I just picked up my script. I’m scared. This drug is old and nasty and has terrible side effects, but apparently it really reeeally works. It seems like it’s the last line of defense, medication-wise, for depression. It’s also supposed to be really reeeally great for social anxiety. But there’s so many food restrictions–http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/maoi.html
I have to eliminate so much from my diet. I’m vegetarian, and I can’t have soy products or protein shakes or nuts. I guess I’m going to start eating meat again.
Aside for the food restrictions, there’s, again, really reeeally bad side effects, which apparently according to my research mysteriously go away after a few months and you’re left in bliss. With my history of medication, though, I’m not feeling very hopeful.
I just want something to work. I just want to feel better. I’m not expecting a miracle or a quick fix, just a little relief.
If the ends justify the means ..
Unhappy Happiness 
I hope you find this medication helps you, Mike. To provide some relief at least.
Wow that seems like a difficult choice especially considering you are a vegetarian. I hope you get some relief and the side effects aren’t bad. Good luck with eating meat again–protein is pretty important.
Good luck, Mike. I hope it works for you and is easy on you.
That’s a fair amount of restrictions placed on diet. Hope the meds work.
Best of luck. Sounds like a tough regimen, so I hope it is worth it and helps you!
Wishing you the best of luck with the new med Mike. If it helps you, the inconvenience of changing your diet will be worth it!
This is an old MAOI or MOAI drug, there is a long list of foods to not eat. The newer MAOI drugs (in lower doses) don’t require that. I was checking these out 2 years ago and my shrink who was about 27 had no experience prescribing them. She was supposed to talk to another shrink (older) who had used them. In the mean time, I went away for a vacation. When I came back, she decided that she wasn’t going to prescribe them for me (with no explanation). I decided I wasn’t going to see her anymore.
Good luck to you, I’ll be following your journey.
Thanks everyone! I haven’t started yet. I’m sill weighing the pros and cons. Right now, I don’t want to get on the drug. Then again, it’s something that I just need to try before I can make a decision. Ugh! I feel pretty good right now, so I don’t want to do it, but who knows how I’ll be feeling in a week or a month.
@ decidetodecideetc – Your experience doesn’t surprise me. These drugs aren’t prescribed very much due to the side effects. If you aren’t careful you can end up in the ER and could even die. It seems absurd that I’m even worrying about it considering it wasn’t even three weeks ago that I had a death wish. My how things change quickly.
Glad to hear you are feeling good! Not a huge fan of taking medication here, especially when you are so compromised in your everyday life by them. But when the depression gets so bad that you want to kill yourself, even MAOIs seem like a small trade-off. They certainly are among the scarier options, though.
Yeah, I just took my first dose. I’m feeling a little better about taking them. I’m not really a big fan of medication either, because nothing has worked for me .. so far. I also know that medication doesn’t help with the underlying issue. But, right now I need some relief from the symptoms. Hopefully, that will allow me to experience life a little different which will make it easier to address the underlying causes/issues of my anxiety and depression.
It’s funny you can’t eat banana peels. I’ve never had that urge before.
I know. I’m sure going to miss them. 🙂 I think they may be used in like some Indian foods or something.