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 Gender with females listed first (reviews with no gender reported listed before females). 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 |
| 5 | Anxiety | 51 | 10 days 12mg | 10/12/2019 | 5 | Depression | Some trouble getting the patches to stay on | I have to say that I have been really impressed with this medication. I have had no side effects and one I figured out were the patches would stick I was good to go. For me this has been the best antidepressant in 20 years. | F | 44 | 3 months 6 mg | 3/31/2018 | 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 | 5 | Bipolar Disorder | Some hypomania/mania and insomnia, see explanation | Emsam was a wonder-drug for me. I believe it worked better than all the SSRI's and tricyclics I have tried over the last 15 yrs. My theory, the MAOI (Emsam) catches your depression BEFORE you can free fall into a full blown one, like a trapeze artist's safety net. For the mania side effect, my doctor decreased the patch (9mg) to every other day--worked great until I had some depression and anxiety over starting a new job. Then we went back to every day. Then some insomnia started, and I asked my doctor about removing the patch 2-3 hours before sleep. He thought that was a great idea and it worked like a charm. Sadly, I have to give the patch up as the lithium that I've been taking for almost 6 years, has shown some lousy side effects. However I praise lithium to the hilt--I initially lost 35lbs on lithium. I am soon to start tegretol as a mood stabilizer and you can't be on an MAOI with that. If it works as well as the MAOI, I'll be thrilled. Talk to your docs about ways to ge | F | 51 | 16 months | 1/30/2008 | 5 | Major depression | Insomnia, weight loss, | This is the most effective antidepressant I've ever tried. I was very suicidal and the minute I put on the patch I felt better. I have energy, less emotional and less depressed. It's expensive but any antidepressant that will help me lose weight is worth it to me. It also doesn't make you fatigued like other drugs. At 6mg I can eat and drink whatever I want but on 9 mg you have to cut back on caffeine and other foods that interfere with MAOI's. So glad my Dr. recommended this! | F | 49 | 1 months 6mg | 9/27/2015 | 5 | Major Depression | After more than three years, I have had no side effects. | I had tried every Anti-Depressant since 1994, nothing worked. At my wits end, I decided to try ECT, hoping it would kill me, but the psychiatrist said to try EMSAM 6mg patch. He said it would work. After three weeks of feeling like I had the flu, I read all of the instructions again, and it said, "Do not cut." So I cut it from 6mg to 4mg and in 45 minutes I felt better than I had ever felt in my life. Two days in a row, I would cut 1/3 of the patch off, and on the third day, I would use the 2 pieces of 2mgs which equalled 4mgs. Two boxes lasted me three months. My life changed completely; my depression was gone, except in times of great stress, but it still worked well enough. | F | 69 | 3 years 4mg | 9/27/2015 | 5 | Major Depression (suicidal) | 6 mg made me feel like I had the flu, so I cut it down to 4 mg (I'm 5 ft tall, 125 lbs) and that worked perfectly. I had insomnia, but Melatonin tablets helped. | I've been using EMSAM for four years and it is the only thing that ever worked. It saved my life. | F | 69 | 4 years 4mg | 4/2/2015 | 5 | treatment resistant depression | insomnia, some difficulty with orgasm, but still attainable | has changed my life- I have my life back and feel like my old self once again, it's been 3 years of trying everything else with always intolerable side effects. | F | 49 | 2.5 months 6mg 1X day | 4/20/2010 | 5 | *started waking up at night after I've fallen asleep easily *I feel generally anxious all the time *lots of headaches *skin irritation from adhesive *thirsty all the time *cold all the time | I started at 6 mg and until I got to 12 mg I didn't really feel better mood wise.I think if I wasn't so tired and having so many headaches I'd feel pretty good right now. But I don't know how long I can stand the side effects. | F | 57 | 5 weeks 12mg 1X day | 1/13/2011 | 5 | atypical depression, panic,anxiety | Redness at patch site with fading after 3 wks but still visable. Main problem...erratic heartbeat (multiple pvc's) that started after a week on patch. Finally had to go to cardiologist and they are running tests. I also get the chills alot. Insomnia at first but not now. | This med has brought me out of my depression completely. I have lots of energy and a positive outlook for the first time in years.The running negative and angry, hopeless thoughts are gone. The panic is still there when i face a trigger issue (driving on the freeway) but it is dulled somehow and my dr. gave me low dose xanex to help as i work through it. I hope I can continue with emsam....maybe cutting the 6 mg patch by 1/3 will help. I'm going to try it. | F | 50 | 1 months 6 mg 1X day | 5/16/2011 | 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 | 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 | 5 | Depression | No real side effects to speak of. I normally get a reaction from adhesives, I can't wear a band-aid without a rash but I have had no irritation or redness with this patch. I've had more vivid dreams. There are NO negative sexual side effects, it seems to enhance sex if anything...but maybe that's just because I'm not depressed anymore. | LOVE it, I call it the "happy patch" : ) | F | 45 | 4 days | 4/15/2007 | 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 | 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 | severe depression | some difficulty staying asleep. Mild skin redness under patch that lasts for about 24-36 hours after the patch has been removed. I have VERY sensitive skin though. | This medication has given me my life back (and probably saved my marriage!). Over the past 35 years I've been on just about every antidepressant made. The side-effects were always unbearable. Major anxiety on the SSRI's, complete insomnia and horrible paranoia on tricyclics. From the moment I put the patch on there were no unbearable side effects or really any adjustment period. Then with each passing day I started to feel more and more "normal". It was gradual, and after about 3 weeks I realized I no longer felt like I was walking through mud every day in order to function. My attention and memory increased. My over-all mood improved. I no longer got irritated about things I used to get irritated with. I've been in therapy for years and at best I was only able to "maintain" in therapy. Having my depression lifted has allowed me to move forward with my therapy. I know everyone's body is different and this drug won't be the "miracle drug" for ev | F | 50 | 2 years | 11/12/2008 | 4 | Major Depressive Disorder w/BPD | F | 33 | 6 mg patch 1X day | 10/16/2020 Patient History | 4 | major depressive disorder | F | 34 | 1 years 6mg 1X day | 6/7/2011 | 4 | Depression | I have redness at the site where I place the patch for several days after placing it. This has not interfered with my life until I went to a water park with my son last week. I was very careful to apply sunblock repeatedly throughout the day. However...I did not burn anywhere except where the patch had been regardless of how long it had been since I applied it to the site. That day, my patch was nicely placed beneath my bathing suit top and I had no problem with that, but... After a few hours in the sun (and re-applying sunscreen) I began blistering in every place I had placed the patch within the last month at least! Lesson learned - don't take EMSAM and take your child to a waterpark? Additionally, if I place the patch on my back shoulder blade area, I have extreme burning by the end of the day and want to rip it off. I have to remind myself that the medication is doing more good than harm and resist the urge to interfere with my treatment! | I have had extreme side effects with other antidepressants and this one does seem to work for me! I had just about given up until my doctor prescribed it for me. I will learn how to deal with the burning of the skin...somehow! | F | 44 | 4 months 6 1X day | 8/23/2010 |
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)