L-deprenyl plus L-phenylalanine in the treatment of depression.

Neuro

The antidepressive efficacy of 1-deprenyl (5-10 mg daily) plus 1-phenylalanine (250 mg/day) has been evaluated in 155 unipolar depressed patients. Both oral and intravenous administration showed beneficial effects in 90% of outpatients and 80.5% of inpatients. It is concluded that this combined treatment has a potent antidepressive action based on the accumulation of 1-phenylethylamine in the brain.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6425455

I always thought MAO-B inhibition alone was enough to substantially raise PEA in the brain, but this study suggests otherwise.

Neuro

I'm thinking about starting Selegiline + Phenylalanine after I stop Wellbutrin. There's a lot of positive reviews on the Internet about it. And here's another study on it:

Nine of 10 24–60 yr old patients with an episode of major depression experienced mood elevation within hours of selegiline-phenylalanine administration; 6 viewed their episodes of depression as terminated within 2 to 3 days.

http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1991-25376-001

I'm thinking of doing 5 mg selegiline 3x a week and phenylalanine every 5 days to help prevent tolerance from forming.

Galaxyshock

I've read that Selegiline + PEA (phenylethylamine) is euphoric but short-lived combo. Indeed L-phenylalanine is probably smoother and more sustainable augmentation. Let us know how it goes if you decide to try it.

Neuro

Started Selegiline 5 mg yesterday. Planning on taking my next dose Friday and then taking it Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I had an immediate effect yesterday. My focus and mood improved by a little bit. I like that Selegiline is a catecholamine activity enhancer, it definitely feels like I had more of a rewarding feeling yesterday when I was playing an online game and winning.

Neuro

The fatigue is getting really bad. I feel sleepy all the time and slept for more than 12 hours these past couple of days. Missed classes because of it. Maybe the autoreceptors are getting hit hard? I'll give it another week before I decide to stop it or not.

Neuro

I was originally planning on taking it Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but I skipped last Friday's dose and the fatigue lessened. I took 5 mg today and if I don't have trouble waking up tomorrow after 8-9 hours of sleep then I'll keep taking Selegiline every 3 days.

One thing that I've noticed with not just Selegiline, but also Rasagiline, is that I feel better a few days after I stop taking them. For example, last year I took Rasagiline 1 mg every week day, but skipped the weekends and on Sunday, just Sunday, but not Saturday, my mood was boosted, I was less anhedonic and enjoyed eating sweets like cake, also enjoyed playing games and had some nostalgia about my childhood games. MAO-B inhibition makes me feel numb, but on Sunday I didn't feel numb, in fact I felt like I had a strong emotional response.

Since my last dose of 5 mg on Wednesday, I felt less anhedonic and felt more emotions on Friday and Saturday, but not Sunday. It's somewhat hard to describe, but if I had to guess I would say that I was able to experience anticipatory hedonia. Looking at images of beautiful places on the Internet I felt something, like excitement I guess. I haven't felt anything like it in a very long time. I started playing a game called BioShock Infinite and enjoyed the scenery very much. Here's an example of what I'm talking about:

On Sunday though I didn't feel anything when I played the game again.

Some other benefits I've noticed:

Better memory, I can recall things easily and vividly
Lessened brain fog
Enhanced focus in FPS games

But no enhancement in learning and no enhancement in attention or concentration. I still can't read text on the screen without having to go over it again or lose focus.

As for side effects:

Dizziness, maybe low blood pressure? Selegiline is known to reduce blood pressure
Sometimes my focus and attentions span is worse than baseline (autoreceptors getting hit maybe?)
Weakness feeling
Tremors in hands
Fatigue and trouble waking up