Posted by HopeNotLost on November 22, 2002, at 20:18:56
Every time I visit my psychiatrist, I jokingly ask, "Anything else out there comparable to Nardil that will give the same results without all the dietary restrictions and side effects?" (I have horrible insomnia this time around on Nardil and feel like my motor is running constantly.) To my surprise, this time he said, "Maybe."
Of course, he gave me the bad news about Nardil's availability (or lack thereof). But then he went on to tell me of another patient who has an extraordinarily similar case of panic disorder. She has a PhD in pharmacology and, after not getting any relief on the medication merry-go-round, she did some medical research of her own. She brought to his attention a drug that is seeing good success in studies. Funny thing is that the FDA-approved indication for this drug is for the treatment of epilepsy and seizures . . . panic disorder is not mentioned. After researching it and educating himself further, the doctor prescribed it for her. She is currently living free of panic attacks and enjoying life like she hasn't in many years. The drug is Gabitril. Information about it is available at http://www.gabitril.com/patients/home/default.asp.
He and I weighed the pros and cons and, finally, I decided to try it. I have a phobia, of sorts, about taking new pills (loss of control once it's in the body - - I'm sure you know what I mean), so he started me at the lowest prescribable dosage, 2 mgs daily. The sweet spot for treatment of panic disorder seems to be in the 8-12 mgs range. Putting that in perspective, for epilepsy/seizure control, it's around 36-52 mgs daily.
I can't say my initial experience has been great. I take it at night since it's also supposed to help one sleep better (and it does!). But I wake every morning shaky, watery-headed, feeling as if nothing is real. It's almost like a low blood sugar episode mixed with a bad hangover. I stayed with it for a little more than a week (during the first week I stopped taking the Nardil) and finally called him. He told me to stop taking it, wait until I felt somewhat normal again, then try halving it to l mg daily. If I feel like I just can't even try that, I have to go back in and we'll start back at square one. I'll probably give it the ol' college try (especially since I'll be vacationing off/on throughout December), but I am fairly nervous about it. I'm afraid I'm losing some of the progress I made with Nardil.
It's so disappointing. Have any of you tried Gabitril or had it suggested to you? What's your experience with it? I've read another thread suggesting Parnate - - anyone tried that in place of Nardil and had success?
I still have hope, but I'm so tired of this sh*t. I can't even remember what it's like to feel relaxed and normal - - again, something I'm sure all of you can relate to without difficulty.
Have a pleasant evening (and sorry for the length of the post).
*Hope*
poster:HopeNotLost
thread:128830
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021122/msgs/128830.html