Been on tramadol for 5 years +

Treatment and medication
1

Hi, i am new so bear with me, im 33 with an 8 year old daughter. I have been on tramadol various strengths for 5 years plus

I am trying to come off the drug for the 3rd or 4th time, previously i have tried but the withdrawal has proven to be too much to take, it started legitimately after a hip op but its got to the point where i am ordering online with a cc paying stupid amounts of money, i have lost several jobs due to my addiction and all i want is to go back to my old self. I have been taking easily 1500mg a day and i have suddenly ran out no money for more and no more prescriptions. I am in this alone not even my doc knows but i wanted to ask for some advise as to how best to get through the withdrawal and how long it will take until i am functioning like a human being again? Please ask any questions you want, im finally ready to be honest and clean! Please note i am based in the uk not usa.

2

I was on tramadol for 6 yrs, taking 20 or more a day. I quit cold turkey in February of this year and haven't touched them since. It was tough but I had really had enough. Your mindset has a lot to do with it. If you really want it bad enough when you feel like hell it'll make you want to fight harder, instead of give in. I had tried previous times to stop but would never last more than a few days because I didn't REALLY want to be clean from it. But once I was actually ready and willing, it was a lot easier to do it. Don't get me wrong it sucked, especially the first couple of weeks and I had to get on an antidepressant bc of tramadol messing with my brain chemistry, but life is so much better not having to worry about withdrawals and doing illegal things to get those stupid pills which was ultimately what it turned in to. I took A LOT of hot baths, took immodium, kept hydrated and tried to anything and everything to keep my mind occupied. I thought I wouldn't be able to move or function but that wasn't the case, if you think it's going to be bad then it WILL be bad.. if you think you can get through it and it's not as bad as you thought it was going to be, it's a lot easier to deal with. Sleeping sucked the first few weeks but everyday got easier. Please stay away from these awful things, they're not good and actually make your pain worse. Not too mention they mess with your serotonin so stopping them causes anxiety and depression along with the physical withdrawal. It IS possible to live a life without them.. and contrary to what some people may tell you, you WILL NOT die or have seizures from stopping cold turkey. Tramadol CAUSES seizures. Quit while you can, your life and family will thank you for it!!

3

Hi Mel firstly thanks for taking the time send me a message, im about 48 hours in with no tramadol ill be honest i cried when reading it....dont know why! i planned to tapper but the tablets i ordered have been seized at customs so i cant do anythingabout it!, can i ask you honestly how long was it until you felt like your oldself? I miss being out with my Friends and my daughter deserves the dad i promised myself i would be, not one who cant be arsed to do anything EVER other than relax on a sofa or sleep continously for days on end and still feeling lethargic....would you recommend i be honest with my gp so i can get some anti depression meds to help with the brain side of things?......thanks again! X

4

No problem, I've been right where you are and I religiously read forums of people who came off of tramadol and shared their stories being 2 months clean to the people who were 5 years. It gave me hope that things would get better and if all of these other people did it, I could too. You're not the only one going through this unfortunately, and you won't be the last as sad as it is. It took a little while to feel normal again, and by normal I mean no more physical symptoms and my sleeping was normal (actually it was SO MUCH BETTER!! when I was on tramadol I NEVER slept) I sleep better now than I have in years it's great! I actually go to bed at a decent hour, sleep 8 hrs and wake up early, not sleep all day like i did on tramadol. A few months into being clean I was still dealing with depression and anxiety BUT I've had both of those long before I even started tramadol, I think my depression had a lot to do with becoming addicted honestly.. so I cant say if you'll need an antidepressant or not everyone is different and only a Dr can diagnose you.. I should have been on them a long time ago but became addicted to narcotics instead but I gave it a few months after being clean to see if my depression symptoms would go away and if it was just from the tramadol, but the symptoms I had always had came roaring back when I wasnt numbing them anymore. Antidepressants aren't for everyone, but if in a few months you're still struggling it may be worth looking into. Feeling lethargic was a constant until a couple months went by, but after the first couple of weeks the really terrible symptoms went away.. like the restless legs, the nausea, crawling skin, hot flashes, head zaps, diarrhea etc... but I did sneeze A LOT for a few months lol but sneezing is nothing compared to everything else. But like I said before, if you really want it bad enough it'll be a lot easier to get through than if you sit around thinking about how bad you feel. If you dwell on the negative you'll just want to take tramadol again and for the sake of you and your daughter you do NOT want that. Just know that time goes by and this will PASS.. I can't believe it's almost been a year for me. I thought I'd be in that nasty cycle the rest of my life, but it can be done I promise you. Look up something called "PAWS" online, it'll help you to know what you may deal with after being clean. You can do this!! Life is so much better on the other side

5

The sneezing yeah, all of a sudden i am doing it all the time!!! I will indeed look up PAWS.

Thanks again for taking the time, i suppose i most scared/worried about going back to work next week and how i will cope....

Time will tell i guess but like you say it may make it a little easier to concentrate on something else.

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Haha yes the sneezing was crazy for a while!! The sneezing was the last thing to go lol but it was a welcome annoyance after getting over all of the other worse symptoms. I felt like, well if SNEEZING is the only thing I have to deal with, I'll take it!! In a week a majority of your physical should diminish and although ypull still feel lethargic and like dog crap, it'll be a lot better than you're feeling right now... I remember my first 48 hours.. YIKES never want to go back to that! But like I said everyday that goes by will get better, just keep in your mind that the more time that passes the better you'll feel and this will NOT last for long.. when I felt really crappy I would think that to myself and it really made me feel better to know that it'll be over I just had to get through it. Nothing lasts forever, especially not these withdrawals I promise! Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or are struggling. I've been where you are and I'm more than happy to help you!!!

7

Yes, I would recommend honesty with your GP. And contrary to what was just posted, tramadol withdrawal can cause seizures. (The other commenter seems to be under the impression that, because tramadol use can cause seizures, withdrawal won't. This is a false dichotomy.) Your GP could give you a benzodiazepine (clonazepam seems to be the #1 choice) to prevent them, and to help with your disposition.

Tramadol has the unintended side effect of acting as an SSRI antidepressant, so you may get withdrawal symptoms from that side of it, too. Your GP could try to compensate with an SSRI, but at this point it is probably too late.

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Note: Most evidence points to the fact that people experience seizures while on this drug. Although many people are curious about whether withdrawal can cause seizures, it should be noted that this is a pretty unlikely experience during withdrawal. It should also be noted that in rare cases, people can hallucinate during the withdrawal process as well.

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So says a doctor. But maybe you're one too, which knows.

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Been here many failed attempts. Here is how I did it. The long road is easier, don't even bother with cold turkey. Tramadol is more than Opioid so it can't be done. 

Brother I feel your pain, same situation for me. Been off it 4 years now. You can DO IT!

BTW your pain might not be there when you come off it as Tramadol creates a feedback loop. Now this is weird but pay attention to pain levels. Often people find pain is 100% gone and Tramadol was keeping it going. Yes it is VERY paradoxical.

Whatever dose you are on start reducing by 1 capsule a day for an entire week at a time. Keep going until you get down to one. You will find the lower you go the harder it gets just like loosing weight. But you should be able to handle this taper. The hard bit is now getting off that final pill.

To do this start opening up the capsules and taping tiny amounts out and shutting it back up and taking it - each week tap out more. Be patient, be very patient (no pun intended). When you have just a little powder left cold turkey off it.

At this points you may want to start upping your sugar in take for a week or two. Dopamine will respond to that. Don't go diabetic or anything just have some treats about to get you through the day. Each day will improve over two weeks until you are no longer dependent.

That should be you done with dependency; now you need to live without it.

Tips:

If you get restless leg syndrome tonic water will help you out. Just sip a glass when that comes on. That does go away quickly enough after you stop - do no panic keep going.

You may need to sleep alone coming off Tramadol if you have a partner as you won't sleep well during this process at all. Again this resolves in time.

DO NOT use other Opioids as a replacement (you will fail!). However Diazepam if you get in a tough place will help. But ask your GP to only give a couple pills at a time. Now before you begin put this on record with your GP. Any more at hand and you may end up addicted to Diazepam (it is as bad as Tramadol to deal with but short term you won't get addicted). You ONLY reach for it if you are struggling. This should only be the case when you are very low on Tramadol.

After about 6 months the world off Tramadol will stop being grey and boring (each day you will feel stronger off it). Be prepared for this - join a class, get a hobby - do something to boost your interest in life (dopamine will be poor for this time frame so you need to retrain your brain to life off Tramadol). After 1 year you will wonder what the fuss was about and NEVER look back.

Horrible drug given out to quickly in the past and for way to long unmonitored. I actually think it is law suit waiting to happen. As it was advertised as non-addictive, which is excuse my French BS. They hoodwinked the NHS; but these days they do not give it out as easily and they monitor it strictly. So don't beat yourself up about this...that is important...and if you fail get back up and try again...keep trying and never stop trying - you will beat it.

GOOD LUCK YOU CAN DO IT! YOUR FIRST STEP HAS BEGUN NOW AS YOU KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM....

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Thanks for the reply, im in a situation where tappering is not really a possibility so im going cold and just bitting my lip to get through it, just hearing from people who have been where i am and come out the other side really increases the want to succeed which is great. I know its going to be hard to say the least but like you say at least i know its an issue that needs dealing with..... as and when i have issues i will be posting looking for help and i suppose just a positive reinforcement that its going to work. Thanks again for takijg the time to reply.

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In regards to the seizures my doc diagnosed me as epileptic as i had two fits over a space of 2 months when on high doses of tramadol, at the time i was hiding it from everyone so just said yeh i take 1 or 2 a day 50mg when i was closer to 10 of the 100mg easily so i would side with you in regards to the fits and seizures, i think i need to be honest with my doc, i worry though as we all know doctors seem to be blind to the real addictive traits tramadol offer up.....i dont want to poor my heart out like a confetional with a priest for a doc to turn to me and say oh its only tramadol your not addicted etc....does that make any sense?

13

You know what "they" say, "Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best."

I hope we haven't scared you too much by telling you what you might be up against. It may not be quite as bad as some make it out to be, but it will be worth it either way.

14

Go in armed with information, and, if necessary, educate your doctor. He may still be laboring under the impression that tramadol is safe, as it was touted as such when it first came out. I'd start with a good read of the Wikipedia entry on tramadol.

The bottom line is, this drug is an opioid. It is as addictive as any other opioid. And, on top of that, you have the SSRI aspect (very well explained in Wiki, and maybe responsible for your seizures).

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Wow Patrick very similar stories we have. It is way too hard to come off cold turkey and no help. I recently told my dr I was addicted to them. I finished 120 pills in 6 days plus extra (100 mg) because I too was ordering off the Internet paying ridiculous Amounts of money with a cc. I am a mother and wife and can't afford to be sick going through withdrawals because I need to show up everyday for my life. My husband doesn't know I'm addicted but now knows I take the Vicodin for my pain. My dr gave me Vicodin flexeril and buspar for anxiety. I have to see her once a week and bring the bottles with me as well as a log of the times and amount of pills I take. The flexeril just puts me to sleep makes me very drowsy. I have a legitimate excuse for the pills because I broke my back fainting and fell down the stairs. I recently found out I have neuro cardiogenic syncope. Which means I faint because of my low blood pressure and not enough getting to my brain. I don't know where im going from here with these pills but that's what I'm on now. And I did take the Vicodin as prescribed 1 every 6 hours however sometimes I took 2. I like the feeling. But I know if I take more I won't have more and then I will be sick. It's a very vicious circle. My advice is to be honest with your dr. They have heard it a lot. Don't be scared because they can help you get off the stuff without hurting. I was scared to tell her but I just did it. And I'm not sick. I'm comfortable. And I can sleep. I've been doing this for 2 weeks now. I'm in no rush to get off I told her so we are taking it slow. Also because I am in legitimate pain. I understand your struggles. Good luck

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Hello Patrick. Im in US. Its controlled here. No ordering off Internet or DEA could be at your doorstep. I was addicted to Tram. Started it in 2006 (?) But took it normally. Off an on. I realized I felt better on them (not knowing I had underlying anxiety an depression). Our daughter died in 2000 an Iv had anxiety since a child. Sooooo long story short it got out of hand. Iv had a siezure ON them because took to many. Got to where I ended up ordering off internet (b4 controlled). Very expensive. Finally in 2014 (May) I had to go ER with heart palpitations an skipped beat. Turned out it was fr me being severly dehydrated an extremely low potassium. But I had to say how many Trams I was taking (15-20 50mg pills) a day. Talk about humiliated. But it was also a God send. I had been wanting to get off but was so sick fr stopping or tapering. Didnt matter how still had withdrawal. You will have some sort of withdrawal even fr tapering. Tapering is just slow torcher. You do not get seizures fr cold turkey Tramadol. You get seizures fr taking to much! Serotonin Sydrome can happen. Look that up to. I quit cold turkey. No seizures. Two days after the ER I went to a detox facility here in my town. For 5 days. 1800$. It was rough but they gave me amitriptyline an Klonapine while in there. So on day 5 I felt ok. But let me warn you,an everyone different, watch out for depression and anxiety. It can creep up on you. After I got out detox I went to a N.P. at a clinic. She started me on Zoloft 2 wks later. I also was taking Klonapine for still having anxiety. Anti-depressants have their own start up side effects to. Well I ended up not being able to take Zoloft. It made me very sick physically. So stopped in Aug. Well by Oct severe depression set in. I didn't care about the holidays, crying all time. Then found out I had started menopause! I was 46! Iv been in Medical field since 18 yrs old. I know alot an like studying about things. Iv been on a total of 4 antidepressants. An its true about PAWS. Look it up as mentioned above. Thats what Iv got. Horrible for me. But not everyone is same. Iv been thrue many "running out of pills an praying for package to show up after 2 days!" Scenerios. Hot baths with epsom salts. Anti-diarheea (sp?) med. Drink fluids. Magnesium. B-12, Vit. D-5000units, if you tell your Dr you came off Tram an need help with withdrawals hopefully he will give you anti-anxiety med for sleep. I think that is the worst part. The restless legs an no sleep. The anti-anxiety will help. Believe it or not but Zofran can help recover fr opiates. Not only for nausea but opiate withdrawal. Look it up to. Start scanning internet for"help with Tramadol withdrawls". All kinds of ideas. Its really an evil little sucker. I wish I had never taken that first pill back when I broke my tibia. Im still looking for a med to help me mentally. Just had a ton of bloodwork done to see if any defencicy. Iv also had to have Gallbladder out in 2015 (june). So just look stuff it help occupy your mind but really try to see a dr who will maybe help. All they can say is "no"!

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Hi Patrick,

My advice try to reduce the dose. My case. Control the pain. Since my 'not-so-succesful' TKR operation in Sweden 2013 which ended with a post-op infection. Now, it's chronic. Pus coming out. Change of gauzes twice a day. The pain, the stiffness, swelling etc. Without my Tramadol 50 mg with strong coffee. I could not get  get out of bed. Now, I can still manage and drive and carry a  as a motoring editor.  

But,  Tramadol is an opiate. It's addictive. That's why I recuce the dosage. Half a capsule: 25 mg plus two paracetamol pills.  It works.  BTW in Sweden the physicians  prescribed me Oxycontin aka 'Hillbilly Heroin' and plenty of it. Now, I understand why Oxycontin is not allowed here in Thailand. No Thai FDA approval. A drugstore near one of girlie hostess-bars: "Sir, we no have Oxycontin. No have in Bangkok! You buy Viagra, 'blue pill' good price for you!"     What is your experince with Oxycontin?  Best regards, Bangkok-Johnnie

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I don't mean to be argumentative, but just because you can get seizures from too much tramadol does not mean that you can't get seizures from withdrawal. You are not the first person here to make that incorrect assumption, and I just can't let the false information pass uncontested. Usually I would, but the health of others is at stake.

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Well the same could be said about your "information". An I'm sure I'm not alone. So how do you know I'm wrong? Are you a Dr? Actually a Pharmacist would know more about a drug an it's actions. An, yes you are argumentative . An yes I'm voting for Trump. In case you were wondering! Done.

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You are absolutely right. Im from the US and in my area you have to be monitored at a detox center for the first few days so that if you have seizures from withdrawal, they have medical staff to help you. That is 100% accurate ...