Posted by gardenergirl on December 28, 2006, at 10:28:05
In reply to Re: Emsam Users, length of time, effects,pros/cons? » stargazer, posted by shoshana on December 23, 2006, at 13:57:59
> I am going to make an appointment to see my doctor, though, probably some of the side-effects could be controlled by watching what I eat (even though the patch at this level is not supposed to have dietary restrictions - I have noticed a reaction after I have had some of the things on the 'do not eat' list for those MAOIs of a higher dosage). Side-effects:
>
> 1) Head-rushes: I have to grab on to the wall/furniture sometimes to prevent myself from falling, when getting up from my bed or from a seated position.
> 2) Changes in blood pressure: I have always had very good blood pressure. Recently, when I started getting head-rushes, I checked and noticed that my average blood pressure has dropped around 30 points.These are both due to orthostatic hypotension, which RN320 described well above. Your blood pools in your legs when you are sitting or lying down, and when you get up you get dizzy and lightheaded since there is not enough blood up in your head yet. As RN320 said, getting up slowly and allowing your blood to adjust is the key to dealing with this. In mild cases, the main risk/problem with OH is the risk of falling or passing out and getting injured, so if you hang onto something and go slow, you can avoid problems. It's unpleasant though. In more severe cases, it can be a "deal-breaker" as far as the medication goes.
> 3) Acute insomnia: I cannot sleep more than 3 hours a night on my own. If I take Klonopin, Xanex, or Ambien, I get an extra 2 hours, at best.
I'm on Nardil not Emsam, so I can't speak to this directly. But with Nardil, the insomnia lessened in time, and I'm usually able to get a full night of sleep with Ambien.
> 4) Mild memory problems and problems concentrating: I think this may be caused by lack of sleep, though the symptoms seems to slowly be getting worse.You could be right about the lack of sleep, though it's worth talking to your doctor about.
> 5) Hypersensitivity to light in the morning: when I go out of my house in the morning, I feel like the sky is painfully bright and it hurts my eyes.
I have no idea about this one, though I experience it at times due to my light-colored eyes. It's awful when it happens.
> 6) Detection of a strange odor: I very often feel as if I'm smelling spoiled milk and can't get rid of the smell. It occurs when I'm in different places (at home, at work, at a store, etc), so I know it doesn't have anything to do with my housekeeping skills!
Ugh, how awful. If you were only experiencing this at home, I'd say check your ducts. I had a similar experience where I was smelling this foul odor all over the house, and I thought it was me at one point! It was an animal, probably a squirrel or chipmunk who had climbed into the heat ducts and died. Bleah. I hope this goes away soon.
> 7) Extreme anxiety: Feels as if I'm having a very severe panic attack (which I'm not): I noticed that this happened the other day after I had one piece of imported chocolate. It can last for several days and is very unpleasant. I have tried to alleviate the feeling of anxiety by working out at the gym and it helps only slightly. Also, Xanex helped a little bit.
I'd be surprised if any of the symptoms you describe are related to eating something with tyramine. The main reaction with tyramine is an increase in blood pressure, which usually results in a terrible headache and can lead to a hemorrhagic stroke. Nardil at 75 mg gave me akathisia and severe insomnia (probably related to the akathisia). I couldn't sit still and felt like I was jumping out of my skin. This felt similar to panic, though it was a more physical reaction. Could your experience be more like akathisia?
> 8) Difficulty doing simple math equations: For example, I used to be the person everyone turned to when figuring out the bill at a restaurant. Now I have problems calculating in my head and have stopped trying because it is too frustrating. This also may be caused by lack of sleep (?)
Again, I think I'd check with your doc, but lack of sleep definitely interferes with cognition.
> 9) Involuntary muscle spasms: I had these when I was taking Cymbalta and they seem to have returned but they are less frequent and not as strong.
Is this only at certain times? With Nardil I get myoclonic jerks at times--that whole body jerk associated with going to sleep. They get stronger with dosage decreases, actually. But I can get several in a row when I am first trying to get to sleep.
I hope your side effects resolve since Emsam is working for you. And hopefully you can find something to target anxiety as well. Good luck!
gg
poster:gardenergirl
thread:703921
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061224/msgs/716911.html