Question:
Vicodin Treatment for depression and anxiety?
Answer:
When Opioid Treatment for Depression & Pain Was Still Accepted
Most people who have been diagnosed with chronic depression and anxiety have
probably been prescribed modern anti-depression and anxiety medications such
as Prozac, Celexa, Zoloft, Paxil and other SSRI related medications which
seem to be the favorite choice of every modern doctor of the 21st century.
Unfortunately these new anti-anxiety and depression medications do not come
without side effects and only a small percentage of its users reports that
these medications do indeed balance their moods to the point where they can
say they truly feel comfortable over longer periods of time.
One of the most common experienced side-effect of SSRI's is decreased sexual
appetite which in turn is often treated with other commercial medications
such as Viagra, Uprima or Cialis. It is also known that people who suffer
chronic depression are more sensitive to pain and the other way around
people who suffer severe chronic pain are likely to become depressed due to
disturbed chemical balances in the brain.
In the time of the ancient Greeks opium was the most common remedy to treat
feelings of melancholy, anxiety and both physical and emotional pain. Opium
was also a common medicine in the Chinese culture which has a very long
history of advanced medical knowledge alike many other cultures that have
been using opium for many years. Opium is very cheap to produce, extremely
easy to make and has many useful properties which is the reason that this
medication has been utilized by ancient cultures even several 1000's of
years before Christ.
Unfortunately somewhere after the year 1900 authorities decided that opioids
were not suitable to help people deal with extreme traumatic emotional
pains, severe depression and anxiety. Even if a person was unable to regain
their sanity it was better to put them into an institution aggravating their
conditions instead of providing an effective medicine to ease their
suffering.
In most countries after 1920 most opioids could only be obtained with
prescriptions for use in hospitals and for recovery from physical pain. In
1897 Heroin (a product made from opium) was first synthesized by Adolph von
Bayer and his company (Yes, this is the same guy who invented Bayer Aspirin
that same year). At this time Heroin was still legal in the USA and it was
used as a cough suppressant in syrups, tablets and as powder soluble in
water. Nowadays some doctors prescribe cough syrup containing Hydrocodone
sold under the name Tussionex because opioids are wonderful cough
suppressants and you will find syrups with Codeine (another opium product)
available over the counter in many countries outside the USA.
Heroin (Diamorphine) was also used in an attempt to help morphine addicts
overcome their addiction but unfortunately it turned out that Heroin was
much more addictive than Morphine Sulfate which eventually resulted in a ban
on Heroin and a much stricter policy regarding opioids. It seems like Heroin
was the drop which made all opium products look bad. Because Heroin and
Morphine are much more addictive than opium itself they should definitely be
handled with greater care.
Hydrocodone Bitrate is another product made from Opium and is found in many
commercial medications such as Lortab, Vicodin, Lorcet and many others.
Studies show this medication is much less addictive and has proven to be
very effective against chronic depression, anxiety and severe psychological
trauma. In the USA Hydrocodone currently is a Class II controlled substance
but not available in its pure form. In the USA it is always mixed with
substances such as Acetaminophen (Tylenol) which therefore makes it a class
III controlled substance for some reason.
I am still surprised why Hydrocodone is not used in patients with severe
chronic depression and anxiety or in people that are so depressed that they
attempt to commit suicide. Tests show that moderate use of Hydrocodone in
depressed and suicidal patients is much more effective then the traditional
medications currently promoted for depression. Although Hydrocodone has
addictive properties and should only be taken under close supervision it
could help improve the quality of live of many people. Especially for
in-patient treatment this should be considered. For some reason it is
accepted to take pain medication such as Hydrocodone if you experience tooth
ache but if the pain is caused by chronic psychological traumas this is
unacceptable according to current law.
Alcoholics have reported to quiet drinking when treated with Hydrocodone and
have been able to keep a job and function normally in our society. Suicidal
patients who had given up all hope were able to enjoy live again. Severely
depressed and anxiety patients were able to move on with their lives. Should
we really support this war on drugs and now also try to take these
medications away from chronic pain patients?
Even though complaints from chronic pain patients are easier to diagnose and
document we now have created a situation where doctors are under-prescribing
out of fear, especially if their patient are in their last stages of life
because the docs can be charged with murder if autopsies shows high traces
of pain medication. I pray this madness comes to an end and I sincerely hope
none of you will ever be dying in extreme pain in a hospital, nursing home
or maybe at your own house while the doctor is afraid to give you that
prescription or injection during your last moments. Yes, definitely keep
this medication away from kids but do make it available to those who can
benefit from it! when I told my doc that vicodin was improving my mood, he increased my script. 'whatever helps' he said. I’d already been prescribed it, though, for chronic pain, so he was unlikely to have any trouble from this. I also know that if I decrease the strength of my fentanyl patch, my depression worsens. I was trying to go off the fentanyl, but an increase in suicidal thoughts caused us to raise it back up to my previous level.
