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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 20 of 20. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by halcyondaze on February 13, 2007, at 17:18:19
High dose Parnate (120 mg/day) has cured me of my Body Dysmorphic Disorder. No longer do I think I am the ugliest person in the world. No longer do I put make-up on every day even when I know I'm not leaving the house, because I can't stand to look at myself without make-up. No longer do I experience anxiety about going outside and having people see how "ugly" I am. No longer do people stare at me on the street and talk about how ugly I am.
My life has truly been changed. I never thought it was possible. It's like my reality has been turned upside down.
Plus, I am happy for the first time in perhaps my entire life. Not just "stable" or "asymptomatic" but HAPPY. Parnate has given me a new life.
At lower doses, it definitely worked in that I wasn't depressed and I was stable but it didn't take away my BDD and it didn't make me feel actually HAPPY, just non-depressed. When my doctor and I decided to try upping the dose to see if I would experience further symptom reduction and then reducing it back to 80 or 100 mg (what I had been taking) if there wasn't any kind of benefit, I was skeptical. I'm so glad I decided to increase it.
I have been given my life back. Or rather, I have been given a life for the first time since I have never known what it is like to finally be free.
Posted by Larry Hoover on February 13, 2007, at 17:23:30
In reply to High dose Parnate and Body Dysmorphic Disorder, posted by halcyondaze on February 13, 2007, at 17:18:19
Posted by Quintal on February 13, 2007, at 20:34:14
In reply to High dose Parnate and Body Dysmorphic Disorder, posted by halcyondaze on February 13, 2007, at 17:18:19
Yes, great news hal! I had similar results with Parnate in the 80-120mg range in combo with Klonopin and Lamictal. It's a wonderful little drug isn't it? Energy, motivation, confidence - and even happiness in a pill.
Q
Posted by Phillipa on February 13, 2007, at 20:44:24
In reply to Re: High dose Parnate and Body Dysmorphic Disorder » halcyondaze, posted by Quintal on February 13, 2007, at 20:34:14
But you were taking klonopin why? Parnate is a mood elevator from what I've read.Love Phillipa
Posted by Quintal on February 13, 2007, at 21:08:03
In reply to Re: High dose Parnate and Body Dysmorphic Disorder » Quintal, posted by Phillipa on February 13, 2007, at 20:44:24
I was taking Klonopin as an anxiolytic to make me feel more comfortable in social situations. I was already taking it for years before I started the Parnate. If you were referring to Klonopin making you depressed, it didn't seem to have that effect on me for most of the time I took it. The Klonopin also helped me sleep at night when the Parnate wore off. The combo was like an upper/downer with Lamictal as a stablilizer.
Q
Posted by halcyondaze on February 13, 2007, at 21:29:07
In reply to Re: High dose Parnate and Body Dysmorphic Disorder » Phillipa, posted by Quintal on February 13, 2007, at 21:08:03
Yes, I take Seroquel (50 mg) and Halcion (.5 mg) to sleep. So far it is working out very well. Just hope I don't develop tolerance to any of the meds - Parnate or Halcion especially.
Posted by Phillipa on February 13, 2007, at 21:34:37
In reply to Re: High dose Parnate and Body Dysmorphic Disorder » Phillipa, posted by Quintal on February 13, 2007, at 21:08:03
Q oh it did make me depressed as I had just switched to klonopin from xanax was sitting on the couch said to my husband I feel suicidal but don't want to die . Called the pdoc he talked outloud to himself in the car and said it must be the klonopin. Go off it now and go back on xanax. First dose and I was fine. He had called me from his car. Love Phillipa ps I wasn't on an ad then. Just .5 xanax three or four times a day. This was when my thyroid went. Before that I was on only .l25mg of xanax. I just gradually cut down over the years. Just didn't need it.
Posted by willyee on February 13, 2007, at 23:15:12
In reply to High dose Parnate and Body Dysmorphic Disorder, posted by halcyondaze on February 13, 2007, at 17:18:19
Your news is nothing short of incredable,even if,and i hate myself for even presenting this scenerio ,but if the progress becomes less robust,at least you know what a remissive state truly is.
Im on parnate having some trouble,if u find time i have a quick question for ya,brklyn234@yahoo.com pls email me i promise its a quick one.Thanks.
Posted by blueberry1 on February 14, 2007, at 9:14:41
In reply to High dose Parnate and Body Dysmorphic Disorder, posted by halcyondaze on February 13, 2007, at 17:18:19
That's great news with your parnate. Very cool.
I am curious. What side effects do you experience?
thanks much,
blueberry
Posted by halcyondaze on February 14, 2007, at 16:58:57
In reply to Re: High dose Parnate and Body Dysmorphic Disorder » halcyondaze, posted by blueberry1 on February 14, 2007, at 9:14:41
> That's great news with your parnate. Very cool.
>
> I am curious. What side effects do you experience?
>
> thanks much,
> blueberryside effects I have had (most of which are taken care of by other meds):
skin problems - for which I use Differin and Duac, which have made my skin almost normal again, not at all cystic like last time I was on Parnate! yay!insomnia - it was pretty profound, have to take Halcion and Seroquel to fall asleep and still sometimes have early morning wakenings though I can fall asleep within an hour w/ the Halcion
akathisia - which is gone now that I take Atenolol
dilated pupils at the end of the day - this kind of sucks because I end up looking drugged
mild teeth grinding, nothing to be concerned about
blood pressure is fine, I take it multiple times a day just to be safe and am Rx'ed Nifedipine if I have a hypertensive crisis
and that's it. *crosses fingers that more side effects won't develop* I consider myself incredibly, incredibly lucky - for someone who couldn't tolerate SSRIs (because they caused bed-wetting) and TCAs (because they made me an irritable monster), I seem to have found a near-perfect med for me.
Posted by delna on February 16, 2007, at 4:44:41
In reply to Re: High dose Parnate and Body Dysmorphic Disorder, posted by halcyondaze on February 14, 2007, at 16:58:57
Hi
That’s really great news- nice to hear a success story!!
I have been offered parante but flat out refused it because it just sounds so scary.
I was wondering if BDD is your only diagnosis. I have very bad co-morbid BDD which is masked under many drugs but my diagnosis is bipolar 11. So I'm on mood stabilizers and Ssri's which keep the BDD in check. I think during my whole experience with Bipolar the BDD was one of the most traumatic features- I am so glad you can see yourself as you are and enjoy life!
I feel positive about parnate after reading your post. Thanks for sharing this great news..What about weight gain? Has that been a problem? But don’t think I could handle the acne- yes I am very shallow ;)
Posted by elanor roosevelt on February 16, 2007, at 21:14:28
In reply to Re: High dose Parnate and Body Dysmorphic Disorder, posted by willyee on February 13, 2007, at 23:15:12
>
> Im on parnate having some trouble,if u find time i have a quick question for ya,brklyn234@yahoo.com pls email me i promise its a quick one.Thanks.hey
i had a tough time with parnate
messed with my jead quite a bit
are you okay?
Posted by willyee on February 17, 2007, at 19:49:02
In reply to willyee: trouble with parnate, posted by elanor roosevelt on February 16, 2007, at 21:14:28
>
> >
> > Im on parnate having some trouble,if u find time i have a quick question for ya,brklyn234@yahoo.com pls email me i promise its a quick one.Thanks.
>
> hey
> i had a tough time with parnate
> messed with my jead quite a bit
> are you okay?
>
>Sorry dident see this post,yeah when i said PROBLEM with,what i meant was ive grown tolerant to it,its hard for me to get therputhic effect from it that i once did.All i have left are Augmentation strategies as the only other choice recomended to me by chairman is Nardil but im not sure im ready for that yet.
Parnate might not be for everyone,how so did it upset your head,did it agitate you?
Posted by elanor roosevelt on February 17, 2007, at 23:20:48
In reply to Re: willyee: trouble with parnate, posted by willyee on February 17, 2007, at 19:49:02
> >
> > >
> > > Im on parnate having some trouble,if u find time i have a quick question for ya,brklyn234@yahoo.com pls email me i promise its a quick one.Thanks.
> >
> > hey
> > i had a tough time with parnate
> > messed with my jead quite a bit
> > are you okay?
> >
> >
>
> Sorry dident see this post,yeah when i said PROBLEM with,what i meant was ive grown tolerant to it,its hard for me to get therputhic effect from it that i once did.All i have left are Augmentation strategies as the only other choice recomended to me by chairman is Nardil but im not sure im ready for that yet.
>
> Parnate might not be for everyone,how so did it upset your head,did it agitate you?
Parnate slowly turned me against myself
absolute self-loathing
it was a rough one to pull out of
Posted by willyee on February 18, 2007, at 0:39:14
In reply to Re: willyee: trouble with parnate, posted by elanor roosevelt on February 17, 2007, at 23:20:48
> > >
> > > >
> > > > Im on parnate having some trouble,if u find time i have a quick question for ya,brklyn234@yahoo.com pls email me i promise its a quick one.Thanks.
> > >
> > > hey
> > > i had a tough time with parnate
> > > messed with my jead quite a bit
> > > are you okay?
> > >
> > >
> >
> > Sorry dident see this post,yeah when i said PROBLEM with,what i meant was ive grown tolerant to it,its hard for me to get therputhic effect from it that i once did.All i have left are Augmentation strategies as the only other choice recomended to me by chairman is Nardil but im not sure im ready for that yet.
> >
> > Parnate might not be for everyone,how so did it upset your head,did it agitate you?
>
>
> Parnate slowly turned me against myself
> absolute self-loathing
> it was a rough one to pull out ofDid u augment it? Im a firm believer that parnate accumaltes and i have yet and i can be biting my tongue here,but YET to find a user who uses it alone,it is a med that usualy has to be augmented,klonopin is usualy the first one to be added,but using it alone simply is very very hard to be succesful.
Its like u have to RE SET IT with a opposite drug.
Posted by Quintal on February 18, 2007, at 0:51:51
In reply to Re: willyee: trouble with parnate, posted by willyee on February 18, 2007, at 0:39:14
Yes, I think you do need to take it as the 'upper' part of an upper/downer cocktail. I can't imagine having much success with Parnate alone.
Q
Posted by Chairman_MAO on February 21, 2007, at 14:17:13
In reply to Re: willyee: trouble with parnate » willyee, posted by Quintal on February 18, 2007, at 0:51:51
Many people do have success with Parnate alone. The problem is that it's given in inadequate doses. The dosage range at which it is really effective is 120-200mg/day, not 30-60mg/day. However, those with significant (non-phobic) anxiety in addition to whatever else often find it too stimulating. It is worthy of mention, though, that the side effects usually DECREASE once you hit around 1.5mg/kg.
Personally, I hated the up-down psychostimulant effect that made me need to take it every 3 hours.
Taking Nardil with Dexedrine is much better for me.1: Pharmacopsychiatry. 1989 Jan;22(1):21-5.
High dose tranylcypromine therapy for refractory depression.
Amsterdam JD, Berwish NJ.
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia.A substantial number of depressed patients will experience a chronic,
treatment-resistant affective disorder. Aggressive treatment of these patients
with various drug combinations, unconventional antidepressants, or
electroconvulsive therapy has met with only partial success. There remains a
pressing need to identify more effective methods of utilizing "first-line"
antidepressant agents to achieve a more rapid therapeutic action. To this end,
we initiated a study using high doses of the MAO inhibitor tranylcypromine, at a
range of 90 mg to 170 mg daily, in seven refractory depressed patients who had
failed to respond to at least three prior treatments regimens. Four out of seven
subjects (57%), who had failed to respond to a mean of 8 +/- 5 prior treatment,
had a complete response, and one patient had a partial response to high dose
tranylcypromine. The mean SD maximum tranylcypromine dose for the responders was
112 +/- 16 mg daily (range 90 mg to 130 mg). Response did not appear to be a
function of severity of illness, duration of present episode, or the number of
prior treatment failures. Overall, the side effect profile was favorable, and no
"cheese reactions" were encountered. These observations are of clinical
significance and suggest the need for further controlled studies using high
doses of tranylcypromine.1: Neurochem Res. 1994 Jan;19(1):5-8.
Effects of low- and high-dose tranylcypromine on [3H]tryptamine binding sites in
the rat hippocampus and striatum.Goodnough DB, Baker GB, Mousseau DD, Greenshaw AJ, Dewhurst WG.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Chronic studies were initiated in rats to determine the effects of high- and
low-dose tranylcypromine (TCP) on [3H]tryptamine (3H-T) binding sites. Male
Sprague-Dawley rats were administered TCP (0.5 or 2.5 mg/kg/day) or vehicle
(distilled water) for 4, 10 or 28 days via Alzet minipumps. After decapitation,
the hippocampus and striatum were used to prepare membrane fragments for single
point 3H-T binding. Hippocampal 3H-T binding was reduced after 10 and 28 days
with the low dose and after 4, 10 and 28 days with the high dose. Striatal 3H-T
binding was reduced by both doses at all time intervals. The high dose resulted
in a significantly greater reduction in striatal 3H-T binding than did the
low-dose after 4, 10, and 28 days. These results suggest that a more rapid
reduction of 3H-T binding in the hippocampus and/or a greater reduction of 3H-T
binding in the striatum by high-dose TCP than by low-dose TCP may be
contributing factors in the reported efficacy of the former in refractory
depression.http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/split/MAOIs-in-high-doses-and-wi.html
Posted by Quintal on February 21, 2007, at 14:58:25
In reply to Re: willyee: trouble with parnate » Quintal, posted by Chairman_MAO on February 21, 2007, at 14:17:13
I've never seen anyone here taking Parnate alone without a benzo or some other sedative/hypnotic at some point. It seems uncommon, though I'm sure it has been done.
>However, those with significant (non-phobic) anxiety in addition to whatever else often find it too stimulating.
People with phobias still can still find Parnate too stimulating alone I'm sure. Those are the populations that willyee and myself identify with. That was what I was concurring - people with those problems seem to do better with Parnate + benzo than Parnate alone.
>It is worthy of mention, though, that the side effects usually DECREASE once you hit around 1.5mg/kg.
Yes, I found that myself. That's also the reason I encouraged blueberry on his 'Parnate or Nardil' thread to persevere with side effects or worsening depression until he reaches the higher doses if he does decide to try Parnate.
Q
Posted by dixie27 on October 7, 2007, at 16:30:39
In reply to Re: High dose Parnate and Body Dysmorphic Disorder, posted by halcyondaze on February 13, 2007, at 21:29:07
Hi-Sasha here again. I'm so not good with computers so i don't know if my previous message was actually posted. So i am trying again. My question was regarding Body Dysmorphic Disorder and medications. I have been suffering from BDD for ten long brutal years. I have had no luck with meds, but noticed that there were a few messages noting the medication Parnate. Very interested in learning some more about it. Any info would be appreciated,
thank you,
Sasha
Posted by missjulie on October 7, 2007, at 16:30:40
In reply to Re: High dose Parnate and Body Dysmorphic Disorder, posted by dixie27 on July 4, 2007, at 23:43:22
sasha, I have been taking parnate for a month (for atypical depression, not BDD) but did a lot of research. check out this discussion group on the web - livejournal.com / under maoi_users group. There is a girl on there who takes really high parnate doses and says it cured her of BDD. see if you can find it. best wishes
This is the end of the thread.
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