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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by headcheese01 on July 25, 2007, at 16:56:10
Started Emsam 6 days ago. First two days, I took 6mgs. It felt like a bit too much. Day one I felt energized for a few hours, followed by some fatigue for a few hours, and then a milder form of energized. I think my concentration was improved some too.
Day 2 had me feeling pretty crappy, and had some anxiety kick in, and I felt more agorophobic than usual. Was going to quit, but instead, on day 3, I cut it in half and took only 3mgs. This has worked well for days 3 thru 6. I've felt better energy than I have had in a loooong time. I've actually done things that I normally don't have anywhere near the energy to do. Just stuff around the house that have been in need of doing, but I didn't have the energy for before.
So early on with this, but the early returns are favorable... and this from a person who's tried so many meds with little to no success. I have a super fast metabolism, and I always felt like meds never worked properly because of that. Stuff that you're supposed to take once daily, I'd take it, feel it work for may 6 hours, and then crash from it, and I'm talking SSRI's, SNRI's, the like. Maybe the fact that this avoids the stomach will mean that it's delivery will be smooth instead of all that super fast metabolizing that I usually do. That's the hope, anyway.
I have no idea if Emsam will be effective in the long run, but I'm happy about the first few days. Just thought I'd share my experience.
Oh, and I've already got a VNS implant as well (14 months ago), but that, unfortunately, didn't do much for me.
Posted by KayeBaby on July 25, 2007, at 17:09:08
In reply to Emsam - Day 6, posted by headcheese01 on July 25, 2007, at 16:56:10
The response you are reporting at this point seems to be an indicater that EMSAM will be a very good drug for you. Many times I have read this kind of response to it early on to see that person end up liking Emsam very much. This was true for me.
Best to you,
Kaye
Posted by headcheese01 on July 25, 2007, at 17:24:45
In reply to Re: Emsam - Day 6, posted by KayeBaby on July 25, 2007, at 17:09:08
Thanks, Kaye. I hope so (but I don't hope too much after so many failed meds).
One thing I forgot to mention, while on the whole, my energy is better, that period of say, hours two to four after applying the patch, I have a bit of slightly cloudy thinking, like my brain is a little short circuited; but the rest of the time, my thinking is a little improved thus far. I'm only 6 days into it, and only at 3mgs at that, so who knows.
I've had far worse starts to meds, that's for sure.
I'm glad you're doing well. How long have you been taking Emsam, and at what dose?
> The response you are reporting at this point seems to be an indicater that EMSAM will be a very good drug for you. Many times I have read this kind of response to it early on to see that person end up liking Emsam very much. This was true for me.
>
>
> Best to you,
> Kaye
Posted by Phillipa on July 25, 2007, at 18:33:26
In reply to Re: Emsam - Day 6, posted by headcheese01 on July 25, 2007, at 17:24:45
Still have patches in my cabinet and my pdoc said 1/4 of a patch would probably be enought. It pays to follow the EMSAM thread as that could very well be my first new med try. Any insomia anxiety on the EMSAM so far. Please keep posting you progress as I've always felt that something you can see on your skin is reassuring as if something bad happens you can take it off. I used hormone cream felt the same way about that. Is your insurance paying for it I don't think mine will as it's Medicare. Love Phillipa
Posted by headcheese01 on July 25, 2007, at 19:33:28
In reply to Re: Emsam - Day 6 » headcheese01, posted by Phillipa on July 25, 2007, at 18:33:26
Phillip,
My insurance is covering it (I'm pretty sure), but it's not formulary. I have Tricare, and even the non-formulary is only going to be $22. Quite a bargain I think, since paying out of pocket for a months supply is 500+ dollars.
I'm still taking the free samples my doc gave me.
I'll keep posting about my experience with Emsam.
Posted by Phillipa on July 25, 2007, at 20:29:50
In reply to Re: Emsam - Day 6, posted by headcheese01 on July 25, 2007, at 19:33:28
Thanks Robert David pumped me all up last summer my pdoc gave me two sample boxes and then said it was too stimulating for me. A bummer for sure. Thanks again Love Phillipa
Posted by KayeBaby on July 25, 2007, at 23:46:16
In reply to Re: Emsam - Day 6, posted by headcheese01 on July 25, 2007, at 17:24:45
I have been on Emsam for 17 weeks now (wow-time flies)at 6mg. Thinking of going up to 9mg.
It is the best antidepressant yet for me. What tiny bit of anxiety and sleep disturbance I had passed very fast.
Good Luck!
Kaye
Posted by Darkness At Noon on July 26, 2007, at 4:56:35
In reply to Emsam - Day 6, posted by headcheese01 on July 25, 2007, at 16:56:10
> Day one I felt energized for a few hours, followed by some fatigue for a few hours, and then a milder form of energized.
I notice this effect too. I've been on EMSAM more than 6 weeks, now up to 9mg. The fatigue seems to increase in intensity and duration with each increase in dose, then settle down a bit. But it doesn't seem to go away.
I'm tempted to apply the new path at bedtime, thinking that fatigue is good when I want to sleep, except that the initial energization period is unpredictable.
Posted by headcheese01 on July 26, 2007, at 16:28:45
In reply to Re: Emsam - Day 6, posted by Darkness At Noon on July 26, 2007, at 4:56:35
>>> Day one I felt energized for a few hours, followed by some fatigue for a few hours, and then a milder form of energized.<<< - me
>>> I notice this effect too. I've been on EMSAM more than 6 weeks, now up to 9mg. The fatigue seems to increase in intensity and duration with each increase in dose, then settle down a bit. But it doesn't seem to go awayI'm tempted to apply the new path at bedtime, thinking that fatigue is good when I want to sleep, except that the initial energization period is unpredictable..<<< - Darkness at Noon
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Well, today I went from 3mgs to 6 (had been cutting the patch for the previous 5 days).So, what happened was the initial energized feeling was just magnified. I actually felt great for about two hours. I'm sure you guys have felt this stuff before too, thinking "I wish I could feel like this all the time". That sort of thing. At the same time, I know all too well to be leery of feeling too good, because I know that what goes up, must come down. Still, the come down part, which did happen, has been sort of gentle. I don't feel horrible at all right now; just mildly fatigued, but sort of good still too. In fact, the period of fatigue might be transitioning into the milder form of energized right now, because it's still better than my usual base level depression. I don't know. It's still early on (1 week today), and I just bumped it up to 6mgs today.
Guess I'll continue to post about my Emsam experience. So far, so good, I have to say. The fatigue I felt was in no way brutal, like with some meds I've tried, and the good initial rush was the best I've felt since the first AD I ever tried, which was Zoloft, some 13 years ago.
To be continued...
Posted by headcheese01 on August 2, 2007, at 9:33:33
In reply to Re: Emsam - Day 6 » Darkness At Noon, posted by headcheese01 on July 26, 2007, at 16:28:45
Well, thought I'd update. After being at 6mgs for a few (3, I think) days, I started feeling more and more reclusive. Funny about Emsam. I do think that the fact that it metabolizes into amphetemine makes mere more alert, but also more reclusive. Almost a little paranoid. Plus, my interactions with my kid became strained. All in all, was really feeling badly after 3 days on 6mgs. I followed that up with a day at 3mgs, and then for the past 3 days (I think), have not used Emsam. Not sure what I'll do in the future, but I guess for now, I've discontinued Emsam. I don't rule it out in the future. I did not try augmenting with Clonazepmam to see if that would have been positive.
I had recently changed my VNS setting too, so I want to be able to tell what that change will do without guessing which thing was doing what.
Anyway, just thought I would share this. Sorry it's not a more successfull story to relate.
This is the end of the thread.
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