Vicodin lifts me up

[OnTheMountain]

To be honest I have been trying to stay sober as much as possible lately and have been sober for the most part. Definitly have been avoiding alchole. So anyway it just seems I sleep all day and have bad insomnia at night. No motivation. I have been unemployed for 7 months. Well Im in the process of getting a job.

So I decided to take half a loratab today and it brought me out of any depression I am going through and gives me motivation and some euphoria. Can this be something that can be taken in moderation, ie like with food and as long as you eat properly exercise a few times during the week can this work for a while?

I just hope it doesn't make my insomnia worse. I have been thinking about getting on an anti depressant but need income for that. Whats you all opinion or advice thanks.

 

[Alex000]

What is or was your opiate tolerance? How many mg of hydrocodone did you take? They don't prescribe opiates for depression, but they work fabulously for it, until of course you come off them. Whatever amount you took seemed to work for you, I'd say use VERY cautiously and not for long. I would dose yourself just once a day in the morning, and do something with the motivation it gives you so you won't have to rely on them for very long. Go searching for jobs, exercise, eat well, make good choices, maybe see a psych doc when you can.

 

[shady4091]

I would NEVER condone the use of ANY Opiate for depression. I think that's far too risky to even think about attempting and I can't see any good coming from it at all. All that's going to happen is you're going to get yourself addicted. I don't care who you are, maintaining a semi-often use of opiates is just not possible when you're using them that way.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

I know we shouldn't advise you take drugs in TDS, but there are better alternatives. Some doctors would easily prescribe some medications, but my overall suggestion is to stay away from physically addictive drugs, unless you are very sure you won't have a problem with abusing them. It may not seem like you would at first, but once you're hooked to a physically addictive drug, there's a whole new set of problems you'll be facing.

Try to focus on real life activities, like a bike ride, reading an amazing book, watching a movie, going to the gym, etc. - do something that makes you feel accomplished afterwards. This will help.

 

[Cohesion]

Try to focus on real life activities, like a bike ride, reading an amazing book, watching a movie, going to the gym, etc. - do something that makes you feel accomplished afterwards. This will help.

^ This

Whatever amount you took seemed to work for you, I'd say use VERY cautiously and not for long. I would dose yourself just once a day in the morning, and do something with the motivation it gives you

This quote by Alex - and only the part I included - I will predict you remember this advice most clearly out of this whole page so far? If so (and I could be wrong), addict or not, what Captain.Heroin said is the BEST advice.

Feeling accomplished = integrity = win

Congrats on getting a new job soon. : )

 

[J.Wallace]

I not only speak for myself, but others I'm sure, but self medicating with Opiates never ends well. It's how most addictions begin. We all start by saying "I can be responsible, I'll just use in moderation, never more than X times per week, etc etc" but then we slowly rationalize our use, and then it becomes "Well, one more time won't make me an addict" so we do it more than we expect. Before you know it, you're full blown rationalizing taking them every day.

Don't do it, seriously. Don't use Opiates for self medicating or anxiety. Use them with the mindset of recreational use every so often, not for self medicating.

 

[Alex000]

Jesus Christ, you all are in the world of doctors where opiates are NEVER to be used for psych issues. Benzos, sure, barbiturates, used to very popular, amphetamines, quite often. All of those drugs are dangerous in their own way, hell even anti-depressants are. Opiates are fabulous anti-depressants and anxiolytics. He took fucking half a Lortab, and felt better, if half a Lortab, or even a whole Lortab, or god forbid 2 or 3 Lortabs every morning for a few weeks helps him GETS WHERE HE NEEDS TO BE, then why not? Addiction, good reason, but if he doesn't let it out of control he won't be thrown into a full blown smack addiction within a few weeks. Opiates are extremely addictive, that is my warning. Head that warning, and use responsibly.

 

[captainballs]

So I decided to take half a loratab today and it brought me out of any depression I am going through and gives me motivation and some euphoria. Can this be something that can be taken in moderation, ie like with food and as long as you eat properly exercise a few times during the week can this work for a while?

No. You, specifically, are incapable of managing this habit. How can I say that based on one post? Easy: when I was seventeen, I noticed kids around school buying and selling these little pills and they seemed to be falling asleep in class and generally acting drunk. I tried one - just one 7.5/750 mg Vicodin - and my depression disappeared, I had incredible amounts of energy, and years of negativity seemed to fade into the distance.

i have noticed this energetic effect among 100% of the people I know who are in rehab for opiates. Your personality and body chemistry are the perfect storm for building a totally destructive addiction. I've been up and down from withdrawals now for the past ten years (27 yrs old now). Once your mind realizes that there are two worlds: one with that boost of energy and mood, and the other without, you can't unlearn it easily. I can testify that this up and down cycle you are putting yourself on by choosing to try and manage a habit will get more pronounced and interfere in a very negative way with life. Trust me, I'm just barely snapping out of it and trying to get back on my feet.

 

[J.Wallace]

I can testify that this up and down cycle you are putting yourself on by choosing to try and manage a habit will get more pronounced and interfere in a very negative way with life.

This. I couldn't agree with you more. Seriously, once you allow yourself into this cycle of Up's and Down's, it just becomes more pronounced. The further Up you go, the greater the fall Down. It's as though you're emotional spectrum widens, and opens itself up to more extreme emotions. Once that door is opened, you can't close it.

 

[xburtonchic]

Jesus Christ, you all are in the world of doctors where opiates are NEVER to be used for psych issues. Benzos, sure, barbiturates, used to very popular, amphetamines, quite often. All of those drugs are dangerous in their own way, hell even anti-depressants are. Opiates are fabulous anti-depressants and anxiolytics. He took fucking half a Lortab, and felt better, if half a Lortab, or even a whole Lortab, or god forbid 2 or 3 Lortabs every morning for a few weeks helps him GETS WHERE HE NEEDS TO BE, then why not? Addiction, good reason, but if he doesn't let it out of control he won't be thrown into a full blown smack addiction within a few weeks. Opiates are extremely addictive, that is my warning. Head that warning, and use responsibly.

All of those things you mentioned in the first line are just as addicting, if not more, and much harder to come off of. Not to mention life-threatening. I've never met any person, addict or otherwise... especially the people who are indeed addicted to those things... who have said it's a good idea to use benzos, barbs, or alcohol on a LONG-TERM BASIS for depression. Same goes for opiates.

Half a Lortab might not sound like a big deal now. But that's where we all started out, I guarantee you. For me it was one or two Vicodin a month... then it gradually grew worse, into a full blown addiction... and yes, I have smoked heroin twice, something I swore to myself I would NEVER do, even while I was fully dependent on opiates. And it all started with one Vicodin. The problem with using opiates (or any addictive substance) for self-medication is that you learn to rely on it. You start to think, "Why not just take one more? What harm will it do?" And it's so easy, because all you have to do is swallow a pill, and all of your problems are gone.

But of course you fast forward a few years later, and all of a sudden you realize that you have more problems than you started out with. I don't care how small of a dose you START OUT with... using opiates to self medicate NEVER leads to anything good. Getting high is one thing. Self medicating is a whole other animal, because you're using it to actually control the way you feel. And that's dangerous, because it's too fucking easy. I've never met anyone who didn't end up addicted when they started using opiates for that reason.

 

[Dave]

Lots of excellent, truly first-rate advice here. The crux of the argument is that mood elevators are not the same as antidepressants, and opiates are especially dangerous to use in this manner. In the short term, try out Captain.Heroin's suggestion of physical activity, and in the medium term really do try to see a psychologist. There are a lot of highly effective non-pharmaceutical treatments for depression and anxiety in particular, which I think are best to be explored prior to medication, self- or otherwise.

 

[xxsicknessxx]

I have been sober 7months but my opiet abuse has stricken me with bad sleep for the rest of my life.

Don't start something like using drugs to make your self feel better. Moderation is a joke

 

[brighton]

id like to say that i use tramadol maybe once a month as an anti depressent when shit gets really bad.
ive been doing that all year. its def not a good long term solution, but for me, its a much better option
than death. and i am seeing a psychologist to get some better coping techniques.

 

[foxytram]

Um sorry but not a good idea at all, You will end up needing more and more untill you can't function without them. I just cold turkeyed oxycodone been without for 10 days. Mine were stolen doctors dont replace those. So I am still out now and its no fun at all. Withdrawal sucks and if you keep taking them your sure to go though it. Just google opiate withdrawal and read what you go thru. Not fun my friend. I got lucky I guess and it was not too horrible for me probley cause Im always sick and been extreamly sick a few times with life threating issues so it don't seem so bad but it still sucks. Now lets say you have one bottle with few in there and thats all you have access to then I would say go ahead as long as you tell yourself once they are gone they are gone and don't seek more.

 

[theseeker]

My sincere advice to you is to stay away from opiates. If you must take them, do so sparingly. They can really fuck your brain chemistry up- particularly if you get addicted. Getting addicted is easier than anyone would suspect.

 

[Alex000]

Okay, I am really not trying to make it sound like opiates are perfect for depression, or without danger, but in his case I see no reason why he can't use a low dose of hydrocodone (1/2 Lortab) once daily for a few weeks to get him feeling good, give him energy, and motivation, and hope. It isn't as if he will suffer terrible wd's if just does that, probably barely noticeable. They are dangerous, that is my warning to the OP, addiction is very easily developed. Knowing that and abiding by the set dose will probably do him more good than bad if he can use responsibly. I don't think it is downright wrong. I guess my opinion is not in the popular, but when everyone and his brother are drinking, popping Xanax, or taking stimulants for supposed ADHD, a little Lortab doesn't seem so out of place. It is an opiate, I get it, but they are not evil, and can work wonders with the spirit.

 

[effie]

^ you are definitely entitled to your opinion and I do see where you are coming from. The trouble is that they do indeed work wonders, as you say, which makes it very hard not to use them more and more often.. and the contrast between the days on them when you feel "lifted up" and the days off them when you don't will make the days off them seem worse, which will increase the temptation to use opiates more and more.

As Dave said, mood elevators aren't the same as antidepressants. If you need a mood elevator, chances are your mood isn't great, and that sets you up for a slide into opiate addiction..