Methadone / Depression Issues? (Top voted first)

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I have been taking methadone tablets,15mg-3 times a day, for back pain. I also have some depression issues as well, The methadone seems to make me in a good mood as well as taking my back pain away. I do have many mood swings lately where I go from very good feeling to very bad very quickly sometimes, This usually happens when the methadone starts wearing off. I think I may need to see a psyhciatrist about this. I do the methadone for pain, but maybe I need something else for my depression, I also have suicidal thoughts sometimes too, I have heard of mood stabilizers, Do these work? If anyone could suggest a medication , It would be appreciated. Also when the methadone is wearing off, I will feel very tired and weak, Without the metadone, I really cannot function that well due to the combination of back pain and mental issues. Thank you for your time and help.--Mike

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hi-anyone
Im on methadone for 8 months.am a 57 y/o man fighting bipolar type 2 for nearly 30 years tried all antideperssants in these years.also mood stblizers. now Im confused if methadone is realy depressant or anti-depressant????
If someone helps me through his or her experience with methadone I will be so appreciated.

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13

Something I have never understood is some one who suffers from severe depression being denied the legal right to medication that WORKS. Severe depression is a very dangerous condition to be cursed with because of the ever present risk of suicide. For some reason that doesn't matter. So what if i'm opiate free? What, my system is clean of the medication that COULD have kept me alive? I have tried over 15 anti depressants and none worked. I learned the hard way when it comes to getting help for depression and the routine meds don't work you are on your own. Doctors don't care. You do what you have to do because if you leave it up to "them" all they will do is help you into eternity even quicker. If it comes to that I just hope and pray I have enough strength and presence of mind left to at least make it look like an accident. My heart goes out to all who suffer from depression and would advise any one- if it works GO FOR IT.

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1

Methadone, like any opiate, will relieve depression and make you feel great......until homeostasis kicks in. Then methadone will make you fat, depressed, hypogonadal etc.

Opiates inhibit the production of adrenalin/noradrenalin in the brain and will slowly drain you of your life as time passed by (months, years). Methadone is the nuke among opiates because it works 24/7 on your body with a halflife of around 24 hours(only LAAM is worse).

Methadone has it uses such as MMT but the price paid is very high.

If you possibly can, I suggest you get off it. If you can't, you need extremely powerful antidepressants and possible an amphetamine to combat the fatigue.

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10

I have been using methadone about 2 years, prior had used antidepressants, sedatives, Wellbutrin etc. 10 total scripts in all, all from a physiatrist scripts . I only went on these meds caused wife at the time insisted and literally did all the talking as she was ultimately setting me up to attempt to make me appear "crazy" As she had plans to divorce me and attempt to take everything , business etc. she was having an affair and it all culminated on my birthday of that year with her lying to go out with friends to end up in a hotel room with previous flame having sex and then coming home to tell me she wanted divorce. When attempting to wean off of thes drugs I found myself falling apart and turned to natcotics , namely Heroin. This led to the methadone. Tried cold turkey ( times to endy addiction to "H" but every time ended it up hospitalized, dehydrated and not capable to do so, so decided to use Methadone as a "stepping stone " to get away, break free " now I'm locked into the methadone with no way out. Withdrawals
And symptoms from trying to get off of it even worse than "H"....... So it cost me &300.00 monthly for M and it has brought me to a point where I can sleep all day/ night, since it acts as antidepressant and anxiety meds there isn't the sense of urgency normally to "stop using" Also it's legal so that's not an issue, it's affected my sex drive. ( although hard to tell cause 1st. Year was single and now with a wonderful woman who's religious convictions prevent her from being with me until married but I know deep within the drive isn't there as it was, & Beleive me, come time (marriage ) she will have every need and desire to have me day/night and in between in every sexual way, I fear to let her down and not be able to satisfy her as I should, also if I am depressed as I am now with not much care or worry about all things , what kind of relationship will it be ? I am looking for a way out, recently truly debated suicide, but I'm a coward in the sense that I couldn't do that to those love, namely her and my 11 year old daughter , parents etc. I am trapped and soon I fear I will "opt out" as it (life as a whole) gets progressively worse and my hopes and dreams fade until they are a poison that clouds my thoughts and haunts my dreams..... If anyone can make a suggestion(s ) I'm all ears , but please save the religious hope speech. ( I am a believer ) but its "not working now " also, unless its some way to eliminate the M, redirect my life from Ruins and help to
Provide a path that is so obscure you can be sure I haven't considered.... .lets not waste each others time... Thank you.

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12

Wow, after reading down thru everyones messages I felt like I needed to say more. I've battled depression all my life. And I have either drank or done drugs or actually worked with dr.'s to try and get it right. I went to a methadone clinic to get off everything. Then gave a little over 2 years to trying antidepressants. With no luck. Went back on methadone and best way I can describe it is, I function like I ve always felt a person should function. Some anxiety from time to time, and I can still get sad. But all controllable now. Not in excess. All I can say to everyone out there is find what works for you, we are all chemically different. And go with it. You know yourself better than any dr. or government could ever hope to. May they someday actually listen to us.

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20

I sympathize for you not being able to legally obtain your methadone. My husband and I have been MMT patients since 8/2012 and as California residents who receive medical our methadone is provided to us daily at no cost. It has worked wonders for the opiate addiction but what I'm dealing with now is severe depression, anger/uncontrollable rage, hopelessness and intense self-loathing. I've never had a history of depression and I have no idea how to begin to cope with this issue. Does anyone who is a long-term Methadone patient have a similar experience? Do I get on anti-depressants or..?? I'm ashamed of these uncontrollable emotions I'm suddenly flooded with and my children are suffering as a result of my mental unrest. I need help and I don't even know where to begin...

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25

I have also been on methadone for about 3 years and am severely depressed. I have never felt like this in my life and I am sure it is the methadone. I am slowly going on my dosage, 2mgs per week, and I am praying that getting to a low enough dosage will start to help until I can get off it completely. I also gained 40 lbs I CAN'T lose. All I want to do is sleep, I can't function enough to work at all. I also have bad anxiety, every day is just misery. I think methadone is from hell. I wish to God I never started taking it, it has ruined my life.

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2

I use 50mg methadone as a mood stabilizer
...I wish it was otc.
I have to buy it illegally

It works for me and nothing else does.

I wish politicians would respect poor souls like us.

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3

I agree,i had been on methadone for about 7yrs (40mg a day) & found it the best medication for depression so far. I've tried many,many anti-depressant meds, without success. Now that i've stopped taking methadone, i feel the depression has come back worse. Governments worldwide really need to investigate methadone (opiates) for depression - just drug abuse

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27

I've been on methadone now for 2 year's. I was given it as a mood stabilizer. I still have the same mental health issues and I'm 2 stone heavier. When I had a pinched nerve in my back the hospital thought I was drug chasing! I told em I have more drugs in my bag than u or any doctor in this s*** hole could ever prescribe me, with that I walked out in agony went home and cut my arm to release my anger. I hate being judged by people who are so ignorant. My experience on methadone is hell. I would urge anyone thinking about going on it, that it could be for life!

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4

Ive been in methadone treatment for four years now. I got up to 165mlgs a day. For the past year ive been detoxing, now im at 46mlgs. But I feel drained, have mood swings, and im depressed. But an hr after I take it I feel great. Is there anything I can do to not feel like this anymore. Please help! Thank you

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8

Hi wednesday-Im miinochehr in this site if you have time please tell me: do really sedation hurts you with 50 mg .Please tell me more about your exp. with methadone.Im a 57 y/o man fighting with bipolar nearly my all past life.It destroyed mypast life now 1 year on methadone .I can say that am satisfied BUT:DEPRESSION. Now am calm with no mood swing.and this is a surprise for me and my lovers. BUT I think something else must complete methadone.something for solving depression.for 3 months I toke serteralin (my doc. said) but when mania was starting to appear I weaned it off.I have some experience with ginkgo biloba and can share it with you.
please answer me thank you

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I am exactly the same way. I gave over two years to my Dr. To try and balance me out. With the imminent threat of loosing my job I had no choice but to go back on the methadone. I am fine now. Not high, or messed up, but what most would probally call normal. Now I am in search of any evidence that methadone can be used as a mood stabilizer. So it can be perscribed and not gotten illegally. Any help or guidence greatly appreciated.

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15

Hi, I'm in MMT on 70mg for three years. I and many others abuse opiates because it gets us high and gives us an escape from depression for a little while.. In the beginning. I haven't got high off my methadone ever, I did however feel high when I began abusing opiates.

My question for everyone is,does your antidepressants work for you while in Methadone Maintenance? I've been taking SSRI's for 16 years and they worked good before I began taking methadone daily-Now I get no effects of them. Is it the Methadone?? Or is it the huge amount of damage to my brain receptors,ect?

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16

Methadone is the worst thing that has ever happened to my family. It makes you unstable and have crazy mood swings. This medication is bad news and should NEVER be used just for depression. Please do your research before you start as you will most likely be on it for life.

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17

What does paws stand for ? I just got off of msContin five days ago and started methadone three days ago. Well I felt good when I first started the methadone but suddenly now, I've been feeling depressed and so tired I can't sleep ? I've had depression for at least 17 years and I take two different antidepressants and klonapin as well !!! Does anyone know what might be causing this sudden depression ? Anything , at this point, would be so helpful.

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21

Hi, I've been reading alot of the posts and the common factor seems to be depression and methadone. I'm a 45 y/o, women who suffers from BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER. I was diagnosed in 1996 following a serious suicide attempt and was sectioned under the mental health act. I was told I would eventually grow out of it!! I think what they meant was after 25 years u would be used as a experiment using shut the f*** up drugs and by the time ur in ur 40's u would be so physically dependent on some drug or other and we can just write u off because everything that could be done medication wise has been done!! I'm currently on 100 mls of methadone, 4,10 mls of nitrazapam and 15 mg of zimovane per day. I collect my prescription rather my emotionally unstable husband collects my script once a week. My source of support is a substance abuse worker at the local drugs clinic. I am not abusing any illicit drugs and haven't for 10 years. My physiatrist suggested I take methadone for my mental health, BPD 1/1/2 years of being on that disgusting methadone I've put on 2stones in weight, depressed so bad that I dont or rather am unable to function as a human should do. I have self harmed through out my life although I do try my best not to now. My life!! My existence is living in my bedroom, I feel no point in getting dressed. My husband will do anything on a practical level but we hardly speak, he sleeps downstairs, I rarely leave my room. I'm attempting to slowly reduce the methadone as I believe it has killed me mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I believe because of the lack of exercise it's a matter of time before I'll start having physical issues. In fact that has started to happen. I cannot comprehend just how unhappy, unmotivated and wish death upon this miserable existence I'm experiencing. Coming off methadone and benzos is he'll on earth but I feel I have no option. I have a rite to live a life to the best I can, I don't agree with how western society is too quick to give drugs. I believe if my family wasn't all dead I would have love in my life and I truly believe that's what my cure for my BPD is, not 100 mls of frigging methadone and a drug worker I don't see or need. Please if anyone is thinking of going on methadone in the belief you will feel better please let it be ur last resort. I wish everyone the best of health, having mental health problems is horrific and still not understood.

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22

Hi Mike. I've recently started taking wellbutrin and it works alright. Benzos and paxil worked wonders for me. I haven't had any benzos in WEEKS and the crazy feeling is starting to go away but I still feel weird around peope. I took a 'done tonight and damn in was like resetting my brain .

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23

I just started methadone today is my 6th day I am bipolar have ptsd I started on 30 mg then increased by 10 a day until I got to 50 mg which ive been on now for 2 days I have been very sad and keep crying I'm not sure if it's from the methadone or not it is new (the crying ) I have found in order to stay awake all day and not nodd out I have been drinking 3-4 redbull a day I accually crave them every day and this seems to work for me so far...I'm hoping that the crying will go away once I'm more use to the methadone??

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24

I know exactly how you feel. I literally stay in bed all day and only get up when I absolutely have to. It's taking a toll on my relationship as well and we also barely speak. Which in turn makes me feel more alone and more sad and more depressed. I have no motivation to do anything. I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm down to 8 mgs a day and I'm just as depressed now as after I started.

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