Posted by Elizabeth on October 19, 2001, at 13:06:26
In reply to Re: opiates and major depression, posted by androog on October 18, 2001, at 18:33:01
> Klonopin, Risperdal, Zoloft, Revia, Lamactal, Serzone, Zyprexa, Celexa, Imipramine, Nortriptyline, Pamelor, Prozac, Buspar, Remeron, Wellbutrin, Sinequan, Effexor, Nardil (that one landed me in the emergency room hooked up to an EKG and eating nitroglycerine).
Some remarks and questions:
What did Revia do to you, and why did you think to try that one?
Nortriptyline is the generic name of Pamelor.
I notice that Effexor isn't on your list.
How long were you taking the Nardil, and was the hypertensive (?) reaction linked to a food or drug interaction?
> It's interesting to note that I actually was taking Ultram as prescribed by my previous psychiatrist in Indiana.
If it's been prescribed by a previous pdoc and you can get him/her to endorse it, a new doc will be much more open to prescribing it than they would otherwise. Do you still have that doctor's phone number?
I sympathize with your frustration in trying to find a doctor. I'm temporarily living somewhere I don't plan to stay, and I'm having a terrible time just finding a doctor who's willing to speak to me (*not* through a secretary). The best I've been able to do so far was speaking to a nurse.
> I would NEVER recommend ECT as a treatment for anything. I keep telling my current doc that I wish I'd never had it done because I can't remember so many things. He said there was nothing else to do given the severity of my depression,
Obviously, he was lying. Jeez. I'm really sorry about all your memory problems (although that one about the car keys is kind of amusing).
> One last thing that's somewhat humorous: My wife and I were recently in the grocery store. I was in the candy aisle, as usual, when I ran into a face I knew that I'd encountered in the past, but couldn't even remotely recall. He didn't see me, so I scrambled out of his view, coward that I am. I found my wife, pointed out this man, and said "Who is that guy and why am I so scared of him?" She replied, "That's the doctor who gave you the ECT."
*chuckle* That's pretty funny!
> May I ask where you get the Buprenorphine from?
Eckerd's, usually.
> Do you have to inject it?
You can take it that way. The formulation available in the USA is intended for IV or deep IM injection. It's not very effective orally. I take it intranasally. Since it's not an aerosol, I have to lie down hyperextending my neck in order for it to be absorbed adequately through this route. The dose I take is probably about the same as I would need if I were using it IM. It can also be used sublingually, but I think the dose required would probably be greater.
I don't know if there's a problem with having frequent IM injections over a long period of time (frequent IV use is definitely problematic!) but that might be feasible too.
> I read that it's an opiate agonist/antagonist which sounds contradictory to me.
It's really a partial agonist: it has limited intrinsic activity, so past a certain dose it has no more effect and can act as an antagonist, preventing full agonists from having any effect, too.
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:81414
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011015/msgs/81684.html