Author: tearj3rker

Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 10:30 pm

All opioids are anti-depressants. Actually, they’re likely the best anti-depressants around. I just went to hospital and saw my mum (who’s usually a worrier) after hip-replacement surgery. She looked happy for the first time in years after the nurses came in and gave her a shot of morphine.

But they haven’t been prescribed for psychiatric illness since the early 1900’s for a couple of reasons, mainly tolerance and dependence. Moreso than other drugs, tolerance builds rapidly with opioids. It doesn’t take long for the anti-depressant effect to wear thin and a dose increase is required. But the big problem is addiction.

I’m sceptical of this prevailing idea that Suboxone is not addictive, that it’s only dependence forming when taken properly. RB have perpetuated this idea that Suboxone is as benign as anti-depressants. With both you may get withdrawal on discontinuation, but you don’t chase or crave either drugs addictively like you would cigarettes or crack or heroin. The problem is, every time I’ve gone off buprenorphine, I’ve craved it… for months after. I would actually want it over heroin. But heroin would always be more available. I’ve never gone "geee… some Effexor would be so nice right now…"