Can I take clen and/or ephedrine while on prozac?

[HansNZ]

I have been prescribed low doses of prozac as an appetite suppressant. I am told you are not supposed to take ephedrine (and clen too I assume) with it because it will send my blood pressure up.

Does anyone know whether this is just cautiousness on the doctor's part and I shouldn't worry too much? I tend to lose muscle at lightening speed when dieting, so I really want to take an anti-catabolic (i.e. clen and ephedrine) while dieting.

 

[HansNZ]

Someone must know something?

 

[HansNZ]

I'll bump this one more time.

 

[nandi12]

I don't think that blood pressure is such an issue. The incidence is only about 1% with prozac, and you can monitor it easily when taking ephedrine.

I suspect the doctor is more concerned about a fenfluramine-phentermine type effect on your heart valves. There has been concern lately that people have been combining herbal drugs that might have a similar effect.

Excess serotonin in the blood was implicated as the mechanism by which fen-phen damaged blood vessels and heart valves. The two ways serotonin is removed from the blood are by the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) and absorption into platelets. Phentermine blocks the action of MAO, while fenfluramine blocks the uptake into platelets.

It turns out that ephedrine is a so called "unlabeled reversible MAO inhibitor" that can mimic the action of phentermine, while Prozac, like the herbal antidepressant St. John's Wort, inhibits platelet uptake of serotonin like fenfluramine does.

It is probably wise not to take the two together. You won't know if your heart is being damaged until it is too late.

The picture is more complicated with clen because the effects of clen on MAO seem to be tissue dependent. For example, clen stimulates insulin release, and the mechanism is thought to be due to clen's ability to INCREASE MAO levels in the pancreas. On the other hand, beta 2 agonists like clen have been shown to lower MAO levels in the brain. I don't know what the effect in the blood is.

 

[HansNZ]

Great post - thanks!

I will compromise. I was doing the two weeks clen then two weeks ephedrine then two weeks clen cycle. What I will do instead is drop the ephedrine altogether and take nothing during the two week periods I would take ECA. I will continue with the clenbuterol though.

Does this make sense, or should I just drop the prozac altogether?

 

[nandi12]

Well, you are probably taking the Prozac for a good reason. I would stay on the Prozac and see how it affected by depression. If it helps stay on it. I would seriously drop the ephedrine but probably continue to use the clenbuterol as I have not seen any specific warnings about combining beta 2 agonists like clen and Prozac.

I would ask a pharmacist. If clen is illegal in your country, tell him you have asthma and are taking albuterol (salbutamol), a beta 2 agonist like clen, and you want to know if it's OK to take prozac with it because you are worried about high serotonin hurting your heart like Phen-fen does.

 

[HansNZ]

Well, you are probably taking the Prozac for a good reason. I would stay on the Prozac and see how it affected by depression. If it helps stay on it. I would seriously drop the ephedrine but probably continue to use the clenbuterol as I have not seen any specific warnings about combining beta 2 agonists like clen and Prozac.

I would ask a pharmacist. If clen is illegal in your country, tell him you have asthma and are taking albuterol (salbutamol), a beta 2 agonist like clen, and you want to know if it's OK to take prozac with it because you are worried about high serotonin hurting your heart like Phen-fen does.

Thanks for the advice. I am not taking the prozac for depression, I am taking it as an appetite supressant. So I can opt to continue with it or drop it as I see fit.

I will phone the pharmacist and ask.