Emsam and Irritability: What Users Say

• san...
• February 9, 2008

For Depression "Emsam had helped me with my depression, however, I had several issues when taking this medication. 1. Fatigue 2. Leg cramps 3. Stiffness of joints 4. Mood swings 5. Irritability. I noticed a dramatic decrease in these symptoms after I had stopped using the Emsam patch. Believe me, I wanted this to work so badly. I have tried several other medications with various side effects and was hoping for a miracle."

• Smi...
• April 24, 2019

For Depression "I don't need to go into detail here about how terrifying going through your first depressive episode is. I was prescribed 6 mg Emsam. I didn't notice an improvement for the first three weeks. When I was bumped up to 9 mg, I began to laugh again. I was able to function again. I'm to a comparable state to where I was before my depressive episode, however, with a few alterations in my personality. The negatives: insomnia - It is rare when I am able to sleep through the night. I often wake up in the middle of the night and have a lot of difficulty falling back asleep. My psychiatrist recommended that I take off the patch before going to bed, but this put me in a really weird mood in the morning. The irritability - I notice that I get frustrated/angry much more easily now, and I never felt like this before. This medication has been an absolute lifesaver for me."

• hap...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 15, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "The side effects of this drug have destroyed my well-being, and I am not exaggerating when I say that. Everything was going very well the first 2 months I was on the drug. But then the insomnia started. And then came the irritability. Then the short temper. Then the escalated anger. And then came the panic attacks, leading to dependency on Xanax XR. Depression came back anyway when the insomnia started. My social anxiety has returned in a big way. The lowest dose was too activating for me. I would not recommend this medication for anyone who suffers from anxiety along with depression, even if your depression is worse than your anxiety. I've been off it for almost a week. Pro: transdermal = bypasses the digestive tract."