Health - Crazy Idea? (methadone for treatment-resistant depression)

[coolhandluke]

just so you know darkwizard this thread is almost one year dead, and with a situation like this it is not very beneficial to bring it back to life because the OP has most likely had their question answered, and also may not no longer be on the site. none the less you post was solid, well written, and too the point. i think you could very well have a lot of potential here on df.

one thing i find interesting to think about is the fact that someone with depression, who is being treated with medication, needs that medication to function, much like a heroin addict, or someone on methadone. of course the difference is that a heroin addict who stops heroin goes into horrific withdrawals, and heroin profoundly alters the way your brain works.

none the less it is interesting if you think about people with severe depression is just as dependent, perhaps addicted, as a person on methadone.

but the above posters are right, ive been on methadone about 6 months, if i wanted to get high off of it i would have to take at least double my daily dose if not more (60 mg). perhaps in the future there could be an opiate developed that would treat depression, but i dont see it anytime soon.

also i would have asked the OP if they maybe could have been misdiagnosed with depression when they could maybe have had a different mental illness.

anyway darkwizard your response was well put together, yet in the future you should take into account the thread subject and the age of the thread.

[C.D.rose]

The bottom line is that opiates as treatment for addiction and opiates as treatment for refractory depression are two very different things. You cannot infer the effectiveness and sustainability of using an opiate for depression from experiences with methadone as a maintenance treatment.

Having said that, I don't think that methadone is a particularly good candidate for it. Buprenorphine has more evidence for its antidepressant potential, plus it has better pharmacological characteristics.

[Eden]

I also realize that this thread is already quite dated. However time alone nor age should determine the relevance of the subject matter herein. If this were the case I shudder to consider the implications for the forum.

As some others have accurately pointed out, the context however is extremely important when considering a reply to the original content of a thread. In other words, clearly the OP has moved on from his/her original inquiries etc., however, the original questions combined with the wealth of of valid responses is still potentially useful to many many people going forward as this remains a highly compelling area of study. Thankfully we all have this wonderful place to record such discussions.

My two cents: In my opinion C.D.rose has brought this discussion to a beautiful conclusion(quoted below). I would also like to say that there has been far more research done on the use of buprenorphine in treatment of severe and refractory depression than many are probably aware. A good place to start for those interested would be to Google the following:

Buprenorphine Treatment of Refractory Depression

J. Alexander Bodkin, MD, Gwen L. Zornberg, MD, Scott E. Lukas, PhD,
and Jonathan O. Cole, MD.

Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 1995, 15, pp. 49-57

This search will aslo bring up many other highly compelling scholarly articles on the subject.

Sincerely,
Eden

Originally Posted by C.D.rose

The bottom line is that opiates as treatment for addiction and opiates as treatment for refractory depression are two very different things. You cannot infer the effectiveness and sustainability of using an opiate for depression from experiences with methadone as a maintenance treatment.

Having said that, I don't think that methadone is a particularly good candidate for it. Buprenorphine has more evidence for its antidepressant potential, plus it has better pharmacological characteristics.

[jackiesbaby]

Why exactly would you want Suboxone for anti-depressant effects? Buperenorphine is only a partial mu-opioid agonist, aka even less powerful than methadone and much less recreational than any other opiate. Sure, it'll get you high... the first time you do it. After that it just fends off WDs. (Don't downrep me if this is wrong please, I'm only speaking from personal experience)