![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by DC on April 11, 2000, at 6:50:14
Dear Psychobabblers,
For the past few weeks I have been experimenting with some new meds--mainly for social phobia but also for the Inattentive type of ADD. I would like to share my experiences with these meds because I believe I may have discovered a med combo that might be helpful for people with similar conditions. I must say that I have had some horrific ups and downs these last few weeks, going from feeling great to feeling extremely shaky and nervous, to sluggish and depressed. The main meds I've been experimenting with are: Neurontin, Adderal, and Klonipan. Here is what I have learned:NEURONTIN alone tends to cause "brain fog" and causes weight gain, but it does help some with anxiety and depression.
On ADDERAL alone I found that I could only tolerate extremely small doses (around 2mgs 3/day) anything more than that excaberated my social phobia, almost to the point of schizoaffective paranoia. But despite the increase in anxiety, the adderal helped me in other ways, e.g., with concentration, with writing, with motivation to get things done and to exercise.
KLONIPAN alone was very helpful for social anxiety, but also caused memory problems, sleepiness, and sluggish thinking.
Noting the affects of these meds when taken alone, I began to experiement with combinations. First I tried the Neurontin and the Adderal together. This first combo was pretty good because the Adderal counteracted the brain fog and weight gain of the neurontin, and the neurontin counteracted the social anxiety caused by Adderal. Yet on this combo I was still feeling socially anxious and I couldn't raise the dose of the Adderal to the higher level that I needed for increased motivation and concentration.
Finally I began adding klonipan to this mix and everything fell into place. Now I feel relaxed yet full of energy, more socially confident, and am losing weight. I found that with the Klonipan and Neurontin in the mix, I was able to increase the dose of Adderal and am noticing an increase in energy and mental acuity. The tricky thing is getting the right dose for all these meds. HERE IS WHAT WORKS FOR ME: ADDERAL 7.5mg 3/day, NEURONTIN 400 mg 3/day, KLONIPAN 1.5mg 2/day. Then at night I take a combo of sonata and trazadone to help me get to sleep.
The reason I'm going into such detail here is that I know there are many people with social phobia who only respond to the MAO inhibitors like Nardil and Parnate, but who don't like the extreme side effects of those meds. In my experience, they caused extreme weight gain, constipation, insomnia, and sexual problems. It is for those people that I write this post. Could this combo be an alternative to Nardil for people with social phobia? I can't be sure because I've only felt really good for a few days, but I think this combo of meds might really help some people. The point I was trying to get accross is that these meds seem to work in a synergistic fashion. Instead of having more side effects, as is often the case in med combinations, these drugs seems to counterbalance each other. I will keep people posted to let you know if this combo continues to work.
Thanks, Dwight
Posted by AndrewB on April 12, 2000, at 10:31:50
In reply to New med combo for social phobia!, posted by DC on April 11, 2000, at 6:50:14
Dwight,
Thank you for telling your story. It sounds like your getting wonderful results. Do keep posting to let us know if this combination continues to work for you.
I was fascinated when you described this as a possible substitute for MAOIs such as nardil or parnate. In other words; something that works for social anxiety, is energizing yet anxiolytic, and has a better side effect profile. This too is what I have been looking for. I have dysthymia combined with an unusual amount of fatigue and some degree of an avoidant personality (avoidant personality is related to social anxiety). I also think I’ve found a medicine combo that is energizing yet anxiolytic. It is reboxetine and amisulpride (sometimes with Mirapex). Funny, but like you I’ve thought of this combo as my parnate without the side effects. I think I’m doing quite well now. I still have avoidant behavior though. I wish I wasn’t embarrassed so much for myself and I wish I was more open or forthcoming. I think maybe this is something medicine can’t touch though. It has more to do with my negative mental constructs. What do you think? Is this something medicine can help with or is it something I have to deal with myself or with a therapist?
Best wishes,
AndrewB
Posted by michael on April 12, 2000, at 15:58:19
In reply to Re: New med combo for social phobia!, posted by AndrewB on April 12, 2000, at 10:31:50
> Dwight,
>
> Thank you for telling your story. It sounds like your getting wonderful results. Do keep posting to let us know if this combination continues to work for you.
>
> I was fascinated when you described this as a possible substitute for MAOIs such as nardil or parnate. In other words; something that works for social anxiety, is energizing yet anxiolytic, and has a better side effect profile. This too is what I have been looking for. I have dysthymia combined with an unusual amount of fatigue and some degree of an avoidant personality (avoidant personality is related to social anxiety). I also think I’ve found a medicine combo that is energizing yet anxiolytic. It is reboxetine and amisulpride (sometimes with Mirapex). Funny, but like you I’ve thought of this combo as my parnate without the side effects. I think I’m doing quite well now. I still have avoidant behavior though. I wish I wasn’t embarrassed so much for myself and I wish I was more open or forthcoming. I think maybe this is something medicine can’t touch though. It has more to do with my negative mental constructs. What do you think? Is this something medicine can help with or is it something I have to deal with myself or with a therapist?
>
> Best wishes,
>
> AndrewBAndrew -
As you know, I just recently started looking into adrafinil (and modafinil/provigil)- might they not contribute what you're looking for? Energy/focus and if I recall correctly, a tendency to be a bit more outgoing/open? (more of a question than a suggestion) michael
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.