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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by julieandcolton on December 29, 2007, at 8:03:54
I just got swiched to the 9 mg patch and the reserch i have been doing on the board shows some have been getting more tired i am just wondering how many of you all get more tired with this? thanks for your input. julie
Posted by eric wagner on December 29, 2007, at 15:27:59
In reply to Emsam Patch does 9mg patch make you more tired, posted by julieandcolton on December 29, 2007, at 8:03:54
i was on 6 mgs. 4 about 4 weeks
9 mgs. 4 about 2 weeks
& 12 mgs. for about 6 weeks
i never really had any side effects (other than minor lightheadedness & insomnia i have found w/ just about any medication) or any positive results from 6, 9 or 12 mgs.
although i did HOURS of research on EMSAM (medical & patients posts) & have seen it has helped a lot of people (although, i dont know the ratio from who it helped to who had no positive response)
good luck
Posted by UgottaHaveHope on December 30, 2007, at 12:14:42
In reply to Emsam Patch does 9mg patch make you more tired, posted by julieandcolton on December 29, 2007, at 8:03:54
Every med affects everyone differently so it is completely plausible for you to become more tired on the 9mg patch. If it is to overwhelming, you might consider drinking coffee, Diet Coke or even take one No Doz pill to compensate.
Also, don't forget, sometimes it takes your body 4-8 weeks to adjust to a new med, or new dosage of med. So this could just go away by itself in time.
Posted by eric wagner on December 30, 2007, at 12:29:39
In reply to Re: Emsam Patch does 9mg patch make you more tired, posted by UgottaHaveHope on December 30, 2007, at 12:14:42
> Every med affects everyone differently so it is completely plausible for you to become more tired on the 9mg patch. If it is to overwhelming, you might consider drinking coffee, Diet Coke or even take one No Doz pill to compensate.
>
> Also, don't forget, sometimes it takes your body 4-8 weeks to adjust to a new med, or new dosage of med. So this could just go away by itself in time.
>
>yea i guess every medication affects everyone differently
more than likely though, when you go from 6 to 9 mgs., you will not be more tired, but instead have more insomnia
this is according to the MANY hours of research I did before & during my EMSAM 3 month trial.
ggod luck
Posted by Greenmtn on December 31, 2007, at 9:03:15
In reply to Emsam Patch does 9mg patch make you more tired, posted by julieandcolton on December 29, 2007, at 8:03:54
Since going from 6mg to 9 mg of Emsam for about 6 or 7 weeks I do hit a spell of tiredness late in the day. It can be extreme and result in needing to nap. Also insomnia has worsened a bit.
So why not go back down to 6mg ? Because I feel better MY DEPRESSION IS GONE and I have more energy most of the time. Sorry if this sounds completely contradictory. I think I may be getting a bit of a handle on the insomnia but not yet figured out how to combat the fatigue. For now my strategy is to try to deal with side effects and enjoy the positives of the Emsam.
Posted by Greenmtn on December 31, 2007, at 9:14:51
In reply to Emsam Patch does 9mg patch make you more tired, posted by julieandcolton on December 29, 2007, at 8:03:54
I forgot to mention I don't wear the patch at night based on earlier posts. It does not seem to reduce its effectiveness and I assume that may help the insomnia. But I'm not sure if that is really true. Maybe I will try wearing the patch through the night a few times and see if there is any difference.
Hope you can figure out what works best for you.
Posted by Iansf on December 31, 2007, at 14:34:53
In reply to Re: Emsam Patch does 9mg patch make you more tired » julieandcolton, posted by Greenmtn on December 31, 2007, at 9:03:15
This sounds very much like a common side effect of standard MAOIs: difficulty sleeping at night but acute sleepiness verging on narcolepsy for an hour or two mid afternoon. This happened to me on Parnate, though both the insomnia and afternoon sleepiness disappeared after about two months. But it WAS a difficult two months, especially for work.
John
> Since going from 6mg to 9 mg of Emsam for about 6 or 7 weeks I do hit a spell of tiredness late in the day. It can be extreme and result in needing to nap. Also insomnia has worsened a bit.
>
> So why not go back down to 6mg ? Because I feel better MY DEPRESSION IS GONE and I have more energy most of the time. Sorry if this sounds completely contradictory. I think I may be getting a bit of a handle on the insomnia but not yet figured out how to combat the fatigue. For now my strategy is to try to deal with side effects and enjoy the positives of the Emsam.
Posted by d0pamine on January 1, 2008, at 5:57:07
In reply to Emsam Patch does 9mg patch make you more tired, posted by julieandcolton on December 29, 2007, at 8:03:54
With almost a couple years of EMSAM under my belt, I've had opportunity to try quite a few different tactics to using this med. I've made two discoveries that, for me, have entirely eliminated all side effects (including daytime sleepiness).
1. 800 mg of potassium citrated taken in divided doses throughout the day.
2. The patch is even MORE effective and with fewer side effects when completely removed at night (for me this means 16 hours on, 8 off)
Posted by d0pamine on January 1, 2008, at 17:47:56
In reply to Re: Emsam Patch does 9mg patch make you more tired, posted by Iansf on December 31, 2007, at 14:34:53
> sleepiness disappeared after about two months.
From my EMSAM experience the daytime sleepiness / nighttime insomnia only continues to get worse as long as you wear the patch 24 hours/day. The effects and side effects seem to be cumulative which is good and bad (good for desired effects, bad for side effects)...At least you don't have to worry about it stopping working and eliminating night time use really seems to strike a sustainable balance.
Posted by Greenmtn on January 2, 2008, at 5:43:12
In reply to Re: Emsam Patch does 9mg patch make you more tired, posted by d0pamine on January 1, 2008, at 5:57:07
This is really valuable information. I will try to get the potassium citrated today and start using it. I will post back the results. Thanks alot. I would try to make smiley face symbols and such stuff but that's just not me.
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