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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by HealthyAndHappy on June 24, 2015, at 15:30:35
Please help me. I feel like I'm losing my battle. I've been reading a lot of info on this forum, but most of it is decades old. I was hoping for some updating information on Nardil and weight loss.
I am taking:
Nardil 90mg
Lyrica 300mg
Topamax: 50mg
Nuvigil: 250mgThe combo works great! It relieves my atypical depression and social anxiety 80% percent. 95+ on a good day.
But now I am morbidly obese. I'm 6'3" and I gained over 120lbs in 6 months. I am trying Topamax, and it cuts the cravings, but it's like the drugs are making me not motivated to start dieting and exercising. Almost like I should have anxiety about my weight but I don't because of the drugs. My only motivation to lose the weight is because I struggle to do things I used to do, like walking up the stairs. I get exhausted easily and sometimes just want to give up. Plus I don't like how I look.
I have an appointment next week. Should I try Parnate or Marplan? Or should I quit the MAOIs and go on Adderall for a while? Or should I stay on the Nardil and work with my therapist?
I now have over 160lbs to lose... I almost just want to give up.
Posted by SLS on June 24, 2015, at 20:47:59
In reply to Yet another Nardil weight problem, posted by HealthyAndHappy on June 24, 2015, at 15:30:35
> Please help me.
>
> I am taking:
> Nardil 90mg
> Lyrica 300mg
> Topamax: 50mg
> Nuvigil: 250mg
>
> The combo works great! It relieves my atypical depression and social anxiety 80% percent. 95+ on a good day.
>
> But now I am morbidly obese.
>
> I have an appointment next week. Should I try Parnate or Marplan?
Two things to consider.1. It often happens that when someone discontinues Nardil, it no longer works when it is restarted. I don't know the length of time off of Nardil it takes for this to occur. You might be able to perform a quick trial of another MAOI and switch back to Nardil successfully if necessary. I don't know.
2. Marplan is closer in chemical structure (hydrazine) to Nardil than it is to Parnate. However, it is not known for weight gain. Marplan is often characterized as being a weak Nardil. However, there are some people who actually respond better to Marplan than to Nardil. I don't know what symptom profile responds well to Marplan.
I once successfully lost weight on Nardil by changing my eating habits. Your doctor might also consider adding methylphenidate. It is usually a safe combination if you add it gradually and monitor your blood pressure. It should reduce your appetite.
Perhaps you can find the full text of this article:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14970373
- Scott
Posted by Lamdage22 on June 25, 2015, at 5:54:29
In reply to Re: Yet another Nardil weight problem » HealthyAndHappy, posted by SLS on June 24, 2015, at 20:47:59
Have you tried Metformin for weight?
It works for me.
Posted by SLS on June 25, 2015, at 6:15:08
In reply to Yet another Nardil weight problem, posted by HealthyAndHappy on June 24, 2015, at 15:30:35
I forgot to mention that methylphenidate can reduce the dizziness (orthostatic hypotension) that can occur with Nardil.
----------------------------------
Lamdage makes an excellent suggestion.
Metformin might be the best idea yet. It could make sense for you to try adding this drug to Nardil first to see how you react to it. There are studies suggesting that metformin can help compensate for Nardil's metabolic disturbances. Being obese and prone to metabolic syndrome, you might find it an important drug to take, anyway. This is something I think you should research for yourself. Metformin does have some potentially serious side effects, so you and your doctor will have to come to a decision based upon risk vs benefit. On the bright side, metformin slows down the aging process and promotes longer life.
- Scott
Posted by HealthyAndHappy on June 25, 2015, at 11:05:29
In reply to Re: Yet another Nardil weight problem » HealthyAndHappy, posted by SLS on June 25, 2015, at 6:15:08
Thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to take a little from both of you.
1. I'll stay on the Nardil, because I can't afford to not have it work in the future. I've spent years tying different ADs but nothing came close. Adderall came in 2nd place and I was on it for almost 10 years (I'm only 28) but I started to develop too much of a tolerance and my 75mg/day dosage was getting too high to handle physically.
2. I have lost a lot of weight in the past so I know how to do it. It's just hard when your body fights you every step of the way. I asked my doctor about Metformin a while ago, but she didn't feel comfortable RXing it because she is not familiar with using it. But now that she sees how big I am maybe she will reconsider. I can try my family doc too.
I'll start tracking every calorie I eat. That is how I had success before.It's just really discouraging to read through all the articles on here about people failing when trying to lose weight on Nardil. But I wonder how many of those people actually tracked their calories, rather than "tried to eat a little less".
When I started Lyrica (150mg 2x /day) off label for social anxiety (switched from clonazepam due to tolerance issues), I experienced a few weeks of light hypomania and lost about 30lbs. I suspect it was water weight though.
I'm going to give this a try. Thanks for giving me some motivation this time :)
Posted by Lamdage22 on June 26, 2015, at 12:08:38
In reply to Re: Yet another Nardil weight problem, posted by HealthyAndHappy on June 25, 2015, at 11:05:29
I have lost weight on Nardil without Metformin.
Nardil is not as bad as Seroquel or Zyprexa.
For me anyway.
This is the end of the thread.
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