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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by floatingbridge on October 18, 2009, at 22:15:56
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues. » floatingbridge, posted by Phillipa on October 18, 2009, at 22:06:28
> Oh shoot forgot to write him will now back and forth to facebook. He's up. Love Phillipa
That's o.k., Phillipa. I can re-read the thread. do you think he's still on it? Or did he move on to something else? (I forget.)
fb
Posted by Phillipa on October 18, 2009, at 22:54:22
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues. » Phillipa, posted by floatingbridge on October 18, 2009, at 22:15:56
He was off it last time we spoke. But post on the thread he normally answers. Love Phillipa
Posted by ihatedrugs on October 19, 2009, at 23:28:03
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues. » Phillipa, posted by floatingbridge on October 18, 2009, at 22:15:56
Hi floatingbridge,
I am doing very well on 6mg of Emsam. After a rough Summer where I tried Savella, Abilify and Pristiq, it was such a relief to have found something that worked. Only side effects were insomnia which resolved itself after a while and possibly a slight increase in anxiety. No other side effects to report. Well actually it does decrease appetite so its great if you have gained weight on other meds like I have. I have found that the patch wears better on my thigh and I don't get a rash but if I wear it on the chest area I sometimes get a rash. I do feel much better. The only draw back is the exhorbitant price. I pay 200.00 after insurance. Full price is about 500.00. I don't know why it is so expensive.
Let me know how it works for you if you decide to go on it. Good luck
Posted by MAxime on October 20, 2009, at 18:46:20
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues. » Phillipa, posted by floatingbridge on October 18, 2009, at 22:15:56
Posted by floatingbridge on October 20, 2009, at 18:58:36
In reply to How did your appt. go today? (nm) » floatingbridge, posted by MAxime on October 20, 2009, at 18:46:20
Well, I mostly wept and didn't talk about meds. On Friday we tackle the subject. I really need some help, med-wise.
Thanks for asking Maxime, and to everyone who added to this thread. I'll post when we make a decision.
fb
Posted by floatingbridge on October 20, 2009, at 19:01:44
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues., posted by ihatedrugs on October 19, 2009, at 23:28:03
Hi Ihatedrugs,
That you are doing well is the best news. I'm so glad. I also appreciate your feedback--thanks!
May I ask you one more question? Are you taking anything else, or just doing mono-therapy emsam?
Good news, and glad to hear it!
warmly,
fb
> Hi floatingbridge,
>
> I am doing very well on 6mg of Emsam. After a rough Summer where I tried Savella, Abilify and Pristiq, it was such a relief to have found something that worked. Only side effects were insomnia which resolved itself after a while and possibly a slight increase in anxiety. No other side effects to report. Well actually it does decrease appetite so its great if you have gained weight on other meds like I have. I have found that the patch wears better on my thigh and I don't get a rash but if I wear it on the chest area I sometimes get a rash. I do feel much better. The only draw back is the exhorbitant price. I pay 200.00 after insurance. Full price is about 500.00. I don't know why it is so expensive.
> Let me know how it works for you if you decide to go on it. Good luck
Posted by ihatedrugs on October 20, 2009, at 22:01:40
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues. » ihatedrugs, posted by floatingbridge on October 20, 2009, at 19:01:44
> Hi Ihatedrugs,
>
> That you are doing well is the best news. I'm so glad. I also appreciate your feedback--thanks!
>
> May I ask you one more question? Are you taking anything else, or just doing mono-therapy emsam?
>
> Good news, and glad to hear it!
>
> warmly,
>
> fb
>
> > Hi floatingbridge,
> >
> > I am doing very well on 6mg of Emsam. After a rough Summer where I tried Savella, Abilify and Pristiq, it was such a relief to have found something that worked. Only side effects were insomnia which resolved itself after a while and possibly a slight increase in anxiety. No other side effects to report. Well actually it does decrease appetite so its great if you have gained weight on other meds like I have. I have found that the patch wears better on my thigh and I don't get a rash but if I wear it on the chest area I sometimes get a rash. I do feel much better. The only draw back is the exhorbitant price. I pay 200.00 after insurance. Full price is about 500.00. I don't know why it is so expensive.
> > Let me know how it works for you if you decide to go on it. Good luck
>
>I´m also taking Klonopin at night for sleep. As for depression I´m only taking Emsam. I also take Deplin which is a folate supplement and vitamin D since I turned out to have a deficiency. I'm sorry you are not doing well. I know is so hard to find something that works. I spent all summer long trying different meds and it was the pits. I really hope Emsam works as well for you as it has for me. I had been pretty treatment resistant until now. I was very skeptical of Emsam. You normally don't read a lot of feedback but I think that is because it works for most people. Usually the meds we hear the most about are the most insidious ones and that is why we need to complaint. I haven't been back to psychobabble since you babbled me because I now spend my time doing other things I was unable to enjoy before. I'll keep an eye for your posts to see how you are doing. You can also feel free to babble me if you have any questions. Good luck on your next dr. visit.
Posted by Phillipa on October 20, 2009, at 22:15:22
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues. » floatingbridge, posted by ihatedrugs on October 20, 2009, at 22:01:40
Congratulations. I feel the reason or a reason is a lot of folks can't afford emsam. It's sparked my interest for years. My pdoc even gave me sameple box when out still have it but then she said would be too stimulating for me. She'd thought a mere quarter or less of a patch would work for me. Then her one patient on it got a rash dermatologists couldn't fix so to put it so she stopped using it. A Pity. I think it's a great med as the patch means it bypasses the liver. Keep us posted. Love Phillipa
Posted by ColoradoSnowflake on October 20, 2009, at 23:16:45
In reply to emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues., posted by floatingbridge on October 18, 2009, at 17:02:01
Hi fb:
I've been trying to keep my mouth shut. Too hard!
I think an MAO inhibitor would work for you really well. I have the exact same diagnosis and have had it for too long a time to think about. And Parnate has absolutely worked for me when nothing else did and I am at the end of the medication road!
I was delighted to see that Emsam has worked so well for Ihatedrugs. That is encouraging. Before she wrote all I had heard ensam users say is that either they quit altogether or switched to another MAOI. If that's the case I'd just go for it and get on one thats proven to work. If your pdoc has seen a lot of good results with ensam it is certainly more user friendly and would be excellent to try. If not, my suggestion is to just go for it and get it over with!!
I've been thinking a lot about you and your decision. I know you'll do the right thing for you!
Love and hugs,
Gayle
Posted by uncouth on October 20, 2009, at 23:22:38
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues., posted by ColoradoSnowflake on October 20, 2009, at 23:16:45
emasm was a real weird one for me. I have TRD/BP2. It worked initially, gave me resilliance, also made me feel a lot SMARTER (and i htink objectively I was). Selegiline is quite a substance at high doses. I would consider it again but be more careful with dosing, and definitely make sure to have a mood stabilizer or zyprexa on board as well.
I got up to 12mg. That was probably too high of a dose, as I went into a psychotic mixed-depression on a trip to south america, in the air plane. It was horrible, and indescribable. Emsam can really accellerate your thoughts...
Have you thought about high dose bupropion?
As someone who has gone through the SNRIs, then the MAOIs, then back, I am more convinced of bupropion's merits.
Also, don't forget about lithium, antipsychotic augmentation of SSRIs, or agomelatine!
MAOIs are really like a cannon...they can be hard to really manage well.
And for what its worth, I think if you're going to do an MAOI, might as well do Parnate and push it up, slowly, as high as you need to.
As for me, I'm done with the MAOIs (at least for now) and have stabilized about 75% on 600mg of wellbutrin, 5mg of zyprexa, 25mg of agomelatine, and 300mg of lithium.
Good luck.
uncouth
Posted by floatingbridge on October 20, 2009, at 23:48:39
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues., posted by uncouth on October 20, 2009, at 23:22:38
Thanks for the feedback, Uncouth. Bupurion (wellbutrin, right?) was a failure, sad to say.
We'll see. Thanks for sharing your experience--and glad you have something on board that's working for you.
fb
Posted by floatingbridge on October 20, 2009, at 23:49:38
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues., posted by ColoradoSnowflake on October 20, 2009, at 23:16:45
Posted by uncouth on October 20, 2009, at 23:57:09
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues. » uncouth, posted by floatingbridge on October 20, 2009, at 23:48:39
was bupropion at a high enough dose? my dr. believes the dosing guidelines are too conservative and that you haven't done a solid trial unless you've taken it up to 600mg
Posted by floatingbridge on October 21, 2009, at 0:05:48
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues. » floatingbridge, posted by uncouth on October 20, 2009, at 23:57:09
> was bupropion at a high enough dose? my dr. believes the dosing guidelines are too conservative and that you haven't done a solid trial unless you've taken it up to 600mg
>
>No I went up to 450. I could sleep on it :-( I was told 450 was the limit.
fb
Posted by metafunj on October 21, 2009, at 10:15:21
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues. » floatingbridge, posted by uncouth on October 20, 2009, at 23:57:09
Is this brand bupropion or generic that you are taking?
Posted by uncouth on October 21, 2009, at 10:59:09
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues. » uncouth, posted by metafunj on October 21, 2009, at 10:15:21
it is aplenzin, a new form of brand bup. that is equivalent to 600mg of wellbutrin xl
Posted by metafunj on October 21, 2009, at 13:32:14
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues., posted by uncouth on October 21, 2009, at 10:59:09
I took 300mg SR and found it gave me weird twitches that were like shivers. Also my ears rang pretty bad. It was only 300mg but generic. I wonder if i would have done better on brand wellbutrin.
I thought doses higher than 450mg were bad cuz of the risk of seizures.
Posted by floatingbridge on October 21, 2009, at 14:29:19
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues. » uncouth, posted by metafunj on October 21, 2009, at 13:32:14
> I took 300mg SR and found it gave me weird twitches that were like shivers. Also my ears rang pretty bad. It was only 300mg but generic. I wonder if i would have done better on brand wellbutrin.
>
> I thought doses higher than 450mg were bad cuz of the risk of seizures.Yes, I thought that about seizures, too. Uncouth, what is this new form you are taking?
Posted by uncouth on October 21, 2009, at 15:48:28
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues. » metafunj, posted by floatingbridge on October 21, 2009, at 14:29:19
its called Aplenzin bupropion hydroBROMIDE just google it
supposed to have better bioavailability
Posted by annabamma on October 22, 2009, at 20:25:38
In reply to emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues., posted by floatingbridge on October 18, 2009, at 17:02:01
I tried Emsam for 2months-6mgs. I think it was starting to help-I actually got a few things accomplished-but I had to discontinue because of the skin rashes ! Now I'm going up on the oral form-selegine, and it seems to be helping. I'm at 15mgs. now. The MAO diet is a pain in the *&@^&**, but to feel alive again is worth it to me.And it is cheap-I think 10.00 after insurance. Anybody want my left-over patches? I've got 13 left, I hate to waste them!
Posted by annabamma on October 22, 2009, at 20:26:21
In reply to emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues., posted by floatingbridge on October 18, 2009, at 17:02:01
I tried Emsam for 2months-6mgs. I think it was starting to help-I actually got a few things accomplished-but I had to discontinue because of the skin rashes ! Now I'm going up on the oral form-selegine, and it seems to be helping. I'm at 15mgs. now. The MAO diet is a pain in the *&@^&**, but to feel alive again is worth it to me.And it is cheap-I think 10.00 after insurance. Anybody want my left-over patches? I've got 13 left, I hate to waste them!
Posted by Nadezda on October 24, 2009, at 15:58:41
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues. » metafunj, posted by floatingbridge on October 21, 2009, at 14:29:19
I take Emsam and have had a very good response to it. It's the only AD that's helped me. (I use it in combination with other things.)
Nadezda
Posted by floatingbridge on October 24, 2009, at 17:53:34
In reply to Re: emsam--any positive results? See pdoc tues., posted by annabamma on October 22, 2009, at 20:26:21
I really appreciate the input.
There was sooo much up for me this last week that I used two sessions to talk about issues (pdoc/t had been away for a month). He's gone for another week--then back for a while. We booked our next session to talk specifically about meds! So I have some time to research, print, highlight, and rally myself. (Because, actually, I'm afraid to try it--but I consider myself med-phobic--and ha! I have to take'em!) (I mean, what if it doesn't work? You know, another drug that doesn't help, the pristiq washout, yadda', yadda', yadda'. I'm sure most of you have been there.)
I appreciate the support of this board immensely!
w/ gratitude,
fb
Posted by Phillipa on October 24, 2009, at 22:18:48
In reply to Thanks for responses :-), posted by floatingbridge on October 24, 2009, at 17:53:34
fb don't forget I still have a box of it from when first out. My pdoc said might only need a piece of a patch so you can also customize it. Liked the idea you can see it and take it off if serious issue. And bypasses the liver important I feel. Love Phillipa
Posted by floatingbridge on October 24, 2009, at 22:21:53
In reply to Re: Thanks for responses :-) » floatingbridge, posted by Phillipa on October 24, 2009, at 22:18:48
Thanks Phillipa--my doc has boxes, too. I just need the courage!
fb
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