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

I've been trying to make my Vicodin prescription last longer. This morning I woke up depressed, but wasn't in pain. So I held off taking the Vicodin. Mentally, I had no get-up-and-go. Eventually, I took a tablet. In 25 minutes, I felt so much better. It's amazing how well this drug (hydrocodone) improves my state of mind. I wish there was an antidepressant that worked this good.
 
I've been using heroin to manage depression/anxiety and chronic pain for just about a decade basically every day, with some irregular use and regular oxy (pain management) use before heroin. During that time I've just barely increased my dose, and today spend less per day on it than a heavy cigarette smoker. I'm also employed at job I love, have a great relationship with my family, and have a great life. My therapist acknowledges I'm quite unique, but opiates are amazing for my anxiety and depression. I beat cancer! And during that time I was anxious but I was able to keep going every day because I had opiates to smooth things out. But even besides that, I'd been terribly depressed and often suicidal for years, and I figured I may as well just get on heroin if I was gonna kill myself anyway. The desire to die got less and less and slowly disappeared as months became years and my life on opiates got better and better. Today my mental health issues are manageable and I almost feel guilty for how I ok I feel as our nation careens towards disaster. But I have this faith that things will work out.

Psychedelics were amazing for some breakthroughs in my mental health, but nothing has been a day-in day-out medicine to rely on like opiates. But ne of the most foundational things is looking at them as a long-term maintenance drug that you're using to get by. If you try to get as high as possible every day you're in for problems and soon. If you're embracing dependence you also have to embrace that life is a marathon not a sprint.
 
I've been using heroin to manage depression/anxiety and chronic pain for just about a decade basically every day, with some irregular use and regular oxy (pain management) use before heroin. During that time I've just barely increased my dose, and today spend less per day on it than a heavy cigarette smoker. I'm also employed at job I love, have a great relationship with my family, and have a great life. My therapist acknowledges I'm quite unique, but opiates are amazing for my anxiety and depression. I beat cancer! And during that time I was anxious but I was able to keep going every day because I had opiates to smooth things out. But even besides that, I'd been terribly depressed and often suicidal for years, and I figured I may as well just get on heroin if I was gonna kill myself anyway. The desire to die got less and less and slowly disappeared as months became years and my life on opiates got better and better. Today my mental health issues are manageable and I almost feel guilty for how I ok I feel as our nation careens towards disaster. But I have this faith that things will work out.

Psychedelics were amazing for some breakthroughs in my mental health, but nothing has been a day-in day-out medicine to rely on like opiates. But ne of the most foundational things is looking at them as a long-term maintenance drug that you're using to get by. If you try to get as high as possible every day you're in for problems and soon. If you're embracing dependence you also have to embrace that life is a marathon not a sprint.

Good post. I agree that there is a difference between chasing euphoria and just trying to feel reasonably okay. Congratulations on beating cancer. I hope you're able to maintain what is working for you.
 
Hi. I started this thread way back over a year ago. People still post on it, so I figured I'ld start here. My main problem is depression. I been dealing with it all my life. I get these bad episodes where I'ld like to die. In between episodes, I mostly seem like I'm just fine. After I started taking hydrocodone for back pain, I found that it was also kind of good for depression. That led me to reading about opioids and depression, which led me to this website.

I figured that a site for drug users would probably have members who knew something about mental pain. That proved correct, and I appreciate others posting on this thread and sharing their experience with depression and opioids. I am very grateful for all the contributors who entered into discussions here. People are very sincere here at Bluelight.

I'm having a bad episode. My refill on the Vicodin was ready yesterday, but I was too depressed to go get it. I went today and got it because I fear withdrawal. I came home and took two tablets. That would be a total of 20mg of hydrocodone. Twenty minutes later, I noticed I was thinking more calmly. That amazed me. I had wanted to take 4 tablets, but I have to make my refill last for a month. So I thought I better just take two. I told myself I could take another two tabs, if the first two don't help. I never take 4 tablets close together, but today I would have eaten live cockroaches, if I thought it would ease my mental state. This has been the worst mental tailspin in a long while.

Over the years, I went for psychiatric treatment, none of which was much good. I got prescribed just about every psychotropic out there. Other posters here have said similar things about psych meds not being helpful. The most demoralizing thing is trying to explain to professionals that my problem is severe because of how bad the episodes can get. I come across as a competent person. I get dismissed, or told one platitude after another, like, "maybe you need to learn self-grounding techniques." I don't expect anyone to wave a magic wand. For many years I've had suicidal thinking, but I mostly figured it was just fantasizing. I just keep it to myself. I don't want cops coming to my door.

These episodes have been coming closer together. Today I thought about just eating all 60 Vicodin tablets in my refill. But that can produce unpredictable results. I've never done anything like that. I won't do that today or tomorrow. These episodes always blow over eventually. But they come back over and over. If even one doctor believed me, I would be helped, just to be believed.

Maybe I'm out of line here. If so, I'm sorry. Maybe this belongs in a different section. Maybe I'm being too explicit. Surely, I do realize that many members of this site have been through way worse stuff than I've ever had to deal with. I'm in awe of what people manage to survive. Mainly I just came here to say that I've been climbing the walls since yesterday, and finally got the worsening hysteria to slow down by taking some hydrocodone. I'm not having any backpain today. I'm trying to make the mental pain ease up. If I ever told that to my doctor, he'ld probably never order opioid pills for me again. So I don't confide too much that might threaten my supply. Doctors have to protect themselves, so you have to be real careful about telling them anything.

I used to have a prescription for Ritalin. Taking 40 mg of Ritalin with the hydrocodone worked even better. I don't have Ritalin anymore. I'm afraid to ask for it again. I know more drugs is not a good longterm solution. My whole problem is that, since my partner died, I spend way too much time alone. Except to go to the stores for necessities, I mostly stay in my apartment alone. That's a bad way to live that will drive anyone off the deep end sooner or later. I better do something besides sitting here wanting to take more hydrocodone. Doing something constructive sometimes speeds up getting an "episode" to run its course and conclude, so I can feel normal again. Thanks for listening. I hope anyone reading this is doing okay at the moment.
 
Hi. I started this thread way back over a year ago. People still post on it, so I figured I'ld start here. My main problem is depression. I been dealing with it all my life. I get these bad episodes where I'ld like to die. In between episodes, I mostly seem like I'm just fine. After I started taking hydrocodone for back pain, I found that it was also kind of good for depression. That led me to reading about opioids and depression, which led me to this website.

I figured that a site for drug users would probably have members who knew something about mental pain. That proved correct, and I appreciate others posting on this thread and sharing their experience with depression and opioids. I am very grateful for all the contributors who entered into discussions here. People are very sincere here at Bluelight.

I'm having a bad episode. My refill on the Vicodin was ready yesterday, but I was too depressed to go get it. I went today and got it because I fear withdrawal. I came home and took two tablets. That would be a total of 20mg of hydrocodone. Twenty minutes later, I noticed I was thinking more calmly. That amazed me. I had wanted to take 4 tablets, but I have to make my refill last for a month. So I thought I better just take two. I told myself I could take another two tabs, if the first two don't help. I never take 4 tablets close together, but today I would have eaten live cockroaches, if I thought it would ease my mental state. This has been the worst mental tailspin in a long while.

Over the years, I went for psychiatric treatment, none of which was much good. I got prescribed just about every psychotropic out there. Other posters here have said similar things about psych meds not being helpful. The most demoralizing thing is trying to explain to professionals that my problem is severe because of how bad the episodes can get. I come across as a competent person. I get dismissed, or told one platitude after another, like, "maybe you need to learn self-grounding techniques." I don't expect anyone to wave a magic wand. For many years I've had suicidal thinking, but I mostly figured it was just fantasizing. I just keep it to myself. I don't want cops coming to my door.

These episodes have been coming closer together. Today I thought about just eating all 60 Vicodin tablets in my refill. But that can produce unpredictable results. I've never done anything like that. I won't do that today or tomorrow. These episodes always blow over eventually. But they come back over and over. If even one doctor believed me, I would be helped, just to be believed.

Maybe I'm out of line here. If so, I'm sorry. Maybe this belongs in a different section. Maybe I'm being too explicit. Surely, I do realize that many members of this site have been through way worse stuff than I've ever had to deal with. I'm in awe of what people manage to survive. Mainly I just came here to say that I've been climbing the walls since yesterday, and finally got the worsening hysteria to slow down by taking some hydrocodone. I'm not having any backpain today. I'm trying to make the mental pain ease up. If I ever told that to my doctor, he'ld probably never order opioid pills for me again. So I don't confide too much that might threaten my supply. Doctors have to protect themselves, so you have to be real careful about telling them anything.

I used to have a prescription for Ritalin. Taking 40 mg of Ritalin with the hydrocodone worked even better. I don't have Ritalin anymore. I'm afraid to ask for it again. I know more drugs is not a good longterm solution. My whole problem is that, since my partner died, I spend way too much time alone. Except to go to the stores for necessities, I mostly stay in my apartment alone. That's a bad way to live that will drive anyone off the deep end sooner or later. I better do something besides sitting here wanting to take more hydrocodone. Doing something constructive sometimes speeds up getting an "episode" to run its course and conclude, so I can feel normal again. Thanks for listening. I hope anyone reading this is doing okay at the moment.
I'm experiencing something similar for the last several years. The only thing that is keeping me alive is 10mg Oxycodone p/d (minimal dose legally prescribed for chronic pain). It literally saved my life several times.

I never take more than prescribed as it would be counterproductive. Try to keep it under control because if you develop tolerance what else is there? Take care and good luck.
 
For myself of late, I've been sticking to really small doses of kratom to adjust my mood, like 1/4 or 1/2 a tsp. I wouldn't mind taking equivalent small doses of hydrocodone or oxycodone, but I don't have any supplies of that and kratom is legal here. Besides, I like the little bit of stimulation I get from low dose kratom.
My opinion, derived from my own personal use, is that doing higher doses of opioids ) including kratom) leads to me overshooting my target and having rebound worse feelings when I come down. I actually feel a nice little lift at low doses. It doesn't end my down moods but for me personally, being higher destabilizes me more. I function better in life when I'm less high and that makes things more tolerable
But I do still like feeling high.
Ymmv
 
I think that might just be that you have tolerance from using your other opiods. It also seems the case to me that some vendors have better, fresher product. But maybe it just doesn't work for you. Good luck

Thanks for that insight. I hadn't thought of that.
 
I'm in a real bad way. I just took two more Vicodin. That's four in the past few hours. It totals 40 mg of hydrocodone. They're for back pain. I don't have any back pain right now. I have mental pain. Depression. That's nothing new. But it's not been this bad in a long time.

I go in and out of depressive episodes. During the in-between intervals, I'm often okay, sometimes for a few weeks, before the next episode. That's what has kept me going - knowing that an episode is temporary.

This time, the dread and fear and aloneness are excruciating. I've thought about eating the whole vial of 50+ tablets, but I'm not quite that hopeless yet. Yesterday, taking two tablets reduced the despair enough to feel tolerable. This afternoon, taking two was not enough. So I took another two. That was thirty minutes ago. It's still excruciating.

I'm a pretty resourceful person, but I'm not finding a good idea that I can believe in. My latest brainstorm idea is to go to the animal shelter tomorrow and adopt a dog. I just have to come up with an idea because I don't think this is one of my transient "episodes." Four years ago, I managed to recover from losing my significant other to lung cancer. As painful as that was, I believed I would recover. I was suicidal for a bit and went into a psych hospital for a week. Four months after he died, I was functioning pretty good. For three days now, I've been feeling the worst I've felt since right after he died. Back then, I told myself that grief is normal and that it doesn't last forever. I was right about that. Back then, I could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Now I don't see a light.

It's amazing what you can get through, when you're able to visualize coming out on the other side of a difficult situation. I can't seem to get a picture like that in my mind.

Those pills I took have not eased my worried mind. I think I'll try a beer. Or maybe not. Alcohol never eased depression for me. I would have become a drunk long ago, if it did.

If I had the company of a pet, this aloneness might not seem so bad.

I want to tell my family that I'm suicidal . . . that I need to know someone cares something for me. But I don't dare. It might make them angry. It might be taken as me making a threat, intended to extort attention from others. They know I am in the midst of going through a tough change in my life - a recent loss. Yet they're not calling me up, saying, "How are you doing?" I bother them very, very little. Long, long ago, I learned that complaining about feeling depressed is a real quick way to turn people off and make them want to avoid you. So I keep my troubles to myself, or I see a professional.

I'm wracking my mind and coming up with nothing.
 
At least you are seeing a professional? Maybe they have some other pharmaceutical help for you? But I hope you can find someone you know personally who you can confide in as well.
A dog can be nice, too, though. That's legit purpose and friendship
 
I'm in a real bad way. I just took two more Vicodin. That's four in the past few hours. It totals 40 mg of hydrocodone. They're for back pain. I don't have any back pain right now. I have mental pain. Depression. That's nothing new. But it's not been this bad in a long time.

I go in and out of depressive episodes. During the in-between intervals, I'm often okay, sometimes for a few weeks, before the next episode. That's what has kept me going - knowing that an episode is temporary.

This time, the dread and fear and aloneness are excruciating. I've thought about eating the whole vial of 50+ tablets, but I'm not quite that hopeless yet. Yesterday, taking two tablets reduced the despair enough to feel tolerable. This afternoon, taking two was not enough. So I took another two. That was thirty minutes ago. It's still excruciating.

I'm a pretty resourceful person, but I'm not finding a good idea that I can believe in. My latest brainstorm idea is to go to the animal shelter tomorrow and adopt a dog. I just have to come up with an idea because I don't think this is one of my transient "episodes." Four years ago, I managed to recover from losing my significant other to lung cancer. As painful as that was, I believed I would recover. I was suicidal for a bit and went into a psych hospital for a week. Four months after he died, I was functioning pretty good. For three days now, I've been feeling the worst I've felt since right after he died. Back then, I told myself that grief is normal and that it doesn't last forever. I was right about that. Back then, I could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Now I don't see a light.

It's amazing what you can get through, when you're able to visualize coming out on the other side of a difficult situation. I can't seem to get a picture like that in my mind.

Those pills I took have not eased my worried mind. I think I'll try a beer. Or maybe not. Alcohol never eased depression for me. I would have become a drunk long ago, if it did.

If I had the company of a pet, this aloneness might not seem so bad.

I want to tell my family that I'm suicidal . . . that I need to know someone cares something for me. But I don't dare. It might make them angry. It might be taken as me making a threat, intended to extort attention from others. They know I am in the midst of going through a tough change in my life - a recent loss. Yet they're not calling me up, saying, "How are you doing?" I bother them very, very little. Long, long ago, I learned that complaining about feeling depressed is a real quick way to turn people off and make them want to avoid you. So I keep my troubles to myself, or I see a professional.

I'm wracking my mind and coming up with nothing.
Have you tried (LEGAL) ketamine therapy? Nasal spray, IV or generic pills. Has to be done in the hospital under supervision and it's not cheap.
 
At least you are seeing a professional? Maybe they have some other pharmaceutical help for you? But I hope you can find someone you know personally who you can confide in as well.
A dog can be nice, too, though. That's legit purpose and friendship

I'm not seeing a professional at this time. I did last year. I'm taking amitriptyline, an antidepressant. Over the years, I was put on all kinds of psych meds. They didn't help. I don't have anyone I can confide in. It feels like I've been running from a monster, who has finally chased me down a blind alley.
 
Have you tried (LEGAL) ketamine therapy? Nasal spray, IV or generic pills. Has to be done in the hospital under supervision and it's not cheap.

No, I've never tried Ketamine. My whole problem is that I'm alone way too much. To some extent, it's my own fault because I don't make enough of an effort to connect with others.
 
No, I've never tried Ketamine. My whole problem is that I'm alone way too much. To some extent, it's my own fault because I don't make enough of an effort to connect with others.
I also lost contact with the outside world around 10 years ago. I pushed all my friends away and don't live house at all. Except for the Dr appointment once a month.
 
I used a variety of opiates for several years to stave off depression and anxiety, with no ill effects to speak of. These mainly included pods, oxycodone, and hydrocodone. No withdrawls ever. Only a few short instances of increased tolerance (needing 4 pods instead of two to achieve the desired result). The key was absolutely strict moderation. Opiates are mostly benign, but only so long as increasing/ excessive doses are not used and habituation is categorically avoided. I set up a maximum use schedule of twice per week. No more than 10mg of hydro/oxycodone (usually I'd just take 5mg). The anecdotal research I had done suggested that this would be an indefinitely sustainable opiate regime, and for me that turned out to be the case. There are a number of pitfalls that must be avoided. You will have the voice in your head which tries to justify increasing either your frequency of use or the dose involved, and you must be able to recognize this and ignore it. I don't think many people have the sort of discipline and willpower to maintain this though; most find ever increasing opiate consumption too tempting to avoid, and that is the line which cannot be crossed if opiates are to remain an ally and not an enemy. For me, I recognized that in using opiates, the choice was between using them in a very structured manner or eventually being much worse off and not being able to use them at all. It was a very logical choice for me. I cannot emphasize enough though: You have to deeply respect the terms of the relationship with these drugs, or you will get burned.

Eventually I lost interest in opiates. Their effect on me changed. The thought of them does not excite me in the least. Exercising, accomplishing tangible goals, and being social are the real drivers of endogenous satisfaction. Opiates can be used as a stepping stone to these things (I found they increased my motivation and made me more outgoing), but in the end you have to make the push yourself.

*I should add that I found the therapeutic effects of opiates lasted much longer than the main effects. One dose would leave me in a positive headspace for several days, generally. I feel like what opiates allowed me to do was to learn to think and act in ways that eventually helped me overcome the issues I was dealing with. MDMA is useful in this regard as well, but the harsh and protracted crash makes it difficult to integrate those ways of thinking and acting while the experience is still fresh. Plus, it's certainly not something that should be partaken of on the sort of frequency basis that opiates can be. That ties into another benefit of therapeutic opiate use: it leaves you almost entirely free of impairment.
Grok, 02/27/11, Re: Opiates for depression
 
I also lost contact with the outside world around 10 years ago. I pushed all my friends away and don't live house at all. Except for the Dr appointment once a month.

I'm very sorry that you've become so isolated. That means a very important, basic human need of yours is going unmet. I'm impressed that you've survived 10 years in this state.

Thank you for letting me know that you're in a position to understand about social alienation. I think a lot of people believe it's a choice. They're partially right. But there's a lot more to it.
 
The euphoria that comes on with opioids is the most powerful anxiolytic and antidepressant I have experienced. Of course, in the long term, this ends up becoming a problem and contributing to your depression.

I will say that I've found kratom to be the best middle ground at the moment - if you can watch your dosage and make sure to take proper t breaks, which I found easier than with traditional opioids. It also has mild serotonin activity which could contribute to these effects.
 
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