Effexor or SSRI for Opiate withdrawal?

As you all might know, I am going C/T on June 13th, or attempt to do so from a 5 year Oxycontin addiction. Wondering does Effexor or any antidepressant meds help with withdrawal symptoms. i tried to taper today and couldn't, very depressed and anxious, instead I increased my daily dose. Trying again to taper.. so I will start the Thomas recipe soon and perhaps Effexor.
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[coconuts27]

I've never heard of antidepressants helping with wd's. I imagine that if they did, my doc wouldve told me that by now. The thomas recipe does help. Try that. Honestly, tapering is very hard. If youre going to taper you may need to have someone dispense your pills for you. Good luck, I wish you the best.

[worried878]

Tapering is not easy....and depression is a major side effect for many during withdrawal...i started lexapro a couple of weeks before i quit then stopped it a few months afterwards...just as a safety net...i ended up stressing so bad trying to taper that i would actually take more than my usual dose..for real!...sad but true...i struggled with tapering for 6 months on my own and felt like a complete failure as a person by the time i handed them over to a friend who doled them out to me each day...it was a hassle as i would have to drive over each night to get them and i felt so weak having to resort to this....i did a quick taper and was very glad when i was off work and quit day arrived...i cheated during my taper even tho i handed over my pills but i did manage to get my dose down a bit and i think it mentally prepared me for what i was going to do...i also think it made me realize how addicted i was to those pills...dont beat urself up...may need to make an adjustment to ur plan

[mommy52713]

I would suggest lexipro please dont go on efferor the wd's from that were almost as bad as the wd's from pain pills.

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

i had a totally negative experience with effexor - I did use lexapro during w/d's for anxiety. I really feel that the Amino Acid Protocol really helped me more than anything else......check it out - 5HTP and DHEA are two good ones for sure......Thomas Recipe and Amino Acid Protocol are at loweer right of page

[roadrunner940]

i just got a script for cymbalta. i took it one day and could not get out of bed.its meant for tingling in the hands,and anxiety and depression. i never said i had depression to mydoctor,however this was recommended  to me. i think it would have a negative effect on my brain.maybe they gave it to me because they think it may benefit me and help me get off the roxicodone more easily.what do u think?i do not like taking any antidepressants.

[Shelwoy]

Any educated doctor is not going to give you antidepressants for detoxing or trying to get you to stop using another drug, if they do, you need a new doctor.Opiates cause severe changes in the brain, one of the side effects of stopping the opiates is depression, so since depression is only a fraction of what you will deal with, it is not nearly enough to combat what you will experience.If the Thomas Method works for you, then you are lucky.I tried several methods to quit on my own and failed miserably.
I have been in treatment with Suboxone for over a year now, and I have had more success with learning to live life without active addiction this time, than any other time I have tried in the past.That is because I am working with a treatment facility who confronts me anytime I start to alter my clean life, addiction is a life long journey, and there is no quick way to end it.You are never cured, but you can put your addiction in remission and go on to live a drug free life.
Get educated on your situation.Sometimes it is hard for me to understand how so many people know nothing about addiction, and are mislead by bad information from other addicts.Get professional advice and/or treatment, it is a much smarter way to start healing.

[wannawean]

This is an old thread so I'm not sure that it is even worth the effort. I am in a similar place as wannabeclean was when this post originated. I too have dealt w/the pain and feelings of failure due to inability to taper! It's tough. I hope you are doing well Oxy...
To Shelwoy: Maybe its just me but ur post seems a bit abrasive. I think most in this forum are quite educated. Antidepressant tx is a reasonable approach to dealing w/the chemical changes we have cause in our addiction process.No one here claims to be experts but we are all in this together and I have learned a lot of valuable info from this forum.
I'm glad suboxone has wked for you,now you have a dependence and not an addiction.

[Shelwoy]

Yes, I think it is just you.However, in active addiction, a person's thinking is quite different than while being in recovery and making the necessary changes to go on living without taking their drug of choice.
Even though we all suffer from the same situation, I do not think life/health altering decisions should be made without consulting with a professional or someone who has been clean for an extended period of time. As I said, an antidepressant is not enough to combat all of the symptoms of addiction recovery.That is not saying it doesn't help at all.There is a wide spectrum of things that need to go along with recovery.
I do not claim to be an expert either, I just happen to speak very frankly, and I do not believe in sugar coating my responses.I feel that people's lives are at stake everyday- and they need the most educated information they can get when it comes to addiction.

[Jesusflea]

I just came of buprenorphine which was my drug of choice to begin with. I've had withdrawals from many opiates, but the worst ones prior to my suboxone withdrawal were morphine and poppy pods. Suboxone withdrawal for me was twice as bad; I never had all the symptoms of opiate withdrawal until I ended suboxone, and I'm three weeks into it and still feel f-ed up. I was given prozac for this post acute withdrawal syndrome and it does actually help some. I wouldn't recommend SSRIs for acute withdrawal, but they do help the post acute stuff, which mainly comes from methadone and buprenorphine.

Hope this helps.

[DrugsAreBadMkay]

I had a bad bike wreck and was prescribed 180 - 30mg oxycodones per month for almost 2 years.(which I was assured by my doc to have no adverse affects... BS!!!) Needless to say, it was hard to quit. I had never been addicted to a drug in my life and I thought I could just toss them aside after taking them for so long. So I had to start on a suboxine. I got to where I was only taking a quarter of a suboxine a day.

I am now3 days into a complete detox and even coming off of 1/4 of a suboxine a day I still feel like shite. My muscles ache, I'm on edge, and I have a bad upset stomach. Any input would be appreciated. I feel like a pile right now.

[DrugsAreBadMkay]

I had a bad bike wreck and was prescribed 180 - 30mg oxycodones per month for almost 2 years.(which I was assured by my doc to have no adverse affects... BS!!!) Needless to say, it was hard to quit. I had never been addicted to a drug in my life and I thought I could just toss them aside after taking them for so long. So I had to start on a suboxine. I got to where I was only taking a quarter of a suboxine a day.

I am now3 days into a complete detox and even coming off of 1/4 of a suboxine a day I still feel like shite. My muscles ache, I'm on edge, and I have a bad upset stomach. Any input would be appreciated. I feel like a pile right now.

[Dreamforever]

I know this an old thread, but if people are still reading this and obviously looking for some advice on this issue I can give my 2 cents. Look into 'Wellbutrin' (anti depressant) for opiate withdrawl (withdrawal). I have tried detoxing from opiates myself with no meds and it was absolutely terrible lol and was prescribed this med from my doc for my 3rd time detoxing and wanted to be prepared for the depression from paws. Well I literally had no withdrawl (withdrawal) symptoms..! I couldnt believe it and I wasnt sure what the heck was going on. Looking into that med more and it potentially helping BIG TIME with opiate detox symptoms, there were other people claiming the same thing. Hope this info may help someone somewhere. :)

[Talksabout]

Dreaforever posted a comment in the beginning of this year, so there's a chance people are still reading this thread. What opiates were you addicted  to and for how long? Also, what dose of well utrin did you take and when did you start taking the wellbutrin? Did you quite your addiction cold turkey while starting wellbutrin or did you taper?

[MTF44]

You are still an opiate addict if you take suboxone. Big Pharm just wants to make money off of you. I was on it for two years. It's easier to get off than you think. But suboxone takes away all of your confidance to be clean and sober. They sell you the lie that you are clean. You are not. You are trading one opiate for another. They also tell you that you have a disease like cancer that is almost impossible to recover from. Many people like myself, are now leading happy, opiate free lives. So maybe a person isn't shooting heroine. That's good. But they are still an opiate addict if they are on suboxone. And if you are sent to the ER without them knowing you are a suboxone patient, (which happened to me), they may give you meds that will interact & send you into sever w/drawal symptom. I was not conscious when I was given the meds. It wasn't like I was wearing a suboxone bracelet. Get off of it and live free!

[MTF44]

You are still an opiate addict if you take suboxone. Big Pharm just wants to make money off of you. I was on it for two years. It's easier to get off than you think. But suboxone takes away all of your confidance to be clean and sober. They sell you the lie that you are clean. You are not. You are trading one opiate for another. They also tell you that you have a disease like cancer that is almost impossible to recover from. Many people like myself, are now leading happy, opiate free lives. So maybe a person isn't shooting heroine. That's good. But they are still an opiate addict if they are on suboxone. And if you are sent to the ER without them knowing you are a suboxone patient, (which happened to me), they may give you meds that will interact & send you into sever w/drawal symptom. I was not conscious when I was given the meds. It wasn't like I was wearing a suboxone bracelet. Get off of it and live free!

[MTF44]

You are still an opiate addict if you take suboxone. Big Pharm just wants to make money off of you. I was on it for two years. It's easier to get off than you think. But suboxone takes away all of your confidance to be clean and sober. They sell you the lie that you are clean. You are not. You are trading one opiate for another. They also tell you that you have a disease like cancer that is almost impossible to recover from. Many people like myself, are now leading happy, opiate free lives. So maybe a person isn't shooting heroine. That's good. But they are still an opiate addict if they are on suboxone. And if you are sent to the ER without them knowing you are a suboxone patient, (which happened to me), they may give you meds that will interact & send you into sever w/drawal symptom. I was not conscious when I was given the meds. It wasn't like I was wearing a suboxone bracelet. Get off of it and live free!