non-addictive "heroin-like" antidepressant on the horizon?

This could be really good news for those who have suffered from major depression:

www.foxnews.com/health/2012/08/29/non-addictive-heroin-like- medicine-may-soon-crush-major-depression/

I heard a psychiatrist mentioning this a few months ago but this is the first time I have heard or read of it beyond that.

Where do I go to sign up?!?  

I'm really tired of messing around with SSRIs and SNRIs and all of the side effects.

Lora

 Sign me up for it too.  I currently take6pills a day to deal with my depression, anxiety and OCD.

I worry it sounds too good to be true.

 Yeah, I can't wait to hear the list of side effects that emerge. Probably causes anal leakage, hair loss, erectile dysfunction, projectile vomiting, weight gain, acne, excessive flatulance, increased risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney damage, brain anuryesm... you know.. just mild stuff. 

Despite all that.. if it works and doesn't have major drug or alcohol interactions, I would still be willing to try it. Tired of dealing with this dark cloud and major mood swings!

 I'm ok with the erectile dysfunction :)

Lora,

What is the distinction between chemical dependency and emotional dependency? When I see something that says non-addictive I keep thinking to myself "but if it elicits a reaction we like, can't we sort of get addicted to it in our heads?" Or is that not possible?

 Oh that is ABSOLUTELY possible (and, for some people with the so-called "addictive personalities", it may actually be likely), depending on the dose.  I would expect that they would prescribe the lowest dose possible that alleviates the depression without giving too much of a "high".  The problem, of course, is having a patient who immediately says that the dose isn't high enough because they aren't getting the euphoric feeling that they want and that the drug would, presumably, give.  How do you determine how much is enough without creating psychological dependence?

I notice, for example, that when I take Vicodin (even though I know that, between taking it for the belly pain for 18 months and taking it periodically for my knee, I have a certain level of physical tolerance) that my depression is better.  I no longer get any significant feeling of euphoria from a 5/500 tablet, yet when I take it every 6 hours or so for more than a day, I notice that my general mood is better and the depression, while not extinguished, is less "in my face".  So I am not the least bit surprised that such a drug would be so universally helpful, but I do have concerns about managing dosage.  For tjoae who have a hard time with the side effects of MAOIs, SSRIs, and SNRIs, though, it could be a very welcome change.

Lora

Where do I get in line?  I think I've taken just about every antidepresant known to man - tricyclics, MAO inhibitors, SSRI's and various combinations thereof.....with limited improvement for the past 30+ years.  Depression sucks....it ruins lives.  I'd be willing to try almost anything to move out of the darkness and be able to live a "normal" life.

I just hope it doesn't take the FDA forever to approve this.  I'm so tired of living like this.
Kathy

 It sounds a bit like pot. (so I have been told)

 I guess one of the major worries I'd have about this is one of the active ingredients, buprenorphine, is the same as Suboxone -and the clients I've talked to have had major qualms about getting off Suboxone. If the other substance binds the NTs from the euphoric feeling, then perhaps that minimizes addictive properties - but those on Suboxone treatment aren't getting high (usually) but doing it to not do the opiates and often feel like they're exchanging one substance dependency for another. If this can breathe some fresh air into mood disorders, that'll be great but I'm looking at it with a skeptical eye.
On an aside - I may not be remembering things correctly, but I feel like I've heard about this Dr. Ablow and I don't think it was good things.... just can't remember precisely what it was about.