EMSAM Reviews (SELEGILINE)Average Rating: 3.6 (65 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare EMSAM with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Age from youngest to oldest (reviews with no age reported listed first). Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on EMSAM: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR EMSAM | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 4 | Severe Panic anxiety and MMD | Occasional orthostatic hypotension, I find this is helped by staying well hydrated. | I have tried over 10 medications for my anxiety and depression over the past 4 years and the only thing that came close to working was a combination of Effector XR, Remron and Xanax. I experienced terrible side effects (30 lb weight gain, brain zaps, lightheadness, insomnia, upset stomach, and still had periods of depression and occasional panic attacks) on these medications and eventually decided it wasn't worth it. I am a nursing student so when my psychiatrist suggested an MAOI I said absolutely not because at 21 I was not ready to make that kind of lifestyle/diet changes. I was happy to hear that on a 6mg/24 hour dose I would not have to worry about diet interactions. The only concerns are medication interactions which I was used to from other antidepressant/ antianxiety medications. After a week of starting the patches I have not had a single anxiety attack! (I was averaging about 1 or 2 an hour prior - these were untriggered). My heart rate which was a resting rate of 120 before is now within normal range and I only experience rapid heart rate with caffeine intake. I was extremely hesitant to take this step in treatment but it has been the only thing to work for me. I have slightly low days but I am never too depressed to function any more and my anxiety attacks have completely vanished even with old triggers. | F | 21 | 5 months 6 mg 1X day | 11/1/2013 | 5 | Major depressive disorder | Occasional dizziness when standing quickly or urinating while standing | Wonderfully effective, without any mental side effects. It just works, period. | M | 24 | 2 years 9 mg | 12/16/2016 | 5 | MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER | Slight sleeping problems depending on dose...either sleep too much or not at all but thats basically normal for me whether on meds or not. Higher dose seemed to bring on a little anxiety & irritation but it didnt last after adjusting to it. When you increase or decrease a dose you have to remember that it may take a little time for your body to get used to it, if you get side effects they might go away if you're patient enough to wait it out a couple weeks. | Everyone reacts differently to everything...Emsam happens to be the one thing that has finally worked for me after years of trying numerous meds. But yes i still have to try hard to maintain a normal lifestyle because there is no such thing as a perfect miracle pill, but this has totally made life easier, better, & more content. Especially considering that before i used to have suicidal thoughts constantly & cried all the time, since i started the patch those have basically disappeared!!! YAY! I really hope you find the same relief, whether its from this drug or not. :) | F | 26 | 3 years | 11/6/2008 | 5 | treatment-resistant depression | There have been few side effects that have bothered me: dry skin and a red mark that persist for 12-36 hours after removing a patch, the fact that the patches will fall off if I am too sweaty or the skin flexes too much (mostly with exercise), and a worsening of the dry eyes that I’ve had since my Lasik procedure in August of 2006. I’ve found that I can minimize the first two issues by washing thoroughly with soap before applying a patch, and by washing and using lotion after removing it. A doctor at the clinic where I had my Lasik procedure was able to prescribe Restasis eyedrops, which have eased the dryness back to its pre-Emsam level. | I've been dealing with depression for about 15 years, and have tried almost everything; I've been on somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 different antidepressants, had 8 hospitalizations and 3 separate series of ECT. Nothing worked for more than a few months at a time (aside from the ECT, at up to a year), if it worked at all. I was finally talked into trying something in the MAOI family of drugs in May 2006; I’d hesitated because of the dietary and drug-interaction restrictions. I noticed – somewhat reluctantly – a gradual improvement in my mood in the first two weeks of taking this medication. My mood continued to improve until reaching something resembling stability in July or August 2007, and has remained there – more or less – since. To quote a journal entry of mine from July, “…it seems just a little easier to do what I need to do, and things don't seem as hard as I remember them being before. I'm not worrying about things as much, a | F | 27 | 8 months | 1/22/2008 | 3 | Major Depression - severe | Emsam worked great for treating many of the symptoms of my depression. I was on the lowest dose, which supposedly has no drug interaction. I had a stroke (TIA /mini-stroke) while on the patch. It appears to have been caused by a food interaction (I did not take any other medications while on the patch). I wish that their claims of no food interactions at lower doses were true, because Emsam did seem to help my depression. | The other scary thing was that the ER staff was unfamiliar with Emsam and almost gave me a med that interacted with it and did actually prescribe a take-home med that had an interaction (I realized it before taking the med, thank God). I should note, the hospital that made the error was a highly rated teaching hospital. I think that providing patients and the medical community with better education and easier access MAOI's and drug / food interactions information would be a responsible step on the part of the drug manufacturer. | F | 29 | 2 weeks 6 mg 1X day | 8/16/2011 | 5 | depression | At first did not work well because I didn't figure out how to apply it. This has the least amount of side affects than other med I have tried. Cant sleep at night, So some times I just take the patch off at night and put a new one on it the morning. | I have found out that you must apply this patch one way only for it to work well. 1. I use hydrogen peroxide on my skin were you are going to apply it. It does not dry out your skin. 2. Your upper chest or middle of outer arm works well as the patch will not crease or fold as you move around. 3. You have to take the small peace of plastic off first and stick it to you skin. Then take the big peace fold it over to the other small peace and press and move it down tell it comes off you may have to try this a number of times before you get it down. There should not be any creases in the patch or bubbles for it to work good. Hope this helps every one having trouble with the patch, I think it's the best product out there for depression if applied wrong it wont work as well if at all. | M | 30 | 4 months | 6/9/2008 | 2 | Treatment Resistant Depression | Nausea, constipation, abdominal pain, application site reaction (used nasal spray for allergies on skin before applying to help with this), insomnia (took off before bedtime), agitation initially | I was optimistic about Emsam. Out of everything I've tried in 15+ years, Wellbutrin worked the best. It didn't help me enough but it helped with addiction and leveled out my mood. Emsam tops Wellbutrin easily. It feels more natural in comparison, and my abdominal issues are less intense. Unfortunately, Emsam although helps, is not helping enough for me. I've had no issues with the diet. I'd definitely recommend this as an introduction to an MAOI, especially if nothing else has worked. I think I'm on the right track. I'm going to try Parnate next. | F | 31 | 2 months 12 MG | 9/2/2019 | 2 | Atypical Depression/EDS | No real side effects. No problems with patch sticking, even in the shower, or while sweating while doing yard work. No issues with alergic reaction to patch site. | Let me first start by saying, if you're willing to try Emsam, be aware of the price. Most insurance companies will still leave you paying close to $600 a month. The 6,9,12mg patch all cost the same. If your doctor wants you on the 6mgs patch, have him write the script for 12mgs and just cut the patch in half. You will save money and have a two month supply. This patch did nothing for me, except suppress my sugar/carb cravings that come with Atypical Depression. I was really hoping for relief in my excessive daytime sleepiness/fatigue but it didn't help that at all. I had no issues with following the diet, though I must admit I had some parmesan cheese and tried 1 tab beer and had no problems. Caffeine did seem to increase my heart rate a bit, but nothing over 110bpm. If you're going to try a MAOI, start with Parnate or Nardil. They are the gold standard, cost MUCH less, but you MUST follow the diet restriction on them to a T! | M | 31 | 2 months 6/9 1X day | 8/27/2013 | 5 | depression | *Mild application site reaction - dry skin, reddness / discoloration. Itching goes away after 12-24 hours of removing the patch. Discoloration lasts around a week before it fades completely. *Insomnia - mostly difficulty falling asleep, occasionally difficulty staying asleep. Haven't found a solution yet, but my doc is exploring the idea of sleeping meds with me. | Neither of the above side effects are anywhere near severe enough to warrant going off of this medication. None of the 7 other antidepressants I've tried have ever touched my depression. Emsam has given me an almost complete remission. I feel more motivated, have more energy, and my overall mood has improved significantly. I'm less irritable, my self esteem has improved and I'm back to doing things I like, hobbies and seeing friends and such. It's not an instant cure, but it's truly made a difference for me. | F | 32 | 9 months | 11/26/2007 | 5 | social anxiety | Weight gain, constipation, diarrhea | Because of EMSAM I am able to go to work and earn a living and get health insurance. The weight gain is the same as on when I took Nardil years ago but EMSAM is more effective. | F | 33 | 2 years 6 MG 1X day | 10/23/2011 | 4 | Major Depressive Disorder w/BPD | F | 33 | 6 mg patch 1X day | 10/16/2020 Patient History | 2 | Depression | Headaches that would last 1-3 days with no relief. Insomnia. | I started with the 6mg patch and worked up to 9mg. During this 2 month span I had about 3 episodes of severe migraine-like headaches that lasted up to 3 days. Made work unbearable. Mild insomnia. Did not help my depression but could not give it longer time due to headaches. I did almost fall over once getting out of bed due to the drop in blood pressure effect from MAOIs. | F | 33 | 2 months | 3/3/2008 | 4 | major depressive disorder | insomnia, anxiety, muscle twitching | It has made me increasingly anxious (especially before I cut out caffeine) and the insomnia is terrible, even now that the doctor has advised me to take the patch off around 7. At first I had really weird muscle twitches in my mouth and hands but those have gone away for the most part. It has given me increased energy and helped me out of a suicidal bout of depression, though I still feel flat and humorless. I am going up to 12mg tomorrow and hopefully that will help; I’ve read that the true anti-depressant effects don’t really kick in until higher doses. This has helped where most other anti-depressants have failed; I just wish it helped a little more. | F | 34 | 6 weeks 9 1X day | 8/19/2015 | 4 | major depressive disorder | F | 34 | 1 years 6mg 1X day | 6/7/2011 | 4 | Atypical Depression/ Panic Disorder | Took 3.5 weeks to get any benefits at all. At that time, the panic attacks went into remission for a couple of days and then returned intermittently for a week until I contacted the doc. Upped the dose to 9mg patches at that point. At 9mg after 4 days I began to have a hypomanic onset of anger and hostility. Also had a marked increase in energy which I really liked. Have been having to mix the 6mg and 9mg patches back and forth every few days to keep out of depression/panic on the bottom end and out of hypomania on the top end. Note: I e-mailed a doc that assisted with the research of EMSAM, turns out that you CAN cut the patch safely and so I have started doing so. Jury is out on the exact amount I need, I am guessing 8mg. | I had almost given up at 3 weeks, but am happy now I didnt. The one thing it has not helped with at any dose has been the generalized anxiety but that is usually a GABA related issue and I wouldnt expect EMSAM to help that. Also, lost weight and began a great workout routine due to the stimulant effects at a higher dose. Started it 12/23/2006 and am still using it today. Overall it is the second best med I have used through the years (I have been on 27 different ones in 15 years) with Celexa being the best but lost its punch after about 3 years. | M | 34 | 9 months | 9/19/2007 | 2 | MDD | Insomnia, increased anxiety, panic attacks, hypomania at night, increased depression. I have never been diagnosed with Bipolar I or II but there were definite "bipolar lite"? mood differences. | This site won't let me enter more specific details of my time length and dosage of EMSAM. I was on it for 18 months, not 2 years. This medication worked for a glorious 2 months and then I crashed in a spectacular way. This. drug. is. activating. I spent the first 6 weeks at 6 mg, 6 weeks at 9, 1 month at 12, 9 months on 9, & 6 mg for the final 5 months. The cessations of the 12 mg patch followed by the 2nd try at the 9 mg patch were only done because I got harsh with my psychiatrist and said it was becoming a quality of life issue. The insomnia was unbearable at these levels which created a dependence on Xanax XR. I found a new psychiatrist on 3/1/17 and we completely stopped the EMSAM. I had a VERY hard time coming off this medication, even though I was at the lowest dose. it took a good month for it to leave my body rather than the "normal" 2 week washout. Tried the lowest dose of Cymbalta on days 15 and 18 of the washout and I had dry heaves, extreme nausea, vertigo and feeling faint. I noticed the drug really didn't leave my system until Day 26 or 27 because that's when my current dosage of Xanax XR really began to feel sedating. If we got to try it all over again, my psychiatrist said he may have told me to cut the 6 mg patch in half (which you're not supposed to do) but what's done is done. Btw, the major withdrawal symptom I had was nausea/loss of appetite which began around Day 8 and stayed for about 2 weeks. Now I'm just flat out exhausted. (I'm | F | 34 | 2 years 6 MG | 4/9/2017 | 5 | Fibromyalgia | Yes, Emsam is inexplicably flying under the radar. I'd been around the block from time to time with antidepressants for dysthymia or depression. Then I developed fibromyalgia and the treatment methods most doctors use are still in the dark ages. They don't understand fibro and they don't care. After fibro, I became intolerant to many meds that had been effective in the past. Or, those old meds no longer worked. I also have IBS (common in fibro patients) and everything ruined my stomach for days. Realizing that I needed to try something completely different from the mood stabilizers, SNRIs, SSRIs, etc. it was either transdermal selegiline or Viibryd. My doctor had a eureka moment when I suggested it. It won't go through my GI system, I don't have to watch my tyramine at 6mg, and he had samples right there in his desk that no other patient would've benefited from. They were almost expired, that's how little attention anyone in his practice paid. Since he was more familiar with MAOIs than new Viibryd, we gave it a chance. I'm not exaggerating: overnight my depression and anxiety began to lessen. Within a week I had sustained energy, improved mood, clearer thinking, and no dude effects. Here's the major breakthrough and the reason Emsam is seriously, for everyone's sake, grossly undervalued. Within 10-14 days I noticed that MY PAIN WAS GONE! Muscle aches, spasms, parasthesia, tender points, all GONE. I had my sense of humor and libido back. No more brain fog. Normal word rec | F | 35 | 1 years 6 | 8/16/2013 | 5 | major depression, recurrent, severe | redness and petichiae at the application site, increased general muscle tension, chronic daily headaches along with increase in frequency and severity of migraines, odd form of acne on back/upper arms/chest/neck | is it perfect? nope. but no med is going to be a miracle cure with no adverse effects. as a vegetarian who likes asian foods, the dietary restriction that i have the hardest time with is the soy sauce/tofu/miso restriction, but i manage. the side effects have been all slowly getting better the longer i am on the med, and i noticed a change within the first week. it took about 4-5 days after increasing from 6mg to 9mg to get a "full effect" which is to say that i feel like myself in a way i never thought possible again. everything i tried before (SSRI's, SNRI's, wellbutrin) felt like a floatation vest -- enough to keep me from drowning but not actually helping me engage well in therapy or helping me feel different. and that's how i feel on this patch...not "better," but "different" in such a positive way. i can engage in therapy in a meaningful way, i have a range of emotions now that is near normal, and i feel more relaxed and at ease than i think i ever have before in my life. and good riddance to pills! | F | 35 | 6 months 9mg/24hr 1X day | 1/5/2012 | 2 | severe depression | Insomnia, homicidal thoughts not related to my illness--these were new and disturbing. Caused frequent urination I was already having with Interstitial cystitis to get worse. I was up all night and up to pee 6-7 times. No thanks. | I wish I'd have had the luck that other people have. Instead of giving it a 1, I gave it a 2 because I think people with severe depression should be encouraged to at least try something to improve their lives. I couldn't shake the insomnia for anything and my dr. wanted to add Zyprexa so I could sleep. He didn't believe it made my IC worse and didn't believe it gave me homicidal thoughts. Oh well. I have tried nearly EVERY anti-depressant out there and just struggle with therapy. sigh. | F | 36 | 2 weeks | 6/19/2009 | 3 | Major Depression | Red outline of patch remains several days after removed | Started 6 mg patch after SSRIs stopped working and nothing else I tried "stuck" for depression relief. I think Emsam is helping, but jury is out. 6th day on 6 mg had a massive "rage" episode - threw everything I touched and slammed every door for a couple of hours before escaping to bed. After that got depressed again and couldn't control crying. Upped dose to 9 3 days ago. First few days of new dose it definitely stops the constant teariness/weepiness, but it's not the "rebirth" I felt when I first took Zoloft 3 years ago and had the most "normal", depression-free year of my life (until it just stopped working). On Emsam, I continue gaining weight rapidly (leave it to me to GAIN weight while depressed instead of lose) and feel fat pushing out on my skin which is quite uncomfortable. Not sure if it is Emsam related or not. Dr. wants to increase dose. | F | 37 | 13 days | 4/12/2007 |
EMSAM (SELEGILINE): Selegiline is an antidepressant (monoamine oxidase inhibitor) that treats depression by restoring the balance of certain natural substances (neurotransmitters) in the brain. Selegiline can improve your mood and feelings of well-being. This medication is a patch for use on the skin. FDA Approval Date: 2006-02-27 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)