Posted by maryhelen on December 15, 2003, at 12:49:41
In reply to Update on my mental health - Nardil + Bupe, posted by Caleb462 on December 14, 2003, at 2:48:02
Hi Caleb:
I have been on Nardil since November 3rd, am now up to 90 mg. I also have an opiate addiction. Incredibly, I asked my family doctor not to prescribe them to me anymore, but because of the chronic pain he knows that I am in, next visit he offered them to me anyway, like giving candy to a baby and I had no resistance, took the prescription. I take percocett, and tylenol 3, any opiate really, which both help with the pain, but more importantly the percocett relieves the depression. I won't go into all that the meds I have had for the depression or different therapies (including ECT twice) I have tried over almost 20 years, as it is probably much the same as most others here with treatment resistant depression. I met this pdoc when I was in a substance abuse program and he understands the dilemma I am in, knowing my history of fighting this demon depression, that the opiates has been the only thing that helps the depression and that I need something for chronic pain. He even said that he felt like prescribing the opiates, but knows I take too many now to gain the required effect. He also mentioned Lamitcal to augment the Nardil, as it had helped me greatly when it was augmented with Parnate about 7 months ago, it worked quickly but it stopped working after 3 weeks. I had never felt better in my whole 51 years. I also lost so much of my hair, which would have been fine had the med kept working. Better bald and wear a wig than live in this depression. My pdoc then suggested taking Nardil.
During my last vist, he talked about methadone and then buprenorphine. Methadone does not appeal to me at all. Surfing the web last night, it seems to me that I understand that bupe is used for treatment resistant depression, chronic pain, and opiate withdrawal. I have all three. I am thinking of calling him and asking him to prescribe it.
If I had a choice of getting complete pain relief without opiates, or not being depressed, I would choose living with pain and not being depressed, hands down. I am probably going to end up in a wheelchair and would still take that and live without this disabling hell of depression.
Is it your understanding that bupe helps with what I have mentioned above? Did it help you with both the opiate withdrawal and depression in conjuction with Nardil? Does it make you not crave the other opiates?
Sorry for all of the questions, but I really am at the end of my rope.
I am very happy for that you have found a combination that works for you.
Thanks,
maryhelen
poster:maryhelen
thread:289561
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031213/msgs/290049.html