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

[Man67]

Opioids help with depression, but the depression that comes from quitting opioids is from another planet.

Absolutely right. But only in small doses. I've been on 10mg Oxycodone for the last year and a half and it's still working. It gives me a 3-4 hours depression free window in the morning to go to the supermarket and attend Dr's appointments.

I don't feel anything but suic. thoughts and dark thoughts are gone during that period. The rest of the day I stay in bed. My Psychiatrist told me there's a little chance to develop tolerance with such a small dose.

I can't call this "life" but it's better than it used to be. The most important thing is discipline. I can't take 20mg because I will have nothing for tomorrow and that luxury l can't afford. I hope that nasal spray Spravato (esketamine) will be finally covered by Medicare because I can't afford $3600 per month.

 

[DesertHarp]

I know exactly how you feel and I am sorry to hear that. My only lifeline is 10mg Oxycodone in the morning, approved by the government. It gives me a 2-3 hours window depression free. I take it first thing in the morning so I'm able to get up and do some basic chores.
The rest of the day I spend in bed. Whenever I feel desperate and suicidal I just remind myself that tomorrow morning I will be "normal" again for a few hours.
But what if one day government doesn't approve this off the label treatment for TRD? I'm afraid to even think about it.

I'm currently seeing another Dr. (mine will be back by the end of the year) This character is so negligent, incompetent and prepotent that after every appointment I have to take Bromazepam to calm down.
I saw him 4 days ago and since then my depression turned into anger. It's not a great feeling but everything is better than being alone with my dark thoughts. I'm currently collecting info, writing emails and will do everything to expose this selfish fraud who wants to cut all my meds down without addressing my conditions first.
Good luck mate and all the best.

You do sound like me, especially what you say about that morning dose of opioid. It sure helps. It is something to look forward to.

Like you, I fear getting cut off. That can depend on the whim of the doctor, which seems unfair. A year ago, my MD mentioned getting me off hydrocodone. He hasn't brought it up again, but I have ongoing anxiety that he will. I don't need one more thing to feel insecure about, but that's a constant worry. I hope neither of us loses our supply.

 

[Baclofiend]

You do sound like me, especially what you say about that morning dose of opioid. It sure helps. It is something to look forward to.

Like you, I fear getting cut off. That can depend on the whim of the doctor, which seems unfair. A year ago, my MD mentioned getting me off hydrocodone. He hasn't brought it up again, but I have ongoing anxiety that he will. I don't need one more thing to feel insecure about, but that's a constant worry. I hope neither of us loses our supply.

 

[chippermonk]

Absolutely right. But only in small doses. I've been on 10mg Oxycodone for the last year and a half and it's still working. It gives me a 3-4 hours depression free window in the morning to go to the supermarket and attend Dr's appointments.

I don't feel anything but suic. thoughts and dark thoughts are gone during that period. The rest of the day I stay in bed. My Psychiatrist told me there's a little chance to develop tolerance with such a small dose.

I can't call this "life" but it's better than it used to be. The most important thing is discipline. I can't take 20mg because I will have nothing for tomorrow and that luxury l can't afford. I hope that nasal spray Spravato (esketamine) will be finally covered by Medicare because I can't afford $3600 per month.

Sorry to hear that . Any chance to maybe space the oxy out, like 5 mg in the morning, 5 later on? You would get less strong relief but maybe be more long lasting? Good luck

 

[Baclofiend]

My family even worry that one day my pcp will retire and she will be replaced by one of these new “government agent” doctors who are anti everything except Prozac! Just kidding about the government agent saying but I’ve had two family members who weren’t even on opiates but on very mild doses of benzo’s for extreme anxiety and both their long term pcp’s retired at nearly the same time. They were noth reffered to different newer doctors and BOTH of them were immediately prescribed Prozac for anxiety and the doctors started weening them off of an already low dose of (1 remember) from 5 mg of Valium daily and (2) .25 mg alprazolam 3 times per day. Both were put on Prozac which did absolutely nothing except make my father sick. Now understand both of their new doctors were under 30, one was male and one was female. My wife, who is on the alprazolam dropped him right away and after a short talk was taken in by my pcp who gave her .25 mg 4 times per day, probably understanding she needed extra just to put up with me! My father just used urgent care doctors once per month and was eventually referred to a Dr in her 50’s who understood the situation and put him back on 5mg of Valium and he wasn’t a nervous wreck anymore.

That was a long explanation but it is a small example of lessons newer Drs might be receiving in med school with the government wanting to control everything for everybody. Of there could be another completely different reason! Thank God they weren’t in opiates. This just happened in the last three years so hopefully we will all be good for a while.

 

[Man67]

Sorry to hear that . Any chance to maybe space the oxy out, like 5 mg in the morning, 5 later on? You would get less strong relief but maybe be more long lasting? Good luck

I tried that and it doesn't work. The dose is too mild to have any effect.

 

[Man67]

You do sound like me, especially what you say about that morning dose of opioid. It sure helps. It is something to look forward to.

Like you, I fear getting cut off. That can depend on the whim of the doctor, which seems unfair. A year ago, my MD mentioned getting me off hydrocodone. He hasn't brought it up again, but I have ongoing anxiety that he will. I don't need one more thing to feel insecure about, but that's a constant worry. I hope neither of us loses our supply.

I hope so mate. Regardless of their decision the fear will always be in the air.

 

[marcoman]

I take small doses of oxycodone for pain management - 5mg 3x a day. And yes it has helped my mood and mental status. Mostly because I'm not in pain. I'm much happier and life is better. Yet these newage robot docturds' wearing white coats rarely prescribe them anymore. I guess I've been lucky to get them but worry my docturd' will cut me off as she recently cut me off from my low dose of Klonopins. Dumb beach' .. And where do people go when cut off, as they have no other choice? The fkn streets, where you don't really know what your getting half the time. Not everyone out there is an addict but these docturds' treat us all that way. I'm almost 67 and get eyeballed by the whitecoat medical gangsters like I'm homeless and after heroin and free donuts and good coffee! Lol.

 

[anonymouse77]

Absolutely right. But only in small doses. I've been on 10mg Oxycodone for the last year and a half and it's still working. It gives me a 3-4 hours depression free window in the morning to go to the supermarket and attend Dr's appointments.

I don't feel anything but suic. thoughts and dark thoughts are gone during that period. The rest of the day I stay in bed. My Psychiatrist told me there's a little chance to develop tolerance with such a small dose.

I can't call this "life" but it's better than it used to be. The most important thing is discipline. I can't take 20mg because I will have nothing for tomorrow and that luxury l can't afford. I hope that nasal spray Spravato (esketamine) will be finally covered by Medicare because I can't afford $3600 per month.

I'm the same. I'm on a medication called palexia and take it twice a day as it's slow release and only get a small relief from depression for a couple of hours after I take it. I don't know what to do.

 

[chippermonk]

I'm the same. I'm on a medication called palexia and take it twice a day as it's slow release and only get a small relief from depression for a couple of hours after I take it. I don't know what to do.

I never heard of palexia until just now but I looked it up: tapentadol. What country do you live in? They prescribed it for pain, right?

 

[smokinbiscuits]

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've heard of doctors prescribing prescription opiates for depression but it's very seldom and not common. Personally as someone who self medicated themselves for depression and anxiety with opiates for years, I would say they definitely helped but I was unable to get a prescription so it became a problem of getting

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 could say I didn't know what you were going through but unfortunately I know exactly how you feel becoming a slave to something so insignificant as a bottle of pills. I started same way trying to self medicate my depression and anxiety. The pills were a warm blanket on a cold night, they fit like a silk glove. Unfortunately I was never prescribed so when the sickness hit I turned to the narcotics. Fast forward, I get clean. Now I'm prescribed methadone which is an opiate and it saved my life, I thought it was helping with my depression and anxiety until I was prescribed an SSRI medication like Prozac. At first you don't think it works because you don't get that instant feeling and relief like an opiate, and they take time to work. But after a while I started noticing my sense of humor was changing I was laughing again, a lot. And it was at things I wouldn't have normally found amusing, I was enjoying new things, I was no longer tired all the time. Both opiates and SSRI meds increase serotonin inhibitors in the brain

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'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 could say I didn't know what you were going through but unfortunately I know exactly how you feel becoming a slave to something so insignificant as a bottle of pills. I started same way trying to self medicate my depression and anxiety. The pills were a warm blanket on a cold night, they fit like a silk glove. Unfortunately I was never prescribed so when the sickness hit I turned to the narcotics. Fast forward, I get clean. Now I'm prescribed methadone which is an opiate and it saved my life, I thought it was helping with my depression and anxiety until I was prescribed an SSRI medication like Prozac. At first you don't think it works because you don't get that instant feeling and relief like an opiate, and they take time to work. But after a while I started noticing my sense of humor was changing I was laughing again, a lot. And it was at things I wouldn't have normally found amusing, I was enjoying new things, I was no longer tired all the time. Both opiates and SSRI increase serotonin inhibitors in the brain but the moment you stop taking an opiates physically sick and emotionally vacancy. Just the thought of being sick makes me anxious and uneasy it's the worst, with them there is always that cloud over your head just waiting for you to forget to take your dose or you lose your prescription or blow through them to fast, then it can start raining on you.

I'm not trying to talk you out of anything after all only YOU knows what's best for you and what you think you need. I'm simply using my personal experience as a way to give some advice I'm not a medical professional I just have been in a very similar situation as you many times. If you think you're opiates are working then take them and try to take them as prescribed because you build a tolerance fast. The meds aren't supposed to make to feel high or euphoric chasing that feeling is what addiction is all about. If you plan on being on pain meds for the rest of your life that's your choice but I think you should also ask about SSRI's you won't feel immediate satisfaction or euphoria but you must take them regularly for at least 2 months before they start working depending on the meds. If you plan on getting off the pain meds ask your doctor about Suboxone it will help you kick the pills ASAP and it will counteract the withdrawal systems like the sweats, chills, cramps, shaking, shitting puking and the worst the restlessness which is the worst in my opinion because you can't sleep. But with this med you can sleep through the withdrawals. You can also take it regularly as harm reduction and if you were to try to use an opiates you will feel nothings thus reducing the urge to get high.

Maybe talk to your doctor about taking them together so if in the future you stop taking one to have the other to fall back on. I myself am tapering off my opiate prescription and I'm at a very low dose but I haven't really felt any negative side effects mentally and id like to believe its because my other meds balancing me out. Even though I do believe the opiates helped with my depression and anxiety, I still have that constant fear of what if something were to happen and I could no longer get it hanging over me, so it's kind of a big relief off my shoulders. I also don't think it was helping with my depression as much as I would have liked to believe. I think it was more of a familiar feeling that comforted me, made me feel less self conscious, more confident and that gave me a false sense of accomplishment.

 

[kreativsniks]

This is a pretty interesting topic, I've dabbled a bit with a short term (4 weeks) or Tramadol use (XR 200-300mg/day) and I must say it quickly went from feeling kind of euphoric to just feeling normal & for some reason that med gave me plenty of energy too, which was surprising. Somehow surprised about the effects I did some research and turns out Tramadol has some SSRI interaction too going on.

What surprised me was how quickly Tramadol seemed to work, especially with the depression part, relief was almost instant. After doing some reading here on BL, I got the impression that managing depression with opioids is rather a downhill ride, not really sustainable because of it not being a commonly prescribed medication for depression, addiction and tolerance issues.

It seems like there plenty of different medications for fighting depression (or rather getting along with it), it just may take a longer time to find something that works and agrees with your body. Perhaps I should visit a Dr. again and try some Prozac; feeling a bit desperate.

 

[anonymouse77]

I never heard of palexia until just now but I looked it up: tapentadol. What country do you live in? They prescribed it for pain, right?

Thank you for your reply and looking it up. I live in Australia and yes it's prescribed for pain but I do know by now I am dependent on it. It's like a weird opioid that also does serotonin.

 

[chippermonk]

This is a pretty interesting topic, I've dabbled a bit with a short term (4 weeks) or Tramadol use (XR 200-300mg/day) and I must say it quickly went from feeling kind of euphoric to just feeling normal & for some reason that med gave me plenty of energy too, which was surprising. Somehow surprised about the effects I did some research and turns out Tramadol has some SSRI interaction too going on.

What surprised me was how quickly Tramadol seemed to work, especially with the depression part, relief was almost instant. After doing some reading here on BL, I got the impression that managing depression with opioids is rather a downhill ride, not really sustainable because of it not being a commonly prescribed medication for depression, addiction and tolerance issues.

It seems like there plenty of different medications for fighting depression (or rather getting along with it), it just may take a longer time to find something that works and agrees with your body. Perhaps I should visit a Dr. again and try some Prozac; feeling a bit desperate.

Yeah, I agree and I concur with @smokinbiscuits
Opiates can really give you some quick and immediate depression relief, and, for me personally, that is especially so with tramadol. But to me it feels like they overshoot the target too much. I go beyond losing my depression to feeling falsely elated. It isn't a sustainable way of feeling better. And as soon as I come down from a high ( especially tramadol) I feel lousy. That's without any physical addiction, just intermittent use. Don't get me wrong, I still take (very small) doses of opiates but it doesn't fix anything.
In contrast, I was on Prozac and Wellbutrin for some years there awhile back. The effect is subtle, and I can't say for sure how much they helped, but taking them coincided with me feeling better. Ideally, they give you the breathing space to learn how to cope better, think differently. I did that and ended up quitting them. I do have to say I felt withdrawal symptoms quitting but they were tolerable.
Unfortunately, a dozen years later my depression is rearing it's ugly head again, but I understand it better now. I'm not sure if I'm going to go back on SSRIs again or not. My added difficulty is that my number one go-to for improving my mood is exercise and my knees are giving me a lot of pain this year. But I highly recommend trying hiking or whatever you might like.
Good luck

 

[Pissed_and_messed]

not really sustainable because of it not being a commonly prescribed medication for depression, addiction and tolerance issues.

I suspect that effects to testosterone can also be detrimental to well-being.

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

Pretty sure I've commented on this thread before but I'll do it again.

I've had major depression since I was a kid. Made worse after a bout of Mono in my teens, that left me with fibro-like pain & chronic fatigue.
With all of that combined, I remember days as a teenager where I'd be hanging out with my friends & they'd all be laughing & socializing & I'd want to do the same, but I was so damn tired & depressed that I didn't even have the energy to move my mouth & speak. Obviously living this way has affected every single area of my life.

On top of no energy, I feel constantly sore & achy. Similar to how you feel after a good hard work out, when your muscles feel sore the next day. I feel that way every day though, even without working out.

I got hooked on tramadol at age 19 & then eventually landed a heroin dealer later on in my 20's.
But I went through withdrawals every month from the age of 19-30ish.

Opioids can be incredible antidepressants. They worked better than SSRIs, SNRIs, the whole lot. But your depression will be 100x worse during withdrawal. So this route is only viable if you know you'll have access to opioids forever.

I'm now on buprenorphine maintenance & probably will be for the rest of my life. Buprenorphine does help my depression but not as good as full agonists. I also find buprenorphine is much more heavy & sedating than full agonists (possibly because it has a metabolite that is also a sedative). So I feel mentally blunted & flat every day from it. Which sucks some times but other times it's better than being an emotional rollercoaster. Although feeling flat & blunted can also make me kind of depressed. So ideally I'd rather be on a full agonist for maintenance. But in a sense I'm kinda chained to the system now & will always need some kind of opioid daily to function.

I just lost my train of thought & I'm too tired & sore to actually finish writing, so..
If we didn't have an ignorant drug war ruining people's lives & people could access & rotate opioids legally, it might be a different story.

Also, there's no proof that depression is caused by low serotonin. There's also no proof that increasing one's serotonin "cures" or "treats depression" any better than opioids would. In fact, long term SSRI/SNRI use can actually lead to lower concentrations of serotonin in the brain. So the medical establishment are a bunch of liars. The serotonin theory of depression was only invented to sell drugs, at the expense of your well-being.

No evidence that depression is caused by low serotonin levels, finds comprehensive review

After decades of study, there remains no clear evidence that serotonin levels or serotonin activity are responsible for depression, according to a major review of prior research.

www.sciencedaily.com

 

[chippermonk]

Yeah, I agree, there are a lot of questions about how and if prozac works. On the other hand, it is the case that self- dosing opiates for depression is incredibly hard to manage in a safe and effective way, particularly under present legal conditions. I think the only it would really work would be prescribed in limited doses like with ADHD meds and a doctor monitoring you for plateau effect and such. Sign me up for that!
SSRIs may or may not work, definitely some controversy there. Even though I used them, I'd be lying if I said I was sure they worked. Still, they are legal and safer than playing black market opiate roulette, with no regulation except self- regulation for said opiates. I think worth a try together with therapy if you can get that YMMV.

 

[Pissed_and_messed]

Yeah, if I have buprenorphine, I very quickly end up snorting it every day a bit, and my doses creep up little by little-it reverts to me being addict and also not being able to be satisfied with "moderate pain, anxiety and depression relief". I WANT MAXIMUM RELIEF, obviously.

 

[Conky]

Pretty sure I've commented on this thread before but I'll do it again.

I've had major depression since I was a kid. Made worse after a bout of Mono in my teens, that left me with fibro-like pain & chronic fatigue.
With all of that combined, I remember days as a teenager where I'd be hanging out with my friends & they'd all be laughing & socializing & I'd want to do the same, but I was so damn tired & depressed that I didn't even have the energy to move my mouth & speak. Obviously living this way has affected every single area of my life.

On top of no energy, I feel constantly sore & achy. Similar to how you feel after a good hard work out, when your muscles feel sore the next day. I feel that way every day though, even without working out.

I got hooked on tramadol at age 19 & then eventually landed a heroin dealer later on in my 20's.
But I went through withdrawals every month from the age of 19-30ish.

Opioids can be incredible antidepressants. They worked better than SSRIs, SNRIs, the whole lot. But your depression will be 100x worse during withdrawal. So this route is only viable if you know you'll have access to opioids forever.

I'm now on buprenorphine maintenance & probably will be for the rest of my life. Buprenorphine does help my depression but not as good as full agonists. I also find buprenorphine is much more heavy & sedating than full agonists (possibly because it has a metabolite that is also a sedative). So I feel mentally blunted & flat every day from it. Which sucks some times but other times it's better than being an emotional rollercoaster. Although feeling flat & blunted can also make me kind of depressed. So ideally I'd rather be on a full agonist for maintenance. But in a sense I'm kinda chained to the system now & will always need some kind of opioid daily to function.

I just lost my train of thought & I'm too tired & sore to actually finish writing, so..
If we didn't have an ignorant drug war ruining people's lives & people could access & rotate opioids legally, it might be a different story.

Also, there's no proof that depression is caused by low serotonin. There's also no proof that increasing one's serotonin "cures" or "treats depression" any better than opioids would. In fact, long term SSRI/SNRI use can actually lead to lower concentrations of serotonin in the brain. So the medical establishment are a bunch of liars. The serotonin theory of depression was only invented to sell drugs, at the expense of your well-being.

No evidence that depression is caused by low serotonin levels, finds comprehensive review

After decades of study, there remains no clear evidence that serotonin levels or serotonin activity are responsible for depression, according to a major review of prior research.

www.sciencedaily.com

You can always try a tricyclic antidepressant like amitryptyline or a reversible MAOI such as moclobemide. They can also be combined but your blood pressure will need to be monitored. The only TCA's that can't be combined with moclobemide are clomipramine and imipramine. Could be better than depending on black market opioids.

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

You can always try a tricyclic antidepressant like amitryptyline or a reversible MAOI such as moclobemide. They can also be combined but your blood pressure will need to be monitored. The only TCA's that can't be combined with moclobemide are clomipramine and imipramine. Could be better than depending on black market opioids.

I appreciate that.
I've been through the whole antidepressant merry-go-round though.
Effexor kept making me extremely sick/nauseated & clomipramine actually put me in the ER with mild to moderate serotonin syndrome (which I was able to abort myself by being knowledgeable enough to take a klonopin as soon as it started). Woke up one night & started projectile vomiting over & over. My hands were shaking on their own. My insides felt like they were on fire. My brain felt really off & confused. All from clomipramine. I vowed after that, to never take any kind of SSRI/SNRI ever again. This was after having tried everything from zoloft to prozac to abilify, etc..

I've also given Welbutrin a shot, but it's total garbage.

I haven't tried amitryptyline though. Maybe it's worth a shot.
I don't think I could do MAOI's either, because I love things like cheese & chocolate, so knowing me, I'd probably accidentally consume these things just out of mere habit, which would put me in danger on MAOI.

But yeah, as far as most antidepressants go, they either just didn't help me or the side effects were so bad that I couldn't even get through the first few weeks in order to really get any relief.

I've had doctors try to push mood stabilizers & antipsychotics on me for depression as well. And most of the drugs in those classes reduce dopamine & cause a mentally-flat & blunted state. Which ultimately just made my anhedonia & depression worse due to lack of feeling anything at all.

Yeah, I agree, there are a lot of questions about how and if prozac works. On the other hand, it is the case that self- dosing opiates for depression is incredibly hard to manage in a safe and effective way, particularly under present legal conditions. I think the only it would really work would be prescribed in limited doses like with ADHD meds and a doctor monitoring you for plateau effect and such. Sign me up for that!
SSRIs may or may not work, definitely some controversy there. Even though I used them, I'd be lying if I said I was sure they worked. Still, they are legal and safer than playing black market opiate roulette, with no regulation except self- regulation for said opiates. I think worth a try together with therapy if you can get that YMMV.

I agree. Although I think there are some reasonable adults who could manage their opioids without a bunch of doctor-oversight.

I effectively used tramadol for nearly 10 years to treat my depression. It was my moms tramadol, so there was no doctor supervision (at least on my part). And I did really well. I only ever took up to 400mg of tramadol a day, because I was aware of the seizure risk. I was lucky to have a mom who didn't care for them & would just give them to me every month for 10 years. But of course not everybody is going to be like me, so there would need to be SOME oversight just to make sure people aren't intentionally harming themselves.

And yeah, I'm skeptical of SSRIs/SNRIs working because they've never helped me. Yet I've met a lot of people who say they do help them & who am I to say they're lying or shouldn't use them? If it works for them, that's great! Although from my experience, it's usually the people with just regular, natural depression who end up benefiting the most from SSRIs. People who would have gotten better after awhile anyway. But people like myself who have an actual depression disorder, where it just never ends, seem to be more treatment-resistant, unfortunately.

Yeah, if I have buprenorphine, I very quickly end up snorting it every day a bit, and my doses creep up little by little-it reverts to me being addict and also not being able to be satisfied with "moderate pain, anxiety and depression relief". I WANT MAXIMUM RELIEF, obviously.

LOL Yeah buprenorphine is such a damn tease. It tickles those receptors ever so slightly, tricking you into thinking that maximum relief might come, but it never does, no matter how much you take. I think bupe is a useful tool for certain situations, but damn I wish I could use literally any other opioid for maintenance. Especially if it's a full agonist.