Posted by LostBoyinNC45 on April 10, 2014, at 11:20:25
I need to find out info about the EMSAM patch. There is a good chance I am going to have bariatric weight loss surgery and was told by the surgeon that does it that weight loss surgery can cause malabsorption of prescription medications. They mentioned either going with a lapband procedure as the lapband does not cause malabsorption issues, OR just increasing my SSRI dosage a lot higher.
Im skeptical as Ive found doctors tend to overestimate their abilities and downplay certain things. So, I looked up injectable anti-depressants and there are none. The only thing out there that completely bypasses the GI system is the EMSAM patch and the cherry on top is that EMSAM (selegiline) does not cause weight gain. I never every experienced a single amount of weight gain with the MAOI Parnate years ago, Nardil and Marplan Ive heard different things on weight gain, they can cause bad weight gain that I dont need.
Anyway, what is the starting dose of the EMSAM patch roughly equivalent to? 30 mg of Parnate, perhaps (three 10 mg Parnates spread out over the day). 30 mg Parnate was very effective for my depression.
I also know that the starting dose of EMSAM, there is no MAOI diet required, but the higher EMSAM doses you have to go on the MAOI diet.
Please, only people who have actually been on EMSAM answer this question and no bipolars as bipolars tend to have super touchy reactions to meds, ie, just a small amount of an SSRI can send them into a hyper mania. Im the opposite, I have to load up on antidepressants to maintain an effect of any sort. The only exception is the MAOIs, Ive found that the MAOIs do not lose their effect for me and as I stated, just the beginning dose of Parnate (30 mg) was completely effective for me. No need to go higher and Im wondering how EMSAM compares to oral Parnate, as far as clinical effect. I know both are similar, kind of speedy ADs.
BTW, the bariatric surgeon says many of his patients come in with severe depression on meds and after weight loss surgery and significant weight loss, depression improves dramatically. This is because the weight loss surgery dramatically improves things like sleep apnea, drops blood sugar in type II diabetics, people start exercising a lot more after major weight loss and so on.
thanks,
Eric AKA LostBoyinNC
poster:LostBoyinNC45
thread:1063959
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20140328/msgs/1063959.html