Posted by pseudoname on June 3, 2006, at 11:22:59
In reply to Re: opioids for depression NO, posted by MrBrice on June 3, 2006, at 10:02:07
> opioids might help you in short terms (1-1.5 years), but then long term effects are just too bad.
Hi, Brice. This is an interesting and sobering caution. My results are life-changing so far, but what will happen in 18 months?
I don't know. No one does. You may not be aware of the difference between opioids in general and buprenorphine.
Buprenorphine is a partial opioid ANTagonist, and it's a weak and highly selective agonist. Some patients using it in addiction therapy have taken it safely & effectively over years. Unlike other opioids, it doesn't provide a buzz or high, at least not at the doses I'm using it.
A few people (like Babble's famous Elizabeth) have used buprenorphine for over 18 months without reporting poop-out or worsening mood, but of course that's not proof of safety.
> It'll flatten your moods, make you dull and lifeless, as I was told and I have seen myself in some people
I'm not discounting that possibility, Brice. Not at all. But I think it's unlikely that you have known opioid-naive depressives treated with relatively low-dose buprenorphine.
Will the experience of people who treat themselves by popping Vicodin or OxyContin be the same for those on bupe? It's an empirical issue, since the extrapolation from other opioids is not straightforward. The evidence so far is very limited, but it suggests that buprenorphine will be safe for me.
Still, it *could* poop out. Bupe poop-outs have been reported on Babble, but not with the scenario you describe. It could mess up my brain in another 18 months. Check back here; I'll certainly post about it, if able.
> Please don't do it, this really istn't the good med!
If by "this" you mean buprenorphine, I think the generalization is unwarranted.
poster:pseudoname
thread:651514
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060530/msgs/652331.html