13 replies to this topic

[YoungSchizo]

I've started Memantine past Monday, started out with 5mg a day, kind of felt off that day but okay, nothing to worry about. However, the first night, just about when I'd would've fall asleep I experienced intense thoughts that aggravated my anxiety which in turn made me feel kinda psychotic and falling asleep more difficult. Eventually, after tossing and turning I've managed to fall asleep and said to myself in the morning after that this might just be a side-effect of starting Memantine. Unconsciously, because of this experience, I was quite anxious the next day to sleep and I kinda (on auto-pilot) started to drink more than usual to fall asleep more easily. That helped, and after that, the days after, I limited my intake of alcohol and I haven't experienced any anxiety or psychotic reaction like the first night I was on Memantine. Past Thursday night, I bumped up my dosage to 10mg for Friday and Saturday, I started to feel more anxious/psychotic/depersonalization but didn't paid much attention to it because of my (past) alcohol consumption. However today, Sunday, I experience a noticeable increase in suicidal thoughts and a noticeable increase in anxiety and a total feeling of worthlessness. My mind spins, if I look at some facebook posts I say to myself you're more depressed than me, however they're probably used to having bad thoughts. In those 12 years that I have suffered from schizophrenia/depression I'm still not used to having thoughts of suicide or any kind demeaning thoughts. I have no idea, should I stop Memantine immediately or continue in the hopes this side-effect will lift? Also, the past 2 days I feel like I'm more psychotic than the past 3-4 months in which I drink.. Should I ignore the (side)-effects of Memantine or call it a day and just drop it completely? 

[Mind_Paralysis]

You have Schizophrenia, do you not? We've talked about how Memantine could be dangerous then.

I suggest you either add a small dosage of Antipsychotic, perhaps Aripiprazole, or you drop it entirely.

[YoungSchizo]

You have Schizophrenia, do you not? We've talked about how Memantine could be dangerous then.
I suggest you either add a small dosage of Antipsychotic, perhaps Aripiprazole, or you drop it entirely.

Nevermind my post, I've decided to stop entirely and skipped my dose yesterday, already feel less suicidal/anxious/psychotic.

You have Schizophrenia, do you not? We've talked about how Memantine could be dangerous then.
I suggest you either add a small dosage of Antipsychotic, perhaps Aripiprazole, or you drop it entirely.

Nevermind my post, I've decided to stop entirely and skipped my dose yesterday, already feel less suicidal/anxious/psychotic.

[PeaceAndProsperity]

memantine sounds pharmacologically like a terrible drug, don't see why anyone but junkies would want to touch it

[Puppalupacus]

Similar reaction here at smaller doses of 2.5mg every few days.  I had high hopes, given that some people have life-changing positive benefits, but I very quickly realized it wasn't for me.  Very dark and very suicidal.  Many do not mini or micro-dose starting out but just jump right to full doses.  Thankfully, you didn't.

[PeaceAndProsperity]

Similar reaction here at smaller doses of 2.5mg every few days.  I had high hopes, given that some people have life-changing positive benefits, but I very quickly realized it wasn't for me.  Very dark and very suicidal.  Many do not mini or micro-dose starting out but just jump right to full doses.  Thankfully, you didn't.

How would memantine exert life-changing benefits? I have read those stories myself, I just don't see why people believe the stories. It makes no sense. Memantine does not change brain structure or whatever, it's simply a glutamate antagonist with some offtarget opioidergic properties. It's primarily used by people who abuse other drugs like stimulants and halluciogenic drugs.
 

[YoungSchizo]

TBH I had high hopes of it too.. Looking at the positive study results of it being used to treat negative symptoms and anecdotal reports where people swear by that it "cured" their depression and anxiety. This is a total disappointment.

[PeaceAndProsperity]

NSI189 2.0... or 1.0

[YoungSchizo]

NSI189 2.0... or 1.0

 

What do you mean?

[PeaceAndProsperity]

Look at the NSI189 thread. So many people keep buying it expecting miraculous results, some even reporting such. But clearly NSI189 is not some miracle drug, it's just gold-colored snakes oil (if what we bought is even the real thing). With tianeptine it's pretty much the same. You look at its pharmacology and it's obvious that it's nothing special. At least I can understand drug addicts who buy it to prevent drug tolerance.

Of course I am not criticizing YOUR choice to buy it because it does make sense to test it in case it could reverse some of your symptoms via unknown mechanisms.

[YoungSchizo]

I guess some people with schizophrenia really benefit from Memantine (looking at the results from double-blind trials), if my choice to trial it was purely based on anecdotal reports I would've been mistaken, some people say it does miracles, when asked later on if they're still on it, you either get no answer or the answer is no. Same with the fuzz around Tianeptine, I've also trialed that in the past for quite some time, never experienced any benefits on it though.

 

Anyway what do you think about trialing Nardil or Parnate, I can't make up my mind to trial one of these (also because there's almost no scientific data available that these drugs we're used in schizophrenic patients).

[jfr]

just out of curiosity:

schizophrenia seems to be associated with nmda receptor hypofunction.

Memantine is used as a nmda receptor anatgonist?

Wouldn't an nmda receptor agonist be the better choice?

 

 

 

 

[YoungSchizo]

just out of curiosity:

schizophrenia seems to be associated with nmda receptor hypofunction.

Memantine is used as a nmda receptor anatgonist?

Wouldn't an nmda receptor agonist be the better choice?

 

In theory, yes, that would make much more sense, like the positive results I had from Sarcosine. However, there have been quite a few trials where Memantine has been used to treat negative symptoms with ranging results from non-responders to up to 24% improvement in negative (PANSS score) symptoms.

 

I personally, and I'm guessing though, might be a schizophrenic that benefits from a NMDA agonist instead a antagonist. And tbh I don't know why some people over at schizophrenia.com get diagnosed with schizophrenia, especially people that can tolerate (and/or find improvement from) stimulants, weed or any drug that might alter dopamine. Or people that get diagnosed schizophrenic even though they never had a positive symptom, ever! I guess it's no wonder why so much new drugs in the pipeline fail in phase III, I personally won't consider someone schizophrenic if they never have had hallucinations (I rather call them lucky/blessed instead of schizophrenic) but it got to my attention psychiatrist do label them as schizophrenic! Weird but true.

[Deaden]

Why is peaceandprosperity always mad?