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MedHelp Member's Question

detox depression

by engsal, Jun 20, 2003 12:00AM
hi- i,m new to this forum. Can anybody tell me why the depression i feel whilst detoxing from tramadol is so severe when i am prescribed and take regular paxil for depression. I would really appreciate your support
Member Comments (54)

by miko, Jun 20, 2003 12:00AM
To: engsal
I've taken oxycontin, oxycodone, hydros & ultram. Ultram was the hardest for me to detox from. It helped my mood when I took it-I was also taking antidepressants. I asked my former doc about the mood enhancement & he said it had the same ingredients as an SSRI (even moreso.) So when you stop taking ultram, it's a double whammy--no more pain med & no more mood med. Also, Ultram is dangerous to take together with SSRI's as it can cause seizures. Ask your doc for a stronger SSRI & taper the ultram til you can come off completely.

by skata, Jun 20, 2003 12:00AM
I'm new to the forum also but I do have alot of experience with Ultram withdrawl.  I was on Ultram for 8 years for a back injury and truly thought I would never get off the stuff.  



Ultram is a synthetic replica of morphine and works on most of the same areas of your brain.  When morphine or any similar pain killer is present, you own natural endorphins (not sure I spelled it right) do not get produced in their normal quantites.  Endorphins are your body's natural pain killers, there are actually several pain killers that naturally occur in the body but I'll use endorphins for this explaination.



There are parts of the nerves that are called receptors and when pain killers (Ultram etc.) are taken, your body is tricked into believing that it doesn't need as many receptors as it once did.  It also reduces the amount of it's own endorphins because it detects the Ultram and thinks it's overproducing it's own endorphines.  If someone is on pain killers for more than 6-8 months their body actually looses it's ability to product it's own pain killers.  Therefore, not only do you go thorough withdrawl, you also will be in more pain because your body is not producing it's own pain killers.  In normal circumstances, pain killers should be taken only as long as a severe injury is present and then stopped.



OK, enough background, the reason your anti-depressent is not working is because the ultram is one of the best anti-depressents ever created.  I can remember taking it and feeling a warm rush from the top of my head spreading downward.  It acts like a major rush of endorphins and puts you own cloud 9.  The problem is, I now think of that warm rush as the burning up of my own nerve receptors.  When the Ultram is missing, your body will crave it because it works for a balance of endorphines but it now has less ability to create it's own.



My advice is to stop taking the Ultram because of all pain killers I've ever taken, it was one of the hardest to quit.  I've taken many types of pain killers, Delaudid, Peracet, Darvon, Methadone, Oxycontin ect..  When I stopped taking Ultram, I was up to 12 50mg pills a day.  



The longer you use it the longer it will take for your body to get back to normal.  I switched from Ultram to Methadone to help with the withdrawl.  I took the Methadone for 2 years and finally stopped all together a year ago.  They say that the first week off is the worst and it is for the withdrawl symtoms but the depression part can go on for several months before your body gets back to normal.  I've finally learned that there are many none narcotic solutions to the pain and depression and I'm happy to say that I now take no prescription medicine at all.



I hope this helps.

by miko, Jun 20, 2003 12:00AM
To: engsal
p.s. I'm new too. I'm detoxing from lortab 10's (12 a day) right now and when I say detoxing, I mean I've switched to Darvocets so I can stand the pain. I've done it like this before, as they say--it's so damn easy to quit, I've done it a thousand times! I'm also taking lots of vitamins & something to flush me out that the healthfood store lady recmd. I told her everything & she really helped. Even prayed for me. Got online last week to search for vikes & ended up here, reading posts. I broke down, woke my husband up at 2am & told him I needed help. I've been addicted to some sort of narc for about 5 years. I'm seeing a therapist today at 2:15 & GOD, i hope he can help. Someone who's been through this reccommended him, so he's good. I hope he gives me something for the depression I know will come once i run out of these darvocets. BUT, the darvocets really do help with the w/d symptoms--i never really had any symptoms when i came off of those. Just the vikes/ultram & oxys. Hope you get help w/your depression also. Paxil did nothing for me except make me sweat. I'm taking 100 mgs of zoloft now & don't feel a difference. I've heard that effexor is good...we'll see how it goes today.

by sandstorm, Jun 20, 2003 12:00AM
I'm pretty new over here, also.  I have been off of ultram for 4 1/2 months now after a 3 year run.  I have been addicted to almost everything in the whole world.. I had been clean for 15 years and I started taking that ****.  It is really interesting what you say about it, because I have been through withdrawals before,  but nothing like ultram.. I really didn't think I was going to make it.  The depression was the worst.  Also, my blood pressure went sky high.  My doctor put me on 3 different kinds of bp medicine and Effexor and everything changed.  I really started feeling better and that was like my 3rd month into it.  Like a lot of people I didn't want the anti-depressant, but he was right it did the trick.  He also took me off of the estrogen patch,  because he said that aggravated the high bp.  I went twice during the w/ds to er room with bp up to 210/130 - 220/150 (stroke level)I was scared to death, but I told the doctors the truth and they were great to me. Now my bp is 110/70 most of the time.

Thanks for all the info and I will be praying for all of you and if I can help, let me know.  Hang in there and keep posting!

Sandy

Everyone here is great and give great advice!

by doner, Jun 20, 2003 12:00AM
To: engsal
What a strange coincidence it is that this is the topic for today.Engsal, Ive never even heard of you(as you are new,so am I)but I promise to pray for you tonight for your depression and that it passes quickly.Every persons reaction to coming off opiates is different.My boyfriend and I started tapering methadone a few months back(so far successful).Now he feels great and ambitious and ready to take on the world. I however fell into a deep depression that as been haunting me for what feels like forever.As far as Im concerned, depression is the the worst wd symptom of all.I am so sorry for you,truly I mean it.Withdrawls play with some peoples minds sometimes to the extent that they think they are going crazy.I hope yours isnt that bad.I just sympathize so with your situation so much. MrMichael will probably get to you soon(as I personally believe he is one of the most caring souls here) He will have more accurate info but look into finding a doctor near you qualified to prescribe burenorphine(sp).Ive been told by a good source that the difference is like night and day.Unfortunatly there is no dr. near me that is qualified so Im pretty much screwed but it could really help you.And if you feel anything like I do you'll be lookin for that doctor today.My heart goes out to you as I understand how you feel.Chin up,Melissa

by hippy, Jun 20, 2003 12:00AM
depression , connected with pain med withdrawls is like a bad acid trip, you just have to keep telling yourself its just the with drawls, it will pass.

i tried to kick cold turkey off a 15 to 20 a day vike habit

own my own for about 2 years but the depression was so severe

i went back to the pills in order to function.

this was before i found this fourm.

along with the depression the other major problem was lack of energy, another problem i could not get over on my own.

when i found this fourm i started to learn what was going on

with me, for i was truely in the dark about the withdrawls

symptoms of opiate withdrawl.

when i got here a year and a half ago, it was suggested to me to try to taper down wich i had no sucess with.

I was also introduced to thomas's recipe a group of vitamines

and minerals , i started taking them right away and they helped

me finally get through the depression of cold turkey.

the l-tyrosine and b-6 made me feel a lot  better, at  the time

i  would wake up in the morning and feel like i was 100 years old, the vitamine gave me back my health, i must have been

very deficent in vitamines and minerals.

the receipe helped me with the depression and lack of energy.

and i had a rough 5 days detoxing  but then it began to get easier, sleeping was a problem for a month or two.

but my feeling came back and i started to feel joy for the 1st time in a few years. i have been clean for 15 monts now ,

i still take the receipe, tho i cut down on the l-tyrosine.

i have also taken 5htp for depression.

the one thing that i have found very helpful has been

exersize and lots of it ,.

my experence with the depresion from withdrawls  was a feeling of fear, the fear of impending doom. also sense of panic.



peace!!!!!HIPPY

by KimH, Jun 20, 2003 12:00AM
To: Pammy
I'm sorry to break in but real quick, Pammy, I tried to email you but couldn't? I double checked and it is correct as far as in the other thread. what should I do? KimH

by doner, Jun 20, 2003 12:00AM
To: hippee
The last two sentences of your post explain me perfectly. How long did the depression last? I can handle any physical wds but this messin w/ my head sh*t is out of control. Doner

by pheggie101, Jun 20, 2003 12:00AM
hi guys and gals.....im a lurker and have been for weeks and weeks. you have helped me so much you will never know, especially mr michael and mr jack, but all of you have, and i do try and keep a angel on my shoulder kip. you see, im not a addict, or alcoholic, and ive tried not to judge. i had my wife, now  ex wife, in detox and every treatment plan know to man, even kept her from jail, but finally, i cut the thread. i still love her more than the breath in my lungs, and all you guys talk of, all the w/d, c/d, the depression, the on and on....i have witnessed this in person from the other side of the glass you look thru. you have helped me understand, you have helped me cope, you have made me welcome. i have seen all the deviant lies, all the "doing what it takes" to get that fix....if i had my way i would go blow up pudue pharama and outlaw oxycontin. she bought it off the street..of course she went the regular route first, the doc shopping, the ER visits, ultram, percs,vics, seems that all the addicts kind of get a circle, they all know who, and when, and where.i just want to thank you all for your heartfelt wins and especially your losses.you will never know the sleepless nites i have endured, and you do cause of insomnia