Is anyone on Parnate?? (in 2015, all other posts are years old??)

[SarahJMO]

Just wondering if anyone else out there is on or has been on Parnate (an MAOI) fairly recently? Would love to compare some side effects and have some questions.

Thanks in advance if anyone sees this this year! :)

[Nickname0001]

Hi Sarah,

No worries, hope you got the info you needed about Parnate, hope all is well :)

[SarahJMO]

Thank you for your responses. I'll have to reply tomorrow.
I wish I received a notification that I had replies or I would have checked in sooner sorry.

[persephonedemeter]

I meant I could not stick with the diet with my lifestyle:)

[persephonedemeter]

I agree with you. There was a time when none of the new meds worked for me or I had pretty bad side effects, or I had developed allergies to some of the new ones,and I was surprised that one of my doctors pulled out an old med that hadn't been used for a long time. It happened when I had a pretty serious physical illness, and they really were running out of options. Luckily, that old medication worked wonders. It basically saved my life. Thank heavens someone was thinking a bit wider, and I was very glad and there was something out there that pulled me out of that.

I was offered MAO inhibitors, but I really couldn't do the diet. I love aged cheese, kimchee and fava beans. I knew  I could stick with it with my lifestyle. Definitely, the diet would have been healthier if I did. It isn't so old that you can't find any information on it. They are still used. I have seen a few people on Amytriptyline still, and they said they were doing well.

The pharmacist who fills the meds can also give information on the medication. In the hospitals, they have dietiticans who instruct people on dietary precautions too and will come up with sample menus, and look over what people usually eat.

Usually, with any med you take, you have to keep in mind precautions, look out for common side effects, pay attention to black box warnings, get lab tests done, etc. anyway. I gladly put up with precautions and testings, just to be able to be well again and have a life.

Heavens, surgeons use leeches to keep circulation flowing in small vessels because of the anti-coagulation effects when re-attaching severed digits and limbs back on people.People who have use of those digits and limbs aren't complaining about leeches being used. A person who saw that treatment would think archaic, but it is still a viable therapy, although it isn't to balance a person's humours anymore.

I find it interesting that people are so opposed to using secondary beneficial effects from medication. Well, I guess they would have to refuse the aspirin or the morphine, if they ever had a heart attack The secondary effects of those medications have to do with keeping blood flowing and keeping heart muscle from injury. Well, maybe, they know better.

I gave up grapefruit for the psych meds, and it was one of my favorite fruits, and still is, but I can imagine tasting it still. I also changed big things in my life that I absolutely loved, but it was no longer good for me to continue since bipolar disorder happened. Even with that, it was worth it to get my life back. Besides, new doors opened up for me.

[Nickname0001]

^Yes

If it works and relieves you of crippling depression and gives you your life back, it's unlikely you're going to complain about not being able to eat aged cheese.  

The medication interactions are a different story. I don't actually know what you can't take but taking an Maoi interferes with routine procedures like standard anaesthetics in dental work, or cold and flu tablets, or anything they might give you in the emergency room if you were involved in an accident.
Hence why you should wear a medi-alert bracelet.
Having said that, if it does give you your life back, learning and avoiding the foods and medications is just something you will have to do.

[Paxiled]

There's a reason you're not finding a lot of recent use, and that's because MAO inhibitors are seldom used anymore.  That doesn't mean they didn't work for some people, the main problem was they interact badly with so many medications and foods that they are very hard to use.  They just go replaced by newer forms of antidepressants.  But sometimes it's the best or only thing that will work for a particular person, so again, this isn't to say it's bad to use it, just to explain why few people are now on MAO inhibitors.

[Nickname0001]

Hi again,

There are some people talking about it recently here as well -

http://forums.************.com/psychiatric-medications/392875-parnate-anyone.html

I googled "Parnate anyone?" And found those sites.

I too was looking for information earlier this year when I started taking it. It can seem like a scary drug but it's very effective.

Good luck and let me know if you have anymore questions

[Nickname0001]

There are some short reviews on here from 2013-2015

http://www.drugs.com/comments/tranylcypromine/parnate-for-depression.html

[Nickname0001]

Hi,

Not sure I can be of much help because everyone's depression/anxiety is different and you can really only know by trying the medication but for me -

I started on 30mg but went up to 50mg and stayed on that. I'm not sure what the standard dose is, I read one thing saying 30-60, read another it said people were going up much higher. My psychiatrist was happy to go to 60mg max.

As a side effect it's fairly activating (not necessarily a bad thing) so I took the whole dose in the am. That effect was welcomed by me because I tend to be lethargic and tired. The activating feeling reduced over time and it didn't bother me.

The main side effect which you might have read about is insomnia. I didn't really have a problem with this. I found that as long as I took my dose early in the morning and avoided caffeine in the afternoon then I was fine to sleep normally. But, I do take seroquel in the evening to help with sleep so maybe I'm not the most reliable source for that.

The biggest thing you need to know is the food, alcohol and medication interactions. You absolutely need to learn what you can and can't eat and take. So depending on your current diet you may have to change it a lot or you may have to change it a little.

If you respond to this medication then the side effects and interactions are completely manageable and worthwhile.

Nortriptyline is related to Amitriptyline which was a popular drug years ago. I changed to Nortriptyline because it's a tricyclic and I thought I was better off on a tricyclic. I wish I hadn't changed now, Parnate is a brilliant medication, i didn't notice how much it was doing until I came off it.

[SarahJMO]

Hi! Thank you for your response. :)

May I please ask what, if any, side effects you had from parnate (& what dose you were on?).

Why did you change to that other thing you just said above? I've never heard of that one?

Thanks! :)

[Nickname0001]

Hi,

I was on Parnate from about April this year, have recently come off it to go on Nortriptyline, a tricyclic.

Ask away :)