Posted by RN320 on July 27, 2006, at 14:08:39
I've been treated/limping along since 2001 with MDD that occurred immediately after hysterectomy (ovaries spared). I have had some psychotic features with the MDD. I was started on EMSAM in early June at the 6mg dose and was just increased to 9mg. I've seen some promising results and my psychiatrist and therapist (along with family and friends)are very pleased with my progress. I've read many of the messages from people using EMSAM and gotten some good feedback from your messages, so I thought that I'd offer some of my own.......
Here's what I found:
1. No one is ever going to tell you that it's ok to cut the patches in half. They can't. It's labeled by the FDA as a single use product and because it contains a drug that means they don't advocate cutting it in half. It also means that if you cut it in half that they won't sell as many patches (and let's all face it, these people are out to make outrageous money off of our illnesses). I consulted with a plastics engineer who is familiar with the technology used to make medicated patches. The quality standards on these things is very high and tight. They can be safely cut in half- just be careful to not handle the half that you're not using and SEAL it back in the wrapper (or wrap it in foil) and stick it in a ziplock bag to keep all air out. The drug and adhesive will degrade when exposed to air.2. My doctor recently went to a conference on EMSAM and said that the dietary restrictions are "overblown" and said that you don't need to be as vigilant as you would if you were taking it orally. My therapist isn't so sure about this. I'm not sure what to do other than do the safest thing possible.......I used to work for a medical manufacturer and when I read the EMSAM wallet card, I was surprised that they listed so few restrictions. What I call that piece of literature is "putting lipstick on a pig", meaning that the manufacturer has taken the most negative quality of it's product and tried to dress it up. The fact of the matter is that drug companies are only required to tell you what type of diet to follow if their product requires some sort of dietary modification.....they are NOT required to provide you with a copy of said diet! I've looked into MAOI diet at about 15 sites on the net and they all have some consistent things to say. I think that you need to be the captain of your own ship on the dietary question. I think that I'd rather be safe than sorry....I've worked too hard to get better for something preventable to happen.
3. I read about some people's inabilty to sleep. I had this problem too....went through every hypnotic on the market and have also used Seroquel (with horrible weight gain) and Deseryl (with same weight gain issues). For me, the Seroquel and Deseryl work equally well.
4. Although the product insert tells you to just prep your skin by washing with soap and water, if you're having difficulty getting it to stick you may choose to "de-fat" the skin by wiping the area with rubbing alcohol and then letting it dry before applying the patch. Soap and water is ok, but remember that soap has lard in it and lard is fat and fat is oil....and oil will stand in the way of an adhesive doing it's job.
Hope someone finds this helpful....I've gained a lot of insight from your messages. Thank you.
poster:RN320
thread:671116
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060724/msgs/671116.html