Posted by ShelliR on April 6, 2001, at 18:49:31
In reply to Re: opiates -- Shelli » Elizabeth, posted by dougb on April 6, 2001, at 16:14:15
Doug and Elizabeth. Thanks so much for the information and support about taking opiates for depression.
Elizabeth, I very much agree that opiates are not the best choice for an antidepressant for most people.
I came to this board about a year ago, specifically asking about opiates because they seemed to be the only thing that relieved by depression at that point. I had taken them for two years without any increase. I had had a very successful run with nardil for many years, but finally last year, back to the depths again.
I had made the connection between opiates and lack of depression when I was given some for a muscle spasm in the center of my stomach, which took a while to be diagnosed as nothing internal. (Then a simple shot with a tiny bit of cortizone got rid of the pain).
In the last few years the combination of nardil and lamictal did work for me, but this last time I gained 15 lbs on the lamictal. (All while doing the treadmill,
weights, and watching my diet. And I lost it all within two weeks of going off of lamictal).It's was hard for my therapist or my pdoc to understand why being overweight was so awful to me. I am also diagnosed with a dissociative disorder, and things
to me do not always look like they do to other people, and I was developing a real adversion to my body.I think I tried about fifteen different combinations of nardil with something else, until I just refused to try anything else. I lost a lot of time this year to sleeping and
feeling disoriented and I felt enough!So I am extremely grateful to both of you for sharing that you also take opiates and it is approved by your doctors. Elizabeth, I did pick up along the way, that as
you said, not everyone has the same positive reaction to opiates and also there is a threshold over which I will feel nausea, instead of feeling good--normal.
Hydocodene can make me a bit high if I take too much, but so does alcohol, and yet I choose in general not to drink or overtake hydrocodone because I'd rather
be more grounded than high.Incidently, I also had a differerent reaction to valium than many people. It totally grounds me--I could be totally floating and not feeling my body from being
dissociative and I could always count on valium to bring me back. Friends of mine without dissociative disorders have the opposite reaction--it makes them sort of
spacey. Now valium also has a bad rap and doctors want to give me klonpin instead, but it doesn't have the same grounding effect for me.About doctors prescribing opiates: My gyn said that in the list of doctors that lose their licenses, the greatest number lose it due to overprescribing opiates. She
said doctors are very carefully watched re opiate prescriptions. She said she would be more comfortable giving me tylenal 3, but I really pushed for straight hydrocodone.She is a very down to earth woman and a really good doctor, so I am confused to have both of you say that there is no problem for doctors to prescribe optiates for depression.
Anyway, thanks for letting me go off, and thanks to both of you for your support and information.
Shelli
poster:ShelliR
thread:57821
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010403/msgs/58975.html