Posted by Elizabeth on April 14, 2000, at 1:08:39
In reply to Re: Selegiline without the Patch, posted by Adam on April 11, 2000, at 15:34:04
Hi Adam. Your selegiline experience sounds familiar, in some ways (mostly the negative ones)....
> I started out on 15mg/day. For the life of me, I can't figure out why it was suggested I try this, since I've seen no evidence anywhere of antidepressant efficacy at that dose, but the head of the selegiline transdermal system (STS) study I was in thought I should give it a go. It didn't really work.
Not surprised...but as you've seen, going up too fast can cause massive jitters! (Then again, I thought I was increasing it slowly, and you seem to have too, but we still got the jitters.)
> I'm up to 30mg/day now, which is still on the low end, though this dose may work. I've got big time jitters, though, and even dividing it up 15mg t.i.d., I feel like I'm crashing at around midnight or 1:00 AM, hard. And although I experience this change late at night, it's not easy to get to sleep unaided.
Tried Ambien?
> This is like the worst experience I ever had with coffee multiplied. It's hard to sit still, and my hands are all over myself. That was an annoying habit I had that I was told was connected to OCD: The tendancy to kind of pick at myself or bite my nails compulsively. I really do find myself rubbing at my scalp or face without even noticing it, biting nails or fingertips, etc. and then catching myself and feeling embarassed.
I don't have OCD (that I know of), but I've found myself doing this too at various times. It actually is related to the amphetamine-like actions and/or metabolites of selegiline. (I first experienced it when I tried adding Cylert to Nardil. I asked my pdoc about it, he said that sometimes people who've ODed on stimulants do that.)
> On the plus side, I'm feeling a bit better emotionally. I don't know if this is due to MAO inhibition or just plain stimulant high. But it's a step in the right direction.
Cool -- hope it lasts! I don't think you should have trouble getting your doc to prescribe Risperdal if you want to try that - lots of people take it with an antidepressant. It might help with the insomnia as well as the jitters and skin picking.
poster:Elizabeth
thread:27239
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000411/msgs/29942.html