• The Dark Side 💕 Welcome Guest 💕
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Notable Threads Urgent Hotlines
    Bereavement Mindfulness
    Suicide Support Anger Management
  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android

Withdrawal and depression?

I

ignatiust4

Greenlighter
Joined
May 17, 2007
Messages
8
Location
Illadelphiaaaaa
Hey guys, just thought I would run something past you, and see what everyone else on here had to say about this... Just recently I have stopped using opiates (heroin, multiple gram daily usage) cold turkey, and have been clean for about 9 days. I have gone through all of the withdrawal symptoms for the most part, besides the restless legs and sleeplessness, and I seem to finally be on the right track to kick the habit. I did notice, however, that about 2 days into quitting, and up until this point now, I have been severely depressed. Now, I quit using dope about a year ago as well, and for the first week or two during that time I also felt extremely depressed. And Im talking about breaking down and crying for no apparent reason depression and an overall feeling of loneliness and worthlessness. Now, I had never really put two and two together until it has happened to me again this time when I quit. I assume that there is some correlation between severe opiate use/withdrawal and post-use depression, but I wanted to see what everyone else here has learned from their experiences... Has anyone else felt extremely depressed for the first week or two when they are kicking their (opiate) habit? I would really like to hear from you guys, mainly so it can give me some peace of mind that things will get better once I fully get through the WD's.
 
Yeah, it's a fairly common experience I believe.

I have manic-depression (Bi-Polar, but manic-depression sounds cooler don't you agree?) and WD can trigger severe depressive episodes in me. That's one of the hardest parts of staying clean for me, knowing that relief is so easy to get. For this reason I have been addicted for the better part of the last three years.

Also, look into PAWS - Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome/Symptoms. It's about the long term effects once you have gotten past WD, I believe depression is one of them.

It all comes down to your brain adjusting to producing the correct amount of endorphins again. Without the right amount, you can feel depressed and experience anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure). Exercising could help with this, as it releases endorphins. Eating the right foods, getting enough vitamins , etc... could also help out.
 
You should look into information on Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) because depression can be one of the most debilitating symptoms and PAWS can last usually from a couple weeks to a few months but much longer for an unfortunate few.

HERE is some very basic info on PAWS.

EDIT:
You sneaky bastard, Blondie, you beat me to it.
 
Thanks a lot for the reply Mr. Blonde! I totally agree with you when you say that the hardest part of staying clean is knowing that relief is so readily available... Though for me, this time I moved halfway across the country, and now relief is no where in site and I am buckling up and white knuckling it here. Kind of ironic that Ive been living in my new location for nine days and I have been clean for nine days hahaha. Also, just thought that maybe the shock of picking up and moving across the country and acclimating to my new surroundings may have something to do with the depression. Though, I do believe it is primarily due to the withdrawal, the fact that I moved 2000 miles away from all my family and friends during this time may just be making it worse. Anyways, I appreciate the input, and hopefully things will start to look up!


EDIT: And thank you also for the reply Cane, I didnt see your post until I had already replied to Mr. Blonde. I will most definitely check into PAWS.
 
^ No problems brother. Yes, the shock of moving that far and being apart from friends and family, your support network, could also be adding to it. In fact, usually when I am in WD or post WD any stress that comes along seems to build up and add to what is already going on. Keep on white knuckling it brother, and if you need some support on here or anything then this is what the site is here for! The Dark Side is a good place to check out and post as well to talk to people.
 
This post I wrote a while ago might help you better understand why there are post-use depression issues associated with heroin addiction; the idea is that your endogenous endorphins aren't as efficient after up-regulation of your mu-opioid receptors has past a certain point.
 
Multiple grams a day man? Creds to you, that has to feel like shit... About the part where you are depressed. It happens to everyone, especially if you have used that much...

When i was doing 160 mg Oxy a day + 10-15 mg Xanax and went cold turkey (my doc rx'ed me 40 mg of Valium a day for 2 weeks so i wouldnd die from stopping the Xanax). Anyways, my physical withdrawal lasted 6-7 days, i was pure hell but it was nothing against the mental depression that would fuck with my head for 5-6 weeks screaming for heavy opiates every fucking five minutes... Once you get past that (this is the part where most people relapse) you just have to hang on tight with routine, working out is the best (if you dont have a job). Cause sitting at home staring at the roof can drive a non-addict crazy in days :D

So you have around 10 days clean now, CREDS! Now go out jogging and do some push ups to get some dopamine release thats natural for once ;)

PS. Sex also works ;)
 
I think what compounds depression after withdrawal is for a certain proportion of opiate/heroin users who were depressed before (either to cope with depression, or after a past battle with it); the depression is often worse during acute withdrawal. PAWS can also play a role.

Then again, using heroin to self-medicate can compound many other parts of your life, aside from (and including) depression, if you don't have a support system and/or medication to cope with the other symptoms/issues/disorders.
 
^ Cap'n, what do you think the best route is when dealing with depression related to WD or PAWS? Medication, lifestyle changes, therapy, or a combination?
 
Ways to Conquer Depression after Drug Use

Mr Blonde said:
^ Cap'n, what do you think the best route is when dealing with depression related to WD or PAWS? Medication, lifestyle changes, therapy, or a combination?
Click to expand...

I think the best approach is trying a few different things before starting medication, depending on what works best for you, you may or may not "need" medication.

I think that there's various things you can do to help yourself out. For example, I think the best things to first is to eat a well balanced diet, enough of the right kinds of foods. It's also good to use the right multivitamin (I don't recommend Centrum but everyone's different), and various different supplements based on your own specific needs. I use Omega 3 fish oils (with a certain proportionment of EPA to DHA), and l-arginine to lower blood pressure.

Exercise (either 3 to 5 times a week, or daily) is recommended for everybody. For some people, especially pain patients, this isn't always possible. However, for myself, I find exercise has helped me out a lot.

I think that a proper support system is another fundamental way to cope with post-drug use/opiate use depression. I found while I was withdrawing from heroin, talking to people made me feel a lot better. Having a significant other/boyfriend/girlfriend can also be great, as sex is another way to combat depression. Some people won't want to have sex the way they are feeling, and that is also OK, there are many "options" here, and you generally want to use at least a few of them before having to rely on medication. If you can't use all of these, medication can work wonders when used correctly (with the options you do have the control/will power to use), and when not abused like the original drug of choice.

For some people, they find work/employment is a great replacement for a drug habit, because instead of spending money, you can make money, especially if the job is at least part way enjoyable. I worked at a restaurant where most of the employees were current or ex drug users, and they all cared for each other like a family. It was a very fun work experience compared to other jobs I had at the time, most of the people were very lax, and working there was never stressful/a pain in the ass.

Another option I utilize: having a pet. When you come home to a pet cat or dog for instance, they often are happy to see you. This can help associate where you live to being a happy experience. When you are depressed beyond feeling better, a pet cat will often lay next to you or around you. If I sleep in too late, our cats will sometimes sleep next to our feet. If you go to a place where you can adopt a pet, you can see what pet is right for you, since some cats and dogs demand affection a lot more than others, while some cats and dogs are 99.9% independent, which can also be comforting for people who have issues with committing to daily tasks, for instance.

Therapy can also be another great option, just talking to someone who can be helpful and insightful can make you feel a lot better about the future, and about coping with the past. Not everyone derives the same productivity or degree of help from therapy, so I don't want to recommend everyone start going to therapy, but certainly some people will derive immense benefit from it. If you're not sure if it can help, it won't hurt to try. You don't have to talk about drugs or drug use with a therapist if you don't want to. Often, drugs aren't even half of the problem in most of our lives.

Meditation, and other functions of spirituality can also be a great tool for conquering depression. Your mind is a powerful thing! There's a very delicate way you can "slowly pull" your own mind/soul out of the quicksand-like effect of depression/withdrawal sensations - you initially are struggling and notice it only gets worse when you struggle. Then, if you find a way to "hold on" mentally while focusing away from unpleasant bodily sensations (either from a panic attack or withdrawal, often due to high blood pressure) you can mentally focus on something else, thereby avoiding focusing/struggling on what you cannot change. This is a realization I had during acute heroin withdrawal; it feels so bad that you are almost forced to struggle with it, and the perception of time passing by in acute withdrawal will make minutes seem like an eternity. Therefore, if you can conquer the urge to "fight" it, and let it pass over you, you can let time pass by quicker, and leave your mind less "frustrated" so that you're less likely to relapse (I think the frustration of fighting WD and not winning is what drives many of us back to using in a later day and time).

An example; often if I am experiencing panic (which isn't frequent compared to how often I experience dissociation instead), I will focus away from negative body sensations, and horrific/troubling thoughts. I think about and mentally imagine/see images or projections of nature. I focus on breathing slowly, I hold my hands flat and firmly gripped on my knees, so they don't tremble. I hold my lips together so I breathe through my nose - so I don't get light headed, and so that I can slow down my blood pressure/heart rate.

One last thing I'll throw in here; sleep hygiene. Only use your bed for sex and sleep (eating or watching TV while in bed will make sleep harder to attain) - try to get 5 to 7 hours of sleep a night for adults, and 8 or more hours for people under the age of 18. I feel a lot better when I don't sleep more than 7 hours each night. I have slept up to 24 hours at a time, only awaking every 6 hours or so to go to the bathroom, if not longer than 6 hours.

I think overall there's much more you can do that I haven't begun to touch upon...but these are the basics. I'm currently employing all of these options except for therapy, because I simply cannot afford it at the time being, because I would get it for myself if I could afford it.

I have found that following all of the ones I do has helped me a lot. Despite this, I still need medication. I have been on Suboxone for a long time, and I also utilize (occasionally) an antihistamine, and a benzodiazepine. Furthermore, I have recently begun medication for ADHD, which has also helped me reduce the frequency I use benzos/antihistamines.

Medication is definitely a necessary part of the picture for me, but it doesn't have to be for everybody. I think I have a pretty comprehensive list of suggestions, I'll try to bold the words that summarize the paragraphs, so people can breeze through my over-worded post if necessary. :)

Good luck to everyone here who is currently utilizing these options for conquering depression after drug use!
 
Captain.Heroin said:
I think what compounds depression after withdrawal is for a certain proportion of opiate/heroin users who were depressed before (either to cope with depression, or after a past battle with it); the depression is often worse during acute withdrawal. PAWS can also play a role.

Then again, using heroin to self-medicate can compound many other parts of your life, aside from (and including) depression, if you don't have a support system and/or medication to cope with the other symptoms/issues/disorders.
Click to expand...

I'm one of those who uses Heroin as an Antidepressant in ways (along with other reasons) and fuck... the Depression during WDs and PAWS is.. indescribable :(

Maybe, if you're not against using any type of Opioid at this period of abstinence, maybe you should look into Tramadol. You won't feel anything with regards to a high, but the Antidep effects are great :) Also, everything that Cpt. mentioned is golden.
Some of it will be extremely difficult, purely due to your mindset effecting your physiology, but it really will help ;)
Good luck and fucking well done!! Multiple grams a day and stopping cold turkey? Give yerself a huge pat on the back mate :)
 
captain- I gave a speech on PAWS a few months ago and covered most of the same suggestions on how to alleviate the symptoms and expedite the process.

Your advice is spot on, great advice!
 
hey take the depressions seriously. it hits hard when u get off opiates which im sure u are aware. its probably better to find an alternative to opiates to self medicate. if you had depression before using it might get worse so get some help for it. and the depression is what makes people go back to using. i miss using alottt. im on a ssri and its helping me stabilize my mood a bit. good luck
 
I do take an Antidep (Dosulepin) and while is goes some way to help keep me level and increase my appetite, there's not been a single Antidep that helps enough :\
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top