Posted by SLS on May 18, 2010, at 8:27:30
In reply to Are MAOIs really that much betters?, posted by bearfan on May 18, 2010, at 0:19:36
> Just wanted to know, because it's such a hassle to find someone willing to prescribe it and then washing out your system several weeks just to start. Plus it makes the idea of polypharmacy much more tricky. Someone mentioned the phrase "Chasing the Dragon", because when I first took prozac it helped so much and I was optimistic. Now that it doesn't work as well anymore, I'm looking for alternatives and nothing has helped nearly as much. The closest ones were Effexor and Cymbalta, but the side effects were either bad sexual dysfunction or bad bloating and weight gain (Cymbalta). Anyone else been there? Someone said going up to 150mg to 225 gets rid of low libido on Effexor, and that Pristiq isn't as bad (my brief trial with it wasn't the same calming as effexor).
MAOIs certainly do things biologically that other drugs do not. Your chances of responding to one of them are greater if you have atypical depression that started early in life. They are also worth considering if an anxiety disorder (GAD SAD OCD) is present.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6375621
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19741592
Correct me if I'm wrong. I gather that SNRIs are at least partially effective, but you are not happy with the side effects? Nardil can produce anorgasmia. It sometimes disappears with continued treatment, though. Some people get edema. Most people gain weight. Both Nardil and Parnate can produce hypotension, although this can be mitigated by maintaining electrolytes (sodium and potassium) and using the drug Florinef (fludrocortisone) if necessary. Marplan is less apt to produce these side effects, but has a reputation of being weaker than the other two.
Is an MAOI worth trying for you? I don't know. What are your alternatives?
- ScottThe measure of achievement lies not in how high the mountain,
but in how hard the climb.The measure of success lies only in how high one feels he must
climb to get there.
poster:SLS
thread:947766
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100514/msgs/947797.html