Posted by em_kath on June 13, 2010, at 2:46:13
In reply to Emsam: Did everyone give up on it?, posted by former poster on June 13, 2010, at 1:23:08
A few months ago I was on Emsam (up to the 12 mg patch) and I posted here a lot during that time. I've only heard a few accounts on this site of it being especially helpful, and those that I talked to who were helped by it often had severe skin reactions that forced them to discontinue. It didn't do much for my depression or lack of energy/motivation, though it helped some with my social anxiety. I had no libido issues but I did experience some orthostatic hypotension. Considering the price and the common skin reactions I would personally recommend trying one of the stronger MAOIs with established effectiveness instead. The only real advantage Emsam seems to have over Parnate or Nardil is its lack of dietary restrictions, which IMO isn't worth it.
However, depending on how long you've been on Emsam, it might be too soon to tell if it will work for you or not. I was on it for almost 2 months before I felt a (slight) lift in depression, and I've heard similar stories of it taking an unusually long time to kick in compared with other antidepressants. Also, you might know about the different neurotransmitters that are affected with higher doses, so you might need to go up to at least 9 mg before you get a noticeable benefit.
poster:em_kath
thread:950865
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100604/msgs/950868.html