Bipolar Disorder From Opiate Detox

There is a link between opiate detox and mood disorders such as bipolar disorder, but the link is not necessarily one of cause and effect. Opiate addiction treatment, and the difficult detox period, can be particularly difficult when addiction coexists with bipolar disorder.

Bipolar Disorder

• Bipolar disorder, sometimes referred to as manic depression, is a long-term mental disorder that affects cognition and mood. There are different types of bipolar disorder, but all of them involve pronounced and unpredictable mood swings. Those with bipolar disorder experience manic episodes, or overly happy and energetic states, alternating with lethargic and detached depressive episodes. Suicide ideation can result from untreated bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder can be treated with medication and therapy.

Opiates

• Opiates are psychoactive substances derived from opium, a naturally occurring byproduct of the opium poppy plant. Opiates are controlled substances that can take the form of medicine, such as morphine and Demerol, and an illegal drug like heroin. Opiates have analgesic effects and are highly addictive; they produce a tolerance in users, requiring them to take increasing doses to produce an effect. Opiates can create a physical dependence in some users.

Detox

• If a user develops a physical dependence on an opiate, he will experience withdrawal when he stops or decreases use of the drug. Detox, or detoxification, requires abstinence from opiate use to allow the body to process and rid itself of the opiates within. Detox can produce many painful flu-like symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, insomnia, muscle ache, sweating and runny nose. Opiate withdrawal can also cause anxiety, depression and mood swings--psychological symptoms common to those of bipolar disorder.

Correlation

• The National Institutes of Health states that drug addiction is common among those with bipolar disorder, but the reason is not clear. According to 2004 research by the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, depression is common among those addicted to opiates. But the research is inconclusive as to whether the depression is caused by opiate withdrawal or whether it is a separate condition. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) also claims that the relationship between opiate addiction and depression is ambiguous--it's unclear whether opiates and withdrawal from them create depression, or whether people become addicted to opiates in an effort to self-medicate their undiagnosed depression.

Causes

• There is little to suggest that bipolar disorder is caused by opiate detox alone. The best predictor of bipolar disorder is genetics. Bipolar disorder tends to occur within families, and it typically appears first in early adulthood. Environmental factors may also cause bipolar disorder in some.

Treatment

• Research published in the Journal of Affective Disorders in 2006 claims that recognizing the link between bipolar disorder and opiate addiction is crucial to providing effective treatment of addiction. Research funded by NIDA determined that treating a mood disorder, such as bipolar disorder, has a positive effect on addiction treatment. Research conducted by New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City claims that patients whose depression was treated with imipramine showed fewer depressive symptoms and a diminished craving for drugs.