Posted by MomofBoys on December 10, 2003, at 15:50:43
In reply to Re: Opioids for depression, posted by Viridis on December 7, 2003, at 1:32:52
I totally agree with you..hydrocodone is such a wonderful mood uplifter for me also. It is the best antidepressant I have ever tried, even if it wasn't for depression. When I take hydrocodone, I am happy, have tons of energy, feel good. I don't increase the dosage or get "high" from it, but the slight euphoria of the medication makes activities of daily life fun :) My pain is diminished of course, but I also want to accomplish more-more-more when I take the med.
I don't consider myself the "soccer mom-substance abuser" as I do have chronic pain from a traumatic car accident a year ago, of which I should have died in, it was that bad. So for me, use of hydrocodone has multiple benefits of which I am grateful for. I could be bed-bound today but instead I have become a productive part of society once again...thanks to hydrocodone.
MomOfBoys
YOU WROTE: I've been very impressed with the effects of hydrocodone (the opioid in Vicodin, Vicoprofen, etc.) on my mood. I've had some recurring problems with a tooth over the last couple of years and have been prescribed a fair bit of Vicoprofen, which I've used completely legitimately and responsibly on a very sporadic basis. Invariably, my mood improves (and stays that way) for two or three days after taking a therapeutic dose.
>
> I'm not talking about euphoria etc., just greater enthusiasm and energy. And no, I haven't abused these meds at all, just used them here and there as prescribed. I'm thinking about how to broach this with my pdoc -- he's a very open-minded person and I expect will agree with my conclusions, yet he's also quite frank about what meds he can and cannot prescribe safely (from a legal perspective).
>
> The frustrating thing is that opioids are very safe when taken properly, and even if one does become dependent the health risks appear to be low. They have a long history of use in medicine but, much like benzodiazepines, now have a stigma attached to them, plus there's little money to be made (the latter two points are not unrelated to one another).
>
> I'm all for new developments in psychiatric drugs, but wish that there were some incentive for doctors and pharmaceutical companies to re-explore some of these older meds as well. It seems that once a new class of drugs gains patent status, the older, now-generic ones become taboo whether they're really inferior or not.
poster:MomofBoys
thread:952
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031208/msgs/288501.html