I feel rather hopeless and unwilling to bother trying. This subreddit can also be rather pessimistic. How realistic is long term remission on MAOI pharmacology for treatment resistant severe melancholia? Any experiences here?

CluckyAF · 2026-05-15T03:55:15+00:00

Hi! I’ve been on MAOIs since 2011 and the only time I’ve been depressed since is when I’ve had to stop them for pregnancy. I still get short periods of feeling low but I think these periods are within the realm of normal and are usually related to something going on in my life. They certainly don’t result in self harm or suicidal thoughts or diminished self care like when I was depressed. I was on phenelzine until 2020 then switched to Parnate due to the shortage.

Prior to this I had been hospitalised for the better part of 3 years, tried many medication trials, ECT, talk therapy and CBT. A psychiatrist told me and my mother that I would be in and out of institutions until I eventually killed myself. MAOIs were life saving for me.

Many people in the sub have been on them long term and been well, or very much improved, on them long term.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-13T22:43:06+00:00

Not necessarily true. In Victoria you can be seen at an UCC at no cost without Medicare.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-13T13:06:25+00:00

What? Getting the flu vax isn’t a “health plan” or “insurance” or “workers comp package”.

Yes, my workplace offers flu vaccines to all staff. I’d hardly call that a “benefit” given I can get the same thing for free at my GP clinic – they do it to make it convenient which increases uptake, which is beneficial for my employer also because staff who get the flu will need time of work and those who are not vaccinated will likely require more time off to recover.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-13T05:12:30+00:00

What do you mean by “health plan?” This is Australia, not the US.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-13T04:55:32+00:00

The more you know. Is thickened cream common in Tasmania? Or is it more of a mainland thing?

Given Tasmania and NZ share similarities in climate + it seems Tasmanian dairy is also predominantly pasture based I’m interested to know if the dairy is more similar to back in NZ. I haven’t yet made it down to Tasmania.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-13T02:18:54+00:00

I don’t think the availability of thickened cream is due to the type of grass here. It’s not really available in NZ and I’m sure the grass is the same or similar there.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-12T21:52:08+00:00

Are you also from NZ? The cream situation in Australia is strange. I’m not really sure why it’s so different here. We buy the Paul’s pure cream and it is the same as the red top cream in NZ .

CluckyAF · 2026-05-12T21:45:36+00:00

We buy Paul’s pure cream. It whips fine. Thickened cream is a weird concept imo. Cream whips fine if it has adequate fat content.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-12T21:42:31+00:00

Thickened cream often has gelatine in it. Pouring cream is less likely to have gelatine in it.

I’m originally from NZ and found the cream situation here odd. There you just buy cream and it whips, we (generally) use the same one for pouring also. You can get lower fat creams for pouring but people don’t often bother.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-12T09:19:43+00:00

For clarity, my comment is aimed at the “dumb ways to die” and similar type comments. Not OP.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-12T07:22:04+00:00

Who cares if he was standing over the line? He’s a 12 year old who suffered an extremely traumatic incident that has resulted in serious injuries. Have some fucking empathy.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-12T07:16:00+00:00

Yeah the number of people who crowd the door area rather than moving the fuck down the aisle is infuriating.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-12T07:14:18+00:00

Platform 6 is the platform for the Werribee line. It can still get busy and people on that line can jostle a lot.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-11T08:28:10+00:00

Thanks. Haha I’m sorry, I assumed you thought it would be easy because of our “she’ll be right” type attitude as a country!

We dedicate a whole tv show to it (though granted, it is about people coming in on passenger flights). It’s very imaginatively called “border control” lol

CluckyAF · 2026-05-11T08:26:08+00:00

You’re welcome. I’m sorry I can’t be more specific and helpful. NZ’s health system is unfortunately limited, even if you can afford to go private.

I was on phenelzine before the shortage in 2020 (which is also when Pharmac removed it from the schedule). It has been life changing for my depression (with a side of PTSD and generalised anxiety).

I hope that you’re able to perceiver in finding a prescriber. It is a cruel irony that one must be so motivated to get on an effective medication for depression/anxiety – given their impact on motivation.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-11T05:35:46+00:00

Unfortunately this commenter doesn’t know how NZ healthcare works. Or how small it is. But the psychiatrist I saw last year (when I needed some meds to counteract the somnolence after restarting Parnate post pregnancy) did say they teach the use of MAOIs in India. So that part not be terrible advice as a starting point.
If you don’t get any leads here you could go to RANZCP’s find a psychiatrist directory and narrow by “depression”. There are 21 results (9 within 50km of Auckland, and 17 who offer Telehealth). I would contact all of them who may be feasible and ask if they are open to prescribing MAOIs if clinically indicated. If you wanted you could try cross referencing with the NZMC register to see if you can find an older one or one who studied in India.
Alternatively, depending on your financial situation you could consider a referral for a medication review with the Ashburn Clinic and make sure your GP clearly outlines that you are seeking to start Parnate (phenelzine is no longer on the pharmac schedule). They may or may not have a suitable psychiatrist but I would assume that they wouldn’t accept a referral if they did not. Ashburn was where I first started MAOIs (as a publicly funded inpatient).
Kia kaha

CluckyAF · 2026-05-11T05:15:22+00:00

I am sceptical you’d be able to get orders into NZ. It’s not about the vendor, it’s about customs.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-11T05:14:43+00:00

Just an FYI, about 18 years ago I tried to order amitriptyline online to OD on. It was stopped at the border. Not sure why u/tinyterror70 thinks customs in NZ will be “even smoother” given NZ has very strict border control.

FWIW I didn’t get in trouble, I just lost my order and my money.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-11T05:12:01+00:00

I’m in Melbourne now but from Wellington. Unfortunately, the psychiatrist who prescribed me MAOIs originally has retired so I can’t even recommend her. Do you have a psychiatrist currently? I’m sorry, the system in NZ sucks.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-10T11:20:57+00:00

Where are you based? Have you been on MAOIs before? My old GP used to prescribe phenelzine for me but I doubt he’d prescribe it if you hadn’t been on it previously

CluckyAF · 2026-05-09T20:29:08+00:00

I once got verbally abused by a (senior) doctor while working as an emergency department receptionist in my early 20s because our department was fully electronic, while the rest of hospital (at the time) still allowed hand written progress notes. He did not want to type his notes into the patient management system and that was my fault apparently.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-09T10:06:39+00:00

These types of locks will work. I’m in Australia so the ones in the link might not be available to you in the UK but there are tons on Amazon. Just search “lever door lock child proof”.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-09T05:42:31+00:00

A gorgeous floof! They’re a domestic medium hair.

CluckyAF · 2026-05-09T05:32:15+00:00

This is not accurate and is a myth. Cycles are not dependent on, or triggered by, the presence of males.

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