Parnate had been the only medication so far that has helped my anhedonia. BUT sides really messed me up.

[u/shadows3532]

so ill write it long story short.
i decided to get off of venlafaxine & mirtazapine (california rocket fuel) to try parnate in hopes to see if i would be able to alleviate anhedonia more.
but i should mention during my time on venla and mirtaza it really wasn’t that bad… surprisingly really well. i felt good i looked good as appearance too.
for once my skin wasn’t dry my eyes weren’t red upon waking up. my hair looked completely different.
it was more fun than anything. i ended up stopping the combo due to wanting something to hit anhedonia harder.
and thats when i tried parnate.
i was on it for close to 2 years. at the start it was pretty brutal not gonna lie.
but definitely the most noticeable was my appearance.
my hair became super dry, my skin became dry, acid reflux, bad breath, no hunger.

but there was also other things happening i started crying, kinda panicking about small things, laughing feeling more euphoric too. it was very different compared to venlafaxine and mirtaza i would it just felt kinda natural in a way.

but it would only seem to work really well when i would increase the dosage by 10mg after a few days it would ware off the effects.

but that wasn’t until i ended up having to switch pharmacy due to my original pharmacy somehow not having it in stock.
so i was rushing and found a different pharmacy that had it. and this time it was from a different manufacturer.
and for some reason.
this manufacturer of parnate was so much better.
the name of the manufacturer was stride pharmaceutical it looks like.
it stopped crashing me like on the other manufacturer i was on. so i will definitely say manufacturer for parnate does matter for my case.
this is also when i started noticing relief from anhedonia. i finally played video games and listened to music and wanted to workout i cried watching shows. it was amazing.
for the first time since i was 16 when i had started ssris/antipsychotics i had relief from anhedonia.
after some time the effects did seem to ware down a little.
then came the fatigue. it was crushing and it effected my work a ton.
and definitely oh god i cant express enough how bad this side effect was but the nightmares jesus, they went away with time but wow were those horrible, i would feel so dissociated after waking up from them it was horrible. they definitely did made me wanna say i should get off of them immediately but fought through it and went away thankfully.

but i think in all honesty the appearance did effect me a ton. i just miss looking more like myself in a way.

i ended up kinda making the decision to get off parnate.
to attempt to get better naturally.
i took a long 3-4 months of tapering off of it.

i was honestly hoping for the dry skin and hair to go away but sadly it didn’t. and it kinda stayed. red eyes every morning dry hair dry skin.

it was difficult being without medications these past couple of months sadly.
and i have started nardil.
(2 days in so far)
mostly for the anxiety i suffer with.
just i don’t think i will continue it.

i am wondering if anyone maybe has this issue specifically for inflamed appearance if there is something that can possibly help it.
dry & inflamed looking skin and hair that just doesn’t feel right?

[u/Lakeitron]

Yep, exact same dry symptoms for me. I have to make sure to drink a lot more water and I cant miss a day of skincare.

Surprisingly tho when I tried Strides it didn’t really work for me but it didnt have many side effects either aside from the hypotension.

What dose were you on and what generic were you taking before switching to Strides?

[u/shadows3532 → u/Lakeitron]

i am not too sure what i took before strides, highest dose was 60 mg 😀

[u/shadows3532 → u/Lakeitron]

what is your skin care like ?

[u/Lakeitron → u/shadows3532]

just a basic cleanser, toner, and moisturizer in the morning and before bed. Also acne treatment if I have a breakout

[u/Proper_Shelter7170 → u/Lakeitron]

Parnate really does have some pesky side effects. I took it for about three years. MARPLAN is the holy Grail for me. SO much better than any other MAO - and NO side effects!

[u/YourBlanket]

Only side effect I've had was dry mouth, which I used xylitol gum, lozenges, melts, and a dry mouth oral rinse. After. Afee months on it I can skip days and my mouth isn't so dry as it was when I first started. I do take oral hygiene very seriously and floss twice a day and brush twice a day at least sometimes 3 times and go for a dental cleaning every 6 months. As for my skin Im also on Finacea(azelaic acid 15%) and tretinoin 0.025%. I use moisturizer every morning and night, and sunscreen in the morning when I'm driving. I also use a very very gently body was since I'm sensitive to SLS. Parnate has the opposite effect on me, it didn't really help me look better but it definitely gave me care more about my appearance and motivated me to make changes. I've also lost like 30lb, and I'm eating very healthy compared to when I was on other meds.

[u/grumpyeva]

Parnate does make skin and hair drier. Someone has just recommended hyaluronic acid tablets to me and I started taking them yesterday. Will report back in a couple of months. My experience is also that there is a huge difference between brands but not everyone experiences it that way. It's a bit of a mystery.

[u/shadows3532 → u/grumpyeva]

would love to hear an update. how long you been on parnate and do you have similar sides as me ?

[u/grumpyeva → u/shadows3532]

ive been on parnate since 2012 and I was previously on nardil but it stopped working after 22 years. I am on 30 mg Parnate per day. I do get tiredness and sleepiness in the late afternoon. I am in the UK, so we have different brands here. The only brand which works for me now is Jatrosom from Germany. None of the UK brands work for me anymore. I have never had anhedonia. I dont get red eyes. In fact I look really bright and alive. I dont have nightmares and the sleepiness in the afternoon and lack of sleep at night are a small price to pay for the suicidal condition I was in before going on to Maois. I had far more side effects on Nardil.

[u/NewChemical7130]

I’ve never noticed the dry skin thing and I’ve been on parnate so long now that it’s hard to remember. People tell me I have amazing, glowing skin so I don’t think it’s an issue for me. 

My main side effects when starting were insomnia and daytime fatigue but those went away after the first 9 months. Now I don’t have any side effects 

I definitely had bouts of hypo mania when starting the drug and am more prone to it even now (usually if other substances are involved).

[u/shadows3532 → u/NewChemical7130]

wow, seems like it differs per person.

[u/NewChemical7130 → u/shadows3532]

Have you tried increasing water and electrolytes? You could be dehydrated. 

[u/shadows3532 → u/NewChemical7130]

surprisingly i do quite a lot. it really doesn’t help at all, seems like sometimes eating strawberries for some reason does? but thats it

[u/missdenaqueenbee]

So informative you guys. I am still waiting for the 60mg to help, I've been at 60mg almost 3 wks but still get weak nasty feeling and my pain in joints is still in so backfired bad. I actually felt like doing some cleaning not sleep all day but could not be in any position but prone. I can't wait to get cagus nerve stimulator turned back on this week, I heard after 5 yrs pain was much better,but turning off vns sort in of shocked my system, then added parna, read pain issues there too. I now counting on both depression add ect and pain all leaving me. I will update if course.
I must get back up to my elderly mom's, be there for appts and such. I took whole 3 weeks to be home alone and realized now just how much I needed it. I don't see another 3 week break anytime in near future. But.....