Posted by jerrympls on May 21, 2005, at 17:08:57
In reply to Re: ECT failure? » jerrympls, posted by Bob on May 20, 2005, at 18:12:28
>
> Jerry:
>
> What exactly does opiate treatment do? Does it address anxiety, or give people energy and motivation, or what? I would figure that opiates would knock me out and have me sleeping all day.
>
> Bob
>
>For me, opiate therapy helps tremendously with:
- Social fears/anxiety
- General Anxiety
- Motivation (apathy, lethargy)
- Anhedonia
- Energy
- Mood improvement ( better general sense of well-being)I know many people with treatment-resistant depression who resort to self-medicating with opiates because they are the only meds that help them feel "normal" or close to it.
It depends on how you respond to opiates. Some opiates put me to sleep and some - like hydrocodone (opiate in Vicodin) acts more like a stimulant. My doc tried me on Oxycontin first and that really made me foggy and sleepy.
I take 5mg 4x daily. I do not feel a "high" or extreme euphoria. I just feel closer to "normal." I have not had any problems with abuse or tolerance.
I always like to add that opiate treatment is not a cure-all. But, it's what works for me right now until something better comes along.
Jerry
poster:jerrympls
thread:495223
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050521/msgs/500866.html