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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by AlexCanada on January 14, 2013, at 18:01:54
I'm quite exhausted so I'm not going to be the most articulate. I'm taking Selegiline 3.75mg (oral) + ritalin low dose + valium low dose for Severe melancholic depression w/ anxiety. Symptoms: No interest, Poor emotions, No motivation, Low energy, poor cognition, feeling like a zombie etc.I been having a lot of issues lately but I'm trying to wrap my head around the Selegiline 3.75mg dose I been taking. I used to take 5mg and upwards of 12.5mg. What I consistently noticed though is that I'd often end up with day time tiredness/exhaustion after the 2nd dose. Such as when taking 5mg and later 5mg (10 total) or these days when I take 2.5mg and later 1.25mg.
I'm sensitive to meds so lower doses usually work best for me anyway.
Sometimes I notice some small boost of energy + motivaion after taking my first Selegiline dose around noon. But I tend to become exhausted 2-3 hours later and that exhaustion becomes more intensified as the day goes on. Then it may improve slightly in the late evening but by then I feel so crappy that I feel I absolutely have to sleep anyway.
My mornings feel better than my evenings. My day generally gets worse the longer it goes on. With few exceptions. Don't get me wrong, when I first wake up I sometimes feel absolutely dreadful but then start to feel a bit better 1-2 hours later. This is likely valium hangover effect. Lately I been getting vivid dreams which turn into vivid nightmares and it's extremely difficult to ever get more than 6 hours of sleep. Today I got lucky with 7 but most nights I only get 5 hours.
So I must ask... should I take Selegiline for bed time? Are such sedation/tiredness effects common? Does it relate to the half life? If so what is the half life? How has Selegiline effected you? Are my issues w Selegiline likely effected by the ritalin or valium I been taking since ritalin suppossedly is not suppossed to be taken with it?
Just please give me any insight. I don't know what on earth to try next and my doctor wants to try me on Maprotiline (some sedating really old TCA which I can't find much info on) and I'm not looking forward to it but I cannot go on like this. Something has to change.
Posted by brynb on January 16, 2013, at 18:30:16
In reply to Selegiline, Ensam, Sedation?? Need advice, posted by AlexCanada on January 14, 2013, at 18:01:54
hi ac-
i really don't know much about emsam, but when i tried it, it was too stimulating and it didn't help me.
i found out here on babble that emsam is metabolized as a stimulant, so perhaps in combination with the ritalin you're taking, you're getting that stimulant "crash" that seems to happen when you're on them for a while.
i took adderall w/ valium as a combo in the past and after a while, i became more tired and agitated from adderall than bright and active.
sorry i couldn't be of more help, but that was my initial thought...
-b
Posted by AlexCanada on January 16, 2013, at 20:08:42
In reply to Re: Selegiline, Ensam, Sedation?? Need advice » AlexCanada, posted by brynb on January 16, 2013, at 18:30:16
> hi ac-
>
> i really don't know much about emsam, but when i tried it, it was too stimulating and it didn't help me.
>
> i found out here on babble that emsam is metabolized as a stimulant, so perhaps in combination with the ritalin you're taking, you're getting that stimulant "crash" that seems to happen when you're on them for a while.
>
> i took adderall w/ valium as a combo in the past and after a while, i became more tired and agitated from adderall than bright and active.
>
> sorry i couldn't be of more help, but that was my initial thought...
>
> -bThanks for the advice. Anything is better than nothing at all. This is far too much of a puzzle for me to solve on my own and most people here don't have many answers for me. I have been given some promising options on various meds but none of which are available in Canada. Plus the new anti-import laws tie my hands.
So my options are limited.
But today I was able to have some relief. It was remarkable actually. There are still so many problems but Rhodiola or should I say Adapt 232 Herbal Adaptogen Formula (used in swedish studies) has really been of significant benefit today. I feel less dead. I had some reinvigoration and at least some small part of me is back. I'm still a long way's off but to not feel like the walking dead, some mindless zombie is remarkable.
If only this rhodiola stuff could maintain consistency as it's notorious for developing tolerance and thus ends up requiring small breaks every so often.
The valium + ritalin combo, and ritalin + selegiline especially can be not ideal in the long term. but without ritalin things tend to become very empty and bland. it's a difficult balance to maintain.
today i was trying to see how i'd feel if i didn't take my selegiline dose and i began to feel quite worse when i missed it by 2 hours. it continued and eventually i took it 3 hours later than normal. i improved briefly. might have been withdrawal but i might maintain selegiline 2.5mg for the time being.
I don't think selegiline gives me necessarily any stimulant type effect. it never appears that way these days. it may have briefly at times in the past for a very short duration but more often than not it would end up causing me to become tired and even sedated.
I tried b6 with it today as well, ginkgo i been taking past several days too, omega 3 with epa priority, but the rhodiola 232 was what really ended up giving me substantial tangible benefit and it suppossedly works as an herbal maoi.
oOne hell of a puzzle. Normally during the evenings I feel so dreadful i could barely communicate with anyone at all. Rhodiola (adapt 232) is an interesting little miracle. I was able to feel some small moments of interest and enjoyment today, as well as some small restored emotion. Unfortunately some aggresion accompanies it, which is a typical side effect of rhodiola. But this formulation felt less aggressive than others I have tried.
This is the end of the thread.
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