Posted by Chuckie on October 30, 2003, at 15:10:05
In reply to elizabeth about dosing on opiates/ anyone » nightlight, posted by reese1 on October 24, 2002, at 17:59:04
Hey Reese, I'm sorry I can't be much help, I just didn't want you to think nobody is listening.
I'm a new member and up until now I've just been browsing this board, gleaning as much info as I can.
There is probably no pat answer for your question. At least, I haven't seen any. Some have suggested universities. Personally, I'm in a struggle convincing my own Doc to give me *any* opiates.
I only recently discovered the connection between pain medication and depression relief. Actually I only recently acknowledged it; I probably already knew it but I was in denial. The stigma is such that I didn't admit even to myself that I was taking pain meds for anything other than pain.
It was the discussions on this board that made the connection for me. I cried when I saw all the stories so similar to mine.
There have also apparently been some discussions here that were less than supportive. FYI, just so you don't read them and feel bad about yourself. (Unless you really *are* a drug abuser looking for some way to rationalize your habit and/or get more drugs for your monkey, or something like that, in which case you should feel bad.) I haven't seen those discussions, I've just seen references to them. It's probably best to ignore them.
It's probably *not* best to ignore the possibility of addiction or dependence. Be VERY concerned for your long-term health. Be mindful of the consequences of relying on a chemical that can be taken away from you at any time.
Anyway...
After I found this board, I did as much research as I could, and printed it all out for my doc. I also included a bunch of posts from this board, as anecdotal evidence that yes, opiate treatment helps some people with depression.
Here's a few links:
Opioid as Antidepressant
http://balder.prohosting.com/~adhpage/bupe.html
(This is the infamous buprenorphine study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. I also have it saved to disk because I think it's the only full text on the Web.)Bupenorphine for Depression (Editorial):
http://www.sciencething.org/Callaway.pdfAnd a blurb on Tramadol/Depression:
http://opioids.com/tramadol/tramadol.html
...even though it's not properly an opioid, but has similar properties.There was a study on cyclazocine:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=4903692
...but I can't find the text.Here's a paper acknowledging the connection, but not really saying anything useful:
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/9740/antimanicevidence.htmlAnd here's a study that shows how opiates might be helpful for depressed rats:
http://www.elsevier.nl/gej-ng/10/33/33/53/43/31/article.html=======
All of which I used for supporting evidence that it's not as crazy as it sounds, and that I really was getting depression relief from narcotic analgesics. Unfortunately with the limited research on the subject, anecdotal support really is the most convincing. The problem is that it's anecdodal. I think my Doc believes me, sorta, but there's always that skepticism and of course, the DEA.
I felt I had a good chance for getting relief with the mixed agonist/antagonist medications, as in theory a Doc should be more inclined to prescribe something with a lower potential for abuse, (and in some cases, less restrictive scheduling.) However, I only researched medications for efficacy and approprateness. I don't know how much any of it costs, or how it's dispensed. E.g. I gather that bupenorphine is VERY expensive, and is an injection. This does me no good, so probably not you either.
You're gonna have extreme difficulty getting that much oxycontin, even if you have pain. Unless you know Rush's doctor? It's too bad you can't get relief from something less high-profile. I think you're asking a lot. But I wish you luck.
I think the keys are honesty, communication, and a willingness to fight for your life. I could be mistaken; my Doc has prescribed tramadol because he obviously doesn't want to presribe narcotics without trying something else first. It's not working, and it makes me feel yucky. And, now that I've admitted to using pain pills for something other than pain, I don't know if he can or will prescribe them to me again. Although I do have a legit injury that causes me chronic pain.
Again, the keys are open communication and honesty. Probably perseverance too, although I completely understand if you're short of that. That said, if honesty fails, I'd advise you to do whatever you need to do to save your life. You have a right to that.
Just be sure you always remain honest with yourself, so you do the right thing for yourself, and not talk yourself into doing something potentially very, very, bad for yourself.
poster:Chuckie
thread:84007
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031030/msgs/275018.html