Posted by cubbybear on June 17, 2003, at 10:35:14
If you're a regular reader of this board, you might recall that I've been living in Thailand. and have to take annual trips to the U.S. to obtain Parnate. I'm currently taking 40 mg. per day. It has been a lifesaver for me for nearly 20 years (not including a few drug "holidays" and failed attempts at trying other ADs last year). My pdoc is in New York and this can create a real communications problem, between his restricted schedule, my teaching schedule, and the time zone difference. It's extremely difficult for me to get hold of him on the phone and, as I mentioned in a letter to him about 3 weeks ago, I'd now like to decrease the dose from 40 mg/per day . to a long-term maintenance dose of 30 mg. This is what I've done in the past and never had any problems with it. (I'm also in the process of VERY slowly decreasing Klonopin dosage. I'm currently on 2 mg/day and decreasing .125 mg. every 7 days) I've been feeling fine from the Parnate but want to lower it to a mtnce. dose of 30 mg.-- also because I need my supply to last at least 6 months or so. My only concern is that , when I re-started the Parnate back in early March, I was nearly incapacitated from the worst depression ever, and don't want to live another day of such suffering again.
Until I can connect with my pdoc on the phone, I'd like to know what all of you experts think: can you imagine any reason why I should NOT decrease my dose from 40 to 30 mg. at this time? Could going down only 10 mg. make it more likely for me to have a subtle relapse? (Again, I never had such a thing happen in the past.)And also--in regard to the benzo-- do you think that being on the Parnate will make my final phaseout of Klonopin easier, more difficult, or would it have no bearing on it? Thanks much for your ideas.
poster:cubbybear
thread:234542
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030614/msgs/234542.html