How do opiates affect crazy people?

[katomic]

I was/am a delirious whacko with a load of other labels on me I can’t remember them all

I have noticed that while on opiates and benzos I don’t get the occasional relapse do opiates help crazy people?
The benzos sure do there a god send but there not from the doc and are expensive

edit
what im trying to say is do they have any antispsckotic (sp?) value?

Thanks
end edit

[hovadagod]

You're asking us because.......aren't you the "crazy/whacko"? :)

[katomic]

I dont get it
im asking candy this is her forum

[hovadagod]

Oh...gotcha. I didn't know that this was her forum....I don't even think I looked at which forum it was.
sorry.

[shaunclo]

Since opiates slow down the respiratory system and have a calming affect, I would assume the answer is yes. I know that the benzo's definitely would have an anti-psychotic affect, due to the fact that valium is used for seizure purposes in some cases.

All I know is that I feel pretty damn sane when im fuckered up on opies. When im sober, I dont even know what the hell im saying 1/2 the time. Where am I anyways?????

[candyshop]

dunno ,but i have been diagnosed bi-polar and a host of other things ,opiates are the only thing that have ever made me feel normal,happy,balanced,productive ect-i am convinced that with a steady supply and removal of the anxiety about sources ,supply ,legality,expense and sickness i would have a lovely life-i do not know why i cannot find a dr.who will listen-it truly is not just what i want but the only thing that has ever helped-any research to back this up?

[red26]

I'm also one of those "stamped all over and I cant read the labels anymore!" types. Opiates have a very calming effect on me, but at the same time I love to be active and do dumb yardwork and shit. I've spent enough time off of them to know for sure that my demons comma running when I'm not under the slight influence of an opiate and it gets scary sometimes. I really think that opiates have a positive effect on my life generally speaking, I just run out of em too damn much!

[candyshop]

my feelings EXACTLY! running out is the only thing that causes me suffering or a return of symtoms-the first time i sampled i knew i had found my cure so it is not a simple matter of addiction (not that i am not)
mayber we should start a group -nutballs for narcotics?

[hovadagod]

OH MY GOD...I'M SURROUNDED BY WACKO's!!!

Just kidding...I have a bunch of labels to play with too.:p :D :( :mad:

[candy]

Well,
Katomic, sounds like you got some good responses. Benzo's do have a calming or sedating effect. I would say that opiates do as well for most people. There are some that are affected quite the opposite by opiates and get a sort of wired effect.

In some psychiatric disorders, such as PTSD, a person has an increased level of endorphins, along with other neurotransmitters. It could be said that drugs like opiates would make someone feel better or more normal and the opposite may be true as well.

While many drugs can mask symptoms and make it hard to diagnose someone, drug abuse and mental illness seem to go hand in hand. More often you see someone with mental illness abusing drugs or alcohol.

I would venture to say many of us on this site have had our share of ups and downs!

While opiates may not affect someone differently who suffers from mental illness, it becomes a way to cope, using drugs.
A majority of those I have seen either in the hospital/clinic or on the street who have drug problems, also had mental illness. Schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, OCD, Bi-polar depression, manic depression, and various other mood/personality disorders, most suffered from addiction to drugs or alcohol as well.

The affect might be that it makes it harder to treat someone with a mental illness when they are using drugs. They tend to be less compliant with taking meds or seeing the therapist and may not be cooperative. You see this more with someone suffering a more severe type of mental illness.

It is unfortunate that those who suffer from mental illness often just fall through the cracks. They are often misdiagnosed or are treated poorly by medical staff and the rest of society. True they are as well non-compliant with meds and follow-up, but too often they are released onto the streets from lack of beds. As long as they don't hurt themselves or others, they are let out.

Well, I could go on and on about this. Just something that upsets me and gets me going. I hate to see anyone suffer and knowing that these folks are cold, hungry, with no where to go, just makes me sad and angry.

[sidman]

Well, I have severe P.T.S.D. ( from nightmarish childhood/abuse which went on until 16 yrs old) and I am a total,complete drug/alchoholic ( opi's my d.o.c.) because the feeling's that arise out of me after any long period of sobriety are just way too much for me to handle. ( I become extremely aggressive and pent up anger from the past just won't leave me alone) The doc's have prescribed me many form's of med's and it is my personal experience that they do not help me at all. Some of them totally mess me up, and I slur and get dizzy/tired(but this is NOT enjoyable) and I basically cannot function at 100% while (IF I even take them!!) I am on them. I find that opiates are the best for my disorder because I am a completely different person while on them and I get along just fine. The only problem is the stigma that goes with opiate abuse. I thought of saying that the w.d's are the only problem with opiate's but you know what? Paxil and other antidepressents have severe w.d. symptoms AS WELL!! The pill's that the doc's give me to make me "feel" better have got me HOOKED? Another thing is the severe SIDE-EFFECTS from their "psyche-meds",they are scary in themselves!!And they don't even(at the LEAST!!) give me an ENJOYABLE BUZZ?!?!These are supposed to HELP ME?!?!? So, I choose to "self-medicate" with opiates because they at least make me FEEL GOOD!! If I cannot avoid w.d's no matter what(from their drug's OR opiates)then at least I'll feel good while on them(opiates)!! I get so angry at our doctor's and government telling me.. that they know better than me..what is good for me!! They would rather have me take their crappy med's that don't help me instead of taking what does help me!!
Anyway's, I think opiates ARE good "mind medicine,"....Period!!

[renton]

I've got bipolar and PTSD and have been in and out of hospital for the last few years. Then my doc prescribed me some oxy's for my bad back and I was like, wow I feel happy and normal for the first time since I can remember. That was almost half a year ago and I've never been more stable mentally. I've come to be very dependent on opiates but I look at it like just another medication, and it's allot safer than some of the ones I've been put on before. Last year my doc put me on benzo's for my anxiety and I went downhill fast, got depressed and tried to kill myself and once I stopped taking them I got better. I've also read that until 60 years ago opiates were the mainstay of treating mental disorders like depression along with amphetamines. Thankfully I'm now on the duragesic patch and plan to be on it for awhile so I should be continuing to improve and get my life back. If I cant get it anymore I plan on getting on the methadone program as it's easy to do up here in Canada. Anyways thats my two cents hope this is of some use and hopefully the medical community will realize how effective opiates are in treating mental illness
.:)

[pointed]

I was/am a delirious whacko with a load of other labels on me I can’t remember them all

Me too.

I have noticed that while on opiates and benzos I don’t get the occasional relapse do opiates help crazy people?
The benzos sure do there a god send but there not from the doc and are expensive

edit
what im trying to say is do they have any antispsckotic (sp?) value?

Thanks
end edit

Yes, opiates help crazy people a great deal, in my opinion. Opiates mess with neurotransmitters, like dopamine and serotonin. They also "depress" the system in a calm inducing way. I would hazard a guess that they massively stimulate endorphin production, given the euphoric effects. When heroin was legal, it was used to elevate mood. I'm a total basket case, and heroin is the only thing that has ever "helped" me. If it weren't for all the risks and concommittant bullshit associated with being a junky, I'd be back on the stuff tout-de-suite. Being on heroin was the only thing that ever made me anything approaching "stable". Ah, for the good old days....

Best,

Kate

[katomic]

Thanks for your posts it seems opates help a good deal

But If times are bad does anyone know if i can mix opiates with seroquel I used to take 600mg+ a day I havent taken any for quite a few months now
I understand I will have to start a on a lower dose and work my way up
Thanks K