Has anyone ever tried an MAOI?

[DillJenkins]

I am thinking about trying Nardil for my social anxiety. I have read much information about it and it seems to be the best for social anxiety.

I have tried Paxil, Lexapro, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Seroquel, Ativan, Klonopin, Celexa, Xanax, and Effexor with no results. The Xanax controls panic attacks for me very well but it doesnt help that much with social anxiety.

I would like to try an MAOI given my history of refractory social phobia. I would like to hear experiences of anyone who has tried MAOI's.

 

[Noca]

5 anti-depressants tried and failed seems to be the magic number as a prerequisite for getting Nardil prescribed nowadays. I also suggest seeking it from a psychiatrist instead of a GP as the GP will have most likely never prescribed it in his/her lifetime.

I was offered Marplan but I declined. I havent sought MAOI's since. I find my Addy/Ritalin/Kpin to be good enough for me.

 

[DillJenkins]

5 anti-depressants tried and failed seems to be the magic number as a prerequisite for getting Nardil prescribed nowadays. I also suggest seeking it from a psychiatrist instead of a GP as the GP will have most likely never prescribed it in his/her lifetime.

I was offered Marplan but I declined. I havent sought MAOI's since. I find my Addy/Ritalin/Kpin to be good enough for me.

I will be seeing my psychiatrist in October and I will probably ask for an MAOI. I am trying Effexor right now and I have been on it for just over 2 weeks with absolutely no results.

I just hope my pdoc is down with the idea as well. I am diagnosed with Agoraphobia w/ panic disorder, and OCPD as well so I hope he doesnt want me to try a tricyclic or anything.

I am even afraid of asking my doc for an MAOI for fear that he will think im stupid or something. My anxiety is really hardcore and I need a hardcore drug like Nardil to get better I believe.

I have also tried the CBT and exposure therapy but exposure hasnt been working because I always have a negative post-evaluation of my performance. CBT kinda helps but no where near making me functional in life.

Ah well, I will probably just take a few extra Xanax to be sure that I ask my doc for an MAOI. Should I suggest Nardil straight up or just say I want to try an MAOI?

 

[Noca]

I will be seeing my psychiatrist in October and I will probably ask for an MAOI. I am trying Effexor right now and I have been on it for just over 2 weeks with absolutely no results.

I just hope my pdoc is down with the idea as well. I am diagnosed with Agoraphobia w/ panic disorder, and OCPD as well so I hope he doesnt want me to try a tricyclic or anything.

I am even afraid of asking my doc for an MAOI for fear that he will think im stupid or something. My anxiety is really hardcore and I need a hardcore drug like Nardil to get better I believe.

I have also tried the CBT and exposure therapy but exposure hasnt been working because I always have a negative post-evaluation of my performance. CBT kinda helps but no where near making me functional in life.

Ah well, I will probably just take a few extra Xanax to be sure that I ask my doc for an MAOI. Should I suggest Nardil straight up or just say I want to try an MAOI?

1) First off, educate yourself WELL with MAOI's, their use, the names, their diet restrictions, side effects, efficiancy etc.
2) Tell your doctor about all the drugs you have tried and how they have failed
3) Ask him "What about MAOI's like Nardil? Can I try one of them?"
4) Wait for his response then tell him about how you understand the dietary restrictions and risks; give examples of dietary restrictions(list about 4-5)
5) Agree with anything he says afterwards about how dangerous they are and counter it with "I understand the risks, and I really want to give this medication a try, I've done research and I heard this medication works well in patients with social anxiety"
6) If you live in a country such as Canada and not the US and he counters with Marplan, tell him how you heard it wasnt a very effective medication at all (doctors love to throw Marplan in their "anything but Nardil" campain
7) Ask once more for Nardil
8) Listen to what he has to say and hope for the best

Hope these steps help you obtain a script for Nardil. It may also help knowing the average starting dosage and the full dosage range (i think its from 15mgs - 90mgs). Good luck mate!

 

[Alchemy]

Has anyone tried Parnate? I hear its very effective, just once you don't eat cheese!

 

[Noca]

Has anyone tried Parnate? I hear its very effective, just once you don't eat cheese!

Parnate is more effective for depression while Nardil is more effective for SA. Nardil acts on GABA thats why.

 

[social_phobia2008]

I walways wanted to try MAOI class after trying like all meds from SSRI and benzodiazephines class. And i mean all, and it took me 5 years to give each one at least 2-3 months.

But MAOI dont exist in my country so ....

I heard indeed it was really hardcore and it has some seroius alimentation restriction, but hardcore anxiety calls for hardcore meds

 

[DillJenkins]

Well, I went to my doctor because Effexor was increasing my anxiety. I mentioned to him that I would like to try an MAOI.

I used some of Noca's advice and explained to him that I have done my research and I am well aware of the risks. He seemed very hesitant about the idea and mentioned to me that the last time he prescribed MAOI was 7 years ago.

He did say that he will think about the idea and he is not opposed to prescribing me MAOI eventually. He mentioned to me the risk of hypertensive crisis and stroke and basically told me everything I already knew about the MAOI's.

I told him that I cant really function at all right now and that I am house bound and he told me to get out of the house more. lol

He said I should just take some Xanax if I need to and I explained that my little dose of .25mg 4x daily wasnt really helping. All in all, nothing really was accomplished except that he now knows that I want to try an MAOI. I left the appointment really pissed off and I felt that he wasnt really listening to me at all.

I am hoping that when I see him in 3 weeks he will prescribe Nardil or Parnate. If he doesnt, I might just dump him as my psychiatrist. Its very frustrating that he thinks Xanax is some kinda magic pill that helps everyone with anxiety.

He told me some line of BS that I had to take 16 Xanax pills for one week to get addicted. I flat out told him that he was wrong and that even with my little dose of up to 1mg/day it is possible to become dependent.

 

[Noca]

Well, I went to my doctor because Effexor was increasing my anxiety. I mentioned to him that I would like to try an MAOI.

I used some of Noca's advice and explained to him that I have done my research and I am well aware of the risks. He seemed very hesitant about the idea and mentioned to me that the last time he prescribed MAOI was 7 years ago.

He did say that he will think about the idea and he is not opposed to prescribing me MAOI eventually. He mentioned to me the risk of hypertensive crisis and stroke and basically told me everything I already knew about the MAOI's.

I told him that I cant really function at all right now and that I am house bound and he told me to get out of the house more. lol

He said I should just take some Xanax if I need to and I explained that my little dose of .25mg 4x daily wasnt really helping. All in all, nothing really was accomplished except that he now knows that I want to try an MAOI. I left the appointment really pissed off and I felt that he wasnt really listening to me at all.

I am hoping that when I see him in 3 weeks he will prescribe Nardil or Parnate. If he doesnt, I might just dump him as my psychiatrist. Its very frustrating that he thinks Xanax is some kinda magic pill that helps everyone with anxiety.

He told me some line of BS that I had to take 16 Xanax pills for one week to get addicted. I flat out told him that he was wrong and that even with my little dose of up to 1mg/day it is possible to become dependent.

Enough of a benzo will put you into a coma. Somewhere between nothing and a coma is anxiety relief. You most likely dont have a high enough dose of Xanax for it to work. That is the #1 reason i hear for people saying benzos dont work for them.