About one week ago, my social anxiety completely diminished thanks to the drug Nardil. To the people who are doubtful about the severity of my social anxiety, I can assure you that it was quite extreme. My eyes would water and tear up if I made eye contact with anyone, there was a period when I couldn't even lift my head in public, and sometimes I would even have what I guess could be a called spastic convulsion of sorts. My anxiety would reach such high levels that my muscles and body would just twitch and spaz out, I probably looked like an epileptic on crack.

What's so strange about being on Nardil is that it has never felt like I was on a drug. I was never once under the impression that my brain chemistry was changing or I was gradually becoming different. Over the past few weeks, I began noticing small differences in my behavior that just gradually increased with time. I began speaking out in class, I struck up a conversation with a complete stranger at the mall, I talked to the cashier for a good 5 minutes after buying a shirt. When all of these things happened, I never gave them much thought at all, they just came seemingly natural to me and did not strike me as anything special. All these occurences were spread out though and didn't happen in the course of one day.

Last week though when at a bookstore, I was sitting in the poetry section reading some book I grabbed off the shelf when a very pretty girl began looking at the poetry books next to me. She made eye contact with me and I actually smiled back to her while making eye contact. Somehow, at the miraculous hands of god, I actually felt comfortable and normal in hitting on her. I just started making small talk to her about poets and had her giggling the whole time. When telling her goodbye and going to check out, she grabbed my shoulder and asked if she could give me her phone number.

When leaving the store, I knew something incredibly drastic had changed within me. I didn't feel different at all, but I knew I was. I should have been ecstatic and screaming throughout the parking lot about what had just happened, but I wasn't. I just felt happy and calm about it, as if I had done the same thing to a billion other girls my entire life. Looking back on my old neurotic self that day, I just couldn't relate or understand why I got so anxious socially.

This is all so strange, my entire life I have felt so debilitated and oppressed by this disorder, but as of this week I have finally become relieved of it. In the past when thinking about the day when I would overcome social anxiety, I thought I would cry and just breakdown on the floor with unmitigating joy when I overcame it. Instead strangely enough, I'm just totally nonchalant about the whole ordeal because of Nardil. I can't relate or understand how I used to feel before in social situations, the new confident happy me feels like the person I have always been. Everyday I feel normal and complete and as if this has always been how I was.

The only bad side effects Nardil has given me are insomnia and constipation. I'm countering the constipation with lots of fiber and the occasional laxative, so it's not really hindering my life in anyway. The insomnia is a pain in the butt though, but my doctor has prescribed me a sleep aid which makes the insomnia nonexistent now.

To anyone who is scared of taking this drug because of all the horror stories you may have heard, I can assure you that this drug is quite benign. I've been irresponsible with my eating habits a few times and eaten some things that were on the no no list and only had a very very minute spike in blood pressure. Maybe 5 points or whatever unit they ascribe to the numbers in blood pressure. I drink 5 cups of coffee a day, smoke a pack of cigarettes, drink 3 mountain dews, and haven't had anything remotely considered a hypertensive crisis. The chance of having one has been greatly exaggerated, while possible, it's not as easy as many make it sound. You have to either eat some very prohibited food items or just throw caution completely to the wind for it to happen.

I guess I'm done for the most part with this website. I think I'll stop by occasionally to ask for advice on how to deal with Nardil insomnia and other side effects, but I don't feel like I have much of a reason to post here anymore.

I am actually going to hang out with some girls tomorrow. Imagine that, me the colonel, hanging out with girls just as friends. They are in my english class and are going to a Dali art exhibit tomorrow and they actually asked me to tag along. It's just absolutely crazy how quickly my life is changing. I can't understand why almost no one with social anxiety takes Nardil. It's the only drug that cures it, but all I see around me are people continuing to try the same old tested failures over and over.

I'm going to check up on this thread all throughout the week to answer any questions anyone here might have.

Much Bests,
The Colonel

I need some nardil or something. But it looks like the only way I will get it is if someone commits me into a mental hospital.

Do you plan on taking it for the rest of your life?

Is Nardil for everyones case of sa?

I hope I don't have to, but I definitely plan on taking it for the next 10 years or so.

I've missed out on so much in my youth because of social anxiety and I want to make the most out of my 20's while I still can.

From what I've read online, Nardil will either completely change your life or at the very least lessen your depression/anxiety.

I know we've had at least 4 posters on this website whose lives were completely changed by this drug. In the medication forum, I'm aware of 2 posters who are currently on Nardil and their social anxiety/depression seems to have lessened by about 50% because of the Nardil.

There's no reason for any person here to not at least try it.

It depends completely on your doctor.

My doctor is very liberal with the medication he prescribes. The first time I met him and told him about my social anxiety, he was actually willing to prescribe me Xanax right then and there on the spot, haha.

I'd say for your average doctor though. They will want you to try out maybe 3-4 drugs before they consider Nardil.

..

..

colonelpoop, this is fantastic!!!!






you should have posted in the 'Triumphs over SA'. It's great to hear anxiety is not a problem for you any more. Your posts will be missed if you don't visit SAS.

After doing some quick research, it definitely sounds like a promising drug, especially for social anxiety.

I'd definitely give it a try if it wasn't for the difficulty in getting a prescription for it. I don't even feel comfortable with telling a doctor about my anxiety and depression, much less insisting on a drug that he/she probably won't want to give me.

The first month on this drug, you are what is considered hypermanic (i could be wrong on the spelling and the correct term here), but in other words, you are very euphoric and filled with lots of energy. After 1-4 months, this hypermanic phase passes and you become just happy and confident instead of feeling like superman on crack.

Many people report that the drug stops working for them when this hypermanic phase passes, but they are confused and mistaken. Unfortunately for many of these people, they may even stop taking the drug altogether for thinking it no longer works and when they return to their original self they realize how big of a mistake they have made.

There are people who have been on nardil for 10 years up until this very day and have nothing but amazing things to say about it.

Everyone's body chemistry is different, but I think it is safe to say that this drug will make a positive impact on anyone who decides to take it. That impact may be great or it may be moderate, but I think everyone will benefit to some degree.

I'm glad my post made you go bananers.

thanks for the feed back, if you dont mind me asking can u you detail me what your symtpoms before taking nardil, how long youve been on it,if it is the U.K canadian or U.S and the difference its made. you dont have to answer but it will be appreciated.

Don't be silly man, I will answer every single question I get in this thread.

Before taking Nardil, I was very close to becoming a recluse. I only left the house when I pretty much had to, that meant going to school, work, etc. When not being faced with having to go somewhere, I spent most of my time by myself in my room.

I live in the states and I am pretty confident that I take American Nardil. All my prescriptions have a "Distributed by Pfizer" phrase on them.

I've been on Nardil for several months, gradually increasing my dosage with time. I have been on 60mg for a little over a month.

awsome ..thanks

lol one last question for "colonolpoop" would you say that nardil has pretty much cured you from your social anxiety symptoms, or just reduced them to apoint and some times still do feel uncomfortable at times, also do you combine this med with any other med for SA... thanks again

I don't reccomend becoming a guinea pig.

Since I was 15, I have been prescribed to countless different SSRI's as well as Wellbutrin because that was all a doctor was willing to prescribe to me. In fact, those were all I knew of at the time too.

When I first heard about Nardil and became adamant in getting a prescription for it, I was determined to find a doctor who was willing to prescribe it to me on our first or second consultation. I have become absolutey fed up with the amount of bull and number of test trials that doctors put you through with their various meds. I wanted to find a doctor who was willing to take a chance with me and understood how I actually felt.

At the first consulation with my doctor (psychiatrist), when we sat down together in his room and I told him that I was there for social anxiety. He asked me after I finished talking which medications I had previously been on. I listed them all off and he began asking me about benzos and if I would be interested in giving those a try.

That's when I told him I would like to try Nardil. His first response was "What's Nardil?" and when I told him it was a MAOI he began laughing and had this look on his face that said "Oh sh*t, this is going to be interesting."

After he finished laughing, he looked at me and said, "why are you interested in an MAOI?"

That's when I gave him my story of sorts. I told him that I had been a life long social anxiety sufferer, tried every SSRI in the book, and had read nothing but glowing reports about Nardil online. Before I gave him a chance to speak, I told him every bit of information I knew about MAOI's. Their food & drug interactions, chance of hypertensive crisis, and side effects. I then told him that I was well aware of the risks that came with this drug and would even go as far to sign a waver that would prevent my doctor from being held accountable if anything were to happen to me while on it.

He then said, "I can see you have definitely done your homework on Nardil and are very knowledgeable about it. I haven't prescribed an MAOI in over 30 years, but in your case you seem like a good candidate considering you have tried so many SSRI's and are approaching this drug very responsibly. I believe that patients should definitely have some say in what medications they are prescribed. So.. I will prescribe you the Nardil."

I visited 4 different doctors when trying to get a prescription for this drug. This one being the 4th.

*When doctor shopping, you might want to consider a foreign doctor especially. Indian, perhaps Spanish. From my past experience and my fathers too, they have always been the most lenient when it came to prescribing meds.

My Nardil's efficacy actually continues to improve with each and every day if you can believe that. I still have yet to reach my peak or climax on this drug. I think that is partially because my doctor has been adjusting me to the medication so gradually over many months. I didn't jump into the deep end and start taking 75mg my first day like some people I have read of.

I'm only on 60mg too, if I start taking 75, who the hell knows how confident I will be, the idea even frightens me some, haha. There's actually been times where I am talking to people and I tell myself that I should probably stop talking or let them get a word in. I just can't help it, I LOVE to talk on my Nardil. I get so bored when I am not talking to someone.

To answer your question though. Occasionally, I might get a little shy depending on the circumstances. For example, in school a few days ago, my professor put us in groups to work on our next assignment. There's about 7 people in my group and the first day, I was a little shy, I could talk and everything, but I was not a social butterfly by any means. But now on the 3rd or 4th day, I'm chatting it up with everybody like we're good buddies.

Yesterday at school though, I walked by some big football player type and slapped his a** because it seemed funny at the time. I'm not even gay, I just thought it would be funny and I did it. That in itself should give you a good enough idea at how this drug makes you feel.

Not even your typical confident guy can go around slapping strangers butts, I guarantee it.




*I forgot to answer the last part of your question. I do not take any other drugs to help with my social anxiety. All I take is Nardil and a prescription sleep aid. If you manage to get prescribed to Nardil, please do yourself a favor and get a prescription for a good sleep aid when you begin taking 60mg. I didn't know the insomnia could be so bad on this drug and I went days hardly sleeping with each new day thinking that tonight would be the night where I fell asleep. But it never happened.

Melatonin is a non-prescription sleep aid though and can be gotten at your nearby Wal-Mart. It's pretty effective for a non-prescription drug and I highly reccomend it if you can't get the "good stuff" from your doctor. Melatonin might even be enough in itself to get you to sleep. I'm just such a light sleeper as it is that I need a lot of help getting a good night's rest.