What is The Relationship Between Depression Medications and Methadone and Suboxone?

A large percentage of people on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) struggle with depression, mostly because there are social factors that put these people at high risk of mental illness and substance abuse. That being said, combining depression medications with methadone and Suboxone can be very dangerous. The ways different drugs interact with each other can be detrimental, even fatal, to the user’s health.

The problem with taking different drugs together, especially without the supervision of a doctor, is that they may do one of two things: they may intensify each other’s effects, making them extremely potent; or they may counteract each other and cause the body to react in unpredictable and scary ways. Antidepressants that are sedatives will work with methadone and Suboxone to create an extreme sedation which can cause internal organs, like the heart and lungs, to shut down. This can cause cardiac arrest or stroke, or put the user into a coma, or in the worst cases, cause sudden death.

These synthetic opiate drugs are used to help drug addicts transition off of the addictive opioid drugs and into a healthy lifestyle. They manage physical pain and the need for the high without causing all of the negative health and lifestyle side effects. They are habit-forming, however, meaning that people who transition off of drugs like heroin using methadone and Suboxone will likely be using these replacement therapies for a very long time.

Life after drug addiction can still be hard, though, and many people continue to face the struggle of depression. Unfortunately, the combination of methadone or Suboxone with antidepressants can be fatal.

Someone who suffers from depression but cannot take antidepressants because of the other medications they are on can work on combating depression in other ways. Some of the things a person can do to transcend depression are:

• eat a balanced diet of healthy food
• exercise regularly: cardio releases endorphins which are good for mental health
• meditate and/or practice yoga to focus on the positive things in life
• learn a craft: creating things can be empowering and fulfilling
• volunteer somewhere: pouring energy into helping other people is rewarding
• practice an art form: painting, drawing, and playing instruments are therapeutic ways to channel energy and relax
• pursue therapy to target the underlying issues of depression and drug dependence
• learn breathing techniques to cope with panic attacks and times of extreme pain
• adopt a pet: caring for another living being provides purpose, and the pet can also be therapeutic
• go for walks: walking is said to lower rates of heart disease and other health risks, but also combats depression; spending time outside can be therapeutic and fulfilling

Getting off the methadone or Suboxone might be too difficult a task, so getting onto antidepressants might be impossible. The risks of taking the two types of medications together far out-weigh the benefits, so it is crucial that people who are depressed while on methadone and Suboxone find other ways to cope with their ppsdfpdepression.  depddepression while living their clean and healthy lives, so they can live them to the fullest.