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Anyone on Lamotrigine and/or Pramiprexol for Major Depression Disordee
I've had treatment resistant major depressive disorder probably all my life. But it took decades of medication trials to find something that helped. I've been on every antidepressant they make. Prozac actually helped me for about three years. Then it pooped out. These two drugs are not typically used for depression But they have been approved for that. Lamotrigine is an anti-seizure med and Pramiprexol is a Parkinson's drug of all things. It's been 6 years on this regimen and I'm wondering if it's starting to affect my memory. I'm 71 and feel like something has shifted with my cognitive abilities. Curious if anybody has or knows someone who has taken either of these drugs? God bless you all & Merry Christmas! 🎄
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My guess is you were taking Nardil (phenelzine). I also gained weight on it. It’s a common side effect for that MAOI and many don’t give it sufficient time to work for just that reason. I gave it a solid run but it didn’t work for me. I tried Marplan most recently but it ended up giving me terrible insomnia. I need my sleep! I had to come off of it and am now taking (and increasing) Parnate. If Parnate worked well for you, I’d consider going back on it. Personally, I think your doctor may have overreacted but I don’t know your situation. I too had a response to tyramine after eating some exotic cheese from Wisconsin. We actually bought it up there (I’m in Illinois). Anyway, I know it can be quite scary. I had the classic symptoms. A headache unlike any I’ve ever had in my life. Pain at the lower back and sides of my head quickly worsening and I began sweating and became nauseous. At first I didn’t know what may have caused it until I remembered the cheese I enjoyed roughly 45 mins. before. If nothing else it taught me to be more cognizant of what I eat! The number of foods that can cause it is really quite small. You can find this list at Dr. Gillman’s http://www.psychotropical.com. He is a noted psychiatrist and an expert in the MAOI drug class. The site is very informative. Also, what you had experienced doesn’t lead to any other problems after the incident (serotonin toxicity is a far worse crisis!). I would seriously reconsider Parnate. Some experience just what you did and, obviously, almost all of us did it by accident. You just need to know what’s on the short list of prohibited foods. Again, it is not difficult to adhere to. Anyway, that’s my take. Good luck! BTW, I took pramipexole as an adjunct to Nardil and got up to the recommended dosage. Unfortunately, it didn’t do anything for me. There is a doctor, Jan Fawcett who promoted it for depression. I’m sure you can track down a video online where he discusses its use with MAOIs.