Do anti depressants dull down a euphoric drug high?

[questionsguy]

I realise this question is very broad/vague, but would taking an SSRI type of anti depressant dull down a drug high from opioids for example due to the nature of their functionality?

 

[Harbs4580]

@questionsguy

I realise this question is very broad/vague, but would taking an SSRI type of anti depressant dull down a drug high from opioids for example due to the nature of their functionality?

This is an awesome topic that I have been wondering about for years, to the point I will share some information that I have found related later tonight.  I feel almost with great certainty that they do “dull down” MY euphoric feeling from opioids.  I take Lexapro combined with Rexulti (an add on antidepressant) and almost immediately I began to feel it did reduce my typical type of opioid euphoria.   Again great topic…I hope others as well can give some good insight on this topic.

 

[Harbs4580]

This a the little bit I do know as to why they truly MAY dampen the euphoric effects from some of the common opioids, but not all.  Anyone who understands this very well please feel free to correct me or expand upon. Opioids come in two variations, those that act directly and those that have to be chemically processed by the body before they can begin to relieve pain and/or produce euphoric effects.  Direct-acting opioids, like morphine and oxycodone, can get right to work.  The other kind are called "prodrugs" like hydrocodone for example. Prodrugs need to be metabolized in the liver before they're able to bind with pain and/or pleasure receptors in the brain. 

Various antidepressants, definitely not all, but especially many SSRI’s , like Paxil, Prozac, Wellbutrin, or Zoloft, inhibit the activity of an enzyme in the liver, that metabolizes prodrug opioids. If the enzyme can't do its job, then the opioid can't either, or at the very least not as well. Supposedly if you take this type of problematic SSRI you are better off taking something like morphine or oxycodone instead, because they are what they call direct-acting drugs which don't need to be broken down by the liver.  Hope this was helpful.
 

Bottom line is they dampen the effects for me personally for sure.