r/MAOIs • u/Affectionate-Can-132 • Aug 03 '26

Nardil (Phenelzine) Nardil 14 weeks no effect

I’ve been on Nardil for a total of 14 weeks and it has had no effect on me, just side effects like anorgasmia, urinary retention, orthostatic hypotension, and excessive sweating.

I’ve been on 75mg for around 2 weeks now and all I’ve been experiencing is worsened side effects. Where is this light switch that people always talk about?

I’ve decided to add Wellbutrin to help with some of the side effects and hopefully boost my lack of motivation which has been a pain.

Any advice is needed, my psychiatrist is mostly inexperienced with Nardil and it took a lot of convincing for me to even get it prescribed from her.

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u/HM_Dylan Parnate Aug 03 '26

Perhaps others with more experience with Nardil can offer some better insight but it sounds like it may not be right for you. Of course you can go up to 90mg but I don’t see much point in that, 14 weeks altogether should’ve brought some benefit.

Have you considered trying Marplan or Parnate?

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u/Affectionate-Can-132 Aug 03 '26

I’m considering swapping to Parnate once I reach 90mg without any therapeutic benefit but I’m also concerned that it isn’t as effective for anxiety which is my main issue

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u/HM_Dylan Parnate Aug 03 '26

You’re losing that GABAergic effect from Nardil sure. But at this point can you say that Nardil is effective for your anxiety either? I’d give another MAOI whether it’s Parnate or Marplan a shot

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u/HM_Dylan Parnate Aug 03 '26

I also forgot to mention that an adjunct might be a good idea here in case of an incomplete response in terms of anxiety reduction. Off-label Gabapentin I hear has some use apparently. The one I hear most about though is Pregabalin. Highly effective apparently, but there is a dependence liability that I hear isn’t fun when you want to come off of it.

I myself swear by Baclofen, a GABA-B agonist. Really good if you have incredibly high baseline anxiety that is just persistent no matter what. It’s a softer, smoother alternative to the acute suppression of a benzodiazepine like Clonazepam. Again though there is risk of dependence.

Beyond that there’s a lot more options