Posted by Brody on September 16, 2007, at 16:13:23
In reply to Emsam - no energy?!, posted by SheilaC on September 16, 2007, at 14:12:36
> The first week or two on 6mg. Emsam patch, I felt great - lots of energy. Now, after 3 weeks, I feel tired and depressed. I tried upping my dose to 9mg. and so far no difference. I don't understand. I thought it was supposed to be amphetamine-like.
>
> What should I do? I need some energy. Right now I am dragging and drinking way too much caffine. >
>
Hi Shiela,How long have you been on the 9mg? I did not get the early results that you reported with the 6mg. My doc was very aggressive in upping my dose though: 2wks @ 6mg; 2wks @9mg; 4wks @ 12mg, then I had to drop back to 9mg due to orthostatic hypotension.
I got great anti-depressant benefits from the 12mg. It did drop off some when we went back down to 9mg. However, I NEVER DID GET the energy, focus or motivation,(even at 12 mg) that alot of EMSAM users were reporting, so my doctor added Provigil 100mg split into two doses and that has made all the difference for me. I now have lots of energy and maybe too much focus.... sometimes you have to peel me away from projects.
If you haven't already, I would give the 9mg a few weeks, and if no good result, then try going up to 12mg. If after a few weeks that doesn't give you the boost you need, then you might want to talk with your doctor about adding the Provigil. It is pretty certain that your doctor will want to do his/her own research before going along with this combo, if they haven't been there before, as there is alot of reluctance on the part of many docs to augment MAOI.
This probably sounds like a lot of waiting for results, when you want and need to feel better right now! One of the first things I noticed when I did my research into EMSAM is that many successful users were imploring new users to give it enough time.... some folks that were ultimately happy with the med, did not get the full benefits until they were up to 12 weeks or more.
Try to hang in there if you can!
Are you experiencing anxiety?
Are you able to sleep through the night?
Any side effects other than the lack of energy, like daytime sleepiness to the point of not being able to stay awake?
Is EMSAM your first experience with an MAOI?
LOTS of questions....
Best to you,
Janet
poster:Brody
thread:783251
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070911/msgs/783272.html