![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by RobertDavid on May 22, 2006, at 0:08:47
After doing some Googling I got the email address to one of the reaserchers involved in the EMSAM studies (Dr. Alexander J. Bodkin, MD). You can google his name and EMSAM if you'd like to read about him and his involvement with EMSAM.
Anyway, I specifically asked him if the patch could be cut in half and if so what effects cutting it might have such as selegiline leaking, uneven dose delivery or other possible issues. The following was his emailed response:
"No harm in carefully cutting them in half. Wash you hands afterward. Nothing will ooze out. Many lab animals got their EmSam that way over the years. If its good enough for lab animals its good enough for people. Lab scientists are very careful about dosage precision.
Good luck to you."I know many have had questions regarding this issue including me. I have suspected I don't need the full 20mg dose and have been taking the patch off in at night and re-applying it in the morning (per my doctors suggestion). Though I sleep better the problem has been that it takes until about lunch time to get back the energy and mental boost I like from it. So I'm going to cut the patch in half tomorrow and see if I continue to get a positive response.
I suspect the drug companies don't want customers cutting patches because one might buy a 40mg patch and cut it in half to save the money to get a 20mg patch (that's purely my speculation). but if it works and I end up paying half for this expensive med, it won't hurt my feeling any.
I feel confident this he knows what he's talking about. Anyway, just more info, use it as you and you're doctor see fit. Rob
Posted by crazycomputerboy on August 9, 2007, at 9:13:39
In reply to EMSAM - I'm told the patch can be cut, posted by RobertDavid on May 22, 2006, at 0:08:47
> After doing some Googling I got the email address to one of the reaserchers involved in the EMSAM studies (Dr. Alexander J. Bodkin, MD). You can google his name and EMSAM if you'd like to read about him and his involvement with EMSAM.
>
> Anyway, I specifically asked him if the patch could be cut in half and if so what effects cutting it might have such as selegiline leaking, uneven dose delivery or other possible issues. The following was his emailed response:
>
> "No harm in carefully cutting them in half. Wash you hands afterward. Nothing will ooze out. Many lab animals got their EmSam that way over the years. If its good enough for lab animals its good enough for people. Lab scientists are very careful about dosage precision.
> Good luck to you."
>
> I know many have had questions regarding this issue including me. I have suspected I don't need the full 20mg dose and have been taking the patch off in at night and re-applying it in the morning (per my doctors suggestion). Though I sleep better the problem has been that it takes until about lunch time to get back the energy and mental boost I like from it. So I'm going to cut the patch in half tomorrow and see if I continue to get a positive response.
>
> I suspect the drug companies don't want customers cutting patches because one might buy a 40mg patch and cut it in half to save the money to get a 20mg patch (that's purely my speculation). but if it works and I end up paying half for this expensive med, it won't hurt my feeling any.
>
> I feel confident this he knows what he's talking about. Anyway, just more info, use it as you and you're doctor see fit. RobHi Robert,
I hope your still on this post and I hope everything went well with your patch cutting. I too am in curiosity about cutting the patch, I ma on the 30mg patch and if I leave it on too long I get an onset of hypomanic symptoms. I was thinking if I could cut it slightly ( by the math I've done would be just a couple of cm^2) then I could wear it continuously and not have to take it off liek you were doing. Please let me know if you were successful. Thanks in advance.
Paul
Posted by RobertDavid on August 9, 2007, at 10:57:53
In reply to Re: EMSAM - I'm told the patch can be cut, posted by crazycomputerboy on August 9, 2007, at 9:13:39
> Hi Robert,
>
> I hope your still on this post and I hope everything went well with your patch cutting. I too am in curiosity about cutting the patch, I ma on the 30mg patch and if I leave it on too long I get an onset of hypomanic symptoms. I was thinking if I could cut it slightly ( by the math I've done would be just a couple of cm^2) then I could wear it continuously and not have to take it off liek you were doing. Please let me know if you were successful. Thanks in advance.
>
> PaulPaul, my pdoc said I could cut the patch. I did so with no problem. You just want to make sure to wash your hands so you don't rub your eyes with
with the med on your fingers. It's evenly distributed so cutting it in half gives a half dose, etc. It's the only way to lower the dose since it is in patch form. You can cut off as much as you want to try it at different doses. Good luck....
Posted by crazycomputerboy on August 9, 2007, at 13:01:32
In reply to Re: EMSAM - I'm told the patch can be cut » crazycomputerboy, posted by RobertDavid on August 9, 2007, at 10:57:53
> > Hi Robert,
> >
> > I hope your still on this post and I hope everything went well with your patch cutting. I too am in curiosity about cutting the patch, I ma on the 30mg patch and if I leave it on too long I get an onset of hypomanic symptoms. I was thinking if I could cut it slightly ( by the math I've done would be just a couple of cm^2) then I could wear it continuously and not have to take it off liek you were doing. Please let me know if you were successful. Thanks in advance.
> >
> > Paul
>
>
>
> Paul, my pdoc said I could cut the patch. I did so with no problem. You just want to make sure to wash your hands so you don't rub your eyes with
> with the med on your fingers. It's evenly distributed so cutting it in half gives a half dose, etc. It's the only way to lower the dose since it is in patch form. You can cut off as much as you want to try it at different doses. Good luck....
Robert,Thank you so much for the info. I was trying sillier things like cutting a piece of paper or a piece of the plastic patch cover to put between me and the patch in order to control the dose. cutting it will be much more simple. I know when I was doing 20mg every 24hours it wasnt enough, and 9 turned out to be too much if I leave it on greater than 4 days at a time. I started pulling it about mid-afternoon everyday but feel strange right before applying a new patch later that night. I think the even/continuous distro is the way to go with this med. Other than that I have no complaints and love the med, its the best i have ever taken for atypical depression/anxiety/panic. took about 3.5 weeks to start working but has been awesome every since (started 12/18/2006).
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.