• H&R Moderators: VerbalTruist | cdin | Lil'LinaptkSix

I'ld like to hear from anyone who uses an opioid to fight depression.

Depression is an umbrella diagnosis, and says no more about its causes and ways of treatment than "headache" does. I was diagnosed with depression a few years back, and prescribed higher and higher doses of SSRIs and later even antipsychotics, but nothing helped, and that CBT didn't, either. If anything, it made things worse. Because nobody made the effort to determine what's behind the "depression". Until I went to a neurologist because of sudden severe vertigo and he made some test and determined I have Asperger's. He told me how to start tapering off all that stuff I was taking because it was making me sick, not better.

I didn't feel any mood or drive improvement by taking all that antodepression stuff. Maybe that's why I didn't feel any mod or drive decline after coming off of them. I just felt like I was alive and myself again without the SSRIs and quetiapine. And my vertigo disappeared, so I could start doing sports again and go for walks (good, natural antidepressants).
I do take psychoactive meds when I feel I need them. Sometimes when I get overwhelmed, or to prevent getting overwhelmed, or when I feel understimulated. But not on a daily basis, at least not for a prolonged time.

@DesertHarp
What I'm trying to say is that, despite your opiate dependency/addiction there's still the depression that may require a different kind of approach than the "usual" SSRI/CBT. Identifying the underlying cause of your original depression might be a first step to cope with that.

I agree, in that I think depression is more of a symptom than a primary disorder. I've never accepted the notion that depression is some self-perpetuating dysfunction of the brain. Nowadays, medicine is backing away from the "chemical imbalance of neurotransmitters" thesis. SSRIs did nothing for me. Neither did CBT. I've been living very reclusively, spending too much time alone. I think that's my main problem.

I need more social connectedness. When that goes well, life is more fulfilling. But it's risky. When attempts to mix and mingle don't go well, it aggravates depression. Last year I traveled far to visit family. The reunion was a bit rocky, and some hard feelings serviced. I came back from the trip depressed.
 
This is the first I'm hearing about tianeptine. Just looked it up. So it's a tricyclic antidepressive. So is amitriptyline, which I've been on for years, and it's better than nothing. What I just read seems to say that tianeptine is about as good as amitriptyline, with less harmful side effects. That's interesting. And it's sold as an OTC supplement. I might look into that.
 
Well, it looks like tianeptine sold OTC tends to be adulterated and dangerous. (Neptune's Fix got pulled off the market.) I wonder why it isn't marketed as a legitimate prescription-only drug?
 
1000000000000000% take amphetamine over coke anyday. The high is just as good and the price for coke is fucking ridiculous for it's tiny duration. Like £20 can get you high on amphetamine for 2 days or high on coke for 20 minutes
Aww c´mon now, are we talking real coke or the overpriced shite called "coke" in Europe? Because real coke has an "euphoric but also calming effect" way different from speed or Ritalin, in fact is the only stim that an anxious mess like me can use without going insane. Also, if the coke is good the comedown is tolerable ( I still take the odd benzo because better safe than sorry) while with speed I remember a neverending agony...
 
Aww c´mon now, are we talking real coke or the overpriced shite called "coke" in Europe? Because real coke has an "euphoric but also calming effect" way different from speed or Ritalin, in fact is the only stim that an anxious mess like me can use without going insane. Also, if the coke is good the comedown is tolerable ( I still take the odd benzo because better safe than sorry) while with speed I remember a neverending agony...

Yes, real coke.
I wasn't saying the high from coke and amphetamines was the same, just that I found them equally enjoyable.
I don't get withdrawal from amphetamines at all. Usually I just get an overwhelming need to sleep, sleep for like 36 hours straight and...that's it.
 
I don't get withdrawal from amphetamines at all
I don t get withdrawal but I still remember the nightmerish comedowns...anyway it really depends on the individual, when my wife tried like 10 mgs of oxys she slept for a couple of days but she can pop 4 ritalin and be totally fine, I on the other hand need t least 80-100 mgs of oxy to feel something but with a Ritalin pill only I go mental, etc.
 
I don t get withdrawal but I still remember the nightmerish comedowns...anyway it really depends on the individual, when my wife tried like 10 mgs of oxys she slept for a couple of days but she can pop 4 ritalin and be totally fine, I on the other hand need t least 80-100 mgs of oxy to feel something but with a Ritalin pill only I go mental, etc.

Yeah, definitely tolerance and the individual. I'm 115lbs and my brother is 280lbs, I can take like 100mgs oral morphine and just feel good (some euphoria and strong sense of well-being, but definitely not nodding or anything). My brother took 120mg codeine (due to severe tooth pain, not trying to get high) and he said he really felt the codeine/moderate high,
 
Tramadol has great antidepressant effects.

Mu-opioid agonist
Serotonin reuptake inhibitor
Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor


Demerol is a potent antidepressant. An opioid with dopaminergic stimulant properties. Like a speedball. Opipid & dopaminergic stimulant properties

Mu-opioid agonist
Dopamine reuptake inhibitor
Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor


Oxycodone #1 antidepressant. A VERY potent opioid with SIGNIFICANT Euphoric properties

Synthesized from theBaine alkaloid it has stimulant properties, as apposed to the sleepy properties of Morphine alkaloid

Morphious ...the Greek God of dreams. Morphine is a sedative and potent opioid

Oxycodone (Eukodol) was found to have subjective effects very similar to Cocaine NAZI scientists found. It had Euphoric narcotic type effects very similar to cocaine

Oxycodone was the only opioid to give me true euphoria

Oxycodone & Methylphenidate (Ritalin) are the only 2 drugs to give me SIGNIFICANT Euphoric bliss

The ULTIMATE antidepressant for a naive individual would be Oxycodone 5-10mg and Ritalin 10-20mg
You are right regarding minimal dose of Oxycodone. It was prescribed by my GP for TRD and chronic pain (only10mg p/d). It literally saved my life. But I'm afraid what's gonna happen if or when I develope tolerance? It's a bit scary because I don't see any legal and affordable alternative. New treatments are not covered by Medicare and they are extremely expensive.
 
I've started a few threads already. I'm starting this one to introduce myself, which I didn't do before.

I take hydrocodone for back pain. I get 60 tablets each month. (What I get is called Vicodin - hydrocodone and acetaminophen - 10/325.) That's my only supply. It's prescribed legally. Much of the time, my back pain isn't a big issue. Often, the real reason I keep taking these pills is to feel better mentally. I suffer from depression. I've been to shrinks about it and tried all kinds of psych meds. Nothing they prescibe does much. I function okay.

It seems like my life revolves around these pills. Basically, I take one every twelve hours. I'm obsessed with these pills. I count the hours until I can take another one. Sometimes, when the depression is bad, I don't wait the twelve hours. If I run out of pills before the month is up, I pay a price. If I go 36 hours without a pill, I start to have withdrawal. For me that is "restless leg syndrome." I would call it akathisia because it is round the clock. It's torture, so I mostly space out my pills to last the whole month.
At times, I think of suicide to escape the depression. I feel like these tablets are the best thing I have going for me. Yesterday, I took two tablets at the same time because I was having a miserable time with severe depression. That 20 mg of hydrocodone was like getting a glass of water in the desert. It helped a lot.

I wonder if anyone else here finds that using an opioid relieves depression. I don't discuss this with any doctor. I figure that would be the fastest way to lose this prescription that I value so much.

I always have to fight the temptation to use up my tablets ahead of schedule because I don't want to face withdrawal.

I'm trying to find a way to feel better without using up my tablets too soon. I'm thinking of trying edible cannabis. I don't find alcohol helpful, so I'm not much of a drinker
 
I wish I did have an opioid to fight depression right now. It always worked to fight it. Just a mild opioid is all I need.

I ;don;t have any other drugs right now so it is like a one-drug-fights all for me. 💓

Well I have some 'other' drugs right now but I don't take them. Yet. :kewl:

methotrexate though, every thursday so far.
 
I’ve been on AD’s for years and have tried almost all of them, settling on Lexapro and stuck with it for about the last 6yrs. However I noticed about 20 years ago that pain pills (basic Vicodin and Roxy’s) made me feel the best I have ever felt. Not just physically but also my mental outlook, mood and especially motivation both at work and in general. I briefly brought it up to my psychiatrist and she said “that’s exactly why you shouldn’t be prescribed them”. I was bummed because she is typically very cool and liberal with her prescriptions and willing to try things. I guess she knows best and I’m happy not to have an opiate dependency, but I do think there is something to it all.
 
I’ve been on AD’s for years and have tried almost all of them, settling on Lexapro and stuck with it for about the last 6yrs. However I noticed about 20 years ago that pain pills (basic Vicodin and Roxy’s) made me feel the best I have ever felt. Not just physically but also my mental outlook, mood and especially motivation both at work and in general. I briefly brought it up to my psychiatrist and she said “that’s exactly why you shouldn’t be prescribed them”. I was bummed because she is typically very cool and liberal with her prescriptions and willing to try things. I guess she knows best and I’m happy not to have an opiate dependency, but I do think there is something to it all.
All new "miracle" treatments are based on opiates. It's not about health, it's about money.
 
which antidepressants are opiate based? I recently settled for Wellbutrin, which seems to be working.
 
I would love some Oxy right now but its probably one of the last things I need, can see it going sideways pretty quick.

Does anyone like Gabapentin? I recently got a script and feel it calms my nerves and seems to stop negative thoughts.
 
I would love some Oxy right now but its probably one of the last things I need, can see it going sideways pretty quick.

Does anyone like Gabapentin? I recently got a script and feel it calms my nerves and seems to stop negative thoughts.
Gabapentin is kind of a catch-all medication that can help drug cravings. But some people like it. I think it can help with anxiety, mostly related to bipolar disorder. It's not a mood stabilizer, though, in the classic sense. Can become dependent on it, but nothing's perfect.

Wellbutrin is a good one. Worked for me for a while. Not at all an opioid, not even indirectly.
 
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