Posted by jerrympls on January 11, 2005, at 18:26:52
In reply to Re: The Opiate Trials, posted by sgoose on January 11, 2005, at 4:07:48
> jerry keep us posted. i am completely supportive of what you are doing and wish i could find a doctor who would give me the choice of opiates for my TRD. I have chronic pain problems and TRD. Never been rx'd an opiate. I'm also a male in my mid twenties but i have no past drug/alcohol problems and been off and on schedule II meds for years. when i did get vicodin for an infection caused by mononeucleosis it changed my world for a few months...the "come down" was nothing but my depression resurfacing and no worse, except for the fact that i had finally found out what it felt like to feel better..........
>
> hope it works out for you! -keep posting.HI SGoose-
I've had depression for 13 years. I'm 32 years old now. All treatments have either worked 40-50% or made me worse. Terrible withdrawl too. In my early 20's when I had my wisdom teeth out I had no idea what Vicodin was - but I found out quickly that it made me feel as close to "normal" as I had ever been. I had many close-minded doctors so I kept the fact that this opiate helped my depression. I never thought in a million years anyone would ever prescribe it.
About four years ago I moved from my hometown of about 20,000 to Minneapolis and got accepted into the VNS study. Unfortunately that didn't work either. Finally I got in to see psychiatrists at the University (which is a teaching hospital). One day about a year ago my previous doc - finally out of suggestions - said "Is there ANYTHING that makes you feel good?" I paused.....and replied: "Vicodin. It doesn't make me goofy, it makes me feel much bettter and close to normal." Suprinsgly she was very receptive - talked with other gollegues and started me on a trial of hydrocodone for a month. Eventually the higher-ups got nervous about the clinic getting in trouble or something and I was taken off of it and the trial was deemed a failure.
Now to the present. New doc - same clinic. I told myself that I wasn't going to be in the closet about it and would keep bringing it up and bringing in any studies I could find. At first, my doc was mildly receptive (This was in the summer 2004). Then finally in the last month he suddenly seemed to warm up to the idea of another trial on opiates - after we'd tried some other meds (like Cymbalta because it just came out).
Then I saw him a couple days ago and he asked "Well, I'm open to doing a trial of an opiate if you'd like." I was kinda stunned. He said he'd read my reasearch I'd brought in and had actually done some on his own and found more info on the use of opiates for depression. So, of course I said "yes."
We were going to go with Vicodin - because I KNOW that works. BUt it would be taking 4 pills a day and Vicodin has Tylenol in it (we looked for a hydrocodone only preparation but couldn't find anything). So, the extended release oxycodone seemed the reasonable alternative. Once-a-day dosing and it's very similar to hydrocodone.
(sorry this is so long). Anyway, after taking it today, I didn't feel incredibly better - but I have noticed some major improvements in reduction of apathy, increase in sociability, decrease in depressive thinking, decrease in intense feelings of rejection, etc. I did feel a little irritable - but I don't know if that's the opiate or not.
Anyway, he said that if necessary I could eventually go up to 30mg - but no further. I see him weekly for updates.
Beggers can't be choosers - but either I do need a higher dosage or hydrocodone just works better for me. He also said that if oxycodone doesn't work that we may just try Vicodin. But I guess I need to give it time - no rush.
ANd yes - psychic pain and physical pain release similar chemicals in the brain. They're very much related.
Hopefully my trial with an opiate will be a success, then they'll have one more positive study to add to the stack!
I'll keep everyone posted.
Thanks
Jerry
poster:jerrympls
thread:440311
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050108/msgs/440791.html