Posted by ZeitGuest on May 13, 2006, at 0:39:40
In reply to Re: Everyone PLEASE share your ENSAM updates?, posted by lymom3 on May 12, 2006, at 10:25:22
I'm on my 10th day of EMSAM (6mg patch).
No positive results so far. But no negative results either, other than a slightly increased level of irritability (similar to the effect Wellbutrin had for me). I'm going to stick with the patch treatment for at least six weeks. I understand that MAOIs sometimes take that long to exert a palpable effect.
A bit about my profile: I've been struggling with social anxiety (I'm "painfully shy," as the cliche goes) and dysthymia for more than 30 years. I am convinced that the two are connected: My bouts with depression ususally stem directly from events in which I am unable to connect socially with others. Smalltalk? Can't do that. Eye contact? Only with extreme and awkward effort. Verbal riffing? Fuggetaboutit.
Prozac was somewhat helpful when I first began taking it ten years ago -- it did indeed make me feel more gregarious and able to connect to others -- but the poop-out effect set in after a few years. I've tried various other SSRIs, from Paxil to Zoloft to Lexapro, but they had little positive effect on my depression and social anxiety, and brought with them the excess baggage of sexual dysfunction, clouded thinking, somnolence and weight gain. (Prozac also had some nasty sexual side effects, but they eventually diminished -- although not completely). I've also tried a variety of other meds -- Buspar and Serzone (dizzy and loopy-making), Wellbutrin (irritablity and a feeling of mental haziness), among them. (I have no interest in benzo's; connection and mental clarity is my holy grail; I hate to feel sedated or mentally cloudy.)
As I said, apart from Prozac, none of those other meds had any beneficial effects for me. So, my patch is in place (I never even feel it, so that is a plus) and my fingers are crossed.
BTW, anybody know if some intrepid drug company is developing a Nardil patch? If it weren't for the awful side effects of the Nardil pill (sexual dysfunction, weight gain, sedation, dietary restrictions), I'd prefer to try that MAOI. Nardil seems to be better at combatting social anxiety (maybe because it raises GABA levels) than the other MAOIs.
poster:ZeitGuest
thread:640308
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060510/msgs/643345.html