![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by cubbybear on January 16, 2005, at 7:26:48
I'm sorry for the long post, but PLEASE read!
I've been living in Thailand for 6 years and had been doing very well on MAOI Parnate up until the last week or so. I've been taking Parnate, which I have to obtain in the U.S.-- for 20 years and it has always been a lifesaver for me-- knocking out major depression and the severe anxiety that comes with it. On some occasions, when anxiety spells have come upon me, during depression remission, my former pdoc in N.Y. always reassured me that the Parnate was not quitting ("pooping out" in today's jargon). He said that the drug is not a panacea and one has to expect anxiety from time to time as a result of certain life situations and circumstances. I don't recall ever increasing the dose at these times and the anxiety passed sooner or later.
But I'm now 55 and I've seen several websites that mention how our body/mind might not react as well or the same way, to our meds after many years, because of the aging process
This is especially frightening since I've suddenly been dealt this anxiety spell, which has seemingly come out of the blue for no apparent reason. It has mushroomed nearly overnight. My fears of the Parnate quitting on me have been rekindled again.
I visited a local (not very impressive) psychiatrist today. He seemed to concur that, perhaps these feelings are a result of my having delved too deeply into photos and written news of the tsunami catastrophe here in Asia--but again, I haven't had anxiety as bad as this in years, and wonder how it could be so since I was not directly involved witnessing it. Comments from anyone on this angle of my problem would be most appreciated!
Also, I very much want to know your opinions on the local doctor's advice: He told me to increase my dose of Parnate from 30 mg. to 40 mg./day, and begin taking 1 mg. Xanax/day in divided doses. He thought that I'd be feeling better within 2-3 weeks and that I shouldn't worry about the Parnate pooping out. I probably will give my former pdoc in N.Y. a call soon too, but meanwhile, I'm scared to death of what I'm feeling now.
Posted by Optimist on January 16, 2005, at 8:59:57
In reply to Halway Around the World and Scared, posted by cubbybear on January 16, 2005, at 7:26:48
> I'm sorry for the long post, but PLEASE read!
>
> I've been living in Thailand for 6 years and had been doing very well on MAOI Parnate up until the last week or so. I've been taking Parnate, which I have to obtain in the U.S.-- for 20 years and it has always been a lifesaver for me-- knocking out major depression and the severe anxiety that comes with it. On some occasions, when anxiety spells have come upon me, during depression remission, my former pdoc in N.Y. always reassured me that the Parnate was not quitting ("pooping out" in today's jargon). He said that the drug is not a panacea and one has to expect anxiety from time to time as a result of certain life situations and circumstances. I don't recall ever increasing the dose at these times and the anxiety passed sooner or later.
>
> But I'm now 55 and I've seen several websites that mention how our body/mind might not react as well or the same way, to our meds after many years, because of the aging process
>
> This is especially frightening since I've suddenly been dealt this anxiety spell, which has seemingly come out of the blue for no apparent reason. It has mushroomed nearly overnight. My fears of the Parnate quitting on me have been rekindled again.
>
> I visited a local (not very impressive) psychiatrist today. He seemed to concur that, perhaps these feelings are a result of my having delved too deeply into photos and written news of the tsunami catastrophe here in Asia--but again, I haven't had anxiety as bad as this in years, and wonder how it could be so since I was not directly involved witnessing it. Comments from anyone on this angle of my problem would be most appreciated!
>
> Also, I very much want to know your opinions on the local doctor's advice: He told me to increase my dose of Parnate from 30 mg. to 40 mg./day, and begin taking 1 mg. Xanax/day in divided doses. He thought that I'd be feeling better within 2-3 weeks and that I shouldn't worry about the Parnate pooping out. I probably will give my former pdoc in N.Y. a call soon too, but meanwhile, I'm scared to death of what I'm feeling now.
>I agree with a lot of what your local pdoc is saying. The tsunami hitting in the same country as you, and all the media attention it's getting I'm not surprised at all that you have increased anxiety. I live in Canada and I find the media attention overwhelming.
The fact that you are on a low dose of Parnate I wouldn't worry too much about it pooping out either. Adding the Xanax temporarily to quell your anxiety seems like a good idea to get you over this little blip.
I wouldn't worry too much about your age and the effectiveness of AD's. Worrying about it too much is only going to make it worse. And besides it's only been a week. That's not very long to make an informed choice over the effectiveness of a med.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to try and filter out a lot of the Tsunami stuff until this blows over, and spend some more time on things you enjoy like hobbies etc...
Good luck. I feel your pain and hope things blow over quickly.
Brian
Posted by banga on January 16, 2005, at 16:25:55
In reply to Re: Halway Around the World and Scared » cubbybear, posted by Optimist on January 16, 2005, at 8:59:57
I know the worries that hit when finally something works that it will stop, it feels so fragile and the downs are SO scary. Do remember that at least for now, if I am correct, its been but a few days. I wouldn't get too worried about it. Getting worried about feeling worried makes it exponentially worse. A few days of anxiety--even if you don't see a reason--could be nothing, just a brief bad spell. Take a deep breath and release it, saying to yourself, this is only temporary, it will pass....imagine a horizontal straight line, indicating a timeline of you feeling "normal"; imagine a dip downwards, but then the line goes straight again, a ling distance after the dip...you are in the dip, but you see the line rights itself again. If it were weeks on end, I would be more concerned that something needs to be changed.
To me it sounds like your pdoc's advice is --sound.
Posted by Maxime on January 16, 2005, at 20:24:31
In reply to Halway Around the World and Scared, posted by cubbybear on January 16, 2005, at 7:26:48
Dear Cubby Bear - I agree with the others. The great thing about Parnate is that you play with the dosage when necessary. And the same with the anxiety you are feeling. It is real and I know it's hard to deal with. You may not think it has anything to do with what is going on around you, but how could you not be affected?
((( Cubby Bear ))) Parnate hasn't given up on you, so don't start doubting it! And if you need extra xanax right now, that's okay.
Hang in there! I hope you feel better soon. Don't let your anxiety feed off itself.
Maxime
> I'm sorry for the long post, but PLEASE read!
>
> I've been living in Thailand for 6 years and had been doing very well on MAOI Parnate up until the last week or so. I've been taking Parnate, which I have to obtain in the U.S.-- for 20 years and it has always been a lifesaver for me-- knocking out major depression and the severe anxiety that comes with it. On some occasions, when anxiety spells have come upon me, during depression remission, my former pdoc in N.Y. always reassured me that the Parnate was not quitting ("pooping out" in today's jargon). He said that the drug is not a panacea and one has to expect anxiety from time to time as a result of certain life situations and circumstances. I don't recall ever increasing the dose at these times and the anxiety passed sooner or later.
>
> But I'm now 55 and I've seen several websites that mention how our body/mind might not react as well or the same way, to our meds after many years, because of the aging process
>
> This is especially frightening since I've suddenly been dealt this anxiety spell, which has seemingly come out of the blue for no apparent reason. It has mushroomed nearly overnight. My fears of the Parnate quitting on me have been rekindled again.
>
> I visited a local (not very impressive) psychiatrist today. He seemed to concur that, perhaps these feelings are a result of my having delved too deeply into photos and written news of the tsunami catastrophe here in Asia--but again, I haven't had anxiety as bad as this in years, and wonder how it could be so since I was not directly involved witnessing it. Comments from anyone on this angle of my problem would be most appreciated!
>
> Also, I very much want to know your opinions on the local doctor's advice: He told me to increase my dose of Parnate from 30 mg. to 40 mg./day, and begin taking 1 mg. Xanax/day in divided doses. He thought that I'd be feeling better within 2-3 weeks and that I shouldn't worry about the Parnate pooping out. I probably will give my former pdoc in N.Y. a call soon too, but meanwhile, I'm scared to death of what I'm feeling now.
>
Posted by cubbybear on January 17, 2005, at 9:19:46
In reply to Re: Halway Around the World and Scared, posted by Maxime on January 16, 2005, at 20:24:31
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.