[nandm]

As a person who utilizes both a pain medication and anti-depressants I found your post interesting.

My experience is that pain meds never gave me relief from my depression. In fact Vicodin increases my depression and I become quite suicidal even when on anti-depressants. On anti-depressants I do not get a "high". They levelize the chemicals in my brain so that it functions correctly. They leave me feeling "normal" rather than feeling like dying even though there is no reason to feel that way. When I take the pain med for my back pain I can tell that it does produce a "high". I become more talkative and wired. Personally I do not like the feeling. I do not like the feeling of being on the edge of out of control, which is one reason I hate depression as in a depression I know the throughts I have are wrong but I can not stop my brain from feeling them.

That said, there are several anti-depressants that also help with pain but do not produce the "high" that pain killers produce. Cymbalta is one that is also prescribed for diabetic neuropathy pain. Prozac is prescribed for PMS, but rather than for the pain of the cramps it is to help with the mood swings of PMS. Amitryptaline as stated earlier is also one that helps with pain. There are many more out there. But please realize that just because a med may have a dual use it does not mean that it is necessarily the same thing. Pain meds are for pain, most tend to block the pain receptors. Anti-depressants levelize the brain chemicals.

Personally I will take my anti-depressants any day over pain meds. Not only does my recovery depend upon it but also my sanity.