1 reply to this topic

[doctordog]

about a month ago I made a post in the nootropic forum complaining about the general cognitive + emotional decline i've been experiencing over the past couple of months, resulting in the (temporary, i hope) shelving of my career as a freelance writer. for the past 5 years (since the age of 18) i have been battling with intense OCD, yet amazingly enough i had never noticed much impact on my career (academic + thereafter) until i began messing around with SSRI's. after chronically cycling on and off them for the past 2 years in an attempt to find a 'match' i've been experiencing persistent emotional blankness, feelings of depersonalization, loss of verbal + written fluency, memory difficulties, poor concentration etc. trying to convince any doctor of as much is a losing battle, as i imagine many here might feel skeptical about my claims; all i can say is that i'm convinced some kind of internal change has taken place, the unimaginable stress of which has only compounded the issue, leading to a blurring of the line between the negative symptoms of my pre-existing condition (which my pdoc is convinced are at the root) and the damage it seems might've occurred. resigned to the fact that i'm damned either way, i agreed to try Nardil as a last ditch attempt, mainly because i was beginning to feel suicidal and didn't think any natural supplements could provide me with the long-term stability i desperately need right now. however, just because i am on an MAOI doesn't mean i can't instill positive lifestyle changes around it, which i was helping some people might be able to assist me with here. so here goes:

Currently taking:

B-complex (Nardil is purported to destroy the body's stores of B-6)
Fish Oil 2.5g a day (I guess this should be higher?)
500mg Esther-C

Hoping to add:

N-Acetyl-Cysteine (liver protection; glutamate-modulation supposed to help with OCD)
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (was taking this before I began Nardil; just wondering, since both this and the NAC are supposed to be taken on an empty stomach can they be taken together?)
Magnesium (have experienced amazing benefits on magensium taurate in the past)
Ortho-Core (have e-mailed the company to check whether it's safe to take with Nardil; the person who replied said the supplement might interfere with the drug's metabolism and would get back to me once they'd checked with their resident naturopathic doctor)

also, i have only been on the nardil for a week but i am pretty sure it is destabilizing my blood sugar levels; i am getting the worst hypoglycemic-like attacks. i read somewhere that this is because nardil interferes with the liver's ability to utilize glucose (or something). hopefully this is a transient effect. otherwise might chromium help?

I've quit drinking, am exercising 4-5 times a week (treadmill + swimming).

otherwise, would still really like to deal with the cognitive difficulties (pending they're still hanging round once i'm on a stable Nardil dose). my doctor has said he would consider modafinil. any other nootropics that might be safe to combine with an irreversible MAOI?

thanks for your time,
DD

[bgwithadd]

about a month ago I made a post in the nootropic forum complaining about the general cognitive + emotional decline i've been experiencing over the past couple of months, resulting in the (temporary, i hope) shelving of my career as a freelance writer. for the past 5 years (since the age of 18) i have been battling with intense OCD, yet amazingly enough i had never noticed much impact on my career (academic + thereafter) until i began messing around with SSRI's. after chronically cycling on and off them for the past 2 years in an attempt to find a 'match' i've been experiencing persistent emotional blankness, feelings of depersonalization, loss of verbal + written fluency, memory difficulties, poor concentration etc. trying to convince any doctor of as much is a losing battle, as i imagine many here might feel skeptical about my claims; all i can say is that i'm convinced some kind of internal change has taken place, the unimaginable stress of which has only compounded the issue, leading to a blurring of the line between the negative symptoms of my pre-existing condition (which my pdoc is convinced are at the root) and the damage it seems might've occurred. resigned to the fact that i'm damned either way, i agreed to try Nardil as a last ditch attempt, mainly because i was beginning to feel suicidal and didn't think any natural supplements could provide me with the long-term stability i desperately need right now. however, just because i am on an MAOI doesn't mean i can't instill positive lifestyle changes around it, which i was helping some people might be able to assist me with here. so here goes:

Currently taking:

B-complex (Nardil is purported to destroy the body's stores of B-6)
Fish Oil 2.5g a day (I guess this should be higher?)
500mg Esther-C

Hoping to add:

N-Acetyl-Cysteine (liver protection; glutamate-modulation supposed to help with OCD)
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (was taking this before I began Nardil; just wondering, since both this and the NAC are supposed to be taken on an empty stomach can they be taken together?)
Magnesium (have experienced amazing benefits on magensium taurate in the past)
Ortho-Core (have e-mailed the company to check whether it's safe to take with Nardil; the person who replied said the supplement might interfere with the drug's metabolism and would get back to me once they'd checked with their resident naturopathic doctor)

also, i have only been on the nardil for a week but i am pretty sure it is destabilizing my blood sugar levels; i am getting the worst hypoglycemic-like attacks. i read somewhere that this is because nardil interferes with the liver's ability to utilize glucose (or something). hopefully this is a transient effect. otherwise might chromium help?

I've quit drinking, am exercising 4-5 times a week (treadmill + swimming).

otherwise, would still really like to deal with the cognitive difficulties (pending they're still hanging round once i'm on a stable Nardil dose). my doctor has said he would consider modafinil. any other nootropics that might be safe to combine with an irreversible MAOI?

thanks for your time,
DD

ANy ahchetachile drugs or sups should be fine, just no serotonergic or dopamine ones. SO, hup A si fine, as areracetms. So are various EFAs and vinpocetine. Green tea is out, though, and maybe gingko, an stims are out for sure as well, even 'just caffeine' which is actually noy uvh different than ritalin.