Posted by Ripley Snell on June 9, 2006, at 7:13:17
In reply to Had to Discontinue Emsam, posted by bulldog2 on June 8, 2006, at 9:14:20
I can't exactly dislike an antidepressant that feels like I'm making a sticker-book :-) (And that forces me to shave little squares on my chest.)
I have found EMSAM to be gentle and very effective. My mood is significantly improved, as is my resilience. I have little anxiety.
The first night I couldn't sleep at all. And, being bipolar myself, the EMSAM seems to be destabilizing me a bit--lots of spending (but I saved receipts and I can return stuff!); a tendency to stay at home and get really involved with fiddly stuff, such as filing bills for three hours; and, at times, irritability. It helps ME to use my anti-manic, Seroquel, at a higher dose while on EMSAM.
The extrapyramidal symptoms--dry eyes, mouth, nose, is annoying as heck. At night I have to put that mineral oil based ointment in my eyes, and during the day put lube drops in them about 10 times. And I' constantly chewing gum. It's worth it, though--I think.
P.S. I got a cheap BP monitor (Consumer Reports pointed out that Omron, a very good maker, also makes the Wal-Mart brand, and so I got a great monitor for $16) and my BP has been totally stable. --RS
Snell
poster:Ripley Snell
thread:654411
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060604/msgs/654755.html