Hi there, good people of longecity!
approximately ten years ago, I was diagnosed with BPD. I tried few SSRI's and eventually ended up on tianeptine and low dosage quetiapine for 3 years. During better periods, I managed without ADs, other times I tried many different SSRIs and moclobemide. These caused more harm than good. BPD label doesn't fit me anymore. I was able to navigate my life quite successfully, I am working on my social skills, have few kind-hearted friends. I've been doing therapy for one and a half year now.
Nowadays the most difficult thing to manage is my anxiety, usually triggered by social situations. I often feel like I don't measure up to my peers and automatically consider strangers to be superior to myself. Unfortunately, few months ago, anxiety symptoms got so prominent that I could not even talk to friends I known for years.
I started exercising and meditating. I am back on tianeptine. I got my hands on memantine I am slowly titrating towards 10mg/day.
I assume NMDA antagonism may be of benefit to me, help my with mood stabilisation, reduce anxiety and its negative impact on cognition.
I also have coeliac disease and conditions related to it are associated with elevated levels of glutamate decarboxylase antibodies (enzyme that catalyzes the decarboxylation of glutamate to GABA and CO2).
Five weeks on tianeptine:
Initially, acute effects provided me with feelings of clarity, really bright mood and positive outlook on life for first three days. Then approximately for ten days, few hours after dosing, it made me quite irritable and dissatisfied. This was also accompanied with unpleasant physical sensations. I don't remember feeling like this w/o tianeptine. These negative side effects subsided.
Three weeks on memantine:
After few days with mild nausea and brainfog, first two weeks on it were really great. My anxiety was virtually non-existent, I felt good in social situations, felt really energetic and motivated. Maybe felt a bit dissociated, but nothing up to a point where it would cause trouble. I suspect those were some kind of acute effects probably caused by mematine's dopaminergic action. I still feel good amount of mood stabilising effects.
Currently, I was able to shift my mindset quite a bit and I don't perceive myself negatively. I have quite optimistic outlook on life. But anxiety started to creep back in. I had few mild but sudden panic attacks that forced me to leave from where I was, but otherwise I felt quite good and sought company. I drunk a lot for two consecutive days and had a really good time.
What has been worrying me for past three days is that I've been feeling weird physical sensations. I suspect it gets worse when I up the dosage of memantine. It started as a discomfort in back, later progressed as burning / needle / itching sensations revolving around spine, and now I feel it in hands too. Seems similar to descriptions of neuropathic pain. My BP is also up: 157/92. I subjectively perceive this as a manifestation of anxiety or it's anxiety inducing.
I am currently on:
- tianeptine: 3 x 12.5mg (five weeks)
- memantine: 6mg + 3mg (started at 2.5mg and titrated over the course of three weeks)
- oxazepam: when necessary, usually 2.5mg once a week
- tryptophan: 500mg
- rhodiola rosea: 300-700mg twice a week
- zinc picolinate: 50mg every other day
- magnesium lactate: 500mg
- b vitamins
- past month, I consumed about 30 units of alcohol / week, I smoke a lot when I drink
I wonder, is it possible for either tianeptine or memantine to cause such side effects, could there be any negative interaction between them? Is it a good idea to continue taking tianeptine + memantine for few more weeks and see if these effects subside?
Is it a good idea to occasionally take benzodiazepines while on this combo?
Any advice?
Thanks.
Edited by rewired, 30 January 2017 - 05:48 PM.