Notices

Depression after opiates

Old 03-25-2015, 04:22 PM
  # 1 (permalink)  
Member
Thread Starter
 
Snotchy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 28
Depression after opiates

Hello all,

Most of 2014 I was on a strong regiment of prescription opiates for a back injury. Fentanyl patch, oxy, dilaudid... I was out of it.

After a 10 day suboxone taper during a 28 day stay in rehab during Dec of last year, I've been clean since. I got my sleep back which has been great, but I've been suffering from depression and bouts of being overly sad since then.

My doc tried Zoloft, which worked great, but made me so sick to my stomach 24/7 that I had to stop it. I also started to put on weight which I cannot afford to do. Then I tried lamotrigine, which after 2 weeks took my sleep away really bad.

So today my doc has me trying Abilify, this has got me concerned about weight gain and other side effects.

This really sucks, the side effects seem worse then the problem, but I have a difficult time concentrating and I just generally feel down and out much of the time. I wish I could feel like I did while taking the Zoloft with out feeling like I had the stomach flu.

I'm feeling like I might just go back to drinking a bit to self-medicate, but that could be a bad road to go down.

I'm wondering if the depression, like my sleep will level off and become balanced again.
I had been on and off the pain meds for about 5 years, so it's hard to say if I was suffering from depression prior to taking them.

Anyone been through this?

Thanks,

- S
Snotchy is offline  
Old 03-26-2015, 04:09 AM
  # 2 (permalink)  
Member
 
jerri11's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 425
Hello, Snotchy. I'm sorry to hear you're having such a rough time.

Please know that adding alcohol into the mix is a really bad idea. It will make the depression worst and could be a dangerous mix with the prescriptions.

It sounds you have a doctor who is willing to work with you on finding the right anti-depressant. That's good. It can take time, particular since it can take several weeks on one to begin to see any effect.

I know that when you're down the rabbit hole of full-blown depression it can be hard to think about anything other than finding a quick fix. But there really isn't a silver bullet.

Have you thought about trying some counseling? With your back injury are you able to get any exercise, even just a short walk each day out in the sunshine can make a difference. Working on improving your diet a little bit at a time can help too. Maybe not all of those at once, but pick one and try it out for a few days. Then add another. Just keep trying different positive things to see what works for you.

Finally, the Mental Health forum is often kind of quiet. You might want to consider starting a thread under the Newcomers to Recovery board. More people will see it, and you'll get a lot more feedback. The board isn't just for alcoholics. Anyone struggling with or recovering from an addiction is welcome.
jerri11 is offline  
Old 03-26-2015, 05:00 AM
  # 3 (permalink)  
Recovered
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,129
I had this too. I was on 1-2mg/day (yes, mg) habit of IV fentanyl. Dilaudid if I couldn't find injectible fent. I suffered profound depression for about the first 2 years. My brain chemistry took a long time to readjust from years of active opioid addiction. I found that SSRI did not help AT. ALL. I was on Wellbutrin for a bit and that helped (it works on norepinephrine and dopamine rather than serotonin).

Rewiring my brain became of the utmost importance. I did it through individual therapy (CBT), group meetings, 12-step work, and service work. It was tremendously helpful.

I am almost 6 years sober and very happy. It was very slow-going at first, though. I would say give time, time. Don't give up before it starts working! It literally took years for me, but it was well-worth the work and the waiting.

Glad you are here.
mfanch is offline  
Old 03-26-2015, 07:43 AM
  # 4 (permalink)  
Recovered
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,129
And I would DEFINITELY NOT consider drinking to be an option here.
mfanch is offline  
Old 03-26-2015, 01:43 PM
  # 5 (permalink)  
Member
Thread Starter
 
Snotchy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 28
Hi Folks, thanks for your input.

A friend who has been through rehab for things other than opiates told me that after two years from rehab, he concluded that progress should be judged not by weeks, but by 3 to 6 month increments. Looking back on the progress I've made since I've been home from rehab on Dec 30th last year, I'm actually doing pretty good! ;-)

When I first got home, I still had the withdrawal insomnia really bad, I could not get up before 8 or 9 in the morning, going to bed at 9:00pm. Now I'm sleeping well and just this week I started getting up between 5 and 5:30am and going to a 6:30AM AA meeting and then going to the gym. I've also been getting much less "weepy" over little things compared to when I first got home. I'd watch tv with my wife and tear up at commercials.

Today I had a really good productive day of work, which only comes 2 or 3 days out of the week at the most. I work for myself as a web developer out of my house. It takes me a while to get deep into it, but I'm getting better and it's getting easier. Concentration is something I'll be able to use as a measuring stick as to brain function.

I appreciate the input of experience. I think I've been letting myself get frustrated because the pills weren't working and pills are supposed to make you feel good, they always did before! I want to just let that thinking go and be patient with my progress, look for the small things and be grateful for them.

Anyway, thanks again. I'm having a better day today. One day at a time!

Take care, I'll check back again soon.

- S
Snotchy is offline  

Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off




All times are GMT -7. The time now is 02:39 AM.