Posted by Cheryl-Lynn on August 12, 2007, at 22:50:45
In reply to Re: Help! Severe anhedonia, posted by Fivefires on August 11, 2007, at 18:40:55
> It looks like EMSAM is getting a good rap here, and including in its comparison to Nardil and Parnate.
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> My understanding is there are less stringent dietary restrictions w/ EMSAM than other MAOIs.
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> Is EMSAM usually taken alone or has it been found to be more effective in any particular combo?
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> I've experienced extreme anhedonia, I believe, in direct response to SSRIs, and to a lesser extent, to an SNRI. They rob me of rational thinking, i.e., I'll have 'bad thoughts', and the 'rational link between thought and action disappears', putting me at risk of 'acting upon bad thoughts'.
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> In the past, besides SSRIs and SNRI, have tried trazodone, norpramin, and desipramine (tricyclics), w/o significant relief. Of all, Effexor-XR, Celexa, and maybe (can't remember for sure which one) got a tinge of relief from one of the tricyclics, but, 'never anything to write home about'! I always had to be careful the AD wasn't increasing anxiety, as anxiety is probably more of a problem, than depression, for me.
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> But now, including all meds in prior paragraph, nothing offers relief of my depression w/o an onslaught of bad side effects.
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> Isn't 'the whole patch idea' considered more effective because it reaches blood stream w/o having to go through the whole metabolizing process, the latter of which differs so vastly in us, and, if so, I'm not getting why it would take 5-6wks to feel the relief. Seems like relief would be realized sooner.(?) Whenever a med is available in patch form, it works better for me than pills, I think because it bypasses by fast metabolization, and, I've been told, don't have enough body fat to store med, so lose it quickly. Any comments about this?
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> I'm feelin' like Cheryl-Lynn. Bless you heart; you deserve some relief.
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> I've given up on the ADs, anti-psychs, and mood-stabs, and pretty much decided I'm treatment resistant.
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> I'm pretty sure I've never been on an MAOI.
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> I'd been pondering Nardil and Parnate, know little about Marplan, but now EMSAM might be a way to go. (It's often fear of meds that holds me back.)
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> My Pdoc knows I'm pretty much treatment resistant, and only mentioned EMSAM in saying hasn't used much, but hadn't heard a lot of bad, so if I went w/ it, I'd be a guinea pig sts.
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> I'm not on any AD currently, just something for my high anxiety, but recently my depression is overwhelming., and I really need some direction. Pdoc hasn't responded to phone messages x3.
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> I think if no one follows up my post, it'll get lost amidst other threads somehow, so will someone pls followup? :)
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> I hope you can get a scrip for EMSAM a try it CL. Let us know.
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> ApologizeIfRepeatSelf, 5fYou have nothing to apologize for dear one - you are not alone - if you only knew how I annoy those around me because I repeat myself so often *sigh*. It's part of the illness, I'm sure.
Rest assured that if I have an opportunity to try EMSAM, I'll keep you posted. I may have to order it online, it's not available here in Canada. At this point I'm willing to try anything - I have nothing to lose. I've been so low for so long and there's absolutely no quality to my life as it is. The years are ticking by and I'm in a hellish limbo. I find that I used to think constantly of getting better and now I think more often of wanting to die than of getting well. I've promised my family I'll keep trying so I will continue to keep seeking relief somehow, but in reality there's a big part of me that wants to give up.
My heart goes out to you, I know exactly how you must be feeling. What is happening to us?! I've heard some ponder that it may be a build up of calcium on the brain, but there are just educated guesses so far, no real answers and surprisingly little seeming to be done to get those answers. This may sound morbid but, with the prevalence of depression and MI these days, I'm surprised that more of us sufferers aren't encouraged to donate our brain(s) after death for research purposes. I know I'd donate mine in a heartbeat if it could help someone else - it sure isn't doing me any good!
Bless you too dear and thank you for your kind post.
Hugs
Cheryl-Lynn
poster:Cheryl-Lynn
thread:774887
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070808/msgs/775898.html