Posted by SLS on December 14, 2009, at 6:44:08
In reply to Parnate + Lithium for a unipolar depressive, posted by Girlnterrupted78 on December 14, 2009, at 4:01:49
> My doctor insists that I might be low bipolar and wants to give me Lithium. I keep telling him I'm not bipolar.
Lithium can work as an adjunct to Parnate to produce an antidepressant response in unipolar depressives. However, the range of dosages used for this indication is pretty low (300mg-600mg). As Willyeee has commented, I would not make high-dose lithium (900mg or higher) the next treatment choice. It is best to avoid the potential toxicity of this treatment if possible. In my estimation, adding nortriptyline to Parnate is a logical choice. If you go that route, don't forget that testing for blood levels of nortriptyline is often helpful to determine the ideal dosage of this drug. Most people do well at 75mg. However, rapid metabolizers can need upwards of 150mg. It may be that your doctor would feel it better to use lower doses of nortriptyline because of the presence of Parnate.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:929179
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091206/msgs/929181.html