what is a good antidepressant for someone trying to quit opiates

[alexthealien]

it's for my brother. he lacks motivation, bored most of the day because most of his friends are junkies...i think he's depressed. i feel bad for him and was gonna see if some ssri's or something similar are better than others for someone in that type of situation

 

[sweetnicci07]

No AD will *cure* all the problems he is having or even come close BUT I thought that Cymbalta really helped me out when I was in w/d's. I was already on it for a few months before I started to taper off my opiates, though. From what I have read it seems like everyone is VERY different when it comes to anti-depressants. I think the Cymbalta helped b/c it is supposed to help w/nerve pain so I'm sure it would take a very slight edge off withdrawals.

Be very careful when coming off of Cymbalta b/c you can have some pretty nasty w/d's from it as well!!!

 

[Renz Envy]

Tramadol- it's not very strong, but it'll probably help curve withdrawals.
Gabapentin
Lyrica

(Suboxone strips) kinda be careful with these.

Tramadol will probably be your best bet. It's not strong, but it puts me in a good mood no matter what.

 

[obleo]

I actually found Zoloft to be very helpful in easing me off opiates. but i would have to agree that Tramadol is good also worked well on a previous withdrawal haha

 

[laCster]

lyrica is the best option for w/d IMO. possibly some immodium(loperamide), clonidine, and naproxen sodium would help too.

if you are looking for antidepressants though, DXM has been the most successful for me. you can try other archetypal antidepressants such as wellbutrin or effexor, but those both require prescriptions.

 

[Anon54]

tramadol is an SNRI an a week synthetic opiate. it would be perfect.
besides that u can cold water extract codeine. & take otv promethazine a sedating antihistamine to help u sleep
dxm is a very strange drug so be careful with it. it'll make u trip & be very noticebally high. u will get dilated pupales & your eyes will look wide awake worse than if u took meth. so only take 50mg or so. but i wouldnt bother with it unless u wanna 12 hour trip on a dissociative.

 

[effie]

I think you should encourage your brother to see a doctor, if possible.. am a little wary of suggesting tramadol for someone getting off opiates, it does have opioid activity after all and people can and do get hooked on it. Your brother may not be in need of an antidepressant, he might just need some tools to help him manage his new clean life and help his motivation - there are some online CBT resources which can really help, take a look at Living Life to the Full or MoodGym and pass them on to your brother if you think they might help - they are both designed by psychiatrists and are free. You could also point him in the direction of The Dark Side forum on here for help and support, especially if all his real-life friends are still using..

If your brother is clinically depressed and an antidepressant might help, it is far better that a doctor starts it. Overall, it sounds like one of the more stimulating ones would be better. SSRIs are usually first line, there are lots of different ones. Some people find them great, others don't get on with them and individual preference varies so we can't really suggest the perfect med for your brother. Good luck, I'm sure he's really glad he has a sibling like you looking out for him

 

[phatass]

AD's typically take 1 month to start working. I'm on Escitalopram which works great for me. However i don't know how usefull it would be in opiate withdrawl

 

[iPhrozon]

SSRI's don't actually work. Controlled tests have proven again and again that SSRIs aren't any more effective than placebo. In fact, many scientists and doctors agree that SSRIs should not even be approved by the FDA. If SSRIs were introduced today, they would almost certainly not be approved. Worst of all, SSRIs have been shown to increase the risk of suicide in patients with depression.

 

[effie]

Sources plz?

As for the suicide thing - yes studies have shown that, but my understanding is that it is because they tend to increase your energy and ability to commit suicide before they improve your mood. The risk is still really low and they don't increase suicidal ideation. It is definitely something to be aware of if you start on them, but overall they are accepted as being more effective than placebo in moderate-severe depression so I would be interested in reading your sources.. depression can be a fatal illnesds, don't forget.

 

[CheapHighMan]

DXM is works well for opiate withdrawal and it's also a more effective anti-depressant and starts working instantly (real AD's take up to 4 weeks) plus you don't need an Rx script. The big problem is sometimes it can have a lot of side effects based on the dosage. Try taking 100mg to start off with and if you need more relief I'd go up 30mg each time. DXM lasts about 4-6 hours even though it's half life is 2-4 (idk why). If you get the dosage right you'll get the anti-depressant effects along with the pain relief without any dissociation (no tripping). btw DXM won't work long term so don't try. Only use it until he's off opiates. Lemme know if this helps you.

dxm is a very strange drug so be careful with it. it'll make u trip & be very noticebally high. u will get dilated pupales & your eyes will look wide awake worse than if u took meth. so only take 50mg or so. but i wouldnt bother with it unless u wanna 12 hour trip on a dissociative.

False ^^

 

[thegreatgeno]

tramadol is an SNRI an a week synthetic opiate. it would be perfect.
besides that u can cold water extract codeine. & take otv promethazine a sedating antihistamine to help u sleep
dxm is a very strange drug so be careful with it. it'll make u trip & be very noticebally high. u will get dilated pupales & your eyes will look wide awake worse than if u took meth. so only take 50mg or so. but i wouldnt bother with it unless u wanna 12 hour trip on a dissociative.

50mg of DXM wouldn't do anything, you'd need at least 150mg to feel slight effects.

 

[the toad]

From personal experience I would say to steer clear of ssri's....

I freed myself from addiction to opiates with a combination of...
- wanting to quit...
If the person doesn't think they have a problem then nothing will help

- moving away from user "friends"...
After deciding I wanted to quit I had to remove temptation

- methadone
I used methadone to taper myself down to minimize withdrawal symptoms... smoking pot helped as well especially at the end when I cut the methadone completely... helped me relax and find sleep a lot easier for the first couple days of being opioid free..

Since then however, I have personally winessed dissociatives such as ketamine and methoxetamine having a tremendous impact on a few close friends drive and success with beating their addictions to opiates....