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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Emme on May 9, 2003, at 21:34:40
Hi Everyone,
My pdoc wants me to start selegiline. I'm a slow metabolizer and so I'm starting at 2.5 mg. She said that at 10 mg or less, one need not follow the MAOI diet, although we don't know if that threshold would be lower for a med-sensitive person like me.
Can anyone tell me about their experiences at low doses of this drug? And at what doses have you followed the MAOI diet?
Thanks very much,
Emme
Posted by jemma on May 10, 2003, at 19:36:58
In reply to Tell me about Selegiline, posted by Emme on May 9, 2003, at 21:34:40
Hi Emme -
I took 10mg selegiline for several months, along with 100 mg modafinil. I found it an excellent combination for ADD, cognition, alertness, and mood. Now, I'm not particularly med sensitive, and my feeling is you could probably do well on 5 mg - though you may need the modafinil to augment. Apparently, at 5 mg, selegiline inhibits 90% of MAO-B - the kind that lowers dopamine - so there might not be much point in taking 10 mg. And at 5 mg, you can feel very safe diet-wise, as there is absolutely no MAO-A activity.
Of course, low-dose selegiline does much more than just increase dopamine. It's a powerful antioxidant and protects dopamine neurons from deterioration. It also increase nitrous oxide in the brain, which does various good things, including increasing brain circulation. Selegiline increases life span in dogs, and is thought to do the same in people. And it has minimal side effects.
Unfortunately, I had to stop taking selegiline because I did develop a side effect - bad ankle edema. I wouldn't have cared but I have some neuropathy in my left ankle and the edema weakened it. I'm giving selegiline a rest, and hoping that when I retry it the edema won't recur. It worked so well, and is such a benign drug, that I really hate to part with it.
Jemma
Posted by Emme on May 11, 2003, at 12:02:18
In reply to Re: Tell me about Selegiline, posted by jemma on May 10, 2003, at 19:36:58
Thanks Jemma,
Your post is really encouraging. I'm glad to hear someone has had success with it a low doses.
Avoiding the MAOI diet is an important consideration for me - I'm a vegetarian and so my diet is already constrained (though by choice).
I'm taking a speck of provigil also. Along with other things. Good luck if you retry the selegiline.
Emme
This is the end of the thread.
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