Miami, FL
A 31-year-old female asked:
What do certain psychiatrists think about opiate therapy in the use of chronic depression and severe anxiety? i'm talking about severe cases like mine
5 doctor answers • 16 doctors weighed in
Dr. Leonard Ladoanswered
Psychiatry 34 years experience
Pain and anxiety: Suboxone and other opioids are known to improve anxiety and mood but are not good choices to treat these conditions. They act on on the endogenous opioids that control many physiological functions and exogenous opioids can have effects on all important transmitter systems (cholinergic, gabaergic, dopaminergic and serotonergic. More research is needed especially on compounds acting on the mu recept.
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5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Charles Barnhart commented
undefined 50 years experience
Could you be really asking about Ketamine? That's an anesthetic (with some addicting properties) that holds promise for treatment of depression if some variant of it could be developed that is long lasting. For now, it's just an investigational drug for depression.
Apr 9, 2013
Dr. Muhammad Muniranswered
Psychiatry 28 years experience
Depression treatment: Among the possible treatments currently available as well researched opiates are not an option for depression treatment.Actually opiates can cause depression symptoms.The only consideration for opiate use can be some one in severe pain that is leading to depressed moods.It would be best to have a psychiayrist evaluate the current situation and help manage the tteatment.
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A Verified Doctoranswered
40 years experience
Opiates not correct: Though not my area of expertise, it seems that use of opiate medication is contraindicated for these disorders. They act in a way that may make things worse, and have many down side sequelae, especially for chronic use. I defer to my psychiatric colleagues to weigh in, as their opinion hold far more gravitas than my own. Just wanted to add my 2 cents.
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5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. William Harrisanswered
Family Medicine 35 years experience
Turn it around: All medications may be used when used properly. Imagine that you have chronic back pain from bulging disks pinching nerves going down your leg. That could be treated with opiates in a depressed patient on zoloft and abilify (aripiprazole). I would not hesitate to treat it in the other direction either. Depressed patients need Percocet when they have their wisdom teeth taken out, just like everybody else, right?
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Dr. David Rosenfeldanswered
Pain Management 29 years experience
See below: If a patient has pain opioids are certainly appropriate. They will not treat the depression, but will help the pain which may in a round about way help some depression. In many patients pain/insomnia/depression all exist, and each needs to be treated.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A Verified Doctor commented
A US doctor answered Learn more
I had not thought of that circular but true logic when I weighed in. Thanks for bringing this to the discussion, as I said, it is out of my area of expertise. Regards, D
Jun 4, 2013
Last updated Oct 4, 2016
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