Posted by Jim Hardy on May 19, 1999, at 20:58:36
In reply to Re: buprenorphine experience, posted by Peter on May 19, 1999, at 19:29:53
Peter,
Elizabeth sent me the following URL this morning which has some very good articles on the use of opiates in psychiatric disorders: http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/9740/medarticlemenu.html
I thought the article at http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/9740/antimanicevidence.html was especially interesting, because apparently panic anxiety can be a symptom of opiate withdrawal, and I wonder if this is what I was experiencing when I stopped the buprenorphine for a few days. I don't know -- I felt anxious beforehand, too -- but I'm not a doctor and don't want to advocate for one drug or another. It definitely gets rid of my anxiety and panic when I'm taking it. Whether I'm going to pay a price down the line in terms of addiction is too early to tell. I didn't experience any physical WD symptom when I stopped it for three days, but Elizabeth told me that it could take a couple weeks for these to appear, and at any rate, from what I've read, the phsysical WD symptoms are mild. My main concern is rebound anxiety, especially the panicky type mentioned in this article. I just want to send you all this so you're aware of what you're getting into, if you decide to use it. I'm not a doctor. I can just tell you my personal experience, which is that when I take it, it works great, but within five hours or so, when it begins to wear off, I feel bad again, and if I go without it, I feel awful. Whether I'd feel less awful if I'd never taken it at all is what I'm not sure of, but I'd keep the possibility in mind. Anyway, good luck, whatever you decide to do.
poster:Jim Hardy
thread:6225
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990501/msgs/6288.html