MAOI's are still the best medication for treatment of SA

[winnipegjets]

nearly half a century after hitting the shelves, MAOI"s (Nardil, Parnate, Marplan) are still the best treatment out there for social anxiety. The unfortunate thing is that in the early 90's, doctors began prescribing SSRI's and new drugs since they have no known drug interactions, and were thought by most in the medical community to be completely safe.

Still, Nardil is the single greatest drug ever prescribed for the treatment of social phobia. I wish all of you could find a drug that makes the symptoms of SA go away. I love my Nardil.

[nenad]

You sure do like your Nardil! It's unfortunate that psych meds haven't evolved much over the past 40 years.

I think it's impossible to say which med is the best for SA. I've heard of people who have had dramatic responses to SSRI's too. It's very hard to compare the two because few people take MAOI's.

For me the best med depends on the individual. Over the long term it's usually the one that helps with the fewest side effects. I've been taking parnate for the past 6 weeks (30mg) and it does help. It's probably not as effective as Effexor (the best of the rest i tried). But for me it doesn't have as many side effects (sexual, constipation and blurred vision).

I also don't think maoi's are dangerous if your responsible. I've haven't had any problem, but i dont like most of the restricted foods anyway. Nor do i drink alot or take street drugs.

[UltraShy]

Originally Posted by nenad

I also don't think maoi's are dangerous if your responsible. I've haven't had any problem, but i dont like most of the restricted foods anyway. Nor do i drink alot or take street drugs.

It's not specifically illegal drugs. Sudafed shouldn't be taken with Nardil. As far as I know, shooting heroin would be fine with Nardil even though something as common as a nasal decongestant would be contraindicated.

in the early 90's, doctors began prescribing SSRI's and new drugs since they have no known drug interactions, and were thought by most in the medical community to be completely safe.

Well, SSRIs do excel when it comes to safety. Eat the whole bottle if you want and it still won't kill you. From what I've heard, TCAs used to be popular suicide drugs back in the early 1980s before Prozac (the first SSRI) hit the market in 1988. Nothing is 100% safe, but SSRIs certainly are safe in relative terms compared to many other meds. The side effects my drive you crazy, but they're quite safe.

[arthur56]

IMO nardil and parnate give no more help than the latrer safer ADs and have lethal side effects, a normal dose can kill or cripple you fromn a stroke

Do you favor a flirtation with death ??

[UltraShy]

Originally Posted by arthur56

IMO nardil and parnate give no more help than the latrer safer ADs and have lethal side effects, a normal dose can kill or cripple you fromn a stroke

Do you favor a flirtation with death ??

I think there are some cases where MAOIs are appropriate (though I personally don't want to take them). MAOIs are generally deemed the most effective anti-depressant treatment around (other than ECT -- aka shock therapy). If one is suicially depressed, I suppose an MAOI isn't any riskier than them offing themself due to depression.

[Broshious]

I prefer Parnate to Nardil.

[korey]

Substituted phenethylamines are great for SA, as well as depression. Mine of choice are the psycho-stimulants (amphetamine to be current and specific), but the more common and acceptable (read: less risky for the prescribing doctor) avenue for treating severe symptoms seems to be MAOI's. With Adderall, I get to experience the pleasant effects of MAOI's without such a high risk of stroking out or death by cheese. It's a wonder that MAOI's aren't controlled substances. They do the same thing as most psycho-stimulants...except it takes much longer to appreciate the results of most MAOI's when compared to psycho-stimulants. I guess that could be the reason. I dunno. But a few commoners here at SAS have stated that a relatively high dose of their MAOI of choice usually causes them to feel indescribably terrific. If that effect were more immediate, I bet MAOI's like Nardil and Parnate would be branded into a controlled drug class. I wonder if that would make the number of MAOI prescriptions increase or decrease

I'm guessing MAOI's are so therapeutic and useful because their chemical structures are quite similar to monoamines themselves. I'm also guessing that there have been countless ideas over the past 50+ years about how to capture the effects of MAOI's without the associated risks. If five decades of the world's best minds can't find the right combination of atoms to make a better MAOI-esque drug, then ... I'll get back to you on that in five decades

[winnipegjets]

Originally Posted by korey

I'm guessing MAOI's are so therapeutic and useful because their chemical structures are quite similar to monoamines themselves. I'm also guessing that there have been countless ideas over the past 50+ years about how to capture the effects of MAOI's without the associated risks. If five decades of the world's best minds can't find the right combination of atoms to make a better MAOI-esque drug, then ... I'll get back to you on that in five decades

They tried this with Moclobemide, a reversible inhibitor of MAO. Unfortunately, the drug did not work as effectively as the old MAOI's. Additionally, they found out that if you take large doses of the drug they seem to bring out the adverse side effects of the old MAO inhibitors.

[nenad]

Originally Posted by arthur56

IMO nardil and parnate give no more help than the latrer safer ADs and have lethal side effects, a normal dose can kill or cripple you fromn a stroke

I understand your fear but it's not possible to die from a normal dose itesf. To have a stroke you would have to eat a very large amount of food containing tyramine. Most deaths have occured from serotonin toxicity. This is likely if you mix a MAOI with a SSRI, amphetamine or exstacy and is possible if you take any other drug that inhibits serotonin reuptake including some anti-histamines found in some cold and flu tablets.