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Share your experience: submit a drug review
Below are Emsam (Selegiline Transdermal) reviews, ratings, comments submitted by patients and caregivers. Based on a total of 4 ratings/reviews, Emsam has an overall score of 7. The effectiveness score is 7.50 and the side effect score is 6. The scores are on ten point scale: 10 - best, 1 - worst. This information is not vetted and should not be cosidered as clinical evidence. | | Emsam review by 41 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | |   |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | major chronic depressive disorder |
| Dosage & duration: | | 20mg (6mg/24h) taken once daily for the period of one year |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I had become so severly depressed that I was incapable of holding a job. My doctor had tried virtually all classifications of meds on the market but none were able to pull me out of the state I was in. My world had become so dark I felt the sun would never shine again. This med allowed me to function again within my family and within the working world. I stopped crying all the time and was able to concentrate and perform the tasks necessary for employment. I got my life back. |
| Side effects: | | Unlike other antidepressants with numerous side effects, this med had no internal side effects. The only complaint I had with this med was the skin irritation at the application site. This I treated with moisturizers and hydrocortisone creams. |
| Comments: | | I simply applied one patch daily to any part of the "trunk" area of my body. It was not a drug I had to be introduced to slowly or weaned off of. I found that the lowest dose available was effective for me. Each day before my shower the previous days patch was removed so the site area could be cleansed. After my shower the new patch was applied in a different location. |
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| | Emsam review by 57 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Ineffective |
| Side effects: | | Extremely Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | I don't remember (dosage frequency: appllied patch in the morning) for the period of 2 months |
| Other conditions: | | None |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | None |
| Side effects: | | I became increasingly agitated and angry. After being on it for 2 months, I tried to commit suicide. |
| Comments: | | I had been taking Effexor, Welbutrin and Ritalin for over three years. The combination worked better then any other cocktail I'd taken. I complaine3d to Doctor that I was feeling lethargic so he switched me to Emsam. After a month he increased the dose. I attempted suicide. Found a new doctor.. Now taking cymbalta and welbutrin. Which seem to be working OK but they ain't no miracle drug. |
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| | Emsam review by 41 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 9mg/24 taken daily for the period of 1 1/2 years |
| Other conditions: | | Allergies |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | More energy, clearer mind, no depression. |
| Side effects: | | Sleeping was impossible for the first few weeks, but faded in time. |
| Comments: | | Once daily patch. Adheres well, stays on, minor redness after patch removal on very sensitive skin, but goes away quickly. Patch must be applied to a different defined (by the manufacturer) area everyday. |
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| | Emsam review by 38 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | chronic "atypical" depression |
| Dosage & duration: | | 6, 9, 12 mg taken daily for the period of over 1 year |
| Other conditions: | | Restless Legs Syndrome |
| Other drugs taken: | | none, other than birth control but now Lyrica for back pain | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I have been on every SSRI made- trial after disappointing trial since I was 19. This is the first medication that has worked for any length of time. (Paxil worked for a short period of time but maxed out w/o further benefit even with augmentation). |
| Side effects: | | The worst side effect I had was insomnia. At first, insomnia was OK because I was, for the first time, happy to be alive and being happy more hours of the day seemed hunky-dory. Of course sleep-deprivation isn't good for the brain and started to wear on my job performance. Tried many different sleep agents to no avail. (I have absolute tolerance to anything ending in -pam apparently). For the longest time I could sleep no more than 1-2 hours per night (but felt rested). I'm up to 4-5 hours (pre-med normal amount) without any sleep meds. |
| Comments: | | No response to 6 mg, slight response to 9 mg, full response to 12 mg. I have adhered to none of the MAOI dietary restrictions (eat a lot of soy as a vegetarian, drink 2-3 tap beers upon occasion) with no adverse effect.
Problem- looking to augment now. After being on 12 mg for most of a year, "atypical" symptoms (overeating, oversleeping) returning and 12 mg is max dosage. Even so, I still feel better than I ever had previous to taking EMSAM. |
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