Oxycodone for anxiety or depression

I'm sorry about your withdraws! So, maybe the doctors are just helping me out by not prescribing me a stronger benzo. I've never used oxy for anxiety or anything else... ive never taken the stuff but one time when i got in a bad car accident -- i am just researching alternative therapies.

To the last person who posted on 3-19 about the injections she/he got and asked "now what?"

Hopefully you have a GOOD pain management doctor who explained to you about the injection you received. Was it a diagnostic injection (like a nerve block) or was it an epidural? There are so many different types of injections they do for pain and you need to find out what exactly it was that you had done.

I recently had a medial branch nerve block, which only reduced my pain for about 2 days and then it was right back up to the roof again. When I met with the doctor for my follow up, he explained that it was a diagnostic procedure to see if the pain could be reduced - they were trying to figure out if the pain was from a damaged disc or from the facet joint in my spine. Now that he knows it reduced my pain for a few days, he is able to determine what I need next (which is a rhizotomy or radio frequency ablation). Please ask your doctor what you had done and what happens next - - he SHOULD be able to explain it all to you. If he doesn't, I would suggest finding a new pain management doctor pronto.

Some of these guys, I hate to say, are just out to make money off you by giving you injection after injection without any explanation about what they do or how long they will last, etc. I would write down all of your questions and make a copy and hand it to the doctor at your appt. Make sure he answers every concern you have. I would also bring a friend or relative with you. I know that for myself, all of the meds I take make my mind a bit fuzzy and unable to process all of the information these doctors spout to me. Now I always try to bring someone with me so they can be my second set of ears. Just my advice. Hope your procedure gives you some relief. kevin

I have been on Paxil for 15 years for depression,generalized anxiety,panic,and mild OCD.We have tried changing the Paxil and suplementing it over the last several years due to breakthrough symptoms but nothing seems to work. I just keep getting worse again. When I was a teen I abused opiates recreationally. I have started back using them to self medicate and they work great. The only thing that makes them bad is the withdrawals, but do you realize that if the doctor would prescribe them instead of having to buy them off the street when you can find them and then not being able to get the same strength or drug each time you wouldn't have to go thru the withdrawals. If they would precribe the Roxycodone or preferably the Oxycontin, so the level stays more stabls during the day, it doesn't have any other drugs in it so it is non toxic and there is no maximum dosage. You can keep increasing the dosage as you develope a tolerance.When prescribed I can pay,without insurance, $0.20 a tablet where I have to pay $15 each on the street. I sometimes wish the doctors would quit protecting me.

Of course you are going to feel better doing absolutely anything on percocet (oxycodone) as it is a narcotic!
You feel less anxious because you are continuously "doped up" and it is easier to talk to people because much like
alchohol, it lowers your inhibitions. I cannot believe what I am reading! This is ridiculous! It is a class five protected drug
that should not be taken lightly or recklessly! Please, I urge you to be careful! I have heard many stories of people carelessly taking
these medications and becoming addicted! See a psychiatrist for your depression/anxiety...someone who is highly trained and an expert
in this field before starting on something so potentially addictive and life altering if used improperly!

First off please do not give mis information oxycodone is a schedule 2 narcotic always has and as far as using it to treat anxiety/depression that's up to the doc me personally I wouldn't use it at all because you willl eventually, some quicker than other's ,become addicted doc's will call it if they are prescribing it clinically dependent but no matter how you slice it you will become addicted as I am. As far as the side effect's wow you think the depression was bad before you took it just wait till you run out it is pure hell!!

I see I'm very late to this party. Even though the thread is old, I decided to post anyway to share my own experience. I found this thread through a Google search; maybe someone else will, too, and find this post helpful.

My advice about using opiates for relief of depression and anxiety is: DON'T!!! Yes, I know they can provide short term relief that seems nothing short of miraculous. I've been there. But check in again after a few months. You're likely to be (1) dependent on the opiates and (2) more depressed than ever – even suicidal.

With opiates, watch out for depression "hangover." For me, even one (!) dose can cause depression the next day (not suicidal, but severe enough so that people who know me well can tell something is wrong). This can easily lead to a cycle of increased depression leading to increased use of opiates leading to increased depression... you get the picture. People have ended up suicidally depressed this way.

If you're taking opiates regularly for relief of anxiety and depression, I would advise you immediately to start tapering them off VERY SLOWLY. This can help you handle the withdrawal, psychologically as well as physiologically. I got off benzo's by tapering off so slowly that I noticed no w/d symptoms at all. This was really helpful to get me over the fear of w/d. I don't think I could have done it any other way.

Good luck everyone.

Ron

***Sorry this is such a long story. I just want to emphasize how desperate I am. I have using oxycodone for about a month now because I feel like I am completely out of options. I have already been through 12 ECT treatments as I mention at the end of this story. PLEASE! IF ANYONE HAS ANY RECOMMENDATIONS, LET ME KNOW. I AM DESPERATE! I HAVE TWO CHILDREN AND CANNOT KILL MYSELF FOR THIS REASON. YOU MAY EMAIL ME AT . THANKS IN ADVANCE.***** This is my story for anyone who cares: I have been depressed for as long as I can remember. I was depressed as a child, but didn't know it was abnormal. I kept relying on thoughts of "when this or that happens, I'll be better". Which started with me in a very poor family because of my mom and dad both being mentally challenged. They really were not qualified to raise children. (I do love them, btw, and they did try as much as they knew how.)
Anyway, I went to school initially not knowing how to be a normal socially acceptable person. Because of this I had no friends and was the guy that got picked on by everyone. :-( I was sent to school in clothes from garage sales, passed down from random people, and from thrift stores. Also, with bad hygeine because of my parents' mental state. Things like brushing teeth, fixing hair, showering, etc... They never taught me these sorts of things. I had to figure all of this out on my own and as a young child, it took a long time to figure these kinds of things out. The fact that I needed to dress in "cool clothes" or even just socially acceptable clothes was something that took me even longer to figure out. I eventually started stealing nice clothes to try to gain acceptance from peers.
Back to the depression, throughout my life I constantly relied on fixing things that were missing in my life to make me feel better someday. From the beginning it was, "Once I have friends, I will be happier." It wasn't until probably 6th grade that I even had a friend. I eventually gained friends which helped temporarily. After this, I thought a girlfriend might be what I was missing. Girlfriends and sex were temporary fixes again to my depression. I wound up getting a girl pregnant when I was 15 and she was 14. We wound up having two children. I did stay with her and wind up marrying her but we divorced about 20 since she decided she was too young to be settled down. I was always 4.0 student and did continue school even though we had children. I tried to take good care of my children the whole time. I was determined to at least be the best parent I could possibly be. (especially since I think my problems may stem from my childhood...)
I thought that one day I would have a decent amount money to be able to buy anything I wanted and maybe that would make everything okay. I wound up getting my bachelor's degree in MIS and eventually working for a computer company making around $80,000 a year. Where I live, it's a lot of money. I was able to afford anything I wanted. I was always into computers and cars. I bought several different cars including an Audi TT that I modified quite a bit plus the most expensive gaming PC's, electronics, and just anything I wanted... I bought a nice house. I bought expensive clothes and everything possible to feel like I had covered every desire possible. This stuff again only helped temporarily. I loved to help people also which temporarily helped my depression so I would do volunteer work and even give money to people that needed it.
Eventually, last year, I wound up getting hopelessly depressed when I ran out of things to buy or fix to "keep this delusion going that one day it would be better". So, I got fired from my job. I sold everything that I had payments on including cars and house. I drew out my 401k and bought one car with cash. I am drawing unemployment right now to get by.
In all this, I forgot to mention that I had been taking anti-depressants for 9 years now. I have taken every one made, I think. I tried Welbutrin, Symbalta, Effexor, Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Zyban, Concerta, Lithium, Lamictal, Depakote, and even Adderall because dr's said that ADD meds can sometimes help. As you can tell, they tried bipolar meds also. That's all of the ones I can remember. They only somewhat helped. I still have had constant depression issues. I really wanted to kill myself. I had been wanting to since I can remember. If I didn't have my kids, this would have already happened at least 8 years ago. I am currently taking Welbutrin, Effexor, Lamictal, Clonazepam (forgot that one), and Adderall. I have had 12 ECT treatments so far and am now desperate. The reason I even posted here is because I have been taking Oxycodone. I don't want to get addicted or get further depressed. There is no way I could handle it. I have been hospitalized a few times and refuse to do that again. It is worthless. I don't have a f***ing clue as to what the next step is. As I said above, I am DESPERATE. I noted my email address above. Please post or contact me if you have any ideas. It is very much appreciated.

To the above poster...I hope you get to read this post as I don't see your email.

You need to get off of the anti-depressants. They ARE your problem. Please talk to your doctor about how to do this or find a new one who will. Slowly incorporate natural medicines / healing / whole foods into your life. It IS NOT a quack lifestyle. That is total disinformation at is best. Those of us who know this already know that and are especially blessed.

A total body detox will be your first priority. Find a good natural health food store and talk to the owner or a knowledgeable employee. And I'm not talking about GNC or the Wal-Mart aisle... Use the internet. A great overall book to have for reference is called The Prescription For Nutritional Healing. Its like The Bible in this area :-)

Keep your head up. It sounds as if you have come a long way and have endured alot. Use that as motivation to get you going. Do not give up now...it is all going to go up for you from here. I know that this is going to be a completely new concept to take in but you have to trust a complete stranger here. And whatever you ultimately decide to do...do not start taking oxycontin or any other opiate regularly. That would be a huge, huge mistake. Good luck and post back. Let us know any updates.

I have been in pain management for nearly 20 years, I found that oxycodone has helped me with my pain issues as it also helps me with my anxiety and depression.
My tolorence has built up and I use more than is prescribed to me, I go through 135 30 mg. tablets with in 10 days, that is obserd, but i can't help it. I do abuse it but not to get "high", in fact it does nothing for me but help maintain my pain level at a tolerable rate.

My roomate takes Oxy she says for her period for she says that it is more managable? The oxy was prescribed for something else. Anyhow, should I be concerned for she sleeps for 10+ hours and she darkens her room .....covers the windows and my last conversation with her about this was her telling me that she does not have an ADDICTIVE personality and the next time she would cut it in half. I personally feel that she takes them to let her sleep for long periods of time. I know that she cannot control her liquour usage for when I used to go out to clubs with her, we usually got kicked out by security because of her drinking so much. I don't go out anymore with her mainly for that reason but now she she got herself and a new friend kicked out of a club and I was asked if she always gets like this? I really did not reply but she does. She told me that she cut her vitamin in half in another conversation with me but I never in my 46 years have heard of someone cutting a vitamin in half. Is there a problem here of do I just worry too much and this is normal? Thanking you in advance for answering these questions.

Hi I have been majorly depressed since I can remember. I have been on many many depression pills. nothing works. I recently had surgery on my shoulder and was prescribed percocets for pain. I couldnt belive it, I was ok...I felt happy motivated and not anxious. I was sleeping at night and my relationship was perfect! how do i go about asking or even telling my doctor this without sounding like a drug addict or something. please please someone help me my email is ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed **
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in reply to most of the comments on painkillers and addiction, I suffer from copd and gad, it seems the cobo of provigil and oxicodone hepls both , I can function! to me, the risk of addiction is far better than going through life as a helpless wreck, problem is: getting doctors to prescribe these regularly, and the high cost of provigil, too bad there couldn't be a time-released drug containing both, then you can feel normal all the time without the danger of addiction. Don't want to be "high" all the time, just want to feel normal like I used to...just a thought...anyone agree?, let me know!

Interesting question. Been pondering this for a while because I was really depressed and got fat. Not feeling good about myself at all. Then due to shoulder pain I was given oxycodone. I immediately began to feel good, felt like doing things and had an overall sense of well being. Then within a month I lost 15 lbs and lost 33 overall. I continued to take the stuff for over a year. Ended up having surgery and after a while I tapered off the drug and began to feel just like I did before. I had another surgery and started taking it again and guess what, I started feeling good, not depressed. The Doctors, I don't think will give it for depression but I am convinced that for some people with certain body chemistry's like mine, it does work. I not looking forward to the day the Doc won't prescribe it anymore. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Oh, one more thing, I wasn't taking it to get high. That's important.

I have to agree I to suffer from crippleing anxiety. I have a very difficult time in social situations, to the point of avoiding them all togeather. For years I have locked my self away and hid from the world especially after returning from afghanistan. I tried oxycodone recreationally and found that I had no anxiety when on this medication. I could not only socialize, but also found I enjoyed being out around people again. Since I started taking it I have been able to go back to college and am getting straight A's without the anxiety holding me back. Unfortunately I live in a state that is very restrictive with this type of medication so I am forced to self medicate by getting my medicine off the streets, at about 1000 percent price mark up, compared to the average cost of a perscription. I feel ashamed at times for aquiring drugs ilegally, and the money I spend. This is literally the only thing Ive found that helps, without it I'd be a hermit. I have a beutiful wife and one year old son and will do anything to beat this depression and anxiety in order to be a participating father and husband. Even if that means having to get depression medicine on the black market. Without it I would still be hiding from the world in my parents spare bedroom. Until doctors or lawmakers acknowledge that this medicine should be perscribed to depressed people like me I supose this will continue I just don't know what else to do. I can't quit school over this anxiety and oxycodone is the only thing Ive found to get me out of my shell.

Hi Jon,
I'm sorry for your suffering. I have suffered wth anxiety and depression as well. I have had success through talk therapy with a psychologist and medication from a psychiatrist. Lexapro has been vey helpful for me in combo with Ativan. The problem with Ativan is that like Oxycodone, it is addictive. Therefore, I was needing more and more to get the calming effect I needed and running low on my supply. One time I ran out completey and had a seizure. I got my consumption under control, but again, my body was still too tolerant of it. I suffered kidney stone attacks last year, and that is how I discovered that Oxycodone treats anxiety as well. I've been able to continue getting it legally as I also suffer terrible menstrual cramps, but I can only get 30 pills every few months. I wish I could talk to my psychiatrst about the idea of taking Ativan and Oxycodone in some sort of combination. They are two totally different meds that treat the same thing, and when I can take them on my own switching back and forth between them prevents addiction issues. Unfortunately, doctors are so paranoid about these drugs that I don't feel I can have a rational/constructive conversation about it. I'm thinking of trying to discuss it with my primary care doc. If so, I'll let you know how it goes.