Question: Why doctors won't prescribe MAOIs? Doctor in DC area?"
Answer:
Full Question:
My partner has acute & debilitating headaches.
They give her terrible nightmares and now she can't even turn her neck. I fear
her condition is getting worse even after resuming her MAOI regimen of Parnate and occasional Klonopin. Is there a burnout in the
efficacy of this sort of treatment after discontinuing and then resuming? The
combination has worked fairly well for years when nothing (NOTHING!) else would.
she often cannot leave home or sleep or becomes very irritated. She's missed
enough days of work (at her new job) that she may well be in danger of losing
it.
Also, she's a recent transplant to the DC area and we've been fruitless in our
search for a doctor who will even consider the MAOI approach. Why is everyone so
afraid of these drugs? They're time-tested and time-proved. We know how they
work. Her last doctor forced her onto Topamax with disastrous results.
Lastly, is there ANY chance of directing us to a suitable doctor in the DC metro
area? Really, we're appalled at how difficult our search has been considering DC
is a major metropolitan area. Please help! Alex.
Answer:
Dear Alex;
Some doctors avoid MAOI medications because they're the most problematic of the preventive medications in terms of interactions with foods and other medications. Few patients are successful in complying with the food limitations. Thus, since there are so many alternatives, many doctor simply don't use MAOIs.
For a doctor in your area, check out Dr. Stuart Stark in Alexandria, Virginia. You'll find him on our directory of recommended specialists, and there's a link below.
Good luck,
Teri Robert and John Claude Krusz
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Published May 1, 2006
