Parnate for Depression User Reviews (Page 2)

• camar...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 1, 2020

"I've had dysthymia and episodes of acute double depression (atypical) with anxiety forever but depression for 6 years. Been on Zoloft, Pristiq, Effexor, Brintellix, Prozac, moclobemide bupropion etc. Finally psychiatrist put me on Parnate and it's been amazing really whilst still having some residual symptoms it's almost reset my brain back to how it was before I was depressed. I pay no attention to my diet though I don't drink and I'm not into aged cheeses or meats really but have had them inadvertently without noticing never an issue. Slight increase in appetite but easily mitigated by just walking more and driving less. It's worth a shot for treatment resistant types without doubt. Have seen a friend who was on 600mg Pristiq having crying spells completely transform within 2 weeks of Parnate."

• Jano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 28, 2020

"I have been on countless drugs over the past 12 years and after attempting suicide in February and then being hospitalized for 5 weeks and then another 4 weeks recently my psychiatrist started me on Parnate a week ago. I am in awe of the change in my mood. I've been discharged from hospital and have no thoughts of suicide or self harm. I am hoping with everything in me that this is going to be the change I need."

• Angie
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 17, 2020

"I'm a 56 year old female who has struggled with treatment resistant depression for 20 years. In that time, I've been prescribed 25 different meds which were ineffective. Last month, out of desperation I asked my Dr to prescribe parnate. That was last month. I haven't experienced one negative side effect and feel better than I have in 20 years. It's literally saving my life."

• Isurv...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 3, 2020

"I was in acute withdrawal for FIVE YEARS from this dirty drug. The Dr had no clue what she was doing, nor what to do with me. I'm amazed I survived this torture. This is a dirty dangerous drug. I now see there is "Parnate Withdrawal Syndrome", this is an actual thing. Funny how true statistics of what this drug is doing to people aren't being collected???"

• Marcos
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 26, 2020

"Parnate did not give me ANY major SIDE EFFECTS. The insomnia was manageable, and the instant benefits felt from day one (no exaggeration) gave me hope that I was on a good track. For comparison, I have been through Fluoxetine (2 years). It gave me 1 month of side effects and no benefits, but eventually I got better and continued with it. Unfortunately, Fluoxetine stopped working from 6th month or so. But I kept the faith in it. For 2 years. The psychiatrist also put me on Desvenlafaxine. It was a nightmare of headaches that lasted for a day, putting me in bed. For no benefit. Compared to these experiences, Parnate feels like a walk in the park. Beware the dietary restrictions."

• Dog...
• January 16, 2020

"I have taken Parnate for 30+ years. Have low-grade chronic depression. Any time I weaned off Parnate, gained huge weight due to out-of-control appetite as well as lethargy & irritability that makes it impossible to function. Tried 15 other anti-depressants (because of severe hypertensive crises): all failed over time; Parnate is only medication that works. I would like not to take ANY meds, I would like to be able to eat aged cheese, or avocados, have a glass of good wine, eat in a restaurant without having to do major detective work and scare the staff, but those things are not possible. Parnate is like insulin for a diabetic: it is life-preserving. Side effects you HAVE to deal with. I ended up in emergency twice as a result of tyramine (misled by restaurant staff). Insomnia: I take last dose no later than 2 pm, no caffeine after morning, & when necessary, Imovane to help sleep. Loss of libido & difficulty/inability to achieve orgasm are HUGE trade-offs, but in my case they are trade-offs for life."

• kingboo
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 28, 2019

"The only medication to rid me of depression, anxiety and insomnia and within weeks. But I experienced a lot of side effects; weight gain (8kg in 6 weeks), major sugar cravings, postural hypotension, urinary retention, difficulty staying awake at random times during the day and there were others I can’t recall. It also just stopped working on me within a few months and I was on the max dose. Definitely recommend trying if other medications don’t work. The “food interactions” weren’t an issue for me."

• Robli...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 23, 2019

"This drug has been a miracle for me. Over the last 40 years I've been on virtually every antidepressant. Nothing lasted more than a few weeks. I even went as far as having ECT, with terrible results. 30mg of Parnate has kept me from thinking suicidal thoughts and made life bearable again. The main side effect for me is the dietary restrictions. Unlike most of the people that have posted their experiences here, I have a very strong reaction to tyramine containing foods. Four slices of bacon raised my BP to 222/110. Eating one day old leftover bbq resulted in a trip to the ER. I keep Hydralazine around for emergencies now. I know if I eat the wrong thing because I get a throbbing headache within minutes. Now I am much more careful about the food that I eat. Only fresh foods and no aged cheese or meats for me now."

• Parnate...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 9, 2019

"My diagnosis is severe depression and anxiety. Thirteen admissions to hospital over the last fourteen years. A TCA worked quite well for a long time but then its effectiveness reduced. Cutover to Parnate four years ago and it has been excellent. Occasional slightly low mood every few months but overwhelmingly a great drug."

• Lolly...
• October 18, 2019

"This medication Parnate saved my life!! NO OTHER medication worked. I've been taking it for 5 years and got my life back. Please, please bring it back."

• Emmett
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 10, 2019

"I'd been severely depressed for 4-5 years and tried almost every treatment around, including ECT. Some things helped for a bit, but nothing stuck. 2 years of parnate and I'm 90% 'normal', working & studying, HAPPY some of the time. Not saying it'll work for you, but if you've tried everything else, go for it. Warning 1: side-effects are a thing, they aren't great (and nightmarish if you have serious anxiety). But better than ECT/TMS and the dietary restrictions are more like suggestions really. Warning 2: it's one of the more expensive antidepressants I've tried, at least in Australia."

• Debbic
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 30, 2019

"I took Effexor for a long time. It was a miracle drug, until it stopped working and I was more depressed than I had ever been before. The psychiatrist I went to see put me on Parnate. It is a relief from the depression. It does work and like other people I have not had a problem with food. My blood pressure was low after taking Parnate so I tried some foods - cheese in particular and I have had no problem with the diet the problem is insomnia. I rarely get more than two or three hours sleep and that affects everything in my life. Even though I don’t sleep some days I have lots of energy; other days I am temperamental because of the lack of sleep. I hope I can find a psychiatrist soon who will prescribe something so I can sleep. The county I just moved to has one psychiatrist that accepts Medicare but is not taking new patients. I get a 3 month prescription which is equivalent to half the price of one month - but it has gone up every time I refill."

• Finally
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 26, 2019

"Like almost all of you guys, I spent years with another inumerous antidepressants without result. After asking my doctor for months to put me on parnate, finally he agreed, and started with 20 mg, that seemed to have no effect. After two months taking parnate and on a dosage of 60mg, finally I fell my old self, happy, talkative, without any anxiety (I had generalized and social). I just fell like a normal person, with all my cognitive potential. Thanks."

• Lisa
• July 16, 2019

"I have been on Parnate for 21 years and still going strong. I had severe treatment resistant atypical depression for three years. Over that time they put me on 10 different antidepressants in various combinations and nothing worked. I did my own research and made my psychiatrist put me on it. Within a week I was fine. I would without a doubt be dead without Parnate. I regularly eat aged cheese and cured meats etc and have never had any food reaction. However, if I drink beer or red wine I do have a minor reaction - sounds weird but I grind my teeth and can just tell it’s reacting with the Parnate. Side effects are very minimal - dry mouth; bit of agitation etc (though that could be from my anxiety issues - which are also significantly reduced on the Parnate). The agitation was worse when I was on 60mg, but now I’m down to 30mg it’s fine. I have tried going off it to see what happened and the depression came back with a vengeance within a few days!"

• loraf...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 13, 2019

"I am 49 years old. I have bipolar II, ADD, fibromyalgia, social anxiety, and almost three years of Agoraphobia. I started Parnate January 10, 2019. I also take Temazepam for sleep. Anxious for relief, I increased dose too fast, and as a result (I believe), on day 7, I had a Hypertensive crisis. I did not go to hospital or disclose to doctor. I would rather die than be taken off Parnate without giving it a chance. On day 9, I felt great! Lots of energy, motivation and felt happy. I was able to go on errands, visit family, talk on the phone (big phobia). Despite the occasional cycling, Parnate saved my life and has given me some hope. I know I need to add a mood stabilizer, but I am afraid of messing with something that's "good enough". I am lucky that the food restrictions are unnecessary for me. I also went back on Adderall, despite the warnings, 40 mg per day, which has helped a lot. My BP is normal. Check out research by Dr. Ken Gillman "

• Lurch
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 12, 2019

"Finally found a psychiatrist that would prescribe an MAOI, An 87 year old doctor in town. By far, the best antidepressant with the fewest troubling side effects I’ve ever used. Be careful with hypotension at first. Start slow! Also, can buy the Brand name drug from Canada for 50% less."

• JRano
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 13, 2019

"This medicine literally saved my life. I've tried them all and only the MAOI class of drugs actually work."

• chester
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 13, 2019

"Parnate really works for my depression and makes all other drugs for depression look like a joke."

• dorde...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 16, 2019

"The grandaddy of antidepressants. The first couple months or so on Parnate will be a little rough since it tends to sedate you during the day and keep you up at night but this effect usually diminishes with time. As echoed by people here, the diet is pretty overstated. There are very few foods that will actually cause a hypertensive crisis. You will be fine as long as you don't binge on fancy cheeses, cured meats or eat spoiled food. Not a lot of docs know this but you can also combine it with TCAs and stimulants if it doesn't completely resolve your depression on its own. Probably the best option you have for hard-to-treat depression at the moment."

• JOETAXI
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 25, 2019

"This is a very good drug for depression. I have no problems with the diet required. It the best drug for me. At high doses 60+ you will be dizzy for a bit when getting up. I now take 50mg every morning."

• Tandava
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 23, 2018

"This medicine must be made available in countries like India. Here they just don't manufacture or import it because doctors don't even consider prescribing it due to their bias against it ( created by mass propaganda by companies marketing useless SSRIs, and anti-psychotics ( read depression inducers)) . I have to import it from Canada has closed down and I shudder at the thought of this medicine being unavailable altogether in future."

• Greg
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 3, 2018

"Parnate is the only antidepressant worth taking. "

• Downer
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 6, 2018

"Started out great lots more energy very upbeat then at around week 3 after upping the dose to 60mg day I went downhill couldn't get out of bed extremely low mood back to square 1 had high hopes for this med was very positive to be starting it I'm so disappointed now ."

• dano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 25, 2018

"I have kind of atypical depression This drug is the ONLY true antidepressant in the market , I have tried nearly most of ADs even the Nardil didn't work for me. Parnate works fast and and keep working as long you take it on the right dose and time , I can just stop and back on this drug smoothly without side effects ( maybe just some sleepiness after taking the pills ) it may change your life . The only bad thing about parnate that its expensive ( 2 bottles) . Food interactions are joke for me , I can eat whatever without problem, but everyone is different so follow your doctors instructions ."

• Ace
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 24, 2018

"Parnate was a miracle for me. I’d tried a few SSRI’s And experienced some torturous side effects, plus having to wait 6 weeks every time to see if they worked...3 days on 10 mg of parnate and I felt alive again. My body buzzed and for about a day I felt ecstatic. The dietary restrictions aren’t a problem since I’m vegan, just have to curtail the avocado lust. I did recently discover that the tablets contain gelatine however, so now I’m looking for another MAOI. It’s not the solution to all my problems, and I still need exercise, healthy eating, journaling and time in nature to avoid feeling down/anxious, but it certainly has helped more than any of the other stuff for my mood and depression. It’s a little tricky to get it prescribed in Australia, shrinks are overly cautious about the potential interactions."