Posted by JohnFromCalifornia on January 10, 2004, at 19:52:39
In reply to OPIATES IN TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION « LAURA777, posted by Dr. Bob on January 10, 2004, at 17:33:47
Very intriguing of Dr. Bob to re-post this opiate-related message when very much the same issues were going through my mind.
I've tried Buspar, Paxil, Prozac, Wellbutrin and now Lexapro for my low-grade depression and I can honestly say none of them has done a damn thing for me except make me feel crappy.
On the other hand, the Norco (hydrochodone/acetaminophen, 10/375) I took last month for my back, an opiate somewhat stronger than Vicodin, did more to help my depression and anxiety, and to make me feel better about life in general, than any anti-depressant I've taken to date.
But then, for me, so does a double Absolut martini. (Three olives and ice in an Old Fashioned glass, please. Hold the vermouth.) And for the same reason: Opiates and alcohol, in the early stages of intoxication, provide a euphoric sense of relief and well-being that totally displaces depression and anxiety.
Depression is not so much cured by these drugs as it is masked. Sometimes, for some people, this is enough -- anything is enough if it eases the pain even temporarily.
But with withdrawal comes the realization that alcohol and opiates are themselves depressants. So after the few hours of being pleasantly stoned, you must either indulge once more in your poison of choice, or go through the double misery of withdrawal from the drug and the return of your initial depression.
And there is another issue: I don't want to go through life stoned.
So for me, opiates and alcohol will always be a false solution with a too-high price tag.
My Lexapro has run out. I've been taking Paxil, then Lexapro, since Nov. 20. Every day of that period I've felt like I've had the flu. Admittedly I haven't been depressed over that time, but I have been anxious. I haven't been miserable but I haven't felt good either -- I've been unable to experience the simple joys of life. I'm somewhat zombified: you know, like Tom Ridge during a press conference.
So before I refill my Lexapro script, I'm going to take a couple of weeks to go back to my pre-SSRI behaviorist regimen: healthy food, no stimulants except tea, and plenty of hard exercise. (I lost the will and energy to exercise when I started SSRIs in Novebmer.)
I'll keep monitoring this board, which is excellent, and drop a line from time to time if I feel I have anything to contribue.
- John from California
poster:JohnFromCalifornia
thread:299110
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040109/msgs/299150.html