HIMPower Magazine HimPower November 2017 | Page 30

SNRIs (selective norepinephrine re-uptake
inhibitors), DNRIs (dopamine norepineph-
rine reuptake inhibitors) and tricyclic anti-
depressants. Many individuals suffering
from chronic depression have learned that
it normally takes at least two weeks to feel a
noticeable difference and often 4 to 6 weeks
to experience an appreciable benefit. It is
no secret how fast opioids work in treating
pain and in some people they also provide
a feeling of euphoria. Often psychotherapy
can be beneficial in the first few weeks after
starting an antidepressant. This is widely
accepted as the best approach. Offering
comfort, emotional support and reassurance
while waiting for the antidepressant to start
working. Unfortunately those suffering from
depression who do not get immediate relief
may resort to various measures often not
approved by a health care professional.
Uncontrolled pain can be quite
depressing. Chronic pain and unremitting
depression often times call for desperate
measures. In a country prescribing 123.3
million prescriptions annually of hydroco-
done-acetaminophen (generic Vicodin)
30  HimPower November 2017
combined with a societal perception of
'quick - fix remedies' preferable over preven-
tive measures like proper diet, nutrition
and exercise, prescription misuse will likely
annually increase exponentially unless
drastic measures are taken to educate the
public. This education will need to include
emphasizing the dangers of opioid misuse
and how this easily leads to abuse, poten-
tial legal ramifications of driving or even
working under the influence of narcotics,
and the devastation this causes on families;
destroying marriages and leaving children
emotionally and psychologically distraught.
This very devastation is part of the octane
that fuels the mission of Ultimaxx Health....
as well as the availability of complementary
and integrative options like LEVARE® and
Advyndra®. 
Dr. Germaine B Hawkins is a general adult
psychiatrist whose clinical experience includes
treating both civilian and military populations
battling co-occurring chronic pain and PTSD.
He is also an opioid addiction medicine special-
ist certified in Buprenorphine (Suboxone).