4 ms·
Phenelzine is actually a MAOI, which is a different class of drug. My understanding is that Wallace had hard to treat depression and was on this more dangerous
by drzaiusapelord 10y ago
Phenelzine is actually a MAOI, which is a different class of drug. My understanding is that Wallace had hard to treat depression and was on this more dangerous class of drug as SSRI's didn't work well on him. He also died with Clonazepam and Temazepam in his system. Wallace also received electric shock therapy, which suggests his depression was much more serious than most cases.
I think his case is very much an edge case here. He had very serious problems with a hard to treat depression and was on a MAO inhibitor, which is seen as the last resort for pharmacological treatments of depression because its so unstable, short-lived, and has nasty side effects and is difficult to ween off. SSRI's are much more safe.
- nylonstrung 10y agoHe actually wrote about his experiences with MAOIs in an early short story in a college journal. This was in the early 80s, well before Prozac and SSRIs made it to market. https://quomodocumque.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/wallace-amherst_review-the_planet.pdf https://quomodocumque.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/wallace-am...
- outworlder 10y agoI just read it and I'm at a loss for words. All I can say is that it's a incredibly sad tale.
- mrob 10y agoWhat do you mean by "short lived"? Phenelzine is an irreversible MAOI, which means its effects persist even after it's cleared from the body. The only way to regain normal MAO function is to wait for the disabled enzymes to be replaced, which takes weeks.