Selegiline for Depression User Reviews (Page 2)

• MelNc...
• November 16, 2009

Emsam (selegiline) "Have been using the 6MG patch for 4 weeks now with absolutely no results. No side effects. No skin irritation. Nothing. Doctor says I should be patient and wait till the 6 week point where it might finally kick in. If it doesn't we will go to the higher dosage. Probably just double it to the 12MG patch. Not looking forward to the dietary restrictions but it's a trade off I'm willing to take for relief from 30+ years of despair."

• Emily
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 7, 2022

Emsam (selegiline) "I’ve had every side effect there is with Emsam. It started with the 6 mg, but I thought they’d go away. The insomnia was already normal for me with the depression, but it’s been way worse. Impulsivity, intense irritability, chronic constipation, blackouts upon standing, weight gain, exhaustion. We went to the 12mg because I was still depressed and even though the depression went away, the side effects progressed. When my feet and legs swelled up to where I couldn’t wear shoes, I was done. Down to 9mg, no better, down to 6mg, still not sleeping. This was my “last resort.” Devastated."

• joann...
• October 8, 2007

Emsam (selegiline) "Emsam has helped me with my depression. However, when it is a very muggy humid day, the patch has a hard time staying adherred. I went to my pharmacist and he gave me something in addition to help hold it on. When the weather is fine, I have no problem, even through the swimming pool or a bath. Yesterday I had a patch that had the larger part of the sticky end missing."

• John...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 12, 2022

"One interesting thing I noticed with this drug (the Selegeline tablets) is it made my (male) orgasms go from lasting a few seconds to lasting 50-55 seconds. I literally used a timer to record how long the tingly feeling lasted. Can anyone confirm or deny this side effect? Try using a phone timer to measure how long your orgasms last without Selegeline than a few days after starting."

• dayzt...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 1, 2015

"I have been dealing with major depression roughly 10 years. Have been on a medley of antidepressants and different combos. Most being SSRI's that seem useless or worsen my depression. Emsam is by far the most effective. I have little if no episodes of suicidal thoughts anymore and life just seems more managable.this drug actually has promise instead of the many other antidepressants that are just all hype. Definitely worth a try."

• Anonymous
• September 15, 2011

"I take a 2.5mg tablet of Selegiline with breakfast and it has helped with depression and fatigue. I cut a 5 mg tablet in half. If I miss the morning dose, I try not to take it any later than noon because it keeps me up at night. I tried 5mg to start but I didn't feel right and had insomnia. I also take a 1 to 2 day break after taking it for 5 days straight."

• Peonie
• October 26, 2011

"After trials of many many medications I have had complete relief from depression for 10 years with 15 mg/day Selegiline tablets. I have not needed to observe diet restrictions, and I also take 50 mg day of DHEA which adds to the anti-depressant effect for me. One recent problem however, the refill I picked up in August of this year, 2011, pretty definitely has something wrong with is, as the medicine has become less effective for depression, I've had a pounding heart and I've had noticeable hair thinning problems. So I've stopped for now and with MD's help am looking for a safe source."

• DCSoc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 15, 2024

Emsam (selegiline) "Like others on this thread, I have tried almost every antidepressant that was available prior to 2010. The one that worked the best was Nardil - but I needed to stop because of severe insomnia and one bad hypertensive episode - even though I strictly followed the diet. The sedating ones made my insomnia worse and others caused weight gain and impotence. I winged it for the next 14 years, but a series of events caused me to socially isolate. Enough was enough, and I again sought professional help. I was prescribed an SSRI and refused because of my previous experience. I had heard about Emsam and thought it might work because of my experience with Nardil. I was surprised that my HMO approved because of the outrageously high cost (retail $2,000/month, but my copayment is only $75.) Wow, what a difference. I started to feel the positive effects in a week. It took a while to learn how to apply the patch."

• laure...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 4, 2019

Emsam (selegiline) "3 months on ensam patch with some sense mood improvement yet I feel like I'm lacking the motivation and the sense of happiness that I experienced so long ago on the original Nardil formula. On 9 mg 24 hour schedule. I am going to ask my provider to consider 12mg trial period."

• Happy
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 31, 2018

"60 yr old male. I take 20mg/day of Selegiline, at breakfast, for depression, for over 6 years. Side effects are two: a) if I drink coffee in the afternoon I tend not to go to bed before 12:00 AM and b) sometimes it's hard to concentrate and I can get very easily distracted."

• SamBF...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 3, 2023

"Emsam patches 9mg helped me effortlessly find the motivation to grow my business every day. Only negative side effect is that it seemed to have increased my tolerance for risk to a level I could not handle."

• Anonymous
• July 11, 2008

"Having tried just about everything out there, I was using an MAOI for years, but didn't realize how foggy I was feeling until I started using the Emsam patches. I can think more clearly, which is huge, but I still have to really push to do most things. They are the best thing I've tried."

• edie
• October 6, 2007

Selgene (selegiline) "I have been suffering from major depression for over 8 years and nothing has really relieved it; Prozac would work temporarily, but soon stopped. I have been on Emsam for almost 6 weeks and my depression isn't gone, but it is better. I have not had any side effects and now I have hope that it will work and I finally have a shot at a "normal" life. Good luck to everyone that needs and tries it!"

• M Rod...
• September 29, 2015

"Very effective. Diagnosed bipolar type II. Helps a lot with atypical depression type symptoms, like lethargy and slow thought processes. Messes up my sleep though, and can make me a bit cranky and irritable. Anyone know how to deal with the insomnia? I find it hard to fall asleep, and do not want to take benzodiazepines due to the addictive properties."

• bagel...
• September 19, 2008

Emsam (selegiline) "First drug to work for me in 30 years."

• Anonymous
• December 22, 2010

Emsam (selegiline) "It really does work, the one side effect you have to overcome is it makes it difficult to sleep at night."

• Downerx
• July 26, 2010

Emsam (selegiline) "Tried Effexor, Wellbutrin, Paxil, Zoloft in the past with no results. EMSAM has brought me out of it after seven years. Only a little localized skin irritation."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 2, 2012

Emsam (selegiline) "This is my first day on Emsam 9 mg. Very low blood pressure so far. Going to call doctor, in morning about that. Otherwise so far I have a little neck pain but nothing I can't handle."