Discussion Has anyone taken Nardil or Parnate?

[nunex]

Hey guys, these two meds made it to the top of best drugs for anhedonia and depression. I see so many good reviews on reddit and other forums, I wonder if anyone here also had a positive experience with these?

Please let me know, thx!

 

[hershberger]

Well, I'm a bit late, but there's only a few people in the MAOI posse, so here's one person's opinion.

Me, briefly: treatment resistant MDD, GAD, OCD tendencies. I am 49, and have taken quite literally every anti-depressant available. My best one was Effexor (if you can believe that)...five years until it pooped out.

Early 2020: my wonderful psychiatrist says trying the old tried and true is a waste of time, and he brings up Nardil. We discuss it, and he asks me to go home and research it before making a decision. After a few days, I tell him I'm on board.

The short version is that it does a better job than other medicines did; of course, it's not a wonder drug. (I mean, look where this is being posted.) The MDD improved some, mainly in terms of keeping the low points from being as low. The GAD...it's hard to say. Maybe there has been some benefit, although it's limited. The main improvement is in the consistency of my mood. The tendency to slide into periods of self-loathing has decreased greatly, and the side effects when starting were not bad at all.

I have had none of the Stay Away from Nardil side effects. No food interactions, and none of the other issues. There is one incredibly annoying side effect for me: when I get hot, my body overheats and it takes a long time to cool down and stop sweating. This was discovered by working too hard outside, getting dizzy, fainting, and ending up with a bloody forehead. It was a learning process, and now the warning bells go off when it's time to stop. My psychiatrist reduced the dose to see if that helped; it didn't. Oh well.

All in all, considering how many useless medications I have taken, the positives of Nardil outweigh the negatives. It's unlikely you'll faint after hauling wood; however, it does illustrate that MAOIs do have a different set of rules, so listening to your mind (and your body!) are important.

 

[ovaltinee99]

Following this thread, as I'm also interested.

@hershberger Can you expand on what your Effexor experience was like? SNRIs are probably the last antidepressants I'll try because they're notoriously difficult to quit, but I want to learn more.

 

[hershberger]

Following this thread, as I'm also interested.

@hershberger Can you expand on what your Effexor experience was like? SNRIs are probably the last antidepressants I'll try because they're notoriously difficult to quit, but I want to learn more.

First of all, sorry for the delay in writing.

My Effexor experience was surprisingly good considering all the other stories I've heard from others. Hell, I was scared of it too. My dosage history was a bit odd, I think: a few months at 75, a few more at 150, three months of pure is-this-what-drinking-coffee-by-the-gallon-feels like at 225, followed by a return to a more normal experience at 150. Overall, the side effects were mild; my biggest complaint was that it seemed I lost the ability to be creative. Thankfully, I'm an accountant, and creativity isn't necessary for my normal job performance. I do like to write, though, and I felt kind of lost when it came to ideas. To make up a bad pun, it was less writer's block and more writer's blank.

While I can't complain about The Effexor Years, it did poop out eventually. After a couple short stints on other medications without success, off I went to Nardil.

Quitting Effexor for me was relatively easy, although the credit for that goes to my psychiatrist. Even the pharmacist looked at the tapering schedule he created and said, "You know, this is how every doctor should handle tapering. You're lucky to have someone this good."

And I said, "I know."

I hope this helps you a little. As a member of the Take All The Medicines! posse, anything I can add in advice is a nice way to give back.