Has anyone here ever used or heard of the new maoi patch? They have used this medicine in the pill form before but you had to watch what you ate; With this new patch, there are no restrictions. I was wondering if anyone has used it and if it helps with depression and has any side effects.

Excuse me if this is entered incorrectly; I'm new. I tried the MAO patch as well as the pills. The pills were like magic and I never felt better but after some years they stopped working. I've tried almost everything else in between. Then came the MAO patch. I tried it but it didn't work for me. Not like the pills. I got so depresed in between switching (you still have to wait 2 weeks before using another med and the patch) that I had to be in the hospital.

It might work for you and I hope it does but I didn't realise there were no food restrictions with the patch; I thought there were.

Good luck to you in any case!

Sparkles

I have not tried the MAO patch but was planning on asking my doc about it till I looked it up and discovered it is a NONreversible
MAOI and although the food is not an problem with this, the problem of general anesthesia and some other drugs IS a problem.
I have been on the Canada maoi/maclobemide for 12 years with NO side effects except to have to postpone a gall bladder surgery by 2 days for it to clear my system. That is my biggest concern about my canada drug is that i'll need some kind
of emergency something or other and then what do i do?? However, with the patch or the nardil/parnate kind of drugs you're
looking at 2 weeks before it clears your system. That also, means if you wanted to change from that to a diff. type of AD.
At least I only have to wait 2 days to switch and for it to clear my system, not 14 days or more......I would reccommend
this drug if you can get it. I buy it direct from Canada and it costs abot $45month. It is not covered by my insurance because it is not FDA approved in the U.S........I still do take tegretol with it and after 12 years may be looking at adding lithium.....but
heck, if it works, that's all i care about, not the number of pills. Unfortunately, it is hard to be balanced on just one pill......

sonneegirl

You definitely DO have to watch what you eat on the 9mg and 12 mg patches! I almost went to the ER because of increase in BP. Just kept monitoring it and it was okay. Was on 9mg patch and switched back to 6mg patch 12 days earlier then had some cheddar cheese, and some bacon, then went home and had brownies (very bad idea!). No restrictions are for 6 mg patch. My doc said he had never heard of a problem on the higher patches, but he didn't know for sure! And it does take quite a while to be eliminated from your system!
It does help, though in the beginning the emotional aspects increased before they decreased!
lots of luck!

I have tried every other ad out there. Either they didn't work or the side effects were too horrible. I don't know what else to try. I would only be interested in the 6 mg because of the dietary restrictions. I tried Nardil before and ended up in ER 3 times due to horrific headaches. Don't want to go down that road again.

I tried the patch last year (the cymbalta withdrawal was pure hell)
It didn't really do anything for me except leave a bad rash whereever I put it
So I just stopped.
I went without any AD's for about 3 months
but realized I needed an AD
funny I don't even remember which one I went back on
I've been thru so many

Thats funny I tried the MAOI(nardil) pills as well and after about a year it stopped working, that is after none of the reputake inhabitor meds worked. I would definitely take em again even risking the ER if there was a chance they could work, nothing hits as hard as bad depression.

This post has been edited by Starsky: Oct 22 2007, 11:14 PM

Hi!
Were you on the cymbalta and then went to the patch? What is the name of the patch?

Hope all is well now.

Jennifer 1

Hi!

What is the name of the new patch and what were the name of the pills. I see my dr tomorrow and I am looking for a new drug.

Jennifer 1

Nardil and Parnate are the two most common MAOI's. Try googling 'MAOI patch' and you'll probably find the brand name of the patch somewhere.

PLEASE note the side effects of the MAOI's listed here, and definitely be VERY AWARE of the restrictions before you start taking them. I just want everyone to be aware and careful! Best of luck to everyone!

Hi,
The name of the MAOI patch is EMSAM. It is transdermal selegiline. There are 3 doses, 6mg/24 hours, 9mg/24 hours, and 12mg/24 hours. Each dosage increase also increases the size of the patch. The largest is 2 inches square. You can't cut the patches, but 2 of the 6mg patches are equivalent to 1 of the 12mg patches.

One of the advantages of the patch is that it is better at maintaining a consistent dosage entering your blood stream for the entire 24 hours.

If you do not have prescription coverage, it might be cost prohibitive. It can be $20 per patch, $600 per box, one month's supply. There is no generic. It is also usually a special order at my pharmacy, which prevents same-day pick-up.

I tried all of the doses and am now on the 12mg patch. It has been the most effective medication for me with the least personal cost due to side effects. Living without side effects may have given the med the boost it needed to work on my mood. It was a drastic improvement over all of the other meds I have been on.

I use a gentle baby wipe and some peroxide on a cotton ball to clean the area, let it dry, and then apply the patch. I have not had any problems with rashes or skin irritation.

I have not had any problems with not following the diet. (This is contrary to my doctors instructions, and to the product information leaflet.) But I read the actual clinical trials that got it approved. And even at the highest dose, the were not required to follow a special diet. There is just a higher risk with a higher dose. Many people in fact develop low blood pressure rather than high blood pressure on Emsam. So although I have not had to modify my diet at all, without incident, if you respond differently, then the diet restrictions can be very strict.

As with all meds, it may not work for you. But I wanted to let you know that it is available, and I had excellent response to it.

Best Wishes

Hi amabilis,

Welcome to DF!

But please be careful about the dietary restrictions! It's much better to err on the side of caution, especially with meds!

Take care,
Dewayne

I am currently beginning my journey with the EMSAM (selegiline transdermal system) 6mg/24hr. I'm on week 3. I came off of Effexor XR and valium. So far, I love not taking the pills. I don't have to worry about what I eat at this dosage, and my dr said that I could most likely get away with eating anything if I have to increase even though it says at a higher dosage you have to watch your diet. Of course, everyone is different and you should talk with your dr about that. You do have to watch for meds though bc it is a MAO. I do not feel as depressed as I have been, and I am definitely not like I was while withdrawing from Effexor (a nightmare to get off of). So far, I have not had any side effects. The most common one is skin irritation where you put the patch. I haven't even had that! Feel free to ask more questions! I hope this helped somewhat. I love it so far! My Psychiatrist told me that it should be going generic soon! (It isn't new, only new to the USA) Hopefully, it will go generic soon because with out insurance I could never afford it! The great thing about it being a patch is that it doesn't go through the liver! That's why you can eat the foods you can. OH! Make sure you have a really good clean area to place it. My dr. recommends I change the area every day! A new spot for every day of the week. Use some rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab to clean a small area if you need to. Don't use the wipes bc they have some kind of lotion or something that will not let it stick.

EMSAM (selegiline transdermal system) is what I take...the MAOI patch...

There are restrictions with medications just as with a MAOI pill. That is one thing I am trying to figure out. I just started this and I have a cold/ congestion...You aren't supposed to take certain medications like cold/cough meds, allergy nose sprays....etc...Is there anything I can take to help my coughing and congestion while on this patch without worrying?

Hi and Welcome ecclesia

You may want to check with your doctor or pharmacist, they will be able to give you some good recommendations.

Trace