Posted by yznhymer on August 20, 2008, at 19:55:43
Howdy,
So heres a little EMSAM tale. I'd been on the patch for quite some time, initially at 6mg and then at 9mg. I got a therapeutic benefit at both doses similar to that experienced by others who have posted here. I kind of expected that EMSAM would work since I had a good response to Nardil some 15 years ago, but then the side effects were not manageable. To be sure I expereinced a number of bothersome side effects with EMSAM - brain zaps, jerking movements, copious sweating at the mildest exertion, and insomnia. No weight gain and no sexual dysfunction, though, so I decided I was coming out way ahead. In fact, I lost a good deal of weight - which more than any other external factor lifted my spirits and improved my sociability tremendously.
By and by, I needed to schedule a umbilical hernia repair. Did all the necessary homework, and met with my Pdoc to discuss weaning myself off the EMSAM so I could have the surgery. He could find no information about discontinuing EMSAM or anything about withdrawl symptoms, so he gave me a schedule to incrementally reduce the drug.
The withdrawal symptoms were terrible. Like you have a bad flu and you're going crazy at the same time. Each time I lowered the dose, the symptoms would kick in all over again, which sort of made titrating downward pointless, so I went cold turkey. To make a long story short(er), weeks later I had the ssurgery, it all went great, and I was looking at restarting EMSAM again.
I dragged my feet a bit because it was the first time I'd been antidepressant-free, I was loving sleeping through the night, and I was feeling no worse than I did on the drug. In any case, before I could resume EMSAM, I aggravated a back condition and wound up on vicodin, flexeril, and naproxyn for weeks... maybe 6 in all. That's another long story.
So its been about 3 months without EMSAM and I'd say its a toss up whether I go back on or not, though I have this past week started on 4.5mg - 1/2 a 9mg patch. I miss the energy, the interest, and the sociability I experienced with EMSAM, and I felt like there was a floor below me beneath which I wouldn't spiral in the face of strresss or challenges of an emotional kind. On the other hand, I feel better for the sleep I get, I am relieved not to be sweating like a PIG hog, and I think there are some non-med things that I can continue to do that help me.
The biggest kicker, tho, is the withdrawal symptoms. If I need to stop the med again I am loathe to re-esxperience them. And what if I'm in some kind of accident with no opportunity to take the necessary precautions to avoid contraindicated meds? My back issues and the surgery opened my eyes to the real possibilities here.
poster:yznhymer
thread:847444
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080814/msgs/847444.html