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Psychiatric Use
Tranylcypromine
Citation:   mouse. "Psychiatric Use: An Experience with Tranylcypromine (exp106885)". Erowid.org. Jun 3, 2020. erowid.org/exp/106885

 
DOSE:
30 - 50 mg oral Pharms - Tranylcypromine (daily)
  900 mg oral Pharms - Lithium (daily)
  50 ug oral Pharms - Levothyroxine (daily)
  0.5 mg oral Pharms - Clonazepam (daily)
BODY WEIGHT: 160 lb
After trying 11 other antidepressants and countless other classes of psychiatric drugs (been on psych meds the past 14 years), an enlightened doctor finally prescribed me a MAOI. I take trancylpromine (Parnate), currently 20 mg in the morning (around 6 am) and 10 mg around noon.

This stuff is the most effective antidepressant I've taken, and I've taken SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs, and atypical antidepressants. Better yet, it doesn't take the standard 6 to 8 weeks to start working, some people notice an effect in as little as 48 hours according the prescribing monograph. For me it takes a little longer to notice an effect like with a dosage increase, but not too long. Definitely less than a week. I didn't have much luck with it until I got to 30 mg, which is what the manufacturer says is the typical dose.

In the past I was taking as much as 50 mg per day (all in the morning) but I was taking that along with 150 mg of trazodone, and those two drugs are contraindicated with one another. And for a good reason. (Both drugs were prescribed by the same doctor though.) I had two serious hypertensive crises and was taken off the trancylpromine, when really I should have been taken off the trazodone. So now, about two months later, I'm trying it again.

Trancylpromine is a bit stimulating. Not like drinking a bunch of strong coffee or anything, but definitely noticeable. I don't know if I would want to take it right before trying to sleep. It also seems to suppress my appetite, which could be a good or bad thing.

So yeah, in my opinion, although these drugs (MAOIs) are indeed dangerous, they are an underutilized option for those of us who have suffered for a long time.

For completeness sake I'll list the other drugs I'm taking right now. I haven't had any problem with interactions with these:
- lithium 900 mg q PM
- levothyroxine 50 mcg q AM
- clonazepam 0.5 mg q AM, 1 mg q PM

Exp Year: 2015ExpID: 106885
Gender: Male 
Age at time of experience: 26
Published: Jun 3, 2020Views: 1,636
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Pharms - Tranylcypromine (882) : Combinations (3), Retrospective / Summary (11), Medical Use (47), Not Applicable (38)

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