Stay away from Tramadol!

Treatment and medication
1

Last Friday (16/Sep/11) I had an op to repair an umbilical hernia (overnight stay). On being discharged the nurse gave me a packet of 50mg Tramadol capsules to ease the pain, although the pain wasn't that bad. I had been walking to the toilet (in hospital) within 4 hours of recovering from the op.

Anyway, I got home on Saturday and what with the fairly long walk from the hospital to the taxi, plus getting in and out of the car, I was starting to feel some twinges, so I took 2 Tramadol. Much later that evening I started to have really weird side effects. They are so difficult to describe. A combination of panic attack, dizziness, extreme fatigue, and difficulty nodding off to sleep. I'd nod off, like one does, then I'd immediately have these images in my head - people I'd seen on TV that day, cars, animals, all jumbled up.

Then I must have fallen asleep for an hour or two only to come awake with a start after having this veritable nightmare of there being someone in the room and when I opened my eyes (in my sleep just before coming awake) there was this extremely tall guy, 9 feet tall, his head was literally brushing the ceiling. Then \"he\" walked across the room to another bed (my mind thought it was still in the 4-bed unit in the hospital ward) and disappeared! As if in a puff of smoke. And at that point I awoke feeling hot and sweaty.

So those were the last Tramadol *I* was ever going to take, I can tell you. And then, yesterday, Thursday I had severe itching at the surgical wound site. This had nothing to do with the Tramadol I'd taken on Saturday, which must have been out of my system by then. Anyway, apart from the itching there was still a bit of an ache, so I thought I'd take just a single Tramadol capsule.

The itching went; the dull ache went. But this morning, very early, about 04:00am, I awoke feeling anything but refreshed. I had some numb feelings in my hand and thigh, they kept coming and going. I got up at around 05:45am, make a cup of tea, then suddenly felt very weak. Jittery, fast pulse, zonked. Since then I have just lain on my bed in between going for a short walk and am drinking glasses of water in an attempt to flush this POISON out of my system and am starting to feel a little better.

Earlier in the week on doctor's recommendation I booked an appointment with the nurse for this afternoon to have the dressing changed and the incision checked (it's a long, vertical cut about 4 inches long; they found

two hernias), and in order to save on taxi fares I booked one of the free pick-up buses to take me and bring me back. However, I've just cancelled them and have ordered a taxi instead as I cannot face the lengthy zig-zag route these buses often take as they have to pick up numerous other people. I'll talk to the nurse about Tramadol and see what she says. I don't need any pain killers now and if I still get one or two twinges in the next few days, I shall take only paracetamol if necessary. (Not allowed to take ibuprofen or similar NSAIDs as I have a tendency to gastritis and duodenal ulcer.)

So, I am never going to touch Tramadol ever again and this time I mean it. I would not recommend it to my worst enemy. If some people take it just to get \"high\" they must be stark, raving mad.

2

You are lucky really that you were not able to tolerate it. It is a terrible addictive drug that is harder to come off than major tranquilizers.

3

i have been taking tramadol now for 6 months and starting from today have decided to come off it as it is now causing a few problems which i did not have the only trouble is i came off it a couple of months ago and the withdrawl was a nightmare but i am definitely giving it another go as not taking it in the long run is better than taking it any ideas on what i can do to stop the withdrawal symptons to make it easier for me

4

I have lived with a prolapsed lumbar disc for 40 years, the last time after seven months of extreme pain which over the counter medicince had no effect on I reluctantly went to the doctor who prescibed Tramadol. It did not cure the pain but significantly eased it very quickly making life bearable

Warned about the addictive dangers I stopped taking them after about a week and since when I have a problem I use them very sparingly. The only ill effects I suffered was a bit of constipation and mild euphoria.

My experience of Tramadol was good!

5

I am sorry that you had such a bad experience with Tramadol, it sounds as if they might not have been appropriate for your level of pain anyway.

I have been taking Tramadol for about 7 years as I suffer from Chronic Pain Syndrome, at first the side effects were that I was completely knocked out for a couple of days and they made me very sick. Now I don't have those side effects and haven't for a long time. Whilst it is true that one needs to withdraw slowly from Tramadol, it can be done. There are so many drugs that this is the case for - this is because those drugs are addictive but they do not make you a junkie!

Tramadol saved my life because I had reached the end of my tether and was contemplating suicide - it doesn't take my pain away but it makes it (most of the time) bearable. I understand that you had a bad experience but let's allow others to decide for themselves!

6

i was put on tramadol 8 months ago because of lower back pain and was not told they were addictive from the doctor until i clicked on this forum i tried coming off at xmas and gave in after 3 days as the withdrawal symptons were horrendous i really needed to get off this drug as was addicted to it so came off cold turkey five days ago and i am feeling better already although i have still a bit to go it is not as bad as last time but day by day notice different withdrawal symptoms lack of sleep being the worse not so much the itching this time around just the flu like feeling of not wanting to do anything but sit or lie down never going near tramadol again and wished i had been warned by my doctor i know of a friend of a friend that she has been taking tramadol for 2 years and is having real trouble coming off it i didnt want to reduce the daily intake just took the bull by the horn and came off straight away threw the tramadol down the toilet and so very glad i did i feel better in myself as when i was taking it it made me sleepy with the other side effects and after all i have been through they didnt mimimise the pain just tok the edge of it

7

I didnt get any relief from pain so stopped taking, perhaps it was just as well after reading replies.

8

I try to warn everyone I can about it. The most I ever took was 150 mg. I thought it was a wonder drug because I have a physically demanding job and it gave me boundless energy as well as taking away most of my back pain. Or to be more accurate, it did not really take away the pain, just made me able to cope with the pain. I only becaome aware that I was addicted the day I was due to go to the specialist about my back and I decided not to take any so that I was more able to describe and pinpoint the pain. On the way to the hospital I began to feel panicky, and my body felt weak and ached all over. I wanted to scream and cry. I felt like I was cracking up. The specialist was so concerned about me that he wrote to my GP suggesting all kinds of tests be carried out. It was only a few days later that I began to put two and two together and realise that it was tramadol withdrawal that made me feel this way.

It became so bad that one day when I had misplaced my pills I virtually tore the house apart looking for them. I became paranoid that my husband was hiding them from me. When I found them, I downed one straight away and felt 100% better an hour later. It was then that I decided that I didn't care how much they did for my pain, I was going to quit. I managed to get down to two a day (100 mg) quite easily. But stepping down to 50 mg was much harder. But the worst was coming off the last 50mg. They do not make any smaller doses and so I had to open th capsules and empty out half of the powder and then reseal it. I managed to come off the last 25 mg by taking it alternate days and then every 3 days until finally getting 'clean'.

9

My experience with tramadol was good, it did the job when other pain killers didn't but I heeded the warnings and only used them when I really needed them.

The moral is, as with tobacco, food and drink, make a pig of yourself and you invite trouble! I have now smoked for 65 years without ill effect and I still enjoy my smokes but in moderation.

10

I think everyone has to decide completely for themselves about meds.

Every person is different, physically & mentally - there are no one size fits all rules with this.

Tramadol has never had any ill effects for me. It does cause constipation which you have to adapt your lifestyle to function with, it can cause dry mouth, decreased appetite and some slight euphoria/anxiety - but for me its about the benefits outweighing the negative side effects.

I prefer coping with those effects than being in too much pain to work at 23 years old...

I work in the medical field so am hyper-aware of all the negatives/addictive potential etc and when I queried it with my own GP they told me 'nobody gets addicted to painkillers unless they are using them when they do not need to' - basically if you're taking them when you could be taking simple paracetamol to manage the pain - yes you'll probably become addicted. Or if you have a history of addiction then - yes its risky... but a GP should be supervising you & discussing all this with you. Tramadol is not an OTC med therefore noone should take it without being 'risk assessed'.

ive been on & off paracetamol/ibuprofen/diclofenac/30/500 cocodamol & tramadol for around 4 years now for pain and when the pain dies down (it flares up, comes and goes) then i don't take anything... but when its bad i take everything

(either ibu or diclo & same with co-codamol/paracet - not together of course as they would overlap... just saying as i don't want anyone to freak out thinking im OD-ing lol) .

.. and anyway the point is, ive never felt the NEED to take any of these pills other than to control my pain - if i don't have pain, i don't take any tablets.

Only a doctor should be telling you what you can/can't try and only you can decide what works for you!

Sounds like you had a horrible experience but I just thought I should throw my 2 cents in because people shouldn't be put off trying them if a GP recommends they will imrpove their quality of life!

11

I know my body, I know my family history, my doctor used to pre NHS but no longer does because he just doesn't or no longer has the time to find out. That's a fact. Problem there is any treatment he prescribes is an educated guess and you it's us that take the risk?

12

that is true, and its a real shame...

i work with doctors so i see the side of the patients - we want the best health care possible and a personal experience - but at the same time, i see the side of the healthcare professionals - they wish they could offer that, but resources don't allow for it in the nhs ...

either way they certainly can make a better judgement based on your breif medical history in front of them, and talking to you, than strangers on the internet who may have had a bad experience for a multitude of reasons...

i know doctors aren't perfect and can't always provide us with the best care available because the funds just aren't there - you'd have to be paying privately to have the ?hour or so discussions with a GP that would really make for fantastic health care ... but many of us simply can't afford to do that.

My concern with these kind of threads are that people will be scared and avoid things which actually might be great for them and a doctor is qualified to help you make the decisions - thats definitely the key, in my opinion - doctors don't decide for us, WE decide, WE take responsibility for our own healthcare - we have to, but a GP is the best person to assist us in that.

i think we have to be very careful when sharing experiences that we don't decide we are all one and the same smile

In an ideal world it would go back to everyone having their own family doctor who actually knew who you are and knew your medical history, but i don't ever see that happening sadly sad

13

As my pain condition is incurable I expect to be taking Tramadol on a permanent basis. I am so fortunate that it does not cause constipation for me and I am extremely grateful for that.

Tramadol (and all the other pain meds that I take) do not remove the pain but they make it manageable and that means that my life is livable - before Tramadol I had decided to kill myself because I could no longer stand the pain.

It's horses for courses isn't it?

14

Hi,

I would just like to add a happy ending to the dreaded tramadol. I was prescribed 400mg a day and have been using this amount for 6 years due to back and neck problems. I loved the tramadol It gave me my life back I could do anything without pain.

I realised there was a problem when i forgot to take my lunch time tablets, Within 1 hour I was in awfull pain and had chronic fatigue.

I approached my doctor who stated that tramadol are not addictive.

I pushed further and eventually got to see some specialist who prescribed butrans 10micro grams ph transdermal patch. I used these for 6 weeks each week cutting a small portion off the patch, until I was I was down to about a quarter I then stopped the patches.

I had 5 days of bad withdrawal shakes,sweats,leg and arm jerks,insomnia,diahorrea,crawling skin I couldnt stand the light and the symptoms are worse at night. During this time I took magnesium supplements, Drank milk, I also took vitamin D, And when it was difficult I took anadin extra I also bought some Hylands Restful legs (which works to stop the night tremors).

It Is possible to come off these but It Is hard I am now free of all tablets and my quality of life has returned. I still have some muscle stiffness and a small amount of tingling in my legs, but i do sleep and operate normally during the day thank god.

It took approx 5 days of bad symptoms then a further 10 days of milder symptoms which were nothing in comparison.

And remember to keep a positive mind.

15

About 3yrs ago was prescribed Tramadol for sever pain rib and back area. Then developed shingles. Didnt get relief from pain, mind you think as new medicine was scared to take 2 together, due to age and on my own. I do remember saying I shouldnt have to manage this pain on my own at my age. (it was really bad) so perhaps the medicine did have odd effects. Anyway didnt take all just them away even though in pain as didnt think helping. In some ways perhaps was for the best as could have got other effects. Had shingles before but just skin irritation for long time, not the bad pain. Should have said just put them away. I wasnt aware it was shingle pain but appears it was.

16

Following a painful foot injury I ended up needing Tramadol, this time 50mg dose no help so increased to 4 times daily This made the pain bearable. Reduced to 3 times daily but today took at 6am and so far have put up with increasing pain will try paracetamol later. No sign of after effects as yet. Case of wait and see if need to go back on tramadol.

17

Should have said increased to 100mg 4 times daily then made it more comfortable.

18

kitty16, I have re read all the above and am very careful taking the capsules, have been able to reduce to 200mg daily as problems eased. Still waiting for answer to injury.. MRI test arranged which might help. At least am aware of possible side effects now which is helpful.

19

This page came up when I googled tramadol and sleep so thought I'd add my experience. You should gradually increase the dose to avoid or lessen side effects.  I can now manage on 50mg most days but even that causes sleep disturbance - difficulty falling asleep, frequent wakening, and shallow sleep.  I think its worth it not to have the pain.  You can take paracetemol as well as tramadol (ask your doctor) to keep your dose lower.  My pain specialist prescribed Endep in low doses to help counteract the sleep disturbance.  It helps.  

20

Your symptoms may have been a reaction to residual anesthetic, possibly triggered by combining with the tramadol. Or, looked at another way, it WAS the tramadol, but made worse by residual anesthetic.