Posted by g_g_g_unit on March 11, 2012, at 3:03:18
In reply to Re: any namenda/memantine experiences? » g_g_g_unit, posted by SLS on March 10, 2012, at 6:51:23
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> I tried memantine while taking Parnate, nortriptyline, Abilify, and Lamictal. I found it to be a very tolerable drug. I don't recall having any side effects. I really can't judge its effectiveness because I stopped taking it when I began to feel worse. It turned out that my deterioration was due to my taking an inferior generic version of Lamictal. I never went back to retry memantine subsequently. A recent study reported that memantine was NOT effective in augmenting Lamictal in bipolar disorder, despite some people initially experiencing a transient, mild improvement. Overall, clinical trials of memantine for treating depression have been equivocal.
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> I think memantine is worth a try in combination with antidepressants or stimulants. It is a benign drug, albeit somewhat weak. It is much weaker than ketamine at the NMDA glutamate receptor. I wish I could be more definitive in relating to you my personal experience with memantine, but I did not take it for more than a few weeks. I felt as though my thoughts were clearer and had more mental energy. However, these were not robust effects. I am reluctant to generalize my experience with memantine to others. All I can say is that memantine produced a small, perceptible improvement in depression, particularly with mental energy and cognition.
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> All in all, I have nothing that I can guarantee you. I can't guarantee you that memantine will work. I can't guarantee you that memantine won't work. However, I would just comment that memantine has a favorable side-effect profile.
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> I'm sorry that I couldn't be more helpful. However, I would not be very optimistic that memantine will help as monotherapy to treat depression.Thanks Scott. I didn't really plan on using Memantine as monotherapy for depression. My main, hope, like I say, is that I may be able to improve certain cognitive problems. Either I would add it to the Parnate I'm currently taking, or whatever else I end up on in the future.
I do have prior Memantine experience. I found a low-ish dose (10mg a day) dramatically improved my anxiety and ability to make decisions, but that at 20mg there were some unpleasant side-effects which made me discontinue. I wasn't on either dose very long though, so I should've given it more time.
The only problem is my psychiatrist won't prescribe it. My understanding is it's really safe and has a low side-effect profile, and so all I'd have to really do is circumvent my guilt over self-medicating.
poster:g_g_g_unit
thread:1012702
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120302/msgs/1012764.html