping side effect went away after I discontinued the drug, but it took a few days for the foot tapping to go away. My experience is, of course, just anecdotal, but I tend to think based on my experience that you might still be noticing some aftereffects from clonazepam if you discontinued it immediately before starting the Riluzole. Then again, it might be the case that the agitation that you're experiencing is from the Riluzole itself. When multiple variables that might influence one's responses to medications are involved, it can (obviously) be hard to know what's doing what.
T.
Posted by linkadge on July 28, 2013, at 20:36:04
In reply to Re: started riluzole » g_g_g_unit, posted by Tomatheus on July 28, 2013, at 9:42:27
I wouldn't come off the clonazepam so quickly. You don't want to taint a possible positive response.
Linkadge
Posted by g_g_g_unit on July 29, 2013, at 5:07:36
In reply to Re: started riluzole, posted by linkadge on July 28, 2013, at 20:36:04
Thanks for the tip, but the clonazepam (even at 0.25mg) was causing paradoxical agitation so I couldn't remain on it. Since I was only on it 4 days, I figure I'd just suffer through any withdrawals.
Posted by g_g_g_unit on July 29, 2013, at 11:12:43
In reply to Re: started riluzole » linkadge, posted by g_g_g_unit on July 29, 2013, at 5:07:36
i'm such an idiot. i had to leave the house to work last weekend. since it's impossible in my normal state and nothing really helps my anxiety, i took 60mg of Parnate three days in a row (which creates a calm euphoria). that would have been enough to inhibit MAO, which means i'm probably withdrawing from that too.
i know it was stupid. it's been a week though, so another week until things are back to normal i suppose. i have a pretty limited supply of Riluzole and realize this would be a difficult question to answer, but since my supply is limited (2 month's worth), should i just push ahead anyway or stop and start again in a week?
Posted by Willful on July 29, 2013, at 16:19:51
In reply to correction: i'm an idiot, posted by g_g_g_unit on July 29, 2013, at 11:12:43
I'm not sure how much parnate you usually take, but just to be certain that your reactions are to riluzole, it makes sense to stop taking it, since you've only taken it for a few days, and restart when your drug regimen is stable.
Otherwise you'll be forever second-guessing what led to what. If you're changing things to try to test a reaction, the only real way is make sure you're not doing more than one thing differently at a time. It sounds as though there's enough instability in the drugs, that it's worth getting a clear reading, by waiting a while.
Willful
Posted by g_g_g_unit on July 29, 2013, at 22:50:48
In reply to Re: correction: i'm an idiot, posted by Willful on July 29, 2013, at 16:19:51
> I'm not sure how much parnate you usually take, but just to be certain that your reactions are to riluzole, it makes sense to stop taking it, since you've only taken it for a few days, and restart when your drug regimen is stable.
>
> Otherwise you'll be forever second-guessing what led to what. If you're changing things to try to test a reaction, the only real way is make sure you're not doing more than one thing differently at a time. It sounds as though there's enough instability in the drugs, that it's worth getting a clear reading, by waiting a while.
>
> Willful
>
>i don't normally take any, i simply had some left over and stupidly used it for a couple of days to help me get to work. i'm not on any medication right now except the riluzole.
i've thought about it a bit. i know technically it would be wisest to stop again and restart the riluzole in a few weeks, but i'm in so much continual agony that i don't think i can wait that long -- especially given riluzole seems to take so long to kick in. i plan to continue with the full two-month's worth of Riluzole i have (unless something goes awfully wrong), and can't see how a glutamate antagonist would negatively interact with the MAOI or its withdrawal, so might just carry on
Posted by Willful on July 30, 2013, at 13:44:12
In reply to Re: correction: i'm an idiot » Willful, posted by g_g_g_unit on July 29, 2013, at 22:50:48
I'm not sure that riluzole alone without other medications to supplement, has been found to have strong anti-depressant properties-- I also don't know that it doesn't, but had heard of it mostly used as a adjunt to a regime of other drugs that wasn't fully effective. That's how it worked for me.
Have you discussed using riluzole only as a med with your pdoc? or read articles that suggest that it works that way?
Willful
Posted by g_g_g_unit on July 31, 2013, at 10:26:33
In reply to Re: correction: i'm an idiot, posted by Willful on July 30, 2013, at 13:44:12
> I'm not sure that riluzole alone without other medications to supplement, has been found to have strong anti-depressant properties-- I also don't know that it doesn't, but had heard of it mostly used as a adjunt to a regime of other drugs that wasn't fully effective. That's how it worked for me.
To be honest, most drugs that have shown some partial benefits in my condition (primarily stimulating-like ADs such as Parnate, or pure stimulants like d-amphetamine) are typically too anxiogenic to prove useful. I don't respond to benzos in any form (they all produce paradoxical reactions), SSRIs don't do much for anxiety, APs produce akathisia/movement problems and I hated mood-stabilizers. So getting my anxiety under control has been tremendously difficult; right now, that's my primary aim and I think Riluzole might have shown anxiolytic effects as a solo med from memory. So if my anxiety/OCD is under control, it's my hope that I can return to treating my depression and ADD.
>
> Have you discussed using riluzole only as a med with your pdoc? or read articles that suggest that it works that way?
>
> Willful
>
>I can't recall if the studies for anxiety/OCD used it as a solo med or not. This study does not use the word 'augmentation' so it may have been monotherapy: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18315448
I am not under the care of a psychiatrist at the moment, only a GP. I've become too disillusioned with the psychiatrists I've encountered over the past several years.
That said, I decided try to rush onto the Riluzole at this point was a little foolhardy and am going to have a 7-10 day 'reset' period and then begin it again.
Posted by Beckett on August 2, 2013, at 0:14:21
In reply to Re: correction: i'm an idiot » Willful, posted by g_g_g_unit on July 31, 2013, at 10:26:33
I wish you the best.
This is the end of the thread.
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