Posted by Elizabeth on November 19, 2001, at 13:02:38
In reply to Re: Morphine for depression » Elizabeth, posted by shelliR on November 12, 2001, at 22:20:18
> I'm sorry, I got so mixed up. It's methodone he's written the prescription for: methadone 10mg tabs; 4 tabs three times daily.
That's a **lot** of methadone! Then again it might be the right amount, since you do have some tolerance from taking the oxycodone.
> Thanks for responding. It was so good to known you were both around and I appreciate your response.
Sure! I'm often distracted from p-b by other stuff that's going on for me, but I do my best to keep up, especially with people like you who I've gotten to know personally somewhat.
> I'm upset enough to mix up methadone with morphine.
> Have you ever known anyone on that?No, but I bet opioid combinations are often used to control pain for dying patients (cancer, etc.). But methadone binds very tightly to opioid receptors (like buprenorphine, only methadone is a full agonist), and as a result it tends to prevent other opioids from doing anything. (This makes it particularly useful for people with heroin dependence.)
> He'd rather me stay on oxycontin if the company will provide it (and I think I have a good shot because they don't know about my assets.)
I won't tell! < g >
> And I think you are right either way about the bracelet. He said the methodone has to be for pain, so that's what he's written.
That's right -- unlike every other legal drug in clinical use, methadone must be prescribed specifically for pain unless it's given in a methadone maintenance clinic. I suppose you could rationalize your use of it by saying that depression is just emotional pain (and honestly, I don't think that depressive pain and nociceptive pain are all that different). It's weird (since methadone isn't supposed to be much of a high), but it's the most tightly regulated legal drug in the U.S. (again, I mean drugs that are in clinical use).
> Do you know how it works for pain ...
Sure, it's an opioid agonist, like morphine, etc.
> ... and works for withdrawal from heroin?
It's a long-acting synthetic opioid. It's just like switching to Klonopin to wean off Xanax. The withdrawal symptoms don't hit as hard if the drug is longer-acting.
> Thanks again, and sorry I was so off.
No need to apologize. Best wishes to you, as always!
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:84007
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011113/msgs/84662.html