Antidepressants as an excellent addiction recovery tool

Question

Just wanted to bring up a topic for everyone to comment on, maybe some people have experiences to share about.  The topic is... antidepressants as a key addiction recovery tool.

From what I've read, anti-depressants actually work by encouraging new brain cells to grow into fully functional neurons.  Obviously in addiction many of these neurons die or become damaged. So this could be a key tool in getting back on your feet after being swept away in the depths of addiction.

I have started taking the anti-depressant Cipralex and so far I have been feeling better with the only side effect of having trouble sleeping.  But from what I read within 6 weeks new brain cells should already have grown really well.

Anyone else use anti-depressants in their recovery and how are you feeling now?

gnarly_1 · Answer

HI.....MY take on it is First give your brain a chance to recover on its own....as addicts we want it and we want it now....and where always looking for a pill that will make it all better ....dont get me wrong im bipolar I take meds for it daily but when it came to anti depressants my phyic doctor said lets give it a little time to see what your brain does on its own first after 90 days she put me on celexa within 90 days she took me off and im fine I agree it has a place in recovery but give your rain a chance to recover on it own first.....most will less medication more application hook up with some good aftercare and retrain your brain how to think again
and you will keep this desiese in remition so dont be in a hurry to jump on anything time heals  just give it a chance in 90 days your still struggling see your doctor good luck and God bless.....Gnarly

dominosarah · Answer

Good posts from you all~~Nice to see!

my_mayberry · Answer

thats great! just remember, though, that how you react to a drug isn't how everyone else reacts. i've been on lexapro also with no problems. still, that isn't the case for everyone... and for some people, their symptoms may not even be strong enough to warrent another medication. it's all individual.

PinPinPatrick · Answer

That's basically the one I'm on.  Same drug for Lexapro/Cipralex.  Are you having any side effects?  When I first started taking them I didn't like the effect it had on my sleep.  But I'm more than willing to take it if it improves the way my mind works over time.  So when I found out what they can do over time I decided to carry through and take them.

PinPinPatrick · Answer

The Doctor checked my liver enzymes and he said I have a very healthy liver.  He also said the anti-depressant Cipralex shouldn't cause any harm to the liver but that I should be careful if I choose to consume alcohol which I am avoiding.

I think Vicodin is hard on the liver though.

PinPinPatrick · Answer

Hmm...  Well the new anti-depressant Cipralex (generic Lexapro), has very good reviews.  It's well tolerated among many people and apparently works really well.

To tell you the truth I was having suicidal thoughts...(I have no job and am still having trouble finding one), anyway I took the ant-depressant and they were gone out of my head in 20 minutes!  I could feel my serotonin levels in my mind increase and it was actually kind of a nice feeling.  My brain felt a bit fuzzy at first from the serotonin increase, but my mood went from emotionally hopeless to about neutral in literally like 20 minutes.  And then I was actually smiling the next day and interacting with everyone in my life very well and pleasantly.

Anyways there are definite side effect.  Pleasure dopamine pathways in my brain are dulled a bit, I have a very hard time sleeping, once I wake up from sleep it's like impossible to fall back asleep, and I have had some nightmares.  So the main problem for me has been the sleeping.

PinPinPatrick · Answer

I don't think anti-depressants have the same addictive properties  that other drugs have though.  They definitely should be taken in conjunction with a Doctor.  But the thing is, I don't think there is any real pleasure as in dopamine release in the brain from them... like from many other addictive drugs.  In fact they actually suppress the dopamine neural circuits in the brain.

I suppose that is one of the downsides to them... But for a  recovering addict it could be a good thing.  

They are addictive in the sense that when you're on them you should stay on them until you decide to come off of them.  Of course that's when you talk to your Doctor about weening yourself off of them.

PinPinPatrick · Answer

It's all over the internet actually!  Any anti-depressant that increases norepinephrine in particular stimulates new brain cell growth!  So ideally they will increase both serotonin and norepinephrine.  Of course some of them don't do this like Prozac.  So something like Cipralex/Lexapro works well.  

Just search this in google:

Anti-depressants and brain cell growth

It's been confirmed in multiple scientific reports now.

my_mayberry · Answer

yes, i know what you meant. i think these meds have helped a lot of people. for MOST people, they work very smoothly with only mild side effects. however, for some there can be absolute, downright horror stories and i just think its important to point out that there are certain drugs that might be better for this type of use and others that should probably be avoided. there are some SSRI/SNRI's that are really only meant for people with extreme clincal depression/anxiety/OCD...those are really hard to get off of once you're on them. it's all just a matter of knowing what you're taking before you take it...that's all i meant. i'm all for whatever path is easiest in the road to recovery! no doubt about that. no road is easy, and if SSRI's make it easier for some people to stay off the opiates or other drugs of choice, then by all means do what works!

udoschoices · Answer

ya i was also concerned but my doc has had experience using the one he put me on with good results and in low doses for short period of time.. i brought up the same thing about not wanting to be on something i would have issues with but he said what he's putting me on is one of the milder ones and would help with getting me over the hump and a few months of being clean then I'll come off... and i did research and confirmed what he said about it being one of the easier ones to stop so i feel a bit better.  For me, anything that will break my constant ridiculous opiate habit and constant relapse battle is something i'm willing to chance -

Jimmy1975 · Answer

I for one think its a very good idea and so did my psychologist  . Its hard enough to deal with the depression and for me the ten mils. of Lexapro I took I believe really helped me threw . ADs work for some and not the good for others .. And Effexor might work and might work for you and might not ! I took it about ten years ago and worked great but this time it made me fell worse ! So my Dr. but me on Lexapro and that did the trick ! Go figure ! Good luck to you !  Jimmy

0421 · Answer

my mayberry, that is what I was trying to say, I don't express myself very good and you are right, I would hate to see anybody get hooked on something else, it is so easy to use one drug in place of the other. both the drugs I am getting off hurt your liver, so becareful what you start just to help you get off the other one.

my_mayberry · Answer

they can help...but i would encourage anyone considering this path to visit the anxiety communities and do their research. for SOME people, it's INCREDIBLY hard to get off an SSRI/SNRI once they're on it, so you have to ask yourself if the benefit is really great enough. not all antidepressants are created equal, either. while each individual may respond differently to starting/discontinuing an antidepressant, it also needs to be considered that there are different TYPES of antidepressants...some are very difficult to get off of even on the best of days.

there are a few SSRI's that end to be both easy to start and stop and might provide benefit, but sometimes doctors are too quick to whip out the 'big guns' and that could do FAR more damage than good. i would just say to anyone who goes this route to really do the research on their anti-depressants and really discuss it with their doctor.

0421 · Answer

the Antidepressants( most) are seratonin up takers and they give you a lift, I had been on Remeron since 2001 and I came out of my depression and went right into a manic high. I am not bi-polar but it put me into a high. I do believe that they are a good drug when needed, but be carefull because they can also become a addictiion. They are very hard on your liver, I went off both Remeron and Vicoden three weeks ago because my liver enzyms are high, I used Remeron right and Vicoden not so good, (if 3 a day felt good 4 was even better). I do not even feel any wds from the Anitdepressants but I sure do the Vicoden. Just thought I would put my 2 cents in seeing it was a discussion. Good Luck to all

udoschoices · Answer

Valium is not an anti-depression medication - it's anti-anxiety and i agree, should NOT be a solution for getting off of anything...  the anti-depression meds dont provide euphoria that we are discussing (at least that i assume we are!). Trading a benzo addiction for another one isnt a good strategy at all!

udoschoices · Answer

i wish i could explain it the way my doctor did a few days ago... i have been prescribed citalopram (celexa) on the lowest dose to kick in (takes 3-4 weeks to start working) at the end of my short Subutex run of 20 days, (immediately tapering down then off), to help with the post-withdrawal restlesses/irritability and cravings / depression that results.

 He drew me a picture and showed me how when we get off of opiates, at this part of your brain near the bottom / brain stem - is where your body processes seratonin and how during opiate abuse this mechanism gets short circuited and puts a demand on the neurotransmitters that the SSRI drugs (anti-depressant ones such as what we are talking about) help to stimulate so that there isnt this big void there which contributes to the post - detox / withdrawal issues we all end up with. 

I'm obviously butchering the science here - but his point was - "you aren't depressed overall, but at a low dose this may help as a tool for you to get past the treatment/detox and get a few months clean under your belt - then we taper off the citalopram".  So in my case, i'm using it as another tool to help me stay clean. Of course, my doc stresses working the program (12-steps) and going to my therapist to get at the root issues and causes, but whatever we can do chemically to help offset the effects of the long-term opiate abuse and give me a chance to have sobriety long term is what we're going for...

we'll see - i dont want to be on meds that aren't necessary - but taking massive amounts of hydro by the handful were'nt necessary either and got me to where i'm at now!

vicki595 · Answer

Where did you read that AD's cause "new brain cells to grow"?

I agree that they may help the post addiction depression many experience,however.

narla · Answer

I was prescribed low doses of valium 5mg,took them for 8 weeks,it worked well,but addicts have to be careful with any drug they are given,and work in conjuction with a doctor.
You don't want to get addicted to another substance.