Posted by Elizabeth on May 12, 2001, at 19:33:17
In reply to Re: Methadone - AndrewB and all interested, posted by rogdog on May 12, 2001, at 13:28:15
> MY EXPERIENCE WITH METHADONE HAS BEEN THAT IT IS A GOOD ANTI-ANXIETY MED. AND ALSO A GREAT ANTI-DEPRESSANT.
Mine also. Opioids alleviate symptoms of anhedonia (including loss of appetite), anergia, and social withdrawal that have been relatively untouched by the countless other meds I've tried, as well as other symptoms such as despair, guilt, excessive doubt and indecisiveness, sleeplessness, etc.
> i WAS ON IT FOR 3 AND A HALF YEARS THE THING THAT WAS THE WORST WAS THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE TO GET UP EVERY MORNING AND DRIVE DOWN TO THE CLINIC TO GET YOUR "DAILY DOSE".
This is only true if methadone is being prescribed as maintenance treatment for opioid addiction. Pain patients can get it from a pharmacy like any other drug.
> WE SHOULD ACCEPT THE OPIATES AS A "REAL" TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY.
They are. Furthermore, they can work when nothing else does, probably because all conventional ADs target the monoaminergic systems (although some experimental ADs do affect neuropeptides).
> TO GET OFF IT REALLY IS NOT THAT BAD THERE ARE NUMEROUS WAYS TO DETOX FROM METHADONE AND NOT BE TO UNCOMFORTABLE. I HAVE DETOXED FROM METHADONE "COLD TURKEY" AND A GRADUAL DOSE REDUCTION. OPIATES ARE NOT A "BAD DRUG!!!!!
I don't believe there are "good drugs" and "bad drugs" (except for a few things which are simply toxins). I believe there are helpful uses and unhelpful or harmful uses of almost all drugs.
Also, as someone-or-other said, the difference between a medicine and a poison is the dose!
-elizabeth
P.S. Could you try not to type in all caps? By internet convention, typing in caps is generally used to indicate yelling and so can be upsetting or disconcerting to some people. Thanks.
poster:Elizabeth
thread:17065
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010507/msgs/62659.html