![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 4 to 28 of 28. Go back in thread:
Posted by Crazy Horse on January 9, 2007, at 11:31:29
In reply to EMSAM Day 6 ... and many questions, posted by UgottaHaveHope on January 9, 2007, at 10:26:47
As far as the insomnia, welcome to the world of MAOI's. Sorry.
-Monte
Posted by laima on January 9, 2007, at 12:08:02
In reply to Re: EMSAM Day 6 ... and many questions, posted by Phillipa on January 9, 2007, at 11:01:59
I don't think there was only one success story with Emsam- that sounds severe and absolute. How would one define "success story" then anyway? Works like magic forever, or is it enough to be helpful? I've found Emsam to be helpful.
Posted by blueberry1 on January 9, 2007, at 15:58:46
In reply to EMSAM Day 6 ... and many questions, posted by UgottaHaveHope on January 9, 2007, at 10:26:47
Since ensam increases circulating levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and phenlethylamine, it is no wonder sleep is a problem. I can relate. So you don't feel alone in that, there are millions of people including millions of perfectly healthy people who have trouble with sleep. After being on zyprexa for 10 years and now off it, I know what disturbed sleep is and it sucks.
Amisulpride works by increasing dopamine function but has more antianxiety to it than ssris are known for. When I tried DL-phenylalanine it felt calming (until it wore off and then I got anxiety and insomnia). When they prescribe stimulants people often feel calmed on them. On all these exampls, go figure. I think increasing dopamine and norepinephrine function obviously does have the potential to treat anxiety, but it also has the potential to make it worse. I believe it is an individual thing that varies considerably from person to person dependidng on unique brain chemistry and genes.
I have my fingers crossed for ensam to help you.
By the way, I do not like the idea of increasing seroquel. Actually I don't like the idea of antipsychotics at all, especially if it is mainly for sleep. That's too much messing around with the dopamine system and setting you up to add a list of other problems to your current ones down the road. I would explore every other possible option on the planet before resorting to increasing an antipsychotic dose. Sure the docs hand them out like candy and the general consensus is they are safe. They are not. I don't want to spend a lot of time backing this strong opinion up with research and links and stuff, but just wanted to throw it out there to consider. My hunch is that in 20 years they are going to look back on the zyprexa/seroquel era and realize those drugs were not nearly as safe as once thought. There are going to be all kinds of people walking around with Parkinson's symptoms, heart diseases, movement disorders, twitches and jitters, diabetes/blood sugar diseases, flat emotions, permanent insomnia, and who knows what other hormonal or metabolic stuff. And of course they'll just say that was part of the natural aging process and had nothing to do with the drugs. Of them all I think Abilify is probably the safest. Don't know how it is for sleep though.
Posted by Phillipa on January 9, 2007, at 19:18:53
In reply to Re: EMSAM Day 6 ... and many questions, posted by laima on January 9, 2007, at 12:08:02
Oh laima sorry I forgot you and then there is a Martha too. Love Phillipa
Posted by Huckleberry on January 9, 2007, at 20:13:16
In reply to Re: EMSAM Day 6 ... and many questions » laima, posted by Phillipa on January 9, 2007, at 19:18:53
Emsam was just mentioned for reducing anxiety in a soon to be conducted study on smoking cessation. It is being done at stanford.
So, it should help with sleep. but if it doesn't there are other MAOI's like Marplan you might want to consider?
Posted by laima on January 9, 2007, at 21:35:19
In reply to Re: EMSAM Day 6 ... and many questions » laima, posted by Phillipa on January 9, 2007, at 19:18:53
See :)But Martha's the champ!
> Oh laima sorry I forgot you and then there is a Martha too. Love Phillipa
Posted by stargazer on January 9, 2007, at 22:15:47
In reply to Re: EMSAM Day 6 ... and many questions, posted by blueberry1 on January 9, 2007, at 15:58:46
I agree with Blueberry to stay away from the AP's for insomnia unless other alternatives have been tried first. I'm always saying we don't try the lesser of two evils and our long term health will be affected down the road.
I'm still on Emsam and it did keep me up later than I would have liked at night. That has worn off but I've been on it now for about 2 months.
I weaned myself off Seroquel completely and don't need anything to help me sleep.I'm usually not prone to anxiety so I can't relate to your situation exactly. I would try and hang in there a bit longer unless you are feeling much worse than before starting Emsam.
Goodluck...Stargazer
Posted by UgottaHaveHope on January 10, 2007, at 0:27:03
In reply to Re: EMSAM Day 6 ... and many questions, posted by stargazer on January 9, 2007, at 22:15:47
That's what the pdoc told me today, that Emsam is unlikely to help with anxiety. His plan for me is this: To take Seroquel, Klonopin and/or Benadryl temporarily for anxiety (primarily) and then sleep. The hope is that therapy will eventually calm me down, and then Emsam will kick in to treat an underlying depression.
Seroquel (by itself) was the only med in 10 years that really hit my free-floating anxiety. It worked from Aug. to Nov. The only problem is that I got upset about an external circumstance, which jacked up my anxiety to a level that even Seroquel (well, at the doses I was taking) couldn't touch. It has been six weeks since that happened and I have gotten over the problem, but am still jacked up from all the trauma surrounding it.
I wish there was something I could've taken with the Seroquel to hit that anxiety even more during this period, something temporarily. Trazadone + Seroquel?
Anyways, I am committed to taking Ensam 4-6 weeks to see what happens. Every med affects everyone differently so maybe some magic will happen and it will touch anxiety. The pdoc said something interesting: That each of us have to believe that the med is working for it to have a chance. In other words, if you are defiant about Emsam or (you name the med) only makes you worse, then your mind won't give it a fair chance.
Thanks everyone for the above posts. I read every one of them and I appreciate the feedback. Michael
Posted by blueberry1 on January 10, 2007, at 5:23:56
In reply to Re: EMSAM apparently is not for anxiety, posted by UgottaHaveHope on January 10, 2007, at 0:27:03
With all due respect to the pdoc, I must politely disagree. I have tried drugs that I was sure were going to feel lousy or give me terrible side effects and it worked out just the opposite. I've tried drugs where I had tons of faith in them and I just knew they would be great, and they turned out to be monsters of evil. Say I take xanax and I am convinced it will be useless, it won't sedate me, it won't calm me, so because I think that it isn't going to work? I don't buy it. How about when you first tried seroquel? What if you were absolutely convinced it was not going to touch your anxiety? Well, it did anyway, regardless of how you felt about it. These drugs don't need our best wishes to work. They either work or they don't. If they work by willpower and hope, as the pdoc suggested, then that is what they call placebo effect, and you could get that by just taking a sugar pill.
The pdoc said something interesting: That each of us have to believe that the med is working for it to have a chance. In other words, if you are defiant about Emsam or (you name the med) only makes you worse, then your mind won't give it a fair chance.
>
Posted by SLS on January 10, 2007, at 7:32:48
In reply to Re: EMSAM apparently is not for anxiety, posted by UgottaHaveHope on January 10, 2007, at 0:27:03
Quite a few people here have reported an anti-anxiety effect from Emsam, at least early in treatment. My doctor has seen this, too. I don't know the extent to which this effect persists.
If it were me, and if Klonopin, Depakote, Effexor, and Paxil did not help with anxiety while Seroquel did, I would continue with the Seroquel while continuing to search for another treatment.
- Scott
Posted by laima on January 11, 2007, at 10:10:11
In reply to Re: EMSAM apparently is not for anxiety » UgottaHaveHope, posted by blueberry1 on January 10, 2007, at 5:23:56
Maybe there is a shred of truth in both positions? Like expecting a drug to work giving it a boost, and being opposed to a drug being a good prerequisite to noticing and emphasizing lots of unsavory side effects? I wonder about that.
> With all due respect to the pdoc, I must politely disagree. I have tried drugs that I was sure were going to feel lousy or give me terrible side effects and it worked out just the opposite. I've tried drugs where I had tons of faith in them and I just knew they would be great, and they turned out to be monsters of evil. Say I take xanax and I am convinced it will be useless, it won't sedate me, it won't calm me, so because I think that it isn't going to work? I don't buy it. How about when you first tried seroquel? What if you were absolutely convinced it was not going to touch your anxiety? Well, it did anyway, regardless of how you felt about it. These drugs don't need our best wishes to work. They either work or they don't. If they work by willpower and hope, as the pdoc suggested, then that is what they call placebo effect, and you could get that by just taking a sugar pill.
>
> The pdoc said something interesting: That each of us have to believe that the med is working for it to have a chance. In other words, if you are defiant about Emsam or (you name the med) only makes you worse, then your mind won't give it a fair chance.
> >
>
Posted by liliths on January 12, 2007, at 8:27:44
In reply to EMSAM Day 6 ... and many questions, posted by UgottaHaveHope on January 9, 2007, at 10:26:47
hi there... I'm curious about something.
are you leaving the patch on all the time or removing it at night?
I'd be curious to hear from anyone using EMSAM regarding that
thanks
namaste,
lilith> I have been taking EMSAM for six days now. The same day I put on the patch I felt an increase of energy. However, I am not so sure that is a good thing. With the increase of energy has also come a difficulty in falling and staying asleep. To address this, the doctor told me to remain on 200mg of Seroquel and said it was OK for me to take two tablets of Benadryl. On a typical night, I will sleep three hours, then have choppy sleep for the next three or four hours. This has been a big struggle for me, as before EMSAM with just Seroquel I was used to getting 8-10 hours of beautiful sleep every night. It has been upsetting. As with most people, the lack of a full and good night's sleep is likely to have negative effect on the rest of the day.
>
> Does anyone know if EMSAM does anything for anxiety? My biggest struggle over the years has been free-floating anxiety. But my new doc said I also have underlying depression, and that EMSAM will treat both. I just don't know if it is doing anything for my anxiety and I was wondering if anyone else out there had EMSAM affect their anxiety in a positive way? My pdoc also said I could increase the Seroquel to 400-500mg, but I haven't done this yet, hoping the EMSAM will kick in eventually.
>
> Also, for those who have taken EMSAM, do you remember how many days or weeks it took until you really felt the patch kick in for you? I'm trying to make it 4-5 weeks. In the back of my mind, I am wondering if Nardil might be a better fit for me, because I have read on here that it has some calming qualities.
>
> Thanks in advance for any responses. I really appreciate the support and insights from people in here. Michael
Posted by stargazer on January 12, 2007, at 9:58:17
In reply to Re: EMSAM Day 6 ... and many questions » UgottaHaveHope, posted by liliths on January 12, 2007, at 8:27:44
I leave the patch on, intially I thought of taking it off, but never did do this, even with some insomnia. Was taking Seroquel for a while but did get off due to my belief in reducing all meds except essential ones. My pdoc wanted me to increase it too but after reading about all of the side effects (diabetes), I decided not to stay on it. How would you ever know what Emsam is doing if you are taking large doses of seroquel?
My problem is remembering to reapply the patch...as a matter of fact, here it is almost 11 am and I have not remembered to put a new one on...That is why I think I have ADD, so many times this happens...
I've been up since 8 am and it has not occurred to me until right now typing this....
Uh oh, better do it now before I forget again. By the time I go to do it I will probably get distracted by something else, hope not...
Stargazer
Posted by liliths on January 12, 2007, at 11:11:07
In reply to Leave patch on sometimes forget to apply..., posted by stargazer on January 12, 2007, at 9:58:17
Hi Stargazer
thanks for responding :)
don't you have an appt today? I hope you're able to get adderral or something for your ADD. I really think that if believe you have it, you probably do. I actually fought the diagnosis when it was first presented to me but subsequent research as well as taking the meds has made me able to look back on my whole life and understand things in a totally different context. They always used to talk about ADHD... so if you weren't a hyperactive boy, you didn't think you had it... sigh LOL It has really helped me.
I look forward to hearing about how things go for you? Did I also read you were considering other MAOI's too?
good luck!!
namaste,
lilith> I leave the patch on, intially I thought of taking it off, but never did do this, even with some insomnia. Was taking Seroquel for a while but did get off due to my belief in reducing all meds except essential ones. My pdoc wanted me to increase it too but after reading about all of the side effects (diabetes), I decided not to stay on it. How would you ever know what Emsam is doing if you are taking large doses of seroquel?
>
> My problem is remembering to reapply the patch...as a matter of fact, here it is almost 11 am and I have not remembered to put a new one on...That is why I think I have ADD, so many times this happens...
>
> I've been up since 8 am and it has not occurred to me until right now typing this....
>
> Uh oh, better do it now before I forget again. By the time I go to do it I will probably get distracted by something else, hope not...
>
> Stargazer
Posted by RN320 on January 12, 2007, at 15:03:33
In reply to Re: EMSAM apparently is not for anxiety, posted by UgottaHaveHope on January 10, 2007, at 0:27:03
Hi Michael-
Initialy for me, it took about 8 days at 6 mg for me to see much of anything- I thought I was able to maybe do more in a day, but didn't feel that it did anything for my mood, and if anything I had a slight increase in anxiety. My pdoc said that he noticed positive changes. At 9mg, it took about 10 days to see an improvement, and this time I felt better, could accomplish more and saw a slight decrease in mylevel of anxiety. Family and friends noticed a big difference. At 12mg the anxiety has greatly decreased, mood, outlook, motivation etc have all dramatically increased. This was the first Christmas in 6 years that I looked forward to, participated in completely and enjoyed myself!Try not to get discouraged.....I've had many obstacles along the EMSAM path, but they've all been able to be worked around or managed. You just need to keep an open mind. It's somewhat of a "miracle drug" for me, but I still have problems with when I become overstressed. I fall apart completely, but it's more manageable. It was very hard for me to always stay in a positive frame of mind, but I forced myself to reframe every negative into a positve or hopeful because I knew that I was running out of options and I needed to give it a fair chance. When you've had so many other caomplete failures with other drugs, it's hard to get your hopes up....the best I could do was "cautiously optimistic" at the beginning, but then I became so much more positive about it (probably an effect of the EMSAM itself!!) once I started to really feel and see the improvement in the quality of life.
Regards,
/m- self dubbed "queen of EMSAM"!!
Posted by Phillipa on January 12, 2007, at 18:43:36
In reply to Re: EMSAM apparently is not for anxiety, posted by RN320 on January 12, 2007, at 15:03:33
I second that Queen!!!!!!Love Phillipa you have done so well. So happy for you.
Posted by stargazer on January 12, 2007, at 23:11:21
In reply to Re: Leave patch on sometimes forget to apply... » stargazer, posted by liliths on January 12, 2007, at 11:11:07
Hi...had my appt and got the go ahead for continuing my "experiment" with stims. He agreed it was OK to do and said he didn't focus on the ADD symptoms because they are not very obvious and most of my symptoms were of depression. He did admit to missing the diagnosis though.
The ADD symptoms are hidden behind years of compensation too so they're not out there on display.
I will post again...have to run before battery (or self) power down. Nitey, nite.
Stargazer
Posted by liliths on January 13, 2007, at 6:33:10
In reply to Had pdoc appt and got go ahead on stims/Liliths, posted by stargazer on January 12, 2007, at 23:11:21
hi stargazer
congatulations!! Thank you SO much for the update :)
I can certainly idenitfy with what you said about having compensated as well as the fact that depression tends to block the obviousness of the ADD. Sounds like you have a good pdoc - someone who actually 'listens' to you - I'm thrilled for you!
what stim did he give you and what dosage? Also, what's your EMSAM dosage?
btw, do you have any dietary restrictions on the EMSAM?
I'm concerned as I'm a vegetarian as well as a female who uses soy for many things, including supplementation. I know at lower doses most haven't had many problems... the only person who said they did is /m, who is on 12mg, but who is also getting great results!
good luck and please stay in touch... I'm really excited for you :)
namaste,
lilith> Hi...had my appt and got the go ahead for continuing my "experiment" with stims. He agreed it was OK to do and said he didn't focus on the ADD symptoms because they are not very obvious and most of my symptoms were of depression. He did admit to missing the diagnosis though.
>
> The ADD symptoms are hidden behind years of compensation too so they're not out there on display.
>
> I will post again...have to run before battery (or self) power down. Nitey, nite.
>
> Stargazer
Posted by stargazer on January 13, 2007, at 12:15:19
In reply to Re: Had pdoc appt and got go ahead on stims/Liliths » stargazer, posted by liliths on January 13, 2007, at 6:33:10
Litiths...I'm on Emsam 6 mg which I told my pdoc I really wanted to remain at since there are no dietary restrictions...Since i have been on Mao's before, I have always loosely follow a MAO diet since I don't really like most of the foods that are restricted, with the exception of cheese, and with the 6 mg Emsam it shouldn't be a problem.
I don't like red wine, pickled herring, ripe bananas or even unripe bananas. These foods have never appealed to me and red wine gives me migraines, so I never drink it even when I didn't take MAO's.
Pdoc didn't really prescribe a stimulant since I told him I had lots of amphetamine 10 mg tablets which was filled and never used back when I was taking Adderall. So we decided I could continue to "experiment" with the dosage which he said I could go much higher on! I may go from 2.5 to 5 mg 2X/day (separated by 4-6 hours for the short acting amphet)but believe me I will be taking my BP often. I do not want any surprises with this combination!
I think over time I may opt for a longer acting stim (Adderall-XR) since I have too many problems remembering to take my meds and the ups and downs may be too much once my life starts getting back to "normal".
I think the overcompensation says something about hard you have to work to maintain some "normalcy" in your life despite internal "chaos". I realize now why I was always so exhausted after work and never wanted to socialize, even though I wasn't actively depressed. Even when my depression was stable, the ADD part of it kept me struggling to stay in control of my life and this was always very difficult.
Hopefully, I will start to see real changes in the way I handle the day to day problems and stress of living. I hope I'm not expecting too much but I am hopeful this time and haven't been for a very long time, so I'm due.
SG
Posted by Phillipa on January 13, 2007, at 18:30:46
In reply to Re: Had pdoc appt and got go ahead on stims/Liliths, posted by stargazer on January 13, 2007, at 12:15:19
Stargazer that's great. You may set a new precidence here for EMSAM. Love Phillipa
Posted by liliths on January 14, 2007, at 12:22:46
In reply to Re: Had pdoc appt and got go ahead on stims/Liliths, posted by stargazer on January 13, 2007, at 12:15:19
hi stargazer,
YAY! I am so excited for you!! Please keep me posted on how you're doing.
Sorry it took me a bit of time to reply. I have my 'hearing' in a couple of days... all these months of torment will be sorted out - either routed into another torment, a successful outcome (the most unlikely), or something else entirely.. but at least THIS torment of interminable waiting will be over!
I'll be out of town for a few days (leave tuesday morning) but hope to have internet access... I won't know until I check into my room. I'm on a Mac and I've discovered not all hotel networks are compatible.
Now since I'm already on ADD meds, I hope to be able go the other route... start on a small dose EMSAM and pray it helps. I'm already beginning the process of weaning down the wellbutrin & buspar I know I need to be off of before I can start EMSAM.. and of course, I also need to find a pdoc willing to give it a try. I have to find a new pdoc as a result of my current nightmare anyway.
I really connected with what you said about the whole overcompensation thing. It IS exhausting having to deal with the world while trying to hold on and make sense of the nonsensical... whether it's ADD, depression, anxiety, whatever...
Having unaddressed ADD wreaks havoc on everything else. I know it made a big difference for me but when the depression returned, it wreaked havoc on the ADD as well.
Someone posted a link to an article on treatment resistant depression recently and the main thing I got from it was the emphasis on 'complete' remission of symptoms.... psychic, somatic etc. It talked about how incomplete most people's relief was and that only 'partial' recovery in some ways made things worse.. it reminded me of exactly what we were saying.
And truthfully, one also has to be willing to make lifestyle & habitual changes to what we've grown so accustomed to... though it does takes 'feeling better' to be willing to do the damn work!
Like you, I really don't want to have any dietary restrictions.. plus I know I'd have to be on a much reduced ADD dose so it's all up in the air for me still.. wish me luck - I need it LOL
and good luck to you! I hope it is a resounding success!
namaste,
lilith> Litiths...I'm on Emsam 6 mg which I told my pdoc I really wanted to remain at since there are no dietary restrictions...Since i have been on Mao's before, I have always loosely follow a MAO diet since I don't really like most of the foods that are restricted, with the exception of cheese, and with the 6 mg Emsam it shouldn't be a problem.
>
> I don't like red wine, pickled herring, ripe bananas or even unripe bananas. These foods have never appealed to me and red wine gives me migraines, so I never drink it even when I didn't take MAO's.
>
> Pdoc didn't really prescribe a stimulant since I told him I had lots of amphetamine 10 mg tablets which was filled and never used back when I was taking Adderall. So we decided I could continue to "experiment" with the dosage which he said I could go much higher on! I may go from 2.5 to 5 mg 2X/day (separated by 4-6 hours for the short acting amphet)but believe me I will be taking my BP often. I do not want any surprises with this combination!
>
> I think over time I may opt for a longer acting stim (Adderall-XR) since I have too many problems remembering to take my meds and the ups and downs may be too much once my life starts getting back to "normal".
>
> I think the overcompensation says something about hard you have to work to maintain some "normalcy" in your life despite internal "chaos". I realize now why I was always so exhausted after work and never wanted to socialize, even though I wasn't actively depressed. Even when my depression was stable, the ADD part of it kept me struggling to stay in control of my life and this was always very difficult.
>
> Hopefully, I will start to see real changes in the way I handle the day to day problems and stress of living. I hope I'm not expecting too much but I am hopeful this time and haven't been for a very long time, so I'm due.
>
> SG
Posted by stargazer on January 14, 2007, at 20:08:41
In reply to Re: Had pdoc appt and got go ahead on stims/Liliths » stargazer, posted by liliths on January 14, 2007, at 12:22:46
Good luck with your hearing...I'll be thinking of you and wishing you luck.
I have put my life on hold essentially while I sort this current attempt to get control over my depression. If the stimulant thing works it will be the first time in more than 10 years that I have found a way to live with this diesase which has been ruling my life. I have been unable to work recently and this has really made me feel useless and insignificant.
I will continue to post my experiences with Emsam/stims. Hope they will continue to be positives ones.
SG
Posted by liliths on January 15, 2007, at 7:06:22
In reply to Re: Had pdoc appt and got go ahead on stims/Liliths, posted by stargazer on January 14, 2007, at 20:08:41
hi stargazer
thank you... like you, my life has been on hold... this latest disaster threw me into a pretty non-functional depression. I'm hoping that I can start moving foward, backwards, sideways... any way! LOL once it's over
that said, I don't know what I'm going to do about my meds. Part of this 'case' is that they're screwing with my meds - taking away one of the only ones that actually helps. In doing that, well, I haven't been feeling a great response from the wellbutrin/buspar anyway so I need to look into something else... but also have to find another pdoc to work with, as my other one went a bit 'nuts' over these proceedings, which challenged his rights to prescribe. Instead of being helpful towards the case, he became so defensive he attacked me and wrote a totally reprehensible letter, making me out to be some sort of suicidal maniac without 'his' regimen. Fortunately I have enough documentation to disprove this 'timeline' of his. If need be, I can invalidate his statements... but that does my case no good at all... if anything, it makes it worse. I've left out his letter but if someone contacts him while researching my case and he makes his claims, it's likely I'll simply be denied my license and the last 2 years of my life will have been for nothing
all this drama... as if trying to just' function' hasn't been overwhelming enough!
so in finding a new pdoc, I have to find someone willing to 'hear' me as well as willing to look at things with fresh, unconventional eyes. I'm used to having a lot of say about my meds - I've always done a lot of research and by now, have tried enough to know what I will or won't tolerate
the only other drug I'm actually considering besides the EMSAM is tianpetine.. LOL I'm sure they're polarities apart but a lot of what I've read about tianeptine makes it sound like a possible candidate for my depression/anxiety/even the ADD... though I'd have to order it from overseas as it's not recognized in the US.
obviously I'm up in the air about all of this. I have had success with MAOI's in the past but with eventual terrible rebound side effects and of course, it was also 20 years ago. Who knows what my brain chemistry is like now as compared to then?
I wish you blessings and continued good fortune in your turnaround... sending you lots of white light :)
namaste,
lilith> Good luck with your hearing...I'll be thinking of you and wishing you luck.
>
> I have put my life on hold essentially while I sort this current attempt to get control over my depression. If the stimulant thing works it will be the first time in more than 10 years that I have found a way to live with this diesase which has been ruling my life. I have been unable to work recently and this has really made me feel useless and insignificant.
>
> I will continue to post my experiences with Emsam/stims. Hope they will continue to be positives ones.
>
> SG
Posted by kelv on January 16, 2007, at 4:17:20
In reply to Re: Had pdoc appt and got go ahead on stims/Liliths, posted by stargazer on January 14, 2007, at 20:08:41
> Good luck with your hearing...I'll be thinking of you and wishing you luck.
>
> I have put my life on hold essentially while I sort this current attempt to get control over my depression. If the stimulant thing works it will be the first time in more than 10 years that I have found a way to live with this diesase which has been ruling my life. I have been unable to work recently and this has really made me feel useless and insignificant.
>
> I will continue to post my experiences with Emsam/stims. Hope they will continue to be positives ones.
>
> SGHey!
What Stims, ADs have you taken? which helped?
Posted by stargazer on January 16, 2007, at 10:22:06
In reply to Re: Had pdoc appt and got go ahead on stims/Liliths » stargazer, posted by kelv on January 16, 2007, at 4:17:20
Only stims I've taken are Ritalin and Dexadrine, many years ago to supplement AD's, don't remember what AD's though. No improvement with stims and Ad's.
About a year ago, tried adderall with Celexa and Wellbutrin Had good luck with this combination but eventually stopped it. No good reason why.
Have taken probably every AD there is, too many to list...had the best results on MAO's, but my depression is a long standing, endogenous type, not easily controlled with medications. MAO's are the last resort for depression treatment due to their side effects and interactions with certain foods. But many here have had good relief with them but for others, especially first time depressives, they're not used since docs are not comfortable prescribing d/t side effects and patients who do not heed the dietary restrictions.
My current meds, Emsam 6 mg (MAO patch) and amphetamine (generic version of short acting Adderall). Just testing the stim benefit with Emsam so verdict is still out on this combination..
What's your situation...new depression?
Stargazer
This is the end of the thread.
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