DOSE:

16 mg

Pharms - Buprenorphine

(daily)

BODY WEIGHT:

230 lb

Suboxone as an Anti-Depressant for Bipolar II

I have a totally classic case of Bipolar II disorder. Several years ago, I got into an extremely bad depression, and although my doctor and I tried all kinds of things, nothing was effective. It appeared to my doctor that I was in big trouble and might be headed for suicide (I didn't think it was that bad, I told him while sobbing uncontrollably). As a last-ditch emergency thing to try before putting me into the hospital, he put me on a small dose of Suboxone (starting at 1mg).

The beneficial results were profound, and happened fast, like within the first 12 hours. I still felt apathetic and anhedonic (not feeling any pleasure), but the best way I can explain it is to say that the 'psychic pain' was gone. It just wasn't awful any more. This was a vast, huge improvement!

As my doctor told me to expect, the required dose gradually climbed and climbed (as habituation set in) but eventually levelled off, I think at something like 16mg (two of the big 8mg tablets). This was very much as he had predicted.

Eventually the depression passed, as it always does, after several months, and we were able to taper off the Suboxone.

Suboxone is rarely used as an anti-depressant, and doctors have to have some kind of special authorization/training to prescribe it. So this was a very unconventional and off-label use. You should not expect your doctor, even if he or she is a psychpharmacologist, to be familiar with the idea of using Suboxone in this way. In my case, it was a big success, and who knows, it may have saved my life.

Exp Year: 2000	ExpID: 81539
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 40
Published: Dec 25, 2016	Views: 2,393
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Pharms - Buprenorphine (265) : Retrospective / Summary (11), Therapeutic Intent or Outcome (49), Medical Use (47), Not Applicable (38)