... depressed so last night I did not take a dose. Today I am still very depressed and I have had a migraine all day. I am currently on Paxil and Mirtzapine for depression. My pharmacist said that Naltrexone dose have psychiatric side effects. Anyone else had this experience and do you know if it is the Naltrexone when I should feel better?
I had been on Low Dose Naltrexone 4.5 mg for Fibro for the last 5 days. I was getting very?
Question posted by sebi3049 on 5 April 2012
Last updated on 15 January 2019
This question has also been asked and answered here: What is low dose naltrexone (LDN)?
5 Answers
fletch2ya
11 May 2013
Paxil will do it to you... Hated that stuff!
sebi3049
22 Oct 2012
Hello. I did receive the last mssg that was sent. Thanks. I did end up going off Naltrexone completely. I am positive that my underlying depression was mad worse by the Naltrexone. If someone elses depression is either being successfully treated or they do not suffer at all then the Naltrexone would probably be fine for them. For me it was hell. My depression is so much better now that I am taking Paxil and Wellbutrin together. Lyrica did not help my pain at all. The side effects were bad and scary. Thanks for the comments!
grandmahill
16 Aug 2017
This comment is coming 5 years after your last post so I am sure you have figured things out by now.. but I wanted to post for those who might come across this post at later dates and read it... I have not yet tried the naltrexone but am hoping to. But i did try Lyrica, which did actually help the pain somewhat, but after about a month or so taking it I found I was getting severely depressed as well as very angry and feeling just mean. i stopped and after about a week I was back to normal. I also had this problem in the past when trying to take birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy... and if my wellbutrin dose (years ago) was increased too high. So just wondering if it could possibly have been the lyrica or a combination of something that caused the depression, or it could have just been the naltrexone as you suspected.
Everyone has different reactions to different drugs so while it is good to read other's reviews don't discard the idea of trying something just because it didn't work for someone else. But it is good to know when certain side effects have been a problem for others so you can recognize the probable cause if you start to experience those same side effects. And don't be surprised if your doctor tells you "oh it can't be from that medication"... they go strictly by what the pharmaceutical companies tell them instead of paying attention to patients actual experiences!! So what I am saying is give each medication a fair trial to see if it will help or not but of course if the side effects are too much then move on.. Good luck to all who are searching for relief. I have been and am still searching after 30 years!!
Lupuslady1
6 Dec 2017
I too am on lyrica. Wished I coul g off of this one too. But I hear it’s hard.
peggyalex58
20 Oct 2012
I just saw this post, and since was back in April--you may not even see this post. But, I have been taking the low dose, and it has NOT made me depressed, and I have suffered from moderate to severe depression numerous times over the years. In my opinion, it is probably the combination of taking the Naltrexone along with the Paxil and mirtazapine., but am not a doctor or a pharmacist... However, I would be very careful taking gabapentin, like the poster below suggested!!! This drug made me forget hours of the day... and did not help. I'm not saying to not take the depression medication that you are taking, but if only a family doctor or even internist prescribed them to you, then see a good psychiatrist, to make sure you are taking the right medications, and correct dosages for you. I found that over the years, lower doses worked best for me, without causing the horrible side effects.
I have had fibromyalgia for many years, and I do think that much of the depression is caused by this, because you are in pain most if not all of the time, you don't sleep good, and never really get into that deep restorative sleep--and this all can cause depression to get worse. I will say that some of my symptoms did get worse in the beginning... and got horrible yeast infection, (which can happen if yo have taken a lot of antibiotics and have a lot of yeast in your body)... so had to clear that up first. NOW, I am sleeping longer and deeper, did have very vivid dreams in the beginning, but not so much now. I just went up to 4.5 and am doing fine on it. I did however, begin at a much lower dose and very slowly went up--- has been almost 2 months since began taking--- started at 1mg, then 2 weeks later, 2 mg, then about a month later 3 mg, and then last week up to 4.5 mg. I also switched to trans-dermal due to aggravating my reflux disease, which is fairly severe. BUT, ironically, it took the pharmacy and dr about 5 days to get the trans-dermal script and filled--and by that time, my re-flux got totally better... so again, sometimes the symptoms get worse before start to get better. I am thinking about switching to the oral again, dissolved in water, following directions others have used due to the compounding costing me too much... so will see how that goes. I hope that you are doing better, and if you did start at the higher dose, you might talk to your doctor about trying it again, but starting at .05 or 1mg then slowly increasing dosage to 3-4.5 mg. Take care!
Inactive
5 April 2012
I would suggest you talk to your doctor about getting off the naltrexone right away, & for the fibro pain try to convince them to give you something along the lines of gabapentin. It's a siezure drug, that works for pain also. My hubby has depression, & takes Zoloft & Wellbutrin, but also has many pain problems & they give him gabapentin for the fibro. Nothing short of knocking you out is going to stop fibro pain. I also suggest you really research Fibromyalgia, & find out more about treating it other than with drugs. Stretching, yoga, warm water exercises, walking ( all even when it hurts), all help much better than taking narcotics or opiates for the pain. I take 15mg of oxycodone, but I also have other pain issues. It's not for my fibro & really doesn't make a difference.
It's like what they tell people with Arthritis, KEEP MOVING! When you lay around hurting, you just get worse & stiffen up more & makes you hurt more. Sunshine & light duty work in the yard or just plain walking helps more than anything & also is a good mood lifter. Just my thoughts... Mary
Inactive
5 April 2012
I also wanted to comment on the fibro, that it can cause depression because of the pain it can give you. A lot of doctors prescribe low dose of antidepression meds such as amitypaline(sp), & others like Savella, or Cymbalta for fibromyalgia pain which will also help with your depression. Usually taken at bedtime, & some all through out the day, help the fibro pain & also the depression. Just another thought for you... Mary
sebi3049
5 April 2012
Thanks Mary. I am currently on Lyrica and I am pretty sure it doesn't help at all. Also, I do take Tramadol for the pain, up to 8 a day but had to stop in order to try Low Dose Naltrexone. I really want to look into taking maybe Celexa with Wellbutrin as Paxil doesn't seem to be working for me after 7 years. I also take Mirtzapine at night, but the weight gain has been unbelievable! I really need to try Yoga and warm water therapy. Thanks
sebi3049
5 April 2012
Also, my doctor tried to slowly wean me off Paxil to start taking Savella but I had severe bout of depression from the switch and had to be hospitalized. In the hospital we tried Effexor with the same result, so I am back on a higher dose of Paxil now. I just think think that the Paxil doesn't work for me as much as it once did. We have never tried Cymbalta due to my close relatives having not having good experiences with it. Thanks
Inactive
7 April 2012
My husband was on Paxil for awhile, & then was switched to Zoloft for 8 years at 100mg. It has helped his depression a lot. He was getting a little depressed so they added Wellbutrin at 75mg & he is doing much better. It's a different ballgame for eveyone tho'. Everybody responds differently, & it takes time to find the right meds. I do want to comment on the Ultram too. Thank goodness you are off of it. Please don't ever take it again. It is very addictive as many of our members would attest to, & it has snri qualities to it also. You can get seizures from stopping it suddenly, & it can't be taken with depression meds. I will give you the link to read about it. Good luck & have a great weekend... Mary
https://www.drugs.com/ultram.html
sebi3049
7 April 2012
Thanks Mary, you've been very helpful. My Doctor also said that Yes since Tramadol works on serotonin and stopping it to take the Low Dose Naltrexone that I was probably having withdrawals and that was a big contributor to the sudden depression. Thank you for the Link. I will read up on it.
Inactive
7 April 2012
You are very welcome. I hear the word Tranadol or Ultram & just about get the shakes from the stories I hear. At lest your doc seems to know about it. A lot took the info the reps gave them & never read about all it can actually do. Just thought it was a synthetic narcotic. Yeah right!
HerPain
3 April 2017
This is all really helpful to me. I have back pain/sciatica and something else that the dr. is still trying to figure out. Maybe Fibromyalgia, maybe Central Pain Disorder (although I've never had a stroke or an injury like a car accident, I guess you can still get it.) He is giving me the choice of LDN, Welbutrin, and Contrave. I guess all have pain relief properties. I'm not thrilled about taking anything! I'm currently on Tramadol but have never taken my prescribed amount which is 3 pills a day. I've always kept to about 1, to 1.25 a day. My pain is getting worse and I'm going to need to get off Tramadol if I do take something else. I'm not good about walking when I'm in pain. Bad, I know. Yesterday I was walking and bent over a little to throw something in the trash and threw out my back. SERIOUSLY? It's frustrating because I'm only 56. So this info was helpful to get my off my backside even if in pain and keep moving.
Also maybe I'll push for Gabapentin. I was on it for awhile after one of my back surgeries along with Tramadol and didn't really know why I was taking it so I told the back doctor that I wanted to quit taking it. Maybe that was a mistake. Anyway, thanks for this information.
31Bea
15 Jan 2019
Please read The Inflamed mind by Prof Edward Bullmore he connects inflammation in body also having inflammation in the brain which causes depression. Treat the inflammation caused by infection and depression goes away too.
Inactive
5 April 2012
Hello sebi3049. Your phramacist is correct. But what she/he did not mention that it is considered to be a serious side effect of taking Naltrexone. Unusual changes in your thinking and your behaviour, as well as and including depression, are to be reported to your doctor as soon as possible. Please do not put off telling your doctor what is happening. Regards, pledge
sebi3049
5 April 2012
Thank you so much for your reply. Today is the second day since I stopped taking Naltrexone and my headache is gone but I am still depressed. I am just hoping today is not as bad as yesterday. Luckily, I have an appointment today with my Doctor who prescribed Low Dose Naltrexone so I can tell him about my mood changes since starting the medication. Thx
sebi3049
7 April 2012
5th day off of Low Dose Naltrexone and the severe depression/mood is gone.
Inactive
7 April 2012
Good news indeed. Have a great weekend sebi3049.
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paxil, depression, migraine, anxiety, fibromyalgia, naltrexone
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