Has anyone tried the Emsam patch?

[blue neen]

It is an MAO inhibitor, but if you are on the 6 mg. patch, you don't have the dietary restriction problem. Apparently, this is because it is bypassing your digestive system.

I've read a lot of good things about it, i.e. particularly a low side effect profile. One of the bad things is that you would have to stay off of any anti-depressants for at least a week before you start it.

Another problem is getting the insurance company to pay for Emsam. It's one of those "pre-authorized" deals where you have to prove that every other anti-depressant under the sun has been tried.

I'm really curious about it.

[blue neen]

1. Okay. Here goes.

I have been on the Emsam patch for about a month now. So far, so good.

I had to let Wellbutrin clear out of my system for a week, then I started on 6 mg. of Emsam. You apply a new patch every day. I started noticing some relief from depression on about day 6 of the patch.

There have been very few side effects...no dry mouth, no nausea, a little bit of headache. I'm not even having any trouble with site irritation (where you apply the patch). The 6 mg. patch was not enough, so now I am on the 9 mg. Ultimately, I will probably have to use the 12 mg., which is the maximum dose.
At that point, there are some dietary restrictions...no aged cheeses, salami, etc., which is not really much of a big deal.

The insurance company did approve it, probably because I have tried just about everything else available.

This is one of the quickest-acting things I have tried with the lowest amount of side effects. I will keep you all posted, because god knows we all need to know that there is hope out there.

Wish me contined luck! :)