Question - Anyone experience symptoms of mood disorders as a result of their CP or pain medications?

Hi all! Here's a little background to lead up to my question. (I've been told so many times I talk too much but I always feel the need to "paint a picture" for people. Its my conceptual side.

I have always suffered off and on with depression since as far back as I can remember. I will go through periods, then be ok and not have to take anything. However, there are things that will "spark" it back up. Wellbutrin is the anti-depressant I take, and at times I take Xanax for anxiety on an as-needed basis which is very, very rarely. For instance when I was going through my divorce I started having anxiety attacks.

After the past few years, I have noticed that my moods fluctuate more often. I have my good days where I'm in a great mood, very social, more tolerable of people who on my "grumpy" days I don't have much tolerance for, things of that nature. Then i have my days where I am just depressed. I have actually thought, what happened to the old me? I used to love my personality! I feel like my personality has changed so much! The mood disorder whose symptoms seem to closely match what I am experiencing is called Cychlothimia (a very mild form of bi-polar disorder).

Coincidentally, my issues with back and joints began a few years ago as well, as did the treatment which included Oxycodone, Flexeril, and Celebrex.

Now for my question. Has anyone experienced this? Symptoms of some mood disorder appeared during treatment for the chronic pain you suffer? Obviously, depression is common as a result of what we deal with on a daily basis, but I wonder if the drugs prescribed also have anything to do with it as well?

Going to a professional to find out if I really have a mood disorder, or if i'm crazy and just a normal moody female! But I wanted your opinions and experiences as well.

Thanks for your input! Wishing everyone a wonderful and blessed evening!

Post Edited (painpreemie) : 9/1/2013 8:03:10 PM (GMT-6)

Hello - I have noticed changes in mood with medications such as ;

Morphine
Oxycodone
Currently I take dilaudid which is not as bad as the previous two in regards to mood swings and or an overall short temper. (These are what I experienced)
The morphine was the worst as I would find myself being incredibly edgy and often lose my cool and get worked up over very small things.

Unfortunately, we must cope with these "side effects" by recognizing them and adapting. I personally live with chronic hip problems and I am on a 24/7 maintenance med routine.

Hope it helps to know that u r not alone

Josh

Thank you, I am writing that down. My relationship has suffered considerably because of this, and I would love to be back to my old self.

Please let me know how this medicine works for you as well. Do you plan on discontinuing the opioid medications once you are able to begin the Lamictal?

Cogito just in case your not familiar with Stevens -Johnson syndrome please be aware that Lamictal is one of the meds that can cause this disorder. Just make yourself aware of the signs and what to watch for. It can be fatal. The Med is a fairly good one if you can take it.

Good luck and please let us know how it works for you.

What about Gabapentin? On my first introductory post, someone recommended I ask about a a pain medication for nerves so I asked the PA at my PMC and she prescribed Gabapentin. I haven't gotten it filled yet b/c of cost, but have any of you all taken this and experienced any psychological side effects?

Well yes and no. Some do others dont and for many that do they subside the longer you take it.

Others, like myself couldn't shake the fog even a month out and switched to lyrica. Didnt have the same problem.

It's just meds that cause mood swings plus pain can be depressing.

I'm pretty much a goofball all the time. I have a high tolerance for everything, nothing bothers me which bothers my wife. I never worry about money, the future, etc., another thing that bothers my wife. Things just seem to work out, guess I just have faith that everything in my life will work itself out.

I take 3 meds, none which makes me depressed or have mood swings. My goal most of the time is to make people laugh. Even my monthly PM appointments the staff their and I have a good time even if I'm in pain. They take care of me and we have laughs even if I'm being stuck in the neck with a sharp needle. I'll make jokes even if it's about me.

I've been on some regimen of medication for the last 12 years.Xanax and some type of Anti-Depressant.And of course different Pain Medications.

The last 6 years I've been taking Celexa 40 mg a day.I'm not so much depressed but I can't sleep without it.I don't think my brain makes enough Seratonin on it's own.

When I 1st started taking the Nucynta I lost my temper a few times which is not like me.I've always been very laid back.

With all the Medication I take I sometimes feel like I'm living in a fishbowl.A little trapped in my life.

I think staying on the same Meds for a length of time seems to smooth out fluctuations in my mood.

Hope everyone is OK,
Rick

Yeah,I'm very happy to have found H.W. I hope to be living for a good while longer and it's going to take Pain Management,future surgeries,and some smart decision making on my part to get me there somewhat healthy.
Hope everyone has a relaxing un-eventful evening,
Rick

Painpreemie,

You asked about Gabapentin, or Neurontin....so I thought I'd share my experience with you. First and foremost it was one of THE most highly recommended medications I try, especially after my back surgery. I also know of many people who take it quite successfully. While meds obviously vary, this one has a rather good success rate.

This is a med that must be carefully titrated. When I started taking it, the first two days it knocked me out, I was so sleepy. Then the next few days I felt fantastic and thought it was the bee's knees when it came to managing my pain. I thought I finally found my "miracle med" to manage my pain.

From that point on, (it didn't take long), I went downhill. The side effects I personally experienced were swift, rapid and extreme weight gain. My face and limbs became so swollen that I developed neuropathies in all of my extremities. My jowls looked like I had stuffed them with cotton. There was no escaping the pain. Even the pain from all the bloating (which included my abdomen), was so severe.

I gave it a fair trial, because I know sometimes drugs take a while to kick in and sometimes things get worse before they get better. But they got so much worse, that I made a unilateral decision to quit that drug and immediately saw my prescribing doctor. She saw the difference in me, physically and mentally. She told me she never saw such a severe reaction, and wrote it as an "allergic response" in my medical records. I therefore refuse to ever try it again, even at a smaller dose, NOR will I ever try any drug similar.

Currently, the ONLY neuropathic pain I have is my left lower leg where the drop foot is (and the nerves are, I believe, regenerating), and I won't drug my system for that, which frankly, I find rather cool to actually FEEL pain where previously I felt nothing.

My CP (and even acute pain) now is not neurological in nature. Making it harder to treat because docs prefer to prescribe drugs like Neurontin and Lyrica. I have anaphylaxis to NSAIDS so I'm stuck in a corner.

Complicated issues, to be sure. But you'll find SO many options to consider on this HW site!


Merrida

Hello, I just joined this site today and read your interesting comments. I'm a retired army officer who served 21 years. I broke my neck in two places during a training exercise as a 2LT in 1980. Had a C6/7 fusion. I completed my career and after teaching high school until age 56 I begin suffering chronic pain in both the neck and the lower back. My issue is degenerative disk disease and dish disease. I've been taking oxycodone, 30mg X 3 day , Morphine tablets, 30 mg X 3 day, Celebrex and Cymbalta for 6 years. As an army officer I always had to be cool, calm and collected, and able to make good judgements without showing personal emotions that might interfere with my decision making process. I have experienced severe mood swings while on these drugs but can't seem to exist without them. I certainly couldn't do my old job. So, I agree with the others, these drugs DO cause light to heavy mood swings. My biggest concern is not knowing the toll of taking these meds for many more years to come. At what point do they do more harm than good? Major

Post Edited (major usa) : 9/18/2013 9:03:44 PM (GMT-6)

It has been speculated that some proportion of the pain we feel are emotional pain. It means that some of the pain is actually in the head. Accordingly this emotional pain also got the likelihood to mess up your mood; how can you tell the different between your physical pain and the pain that is actually caused by thoughts/feelings?

So like the mood affecting the pain, the pain can affect the mood as well.

Major,

I suppose a neurologist/neurosurgeon sounds right, but maybe research some options... what have others found helpful who have a similar pathology?

I wonder if nerve ablation is worth looking into? Perhaps get new MRIs, see a few docs with them, see what they say. Often, it is more the competence of the particular doc than his specialty (though each tends to look through the lens of their practice).

Or, Maybe even something as lame as a chiropractor could help a bit? I had to stop seeing mine because I think he was causing me other pain issues, but I would walk out of there feeling 100% for about a half hour.

I use a TENS all the time now and it helps block the deep diffuse pain, even those that are agonizing. If you don't have one, it is worth a try -- the "twinstim 2nd edition" is what I have, and the one I got after a fair bit of research -- about $45. You can get pads cheap at amazon 40 for $23.

If that works a bit, but not enough, there is the medtronics implant or, worst case, a pain pump?