Posted by Elizabeth on November 19, 2001, at 17:03:56
In reply to Re: Morphine for depression. » shelliR, posted by SLS on November 19, 2001, at 10:59:55
> Do you think nausea or feeling wierd are predictors of non-response?
I know you're not asking me, but I decided to answer anyway. :-} Plenty of people who respond positively to opioids also get side effects. I couldn't start out at a fully-effective dose of buprenorphine (0.3 mg q. 4-6 hours) because it made me vomit. Also, I did feel sort of dizzy and lightheaded when I first started taking it.
> I found something on the Internet that described that most people using methadone for depression begin to experience improvements by the end of the first week. Some took two weeks.
Some feel their depression remitting after only a dose or two.
> At my last visit, I was happy to see that he was somewhat receptive to the possibility that opioids might be worth considering. I mentioned oxycodone and buprenorphine. I didn't know about methadone at the time.
Dr. Andy Stoll (yes, the OmegaBrite guy) published a letter in some journal in which he described a series of cases in which he and a colleague had successfully used oxycodone and oxymorphone to treat depression, including in some patients with histories of opioid abuse. (!) The cite is:
Stoll AL, Rueter S. Treatment augmentation with opiates in severe and refractory major depression. Am J Psychiatry 1999 Dec;156(12):2017.
HTH
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:84007
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011113/msgs/84690.html