Sagepaper

There is a new anti-depressant out that has an interesting side-effect: it eases chronic pain. Some sufferers think it's like a miracle. I'm only slightly torn about this. It seems to me that my psychiatrist has tuned things up to where I am going along fairly well now. It ain't broke, so I'm not sure I should fix it.

On the other hand, however, it is broken. Chronic pain and depression interact in a vicious cycle. I need help with my pain. I don't relish the idea of narcotics. I get a nasty side-effect from anything containing codeine: I itch like crazy-mad all over, and nothing helps. It's not an allergy, as I thought. It's just a side-effect. It's bad enough, though, that I have to be plenty desperate to kill the pain to take on the itching.

Then, there is a problematic interaction with narcotics and depression. Narcotics exacerbate depression. So, if I could substitute this new anti-depressant for stuff I'm already taking, I might get a relief from my chronic pain, fully disrupting the vicious cycle!

However, trying to use the new stuff would disrupt my entire meds balance. I don't look forward to that. I like it when everything is working smoothly. I recently went up on two medications, and it was like finding a missing piece. I'm in good shape again, psychiatrically. There is an interaction between a sleep-aid I'm taking and a muscle relaxant I take: it makes me sleep too much. I am going to try a different muscle relaxant. I'd love to fix my back once and for all; unfortunately, it's not that type of problem.