Posted by tecknohed on October 19, 2005, at 10:24:09
In reply to Should I try nardil? some questions, posted by quiet_one on October 19, 2005, at 5:12:04
Hi
> I have been thinking about trying nardil for a while now. I also have social phobia, so I thought nardil would be best in treatment resistant depression + social phobia. However, being as sensitive as I am to drugs, am I likely to suffer bad side effects from it? Is insomnia usually one of them, or is that more common in parnate?
You are indeed likely to experience side effects to a certain extent on Nardil. These can include sexual problems (anorgasmia), dizzeness from hypotension, tiredness (esp. with ongoing treatment), constipation & urine retention.
Insomnia is less common than with Parnate but can happen in some, esp at start of treatment.
The trick is to start Nardil low (15mg) and increase very slowly, that way the side effects will also appear gradually making it easier to adjust to them.> I am from australia and i'm unsure if its still on the PBS? Anyone here from australia on it and know?
One poster here called ACE is from Australia and also on Nardil. Heres a recent post of his (hope you dont mind ACE!):
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051017/msgs/568751.html>Whats this I hear about the "new" nardil? Is there a choice between going on the "old" or "new" nardil, or is it all the new one now? If so is it just as effective as the old one?
Dont think this applies to Australia (?)
> I heard that it works quicker than the SSRI's, is this true?
No hard fast rule - varies between individuals.
> Finally, how bad are the food restrictions? Can you eat processed cheese commonly found in mcdonalds burgers etc? Or would this be too risky?Personally, I find the food restrictions insignificant compared to its great theraputic power. SP & Depression, or give up the cheese? - not a hard decision really! Saying that, 'processed' cheese is said to be ok.
>Is it possible to carry around a med that lowers blood pressure, to use as an "antidote" should a hypertensive crisis occur?
Yes, nifedipine. There are a few others too I think. Dont know if there are any risks invoved.> I feel as though i've tried everything, so i'm hoping if I tried this it will work. What are my chances?
Good I would say! Like you, I've tried most other AD meds without success. I've been on Nardil 2 years for SP/Depression/OCD and it works great. It does have problems but these can be worked around. Most of Nardil's side effects fade away with time - any that are either too troublesome, or that dont fade away can be zapped with additional meds (I take modafinil for my 'Nardil induced' tiredness and it works great!). Decreased efficiacy can be dealt with through dose adjustment/augmentation.
There may still be other meds/combos that you could still try before going the MAOI route. Otherwise I would say its worth a try - go for it!
teck.
poster:tecknohed
thread:568769
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051017/msgs/568813.html