Silk Road forums

Discussion => Drug safety => Topic started by: numbering on February 10, 2013, 03:16 pm

Title: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: numbering on February 10, 2013, 03:16 pm
Hello guys,
I am searching for an adequate anti depressant. Unf. SSRI do not work for me and I therefore have to find something else. Amphetamine does not work well with my immune system I guess, i.e. makes me kinda sick.

Do you have any recommendations for light opiates to treat depressions and so on?
Can't find well-prices ones :(
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: sickboy on February 10, 2013, 07:59 pm
Dude, no. You do not understand Opiates. They make you feel better when you're high, but someday you will have to pay it all back. Pay it all back at once. Opiates will make you into the most depressed, miserable person on the face of the Earth. You say you are already depressed and trying to self-medicate with opiates? That is exactly how addiction starts.

Try using LSD. The occassional LSD trip has been better at treating my depression than anything. 
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: grdr on February 10, 2013, 08:24 pm
Ok so  first they work very well and mighteven treat your depression but leave you with mental cravings or even addiction. Also they have nasty side effects for everyday use worst would be constipation (If your english isn't first language simply that means that it may be hard to impossible to piss if you're on high dose and extremely hard to take a dump on any dose ). Cost effective way would be buying heroin and snorting bumps - small doses and not overdoing it. Pills are expensive in black market and doctors won't prescribe them even if you're suicidal - for them better dead or suffering than on opiates/opiods.
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: valakki on February 10, 2013, 09:21 pm
have you tried cannabis for self medication? its safer on the long run....
maybe try rolling (e) or tripping (cid)?

Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: moonflower on February 11, 2013, 12:35 am
do yourself a favor and get some kratom... it's great for anxiety, depression, pain relief, etc. opiate-like effects but it is much healthier. it's a plant in the coffee family that stimulates the immune system and is full of antioxidants.
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: sleepyeyes2k2 on February 11, 2013, 01:25 am
What do you do with kratom? Smoke it? Snort it? Put it in your tea?
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: happyhcore on February 11, 2013, 09:56 pm
You can make tea with kratom
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: beefy on February 11, 2013, 11:26 pm
I have been treating my depression with methadone. My clinic doesn't know that's the main reason why i'm on it, but it is. I used to do heroin as well, and i've also found opiates to cure my depression. It has really made me more outgoing, talkative and less depressed and anxious. I like it, but yes, if you're not used to opiates, you'll have to pay later for becoming addicted to it. If you don't mind being addicted to it, then try using it for your depression.
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: zerik on February 11, 2013, 11:52 pm
I used to suffer from server depression to the point of not functioning.

Got started in PM for back/neck injury as well as chronic migraine headaches. For which I was started on opiates.

Anyway, they completely eradicated my depression. Of course I suffered some depression due to pain which is expected. No clinical depression anymore or suicidal thoughts.

This was not from getting high. As near as I can tell it is impossible for me to get high off my pills because of  the amount of pain I am in.

So yes it is possible to treat depression with opiates but tolerance develops quickly. And addiction is very real and dangerous.

The docs say that withdraw is not life threatening in an otherwise healthy person. This might be true but I have yet to meet person addicted to opiates that was otherwise healthy. Most either have major medical problems like me or are in poor health from addiction.

So I guess the answer is yes but as a very last resort.
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: InkIndulgence on February 12, 2013, 01:07 am
I also echo the response of opiates not being a long-term solution.

When I'm high on opiates I notice that although I feel really good, I tend to be more irritable and less patient when dealing with others. I sort of have this mindset of "I feel really good right now so don't fuck it up!" when I'm talking to people.
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: hunter2 on February 12, 2013, 07:09 am
Dude, no. You do not understand Opiates. They make you feel better when you're high, but someday you will have to pay it all back. Pay it all back at once. Opiates will make you into the most depressed, miserable person on the face of the Earth.

This. It's not a forgiving substance. Personally i'd say avoid them if you're already feeling rather depressed at times as they will worsen after the drug has run its course.
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: numbering on February 12, 2013, 05:46 pm
Thank you very much for all the input.

Well, I don't know. I can't stand it anymore. My psych is not able to help me since about 2 years. I am the most complicated patient he says. SSRIs or simply all medication which is based on Serotonin does not work for me. I am resistant to everything :( I know you should never start with opiates but I can't help myself. I am so fucking sick, several personality disorders and so on.

I just want to function somehow.

I'll definitely try kratom. Thank you for the hint.
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: moonflower on February 12, 2013, 11:30 pm
Thank you very much for all the input.

Well, I don't know. I can't stand it anymore. My psych is not able to help me since about 2 years. I am the most complicated patient he says. SSRIs or simply all medication which is based on Serotonin does not work for me. I am resistant to everything :( I know you should never start with opiates but I can't help myself. I am so fucking sick, several personality disorders and so on.

I just want to function somehow.

I'll definitely try kratom. Thank you for the hint.
kratom is an excellent choice. you may want to look into ghb as well. definitely the most natural antidepressant, as it's endogenous to the human body. it's also extremely nontoxic, provided you're getting pure ghb powder. stay away from gbl and 1,4b though. they're prodrugs that are metabolized into ghb... they also happen to be solvents. check out this link for further info: http://www.biopsychiatry.com/ghb/authentic.html
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: hunter2 on February 12, 2013, 11:40 pm
Thank you very much for all the input.

Well, I don't know. I can't stand it anymore. My psych is not able to help me since about 2 years. I am the most complicated patient he says. SSRIs or simply all medication which is based on Serotonin does not work for me. I am resistant to everything :( I know you should never start with opiates but I can't help myself. I am so fucking sick, several personality disorders and so on.

I just want to function somehow.

I'll definitely try kratom. Thank you for the hint.

Have you tried 5-HTP?  If not, it's worth a try. Get it at a local drug store for $10. Though if no SSRI's have been working, this may have the same fate. Best wishes to you.
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: zerik on February 13, 2013, 12:48 am
Thank you very much for all the input.

Well, I don't know. I can't stand it anymore. My psych is not able to help me since about 2 years. I am the most complicated patient he says. SSRIs or simply all medication which is based on Serotonin does not work for me. I am resistant to everything :( I know you should never start with opiates but I can't help myself. I am so fucking sick, several personality disorders and so on.

I just want to function somehow.

I'll definitely try kratom. Thank you for the hint.

Sorry to hear about the suffering you are living with and I do understand how unbearable it can feel.

Figuring out how to live with depression is hard and very frustrating. Suffered with it all my life.

Medication does not always work for depression. In fact It doesn't work for a lot of people. It is important to look at all aspects of your life from your environment to diet. You might do better to find a good therapist rather than a good doctor since meds don't work for you anyway.

Do some research on living with depression because it is not hopeless. Some good books are " living with depression " by Mary Ellen Copland. I recommend any of her books. She suffered with manic depression and the meds she took damaged her liver and kidneys so they had to be discontinued. The system had no alternatives for her. So she came up with her own quite successfully.

There is hope for you. I just don't know enough about you to give you more specific advice. This is one are where everyone is different and you just have to find out what works for you. If you are determined to get well you will find it.

Opiate meds can help with depression bit just in the short run. This is a delicate road you are looking at that can cause you more pain than you can possibly imagine. Just getting them is hard and its going to get harder. People in severe chronic pain have a hard time. Withdrawals from these are no fun at all. If you get addicted it is far worse than a dependence. The PAWS can be worse than your depression is now.

Please be strict with yourself and do not case the high because you can't. Tolerance develops very fast. It is not the high that helps with depression. I don't get high off mine yet as I stated my depression was managed well with pain meds.

If your depression is so bad that you want to kill yourself and opiates help prevent that then it is better to be alive.

Just be sure this is the only option left to you functioning a normal life. I consider emotional pain just as legit as physical pain.

I don't tell people what to do or what not to do. Just what you to be crystal clear of the potential dangers as well as the possible benefits.

Please be safe and educated about you decision.

I hope you feel better and will have you in my thoughts.   

Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: Ben on February 13, 2013, 02:50 am
I'd agree that opiates aren't the best idea as a treatment for depression. Surely they may cure your intraday problems just like alcohol would, but it does nothing for the underlying condition.

If you are actually suffering from depression, things like ssri's may prove beneficial. These substances are often shunned here, mostly because they are mis-used to treat other conditions where they provide no benefit at all. For moderate to serious depression they can be pretty good however. Having tried one doesn't mean the entire class of them will prove ineffective - it often takes trying a few different ones to suit your  needs.

Perhaps it could be best to just visit your GP again and telling why the previous course of action did not work for you. Not all SSR's are the same, and if one of them doesn;t help you, another still could.
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: sleepyeyes2k2 on February 13, 2013, 05:23 am
Along the lines of "better alive and a little fucked up on meds than dead" might be this nugget: when I was at my worst from PTSD and depression post-Afghanistan, the docs had me on - well, they had me on a bunch of shit, but probably what helped the most was the 2mg klonopin every evening.  It kind of gave me the "fuckits", you know, I kind of didn't care about a lot of shit, but that was better than caring so much that I wanted to kill myself over it.  Plus, it helped me sleep, and sleep is very important. (he says in the middle of the night)

What I personally think you should do is fire your doctor.  Find a new psychiatrist and start seeing a psychotherapist.  The best results have come from a combination of medication and talk therapy.  Good luck.
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: Ben on February 14, 2013, 01:00 am
I doubt the klonopin would have given you apathy, but it would have helped you sleep. It could give you a sense of just wanting to sleep today and worry about things in the morning, but not much beyond that. SSRI's are the drug class for apathy really. One of the things they do for many people is to turn any emotional response into 'meh' - both the negative and the positive ones. Making life bearable while sacrificing any joy is a difficult trade off really, i think things must be pretty dire before considering that.
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: sleepyeyes2k2 on February 14, 2013, 01:02 pm
I kinda disagree, having been on SSRI's and SNRI's for more than 5 years now.  They ease depression by adjusting seratonin levels, essentially boosting the hormones that make you feel happier.  Benzodiazepines have a sedative effect, not only on the body but also on a cognitive level.  They have hypnotic properties and are good anti-anxiety drugs. 

Benzos aren't used as anti-depressants, and so what I offered was anecdotal, at best.  But, it's pretty hard to say to another person, "that drug didn't make you feel that way."  The SNRI I'm currently on doesn't make the world seem "meh".  But, the 2mg Klonopin I take from time to time surely does.  That's why I still take it.
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: connoisseur on February 14, 2013, 04:41 pm
Back to nature with raw opium!
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: hee57 on February 15, 2013, 06:18 pm
A lot of dissociatives such as ketamine and even something legal like dxm has been shown to have anti-depressant effects. Look into trying one of those and seeing how it helps.
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: National Direct on February 15, 2013, 08:33 pm
            ǁǁ        ǁ        ǁǁ
ǁǁʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭǁǁ
    ゑ   W  A  R  N  I  N  G    ゑ
ǁǁʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭǁǁ
            ǁǁ        ǁ        ǁǁ
            ǁǁ        ǁ        ǁǁ

 2000+ words ahead. I added headings so those who skip long posts can get your eye stuck on something and read it. The alternate treatment section has valuable tips.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯           
            ǁǁ        ǁ        ǁǁ
            ǁǁ        ǁ        ǁǁ
ǁǁʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭǁǁ

CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) - with a psychologist, group or independently with a workbook. CBT works to change your thought patterns, through self-identification of your thoughts, analysis and review.  It is also used for other mental illnesses such as anxiety, perception of pain, ADD, insomnia and OCD.Yes it is a bit of work, and who wants to do work like that when they're depressed? Not many people. That's why the structured group sessions led by psychologists are good if you can't stick to the CBT routine (it actually is not much work, but you have to do CBT exercises daily and build that habit). CBT helped greatly with my anxiety and my depression, and after 2 years, it is evident that my way of thinking is far more positive because of CBT's ability to reveal your subconscious thought flaws. I would recommend CBT in any case along with some form of long-term medication (not necessarily SSRI's and SNRI's, although they can be helpful if they work for you).

Here are my observations, personal experience and factual info organized so it’s easy to read and understand. I also added headings that stand out if you're only interested in certain topics. I recommend that you at least read the 'Alternate Treatment' section.


ǁǁʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭǁǁ

¨..¨..¨..¨........Short As Fuck-term Depression (lasting 0-7 days)........¨..¨..¨..¨     

ǁǁʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭǁǁ


Opiates, as people have mentioned will only be of use for short as fuck-term depression and just exacerbate it if you take it long term. Opiates or amphetamines/meth-amph is what I would use to cure short term depression such as depression from hangovers or from some other event that you know will improve within a week. Take opiates or speed for more than a few days and you’ll notice that the mood-enhancing effects are gone and the dose that gave you euphoria or a mood-lift before just makes you normal because of your tolerance. Once you build a tolerance and chase the initial effects you become addicted and withdrawing will suck far worse than the original depression. Also, side-effects increase with dose increases, some of which your body doesn’t become tolerant to at the same rate as your neurotransmitters. If you’re worried about addiction and you’re not familiar with speed or opiates, go with something lighter like kratom, weed, kanna, or MDAI (not MDMA though, as it can greatly worsen/lengthen your depression. If you can just take low doses like 50-100mg then it’s fine, but most will re-dose until blissful euphoria.)






ǁǁʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭǁǁ

¨..¨..¨..¨........Intermediate-term Depression (1-8 weeks)........¨..¨..¨..¨                                                   

ǁǁʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭǁǁ

Personally, I find kratom to be amazing for periods up to 2 months [NOTE: Don’t buy or use extracts, as they are commonly associated with bad withdrawal and higher abuse potential]. I can take 4-15g daily and stop after 2-3 months with mild lethargy and general malaise. Not everyone likes kratom, but I love it and buy powdered crushed leaf (Bali is cheap and potent; more on the sedating side at high doses. Maeng da is more energetic. And my sweetspot is borneo red-vein which gives me bali’s opioid euphoria along with energy enough to do everything you would do sober). I also like tramadol when used for 2-6 weeks (time-release formula only; I honestly LOVE it in extended release, but get very little off instant release). The dose I take is 2-3x the daily recommend maximum of 400mg, which I advise nobody to try as tramadol exponentially lowers your seizure threshold in doses above 400mg/day. I think that this can be effective in lower doses as well (200-400mg/day), but it may take a week or 2 to reach full effect, that’s why I take up to 1200mg/day for the first week as a sort of ‘loading-phase’ (Don’t do this, I was an idiot before, and my stupidity taught me that it would take some intense fucking shit to induce a seizure on me. Kanna (fermented; not the same fermentation process as ethanol) is another herb that I like as it gives me the positive effects of SSRI’s, and it works instantly.  I take 250mg at a time sublingually taking 0-6 similar doses in a day.





ǁǁʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭǁǁ

¨..¨..¨..¨........Long-term Depression (2 Months or more)........¨..¨..¨..¨

ǁǁʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭǁǁ

,,ゑ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,ゑ,,   
    CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT
,,ゑ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,ゑ,,   



Talk to your physician, and get a psychiatrist referral if possible, as clinical depression is not something you want to self medicate yourself for without regular appointments with someone who knows about mental health. Most physicians really don’t have a clue about mental health, but many will pretend to know anything you need to know about depression. NEVER take advice from 1 physician, and ALWAYS research everything that your doctor prescribes and see if the information that the doctor conveyed to you matches that which is published in medical journals or by other trusted sources.

My experience with 3 years on anti-depressants started 2 months after I started taking 2-3mg/day of clonazepam (before that I had no history of unnatural depression lasting longer than a day or two). I was prescribed citalopram (Celexa) at 20mg/day which is an SSRI.  Since the full effects aren’t felt for 4-8 weeks, I waited 3 months and observed that I was just going through life like everything was OK. SSRI's can work for some people, but I find that they dull your personality and make people simply not care about anything. You may not be depressed but you're not happy and reactive to what you should naturally be emotionally reactive to and their ill effects grossly understated. This is the human mind’s classic response to increased levels of serotonin, which can cause lethargy and other dull symptoms that don’t mix with depression (Hence the American “Black box warning” on all SSRI’s which warns of the increased incidences of suicide, suicidal thoughts/attempts, and self harm in the 18-24 age group.). Now I research everything from 19th century fire-tube boilers to politics to pharmacology and medicine. I didn’t like citalopram on its own, but I read a lot about bupropion (Wellbutrin) being co-administered with citalopram as they negate eachother’s side effects (The pharmacology for this is simple: serotonin increase can cause lower libido, lethargy, apathy, and suck away your motivation and ambition.)

Wellbutrin works as a neurotransmitter re-uptake inhibitor just like SSRI’s, except it affects  norepinephrine and dopamine re-uptake instead of serotonin (There are also medications that affect all 3 neurotransmitters like Effexor, which is known as an SNRI). Having spoken to many people who were prescribed Wellbutrin either for depression or as a smoking cessation aid, all I heard was horror stories of feeling terrible anxiety. The Internet reports for wellbutrin-only users echoed those I spoke with, and the side effects were just the opposite of mine on citalopram. I asked my doctor to add Wellbutrin to my citalopram treatment, but she declined and made me chose one or the other in fear of adverse reactions. I took the Wellbutrin and I had a lot of citalopram left from my first prescription which had many refills, and this held me off until I saw my psychiatrist for the first time. He immediately approved of the combination and I took 1 x 150mg Wellbutrin SR twice daily for about 6 months, and it was great, my depression remitted completely, but the 8-12 hour dose interval of the Wellbutrin brought my anxiety back daily. I thought I had the perfect combo, and I was glad that the first 2 medications I took worked great together, while others find no relief after countless different pills.

6 months after I started eating Wellbutrin SR every day for breakfast and lunch, I went to a walk-in clinic to refill my scripts since my psych app’t was delayed. The doctor that saw me mentioned that there is a formulation of Wellbutrin available called Wellbutrin XL which is once daily instead of twice, which means stable bood plasma levels of medication that caused anxiety because of its stimulant properties and unstable plasma levels. XL was patented, and not generic like citalopram and bupropion in other forms. Once the doc asked if I was insured I said yes and he wrote me up for XL and I asked to switch to Cipralex (es-citalopram) at the same time since that was also not available generic, and seemed to have a cleaner side effect profile. About 5 days after switch from SR to XL I noticed a huge difference and my mind was clearer, with no anxiety at all (I’m not sure if I noticed any difference between the es-cita and cita beyond placebo, but the XL was obviously the reason my anxiety was gone). That day on, instead of $40/month for those two medications, my insurance company had to start paying an additional $120/month for a total of $160/month since I was now the getting name brands. I was so cool! Brand meds! I should’ve made a necklace of Wellbutrin XL to show off that I had money and I was cool cuz I had WXL. WXL 300, motherfucker! YEEEEEAAA!

If I ever have depression that lasts longer than a natural period again, I will definitely go back on WXL 300mg, even if I have to pay the $65/month for it, but I’d just stick with the regular citalopram and let Lundbeck stick their $3+ each pills up their ass. They clearly are doing that already because they don’t seem to feel guilty about setting that price for something that's just an isolated enantiomer from a chemical that I can buy generic for 20 cents each. So much for Canada’s pharma price capping.




ǁǁʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭǁǁ

¨..¨..¨..¨........Long-term Depression (2 Months or more)........¨..¨..¨..¨

ǁǁʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭǁǁ
,,ゑ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,ゑ,,   
         ALTERNATE TREATMENT 
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If you find an anti-depressant that works for you and remits your depression with minimal adverse effects, that’s great! But the reality is that the medication is what’s masking your depression (unless you actually are chemically imbalanced, which is usually not the case. You’re likely just reacting positively because your increasing chemicals in your brain that make you feel good. Dexedrine (amphetamine) increases dopamine but would be a FAIL anti-depressant for long-term).

You need to change your lifestyle if your depressed for a long-period. Clearly something isn’t right and if you can get on meds that remit your depression, you should use that new-found motivation to work toward maintaining your happiness, with an eventual plan to get off the medication (I don’t feel like anyone should rush to get off anti-depressants, as they are likely not hurting you in any way. I stopped when I did cuz of a job loss. No benefits meant no free meds and I wasn’t about to dish out for something I didn’t feel the need for anymore. I tapered off 10mg es-citalopram over a couple weeks and noticed no change in mood or behaviour, I alternated daily between 5 and 10mg for a week, took 5mg for the next and took 5mg every few days for a few weeks after that. The Wellbutrin I alternated one day 300mg next off, repeated over 2-3 weeks. I seemed to feel a bit less happy/energetic after wards but 150mg of Armodafinil a day for 2 weeks after negated any other adverse effects I would’ve experienced.

Before I was off the medication, I ensured that I exercised 4 days/week, ate healthy, forced myself to go out with friends, entertain guests, etc. Socializing is important for a happy mind. Humans need interaction with eachother, and poor eating habits, lack of exercise and too much TV and video games these days has become a societal normality, but it’s sucking the life out of us if we don’t keep it in moderation. Go to a social event at least twice a week whether you want to or not, think of it as exercise for happiness (If you haven’t exercised for a while chances are you don’t want to go running right this second, but go for a run and you’ll feel great after). Don’t forget about CBT either! That shit works great. For a cheap and effective CBT book check out “Mind over Mood” published by Guilford.


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ǁǁʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭʭǁǁʭʭʭʭʭǁǁ
    ゑ   IMPORTANT!    ゑ
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            ǁǁ        ǁ        ǁǁ
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I want to clear up the statement that was made that clonazepam (klonopin) doesn't cause depression. I didn't experience real long-term depression until I started taking 2-3mg of that crap daily for my GAD (my only symptoms from GAD was a completely random anxiety attack that never had an explicable cause. I didn't feel embarassed about it and I even explained it to strangers while waiting for the anxiety to stop.) It's intermediate halflife slowly builds up in your body and over time can cause horrible depression in some people (some can take benzos for decades and not get depressed, but I wasn't one of those). I eve went to a mental health crisis center at a hospital to talk to a "mental health nurse" who said that clonazepam was definitely not giving me depression; that it was IMPOSSIBLE. I wanted to kick her in the fucking face and make sure she never works in mental health again. God knows what brilliant advice she gave others that destroyed their lives and those close to them. Benzos are over prescribed and their ill effects grossly understated. Benzos can alter your lifestyle very gradually and he changes that you make can end up causing the very habits/choices that are making you depressed. For me I slowly became alienated from friends and family, and became too comfortable being alone. Before benzos I used to go out most days of the week, even if just for a few hours in the evening on weekdays. (Introverts may possibly socialize more and see that their depression is helped by benzos; but always remember that mental health is such a subjective, and with benzos, always question why you need it at that moment.)
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Best of luck to you!
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: AnonymousAddict on February 15, 2013, 08:42 pm
Benzos work great for my anxiety and slight depression.,
Xanax
Klonopin
Tamazepam
Valium            Also surprising i took CELEXA for a while and that helped but not for long....Benzos has been my wonder drug...Opiates is not the ANSWER!! IM A 10 YEAR OPIATE ADDICT i know!!! Yes while u r on them your great and happy nothing could be better in life..But when you dont have it makes u even more depressed..Luckily for me im not prscibed opiates and benzos after i became addicted i got shot,,so i lucked up in a way cause i have access to them.. But u need to go to a mental health place..I did that when i was struggling with anxiety and addiction and i was giving Klonopin 2mg 3x a day and it helped change me for the better..10 years later im not in that dark place anymore..Iv been there bro, u ever wanna talk PM me...
Title: Re: Opiates as anti depressants/mood enhancers?
Post by: moonflower on February 15, 2013, 08:52 pm
Benzos work great for my anxiety and slight depression.,
Xanax
Klonopin
Tamazepam
Valium            Also surprising i took CELEXA for a while and that helped but not for long....Benzos has been my wonder drug...Opiates is not the ANSWER!! IM A 10 YEAR OPIATE ADDICT i know!!! Yes while u r on them your great and happy nothing could be better in life..But when you dont have it makes u even more depressed..Luckily for me im not prscibed opiates and benzos after i became addicted i got shot,,so i lucked up in a way cause i have access to them.. But u need to go to a mental health place..I did that when i was struggling with anxiety and addiction and i was giving Klonopin 2mg 3x a day and it helped change me for the better..10 years later im not in that dark place anymore..Iv been there bro, u ever wanna talk PM me...
i wouldn't advise anyone to take benzodiazepines or opiates for depression, as both are highly addictive and are prone to causing physical dependence. benzo withdrawal is even worse than opiate withdrawal, comparable to alcohol withdrawal... there are many safer, healthier alternatives. why risk gaining an addiction on top of your depression?