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

stimp123 said:
Dealt with depression for decades. Only time I ever had a medication free me from the black hole was when I had spinal surgery. At first I thought it was just relieving my pain. Over awhile afterwards I was in pain management.

15mg of oxycodone worked better for my depression than anything in 20 years. Obviously I couldn’t take long term as Oxy basically destroys your testosterone levels and then you’re back in same depressed low energy mode.

I’m convinced that Pharma could cure depression with some kind of derivative of opioids if they saw fit. Instead they just continue with these garbage SSRI’s or whatever other useless crap they have. Obviously there’s no $$$ in curing disease but I would think this kind of medication would have to be taken for long periods. Just comes down to the fact that we live in hell.

They’d probably prefer we give up. I’ve been off Oxy for years but wish I had it on days when I can’t even get out of bed or function normally.
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would the opioid be taken for a shorter period of time than the SSRI?

many people discontinue SSRIs after a year or two after adaptations take place

is the opioid a cure?
 
Methadone helps but I suspect it's the NMDA-antagonism that is responsible. Pure opiod receptor agonist seems effective only against anxiety in the long run aka when the honeymoon is over and the euphoria is gone.
 
stimp123 said:
Dealt with depression for decades. Only time I ever had a medication free me from the black hole was when I had spinal surgery. At first I thought it was just relieving my pain. Over awhile afterwards I was in pain management.

15mg of oxycodone worked better for my depression than anything in 20 years. Obviously I couldn’t take long term as Oxy basically destroys your testosterone levels and then you’re back in same depressed low energy mode.

I’m convinced that Pharma could cure depression with some kind of derivative of opioids if they saw fit. Instead they just continue with these garbage SSRI’s or whatever other useless crap they have. Obviously there’s no $$$ in curing disease but I would think this kind of medication would have to be taken for long periods. Just comes down to the fact that we live in hell.

They’d probably prefer we give up. I’ve been off Oxy for years but wish I had it on days when I can’t even get out of bed or function normally.
Click to expand...

There currently is an opioid that big pharma has marketed to treat depression - Ketamine. I guess some find it helpful, but it's no cure. (Ask Elon Musk.) Depression is like cancer, in that the causes are multiple and complex. I don't believe there will ever be a silver bullet that fixes either of those diseases. It's my belief that a lot of depression comes from lack of social connection. It's unlikely, in my mind, that there will ever be a pharmaceutical fix for depression that restores most depressives to normal functioning and mood elevation.

I guess I/V heroin can make a person feel real good for a while. That's why people fall in love with it. As we know, that good feeling comes at an awful price that, eventually, backfires terribly.
 
I would say I definitely do , I take methodone but I've had crazy anxiety panic attacks lately and it has done nothing for it so I would say after a minute of being on opiates it has less. Effect on depression. I had to buy Kolonipin and Xanax for a bit until my SSRI kicked in luckily I have month long take homes
 
hwbush336 said:
I would say I definitely do , I take methodone but I've had crazy anxiety panic attacks lately and it has done nothing for it so I would say after a minute of being on opiates it has less. Effect on depression. I had to buy Kolonipin and Xanax for a bit until my SSRI kicked in luckily I have month long take homes
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I'm sorry you're dealing with anxiety. My main problem is depression, but I get anxiety now and then. I think bad anxiety is worse than depression. The Xanax can be a help in calming the anxiety. Klonipin and Xanax are benzodiazepines. Benzos are addictive. You build tolerance, so the drug becomes less effective. Eventually, you're taking the benzo just to avoid withdrawal. But, short term, it can help get you through a rough period. I hope you figure out what is needed to help you manage the anxiety.
 
Man67 said:
Never tried any illicit drug, not even weed. Ketamine is prescribed only for Treatment Resistant Depression which I have. But I don't have money for K treatment. Check the link: https://mariancentre.com.au/ketamine-infusion-therapy/
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I know this is months late, but there are certain providers who have been trained by Johnson and Johnson to administer Spravato. I know it's not exactly ketamime, but close.
My Med management lady is, she's giving me a script, and with a painless application I was approved for the rebate, I'm paying zero for the script AND the observation after. They have a nasal spray, you administer it, and have to be observed for 2 hours.
Look up the rebate if it's something you're interested in, my first appointment is in a couple of weeks
 
DesertHarp said:
Thank you for that insight. That is really something I need to think about.

I experience withdrawal, if I go 3 days without a dose (or sooner.) It comes in the form of restless leg syndrome, which I find awful distressing, to put it mildly. I fear it so much that I make sure I don't use up my prescribed supply ahead of time.

I'm beginning to think that I may be experiencing what I call "micro-withdrawal," when it's been 12 hours since my last tablet. Some mornings I wake up with mild queaziness that's almost nausea, but not quite. It makes me feel like I can't eat. But, 25 minutes after I take a tablet (hydrocodone 10 mg), the queazy feeling evaporates, and I'm hungry.

I've been able to replicate this over and over and over, so I know the Vicodin tablet somehow relieves this queaziness. That's kind of weird because nausea is supposed to be a side effect of using an opioid. However, nausea can also be a result of withdrawal from an opioid. So - for it to actually counteract my nausea - makes me think the queaziness is coming from my body subtly craving a dose, even though I'm not in real withdrawal. That's why I'm suspecting it's some form of micro-withdrawal.

I'ld love to know if anyone has experienced anything like this.
Click to expand...
Yes. With every opiate ever.
The big danger with opiates is that your body becomes physically dependent after 72 hours. 3 days.
The withdrawal symptoms you're describing are just the tip of the iceberg. There was another reply to your post that lists everything. Imagine your worst flu x100, it's absolutely the worst. People go to great lengths to not let that happen.
When, and if, you decide to quit, talk to your doctor, and they will start you on a taper regimen. It's still going to be uncomfortable, but tolerable if you follow their instructions.
Ive done it cold turkey, 2 month's supply of 10mg percocet that I'd burn through in a couple of weeks.
Please be careful, addiction is a bitch and she is not just a thing you see on TV with other people. She's gonna cozy on up to you, give you everything, tell you what you want to hear, and then steal it all and leave you sweating and shaking in a ball on your bathroom floor.
 
Carpetshark said:
Yes. With every opiate ever.
The big danger with opiates is that your body becomes physically dependent after 72 hours. 3 days.
The withdrawal symptoms you're describing are just the tip of the iceberg. There was another reply to your post that lists everything. Imagine your worst flu x100, it's absolutely the worst. People go to great lengths to not let that happen.
When, and if, you decide to quit, talk to your doctor, and they will start you on a taper regimen. It's still going to be uncomfortable, but tolerable if you follow their instructions.
Ive done it cold turkey, 2 month's supply of 10mg percocet that I'd burn through in a couple of weeks.
Please be careful, addiction is a bitch and she is not just a thing you see on TV with other people. She's gonna cozy on up to you, give you everything, tell you what you want to hear, and then steal it all and leave you sweating and shaking in a ball on your bathroom floor.
Click to expand...

My experience with restless leg syndrome was enough to horrify me. My heart bleeds for those who are dependent on a much higher intake and who have known severe withdrawal symptoms.

I do get tempted to take my tablets more often, when I have a new fresh supply. That temptation is stronger each month. But fear of consequences holds me back. Thanks for cautioning me. It sounds like you've had real experience with opiates.
 
DesertHarp said:
My experience with restless leg syndrome was enough to horrify me. My heart bleeds for those who are dependent on a much higher intake and who have known severe withdrawal symptoms.

I do get tempted to take my tablets more often, when I have a new fresh supply. That temptation is stronger each month. But fear of consequences holds me back. Thanks for cautioning me. It sounds like you've had real experience with opiates.
Click to expand...
You've got a good head on your shoulders, just keep the RLS fresh as possible in your mind. I'm going to be 50next month. I feel 150, act 15, hopefully still look 40... Time is not fair to us women lol
I knew a woman, about the same age as me, absolutely beautiful, incredibly smart, and working her way back to what we know as a "normal" life; a job that does not require sex for pay, a family who loves you unconditionally, and meals that taste good and aren't delivered in CCs or gauges. It's that story you hear so many times, she had one minor procedure and it snowballed into the worst case scenario. Haven't seen her in a long time, I like to think she's back in a cushy hi rise apartment hugging her kids.
You should check out some of the other threads here, it gets pretty uh... Entertaining? Maybe?
 
DesertHarp said:
My experience with restless leg syndrome was enough to horrify me. My heart bleeds for those who are dependent on a much higher intake and who have known severe withdrawal symptoms.

I do get tempted to take my tablets more often, when I have a new fresh supply. That temptation is stronger each month. But fear of consequences holds me back. Thanks for cautioning me. It sounds like you've had real experience with opiates.
Click to expand...
One more thing; if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and smells like a duck...
Use caution with ANYTHING described as being "opiate-like". Kratom is huge right now, and it has tremendous potential for addiction treatment, among other things. Even though it's not technically an opiate, it still affects the opiate sensors in your brain the same way. Take it consistently for 3 days and you will have wd when you stop.
OK now I'm done, don't hesitate to message me if you have any questions or need to chat!
 
Carpetshark said:
I know this is months late, but there are certain providers who have been trained by Johnson and Johnson to administer Spravato. I know it's not exactly ketamime, but close.
My Med management lady is, she's giving me a script, and with a painless application I was approved for the rebate, I'm paying zero for the script AND the observation after. They have a nasal spray, you administer it, and have to be observed for 2 hours.
Look up the rebate if it's something you're interested in, my first appointment is in a couple of weeks
Click to expand...

Thank you for posting this. I had not previously heard of it. I have been battling treatment resistant depression my entirely life which has been utterly crippling for me. I may mention this to my doctor.
 
DesertHarp said:
My experience with restless leg syndrome was enough to horrify me. My heart bleeds for those who are dependent on a much higher intake and who have known severe withdrawal symptoms.

I do get tempted to take my tablets more often, when I have a new fresh supply. That temptation is stronger each month. But fear of consequences holds me back. Thanks for cautioning me. It sounds like you've had real experience with opiates.
Click to expand...
I was taking tramadol for 5 years, peak was 2g per day, went almost cold turkey and withdrawals were awful, worst body experience i had in my life.
 
opiofr3k said:
I was taking tramadol for 5 years, peak was 2g per day, went almost cold turkey and withdrawals were awful, worst body experience i had in my life.
Click to expand...
I don't know if this was an issue for you, but percocet made me very, very constipated. The house I was in at the time had a nice, private bathroom, but it was upstairs. Needless to say, my legs and butt looked so amazing, having to run up and down those stairs at least a dozen times or two for a few weeks.

Tramadol is another one that sneaks up on you, some docs won't call it an opiate still
 
Can’t say I’m in a better place, but I’ve got something to share that might help.


I’ve been on opiates, mainly oxycodone, about 100–200 mg a day, for the last couple of years. It started fucking amazing, like a teenage love story where everything was perfect. Life seemed to hit a peak for me, and I was enjoying every last crumb it had to offer.


I’ll spare you all the details, but I quickly learned that in the grand scheme of statistics and drug use, I was not the shining gold bean I had convinced myself I was. First it was experiments, just for the joy of exploration. Second was the “I only take it at the end of the day, it can’t hurt me, and I sleep amazing.” And third and fourth and fifth and on and on was me watching myself throw away everything I thought I stood for, just to let the chemicals dance in my brain again. Losing most relationships, losing jobs, hating myself more and more the deeper I fell.


I can’t tell you what got me back to trying again and again,
Cuz honestly lol I’m afraid to find that out maybe
Too dumb to understand
Or just plain ignorance is bliss type of behavior
But
but I did. It's not the end of my story yet, and there’s one thing I’ve learned that I can share in hopes of truly maybe helping someone.


If today failed, I’ve got tomorrow. If I’ve failed so much, one more failure won’t hurt. If I didn’t want to change, why does avoiding it break me even more?


I have no idea how to do it, but I’ve got a sense of where I should aim my "sad emo 16-year-old brain" so I could have less obstacles to avoid(THIS IS THE HARDESR PART REALLY) not a clue what to do but feel a faint breeze of cold refreshing air coming from the direction of a dark road in my mind that I know I need to rebuild.

type shi imo tho
 
Last edited:
SixFree said:
Can’t say I’m in a better place, but I’ve got something to share that might help.


I’ve been on opiates, mainly oxycodone, about 100–200 mg a day, for the last couple of years. It started fucking amazing, like a teenage love story where everything was perfect. Life seemed to hit a peak for me, and I was enjoying every last crumb it had to offer.


I’ll spare you all the details, but I quickly learned that in the grand scheme of statistics and drug use, I was not the shining gold bean I had convinced myself I was. First it was experiments, just for the joy of exploration. Second was the “I only take it at the end of the day, it can’t hurt me, and I sleep amazing.” And third and fourth and fifth and on and on was me watching myself throw away everything I thought I stood for, just to let the chemicals dance in my brain again. Losing most relationships, losing jobs, hating myself more and more the deeper I fell.


I can’t tell you what got me back to trying again and again,
Cuz honestly lol I’m afraid to find that out maybe
Too dumb to understand
Or just plain ignorance is bliss type of behavior
But
but I did. It's not the end of my story yet, and there’s one thing I’ve learned that I can share in hopes of truly maybe helping someone.


If today failed, I’ve got tomorrow. If I’ve failed so much, one more failure won’t hurt. If I didn’t want to change, why does avoiding it break me even more?


I have no idea how to do it, but I’ve got a sense of where I should aim my "sad emo 16-year-old brain" so I could have less obstacles to avoid(THIS IS THE HARDESR PART REALLY) not a clue what to do but feel a faint breeze of cold refreshing air coming from the direction of a dark road in my mind that I know I need to rebuild.

type shi imo tho
Click to expand...

That's a lot of oxycodone. Thanks for your input. I hope you're finding your way toward that better place.
 
As an opiate user of nearly 40 years with an 8 year stretch of total abstinence in the Middle I know how heroin allowed me to function effectively with The debilitating symptoms of schizotypal condition from early neglect and severe motor delay of Dyspraxia.
Dyspraxia often carries many other concurrent conditions such as a 50 percentage of ADHD.
Opiates have been safely prescribed to self administrating patients since 1990 in Switzerland with zero fatalities, yet the illicit market perpetuated by the rest of the planets erroneous ideology of the unwinnable "war in drug's "kills hundreds of
thousands each year

@candicewallace3553. 2025-01-31. Posted in reply to this video:

Fentanyl - 50 X MORE potent than Heroin ! The Efficacy and Danger Tightrope. @drrege (Sanil Rege, FRANZCP, MRCPsych). 2025-01-18. YouTube
 
Quote ↓


A Call to Understand: Chronic Pain Brains Are Different

To the medical field, the government controlling our access,
and our friends and family—listen closely:
chronic pain brains are unique. Therapeutic opioids restore balance for us, not euphoria, acting as a targeted tool rather than a gateway
to dependency. This directly challenges the CDC’s 2016 myth,
which wrongly conflated our needs with addiction’s dark pull,
leaving us underserved and unfairly targeted.

What is this distinction about?
The reward pathway, where the limbic system releases dopamine for pleasure—like savoring a meal or chasing a runner’s high—is hijacked by addiction. Drugs like illicit fentanyl fuel a compulsive craving for that rush. Yet, for us, research shows chronic pain suppresses endorphin production and desensitizes opioid receptors, making opioids a stabilizer, not a thrill.

Our Shared Battle

This is our reality, not a game. Every day brings exhaustion,
a relentless search for answers, and judgment from those who don’t get it. But this isn’t a one player game—61 million Americans are caught in this matrix. Let’s channel our strength to advocate for
Opioid Access for Chronic Pain, and demand evidence-based treatment without barriers.

Let’s amplify our voices and push to shape policies that honor the chronic pain brain’s distinct needs!

#ReliefCantWait #PainAwarenessMonth #ChronicPain #Opioids #PainManagement #OpioidAccess #TLChronicPain💜

Tomilcox. 2025-09-22. twitter.
 
red22 said:
Quote ↓


A Call to Understand: Chronic Pain Brains Are Different

To the medical field, the government controlling our access,
and our friends and family—listen closely:
chronic pain brains are unique. Therapeutic opioids restore balance for us, not euphoria, acting as a targeted tool rather than a gateway
to dependency. This directly challenges the CDC’s 2016 myth,
which wrongly conflated our needs with addiction’s dark pull,
leaving us underserved and unfairly targeted.

What is this distinction about?
The reward pathway, where the limbic system releases dopamine for pleasure—like savoring a meal or chasing a runner’s high—is hijacked by addiction. Drugs like illicit fentanyl fuel a compulsive craving for that rush. Yet, for us, research shows chronic pain suppresses endorphin production and desensitizes opioid receptors, making opioids a stabilizer, not a thrill.

Our Shared Battle

This is our reality, not a game. Every day brings exhaustion,
a relentless search for answers, and judgment from those who don’t get it. But this isn’t a one player game—61 million Americans are caught in this matrix. Let’s channel our strength to advocate for
Opioid Access for Chronic Pain, and demand evidence-based treatment without barriers.

Let’s amplify our voices and push to shape policies that honor the chronic pain brain’s distinct needs!

#ReliefCantWait #PainAwarenessMonth #ChronicPain #Opioids #PainManagement #OpioidAccess #TLChronicPain💜

Tomilcox. 2025-09-22. twitter.
Click to expand...

Very well expressed! Depriving pain sufferers of relief is wrong.
 
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