Ways to alleviate depression when coming down from opiates?

[red_lights010110]

I've been using opiates to treat anxiety. I learned about "the opiate cure" by accident - my ex started getting hash mixed with opium and over time I realized I became more alert and productive after smoking it and my anxiety was nonexistent (also hash on its own usually just puts me to sleep). When the opium became impossible to find again, I started a regimen of vicoden and percs. While this still helps, it doesn't compare to the opium. Recently it has been harder to find pills but heroin is easily accessible.

I have avoided heroin for the longest time, having known people who died from overdoses. A few weeks ago, I decided to try smoking the most microscopic amount. I felt nothing and kept upping the dose little by little until I finally felt it. To my relief, it was the exact same feeling and effect as the opium. I was so relieved and happy I actually started crying amd laughing.

Fast forward to the past few days and I've noticed a drastic change in my mood. Nothing particularly bad has happened and I can't identify any triggers but I fall into deep depression (usually later in the day/night). I have no desire to continue interacting with people, prefering to go home and be alone, and have no energy to do anything, even activities I usually enjoy. I finally made the connection that it always happens several hours after I last smoked.

I'm wondering if anyone has advice on avoiding the depression (aside from cocaine because I have never used before). I will also consider anyones opinion on prescription meds for anxiety though I've always been afraid and don't trust those kinds of drugs. I like opiates because it is my understanding that they only affect the pain receptors (I might be wrong tho) and don't affect a person's psychology.

 

[Slow_Mobius]

Kava is worth a shot

 

[Invisible Helper]

This is a really complicated question I think you're addicted to opiates without the physical addiction . It's like me I can't go out at night until I do my shot and I'm well than I feel comfortable . But after you use opiates long time you just wanna enjoy the nod and to do that means laying down and enjoying it not walking around doing shit maybe that's me cause of my tolerance idk

 

[Invisible Helper]

It's dangerous to take benzos if you never have but if you do take very small dose of whatever it is ONLY if you end up doing it I suggest you just stop taking opiates if u can it'll only get worse from here

 

[Phil.McKeer]

The depression caused by opioid d/c is terrible. I would happily suffer the acute stuff if it meant skipping the depression but nature doesn't work like that.

I highly recommend you leave it alone. It will only get worse from here. It's like a high APR loan. You're going to have to pay it back eventually and it won't be worth it.

 

[Crack'r]

Are you using everyday? How much? Or how much vicodin and/or Percocet did you take at a time? Do you start getting withdrawal symptoms if you don't use? Is it actually a depressed/sad feeling or more a lethargic/ lack of energy/ unmotivated feeling?

If you are using daily and building a tolerance it could be happening as you start going into withdrawals or your body starts craving it if you aren't far enough along to get major withdrawal symptoms.

Your brain naturally produces chemicals that make you feel good when happy or excited, etc. When you take opiates it makes you feel good which stimulates your brain to make those feel good chemicals. After a while your brain gets used to the opiates helping out and stops making as much on it's own because it expects the extra help. When it doesn't get it, you don't have as much of those chemicals being made and you can get a depressed feeling, among others. At least that's basically how I understand it.

I got very unmotivated once I was addicted and had a high tolerance. I may have been a little depressed though health problems and life may have contributed. But I could still have fun and laugh so I don't know if depressed is the correct term from a medical standpoint.

Anyways, that could possibly be it. You may want to take a break if opiates don't have their claws in too deep yet.

As for anxiety, I guess if you are getting high from the opiates they can help numb your anxiety or have reduced inhibitions which also relieves anxiety.

I get the occasional panic attack mainly about 2 diseases I have and my health. I started taking ativan for it as benzos (xanax, valium, ativan, etc) are the common meds for just anxiety/panic attacks without depression. I started taking it everyday which was a mistake because now if I don't take it, it actually causes panic attacks and makes me start thinking about dying and can't stop even if I try. Luckily I never got into really high doses and if I start taking more for a while it's always been easy to just taper back down to a small amount without any withdrawals or cravings (unlike opiates) as the withdrawals from high amounts of benzos is supposed to be worse than opiates and is more dangerous as it can cause seizures. Though I think that's mainly with high daily doses and stopping cold turkey. Worth trying if you can take as prescribed and not go after a high though it probably depends if you have constant anxiety or occasional attacks but is worth talking to your Dr about. And probably better than a wicked opiate addiction assuming you can take as directed. Or some antidepressants can help with anxiety if you want to stay away from benzos, though I personally never liked the way they make me feel and I always stop them after 3-4 weeks.

Hopefully I can do a long taper down to really small amounts and get off daily ativan without the panic attacks. But I'm trying to get off a pretty nasty opiate habit and taking one step at a time. But I would love to be free of pills.

Anyways, sorry for rambling on about myself. Thought it might be relevant but after reading it not really. Good luck and it can't hurt to discuss your anxiety with a Dr. I would also try to cut back on the opiates now as it will just get more and more difficult. At some point it goes from artificial bliss to making you it's bitch, dominating your every decision, and with little to no enjoyment as you just try to feel normal instead of sick and empty.

 

[placid space]

Medicating yourself with opiates for depression wont work out very well. You think now this feeling of depression is bad. Fast forward a few months after youve been addicted for a while and you wake up at 5 am for example after taking the last dose 10 hours ago and falling asleep but its now all out of your system. Sometimes it can feel like waking up naked in a cold room with every harsh realization abotu your life, bad decision, bleak future, everything staring you in the face. At the same moment. If you think you feel depressed now, wait until youve abused opiates for a little longer and the the bio-chem scales of your brain are even more out of whack. Now that will feel like a waking nightmare. Being only more so put into a depressing frame by observing yourself quickly gathering everything together to prep the next dose to get the wall up again in your brain. Do stop before it gets there.
And there are some good meds out there to stabilize your mood. Zoloft worked quite well for me. But I only took it for few months. The lowest dose possible. Do not allow the doctor to overprescribe as they always do overseas. Ask for the smallest possible dose and go from there.
And sorry to say it but the ultimate solution will (un)fortunately always be in exercise, diet, balanced personal life/relationship and having sth to look ahead towards. Not drugs/meds.

 

[red_lights010110]

Sometimes it can feel like waking up naked in a cold room with every harsh realization about your life, bad decision, bleak future, everything staring you in the face. At the same moment.

The way you describe it is very dead on. And that was my other fear with prescription meds - being overprescribed Currently I lift and am trying to get into kickboxing and running in hopes that it will help me in a more natural way

 

[red_lights010110]

Thanks for the replies!

slow_mobius - I have heard about kava and am definitely considering trying it out

invisible helper - it's definitely not just you - I have some friends that are at that point and like to stay in the house and just "enjoy the nod"

phil.mckeer - it really IS terrible. I've never experienced it before opiates - I always had my anxiety but have never suffered from depression. This feeling is new to me and is actually scaring me off of the heroin

crack'r - I've been using about half of the time - I'll use on days that I need to be super productive for work or if I'm going to be in a large social setting. I've been trying to not use habitually. After a few months (of heroin) I'm only noticing a slight increase in my tolerance. It was the same with vic/percs - i always did them half of the time. The only other time I have experienced this depression (and I'm also noticing that during these times, my anxiety seems twice as bad as ever) is when I quit opium cold turkey. Don't apologize for rambling - it's good to hear everyone's stories and experiences. I hope the best for you. It's unfortunate that it's hard to find something that helps without causing other problems

 

[Burnt Offerings]

I used heroin for 2 years or so. Pretty much jumped right into it, smoking it & (a year in) shooting it. I never really got into pills, at least not opiate pills (hydrocodone and oxycodone I've used only a handful of times...went through a little IV morphine fling tho) but the mindset that results from persistent strong opiate use is definitely...very insidious and dark. It's like getting into a relationship with another person who is very sweet and nice to you at first, before they reveal themselves as a manipulative sociopath who tries to dominate every aspect of your life. The transition can be very subtle at first.

I also experienced depression as a result of persistent opiate use. It's gotten a lot better following abstinence, though.

Have you ever tried kratom? You can feel "opiated" at high enough doses but it's not quite as taxing on your psyche (IME, anyway) as "hard opiates".