Posted by RUKynd on February 26, 2009, at 2:38:20
In reply to Re: EMSAM withdrawal and fatigue » RUKynd, posted by Timon on February 25, 2009, at 3:23:05
The selegiline pills might be a good alternative to the Emsam patch for some, which would be great, as they're relatively affordable (compared to Emsam, anyway!), and if they could prevent withdrawl symptoms or even better, work as a replacement, that would be wonderful. In my case, though, they _really_ didn't work, and though my situation isn's common, the side effects concern me for anyone (maybe they were the reason the extended-release patch form was developed).
My psychiatrist prescribed them the pills when the patch samples stopped coming. By then I had tapered down to one 6 mg. patch every other day (I had been on alternating days of 6 and 12 mg's, using 2 patches for the 12), so rather than taking the 8 pills/day (5 mg. pill) as prescribed, I thought I should work my way back up and started with two, one a.m. and one p.m.. By the third day, I was up to four (spread out through the day as advised by my pharmacist, as they're not long-acting like the patch is), and in addition to the dry mouth and loss of balance, I noticed that my tardive dyskinesia symptoms were getting more severe (briefly, this is a neurological condition causing involuntary movements, usually caused by antipsychotics, but it can also result from taking SSRI's, in my case, Celexa). Turns out, when I looked it up, various dyskinesias were listed as side effects of selegiline pills. I immediately stopped taking them, and my TD symptoms returned to their 'normal' levels by the next day. (Please see separate post re: withdrawl)
I'd advise anyone who switches to the selegiline pill form to watch for any signs of dyskinesia--facial tics such as tooth grinding or tongue flicking, sudden movement or repeated/constant clenching of the feet and/or hands, etc., and if you notice them, please notify your doctor and try to get off the pills ASAP. I didn't associate the development of my involuntary movements with the Celexa, so I didn't mention them to my doctor at first, and when I did, he attributed them to "stress," and I didn't discontinue it until my own research finally revealed the connection. By then, I wasn't one of the lucky folks whose symptoms stop; in my case, it appears to be permanent. I should add that I was on a high dose of Celexa because I was on it for OCD (trichotillomania) as well as depression, and I'd taken it for 7 years. The development of TD is rare with antidepressants, but it's also well documented, in medical journals and more recently in books for the public. Still, most GP's and even psychiatrists either don't know about the connection with SSRI's at all, only with antipsychotics, or seem to dismiss it, as mine did. I had to see a neurolgist before I could get an actual diagnosis and start trying treatments for it (there is no cure).
I'd be glad to answer any questions about any of the above, and since many of them won't fit this thread, maybe we can find one that does, or find a safe way to communicate one-on-one. I'm new here and don't know how this would work, but I do get e-mails letting me know of new posts to this thread.
OK, on to my withdrawl post, which will be much shorter, I promise!
poster:RUKynd
thread:876580
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20081229/msgs/882562.html