I was prescribed tramadol 6 weeks ago, but having read in the forum how addictive they are I am considering stopping them, although they do help with my back pain. Has anyone being given an alternative to these drugs, and if so are they effective. I will appriciate your replies.
Thanks
I found Tramadol to be a great pain killer. I had no problems with addiction as in needing to take it but great problems when it came to coming off them. Do NOT just stop taking them, you need to come of them slowly.
Thanks for your reply. I was prescribed one s-l 100mg twice a day, I have now cut them down to just one at night, so far no withdrawal symtons appart feeling a little sweaty. I am so glad I joined this forum. Thank you once again.
Also called Zydol, I find them good for pain relief and also helps with sleeping although I would say not to take them just for the latter.
Tramadol is highly addictive. 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 became 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'.
evergreen,
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
I have to say for anyone that has been prescribed this drug for pain to keep taking it unless being told not to by your GP.
Tramadol was the only drug that helped me with my particular pain, and I honestly have to say I wasn't addicted to it, so it's not addictive to everyone.
I take it for pain, I've just written a long post in another thread about it...
I do not find myself addicted, my pain comes & goes ... I have good days & bad, good months & bad even - when the pain is minimal I take nothing, when it get worse i add paracetamol/ibuprofen, then if that doesn't help at all I go onto tramadol too...
This stuff is not as simple as people make out in these forums, everything we are taking which is a prescription medication should be discussed thoroughly with a qualified medical professional and monitored - we should not take anyone elses word for it about how a drug may affect us - we are all completely different and what works for one, won't for another...
I find it quite worrying seeing people encouraging or discouraging use of medications online - only your doctor or consultant should be telling you what to try and what to avoud - fair enough share our experiences but nothing should be taken as statement of fact in that respect, just personal experiences!
If you are in enough pain to warrant a drug such as tramadol, and are very careful with your usage of it then the risk of addiction should be minimal, if you take it when the pain is not that bad then the risk becomes higher... speak to a pharmacist or a GP if you have concerns though as they don't prescribe things to us for no good reason and stopping taking a drug due to horror stories online may in fact make someone's quality of life worse!
Kitty16,
I wholeheartedly agree with you.
I took tramadol for acute chronic back pain for ten years. In February, I began the process of lowering the dose to come off it. I had begun to develop migraines and it was decided a dif med would be better.
Yes, It was very hard to come off of, even tapering over 6 months. No, I was never addicted to it, in that I never desired to take it, missed it, or wanted the feelings it gave me. The many years I took it, I often forgot a dose until the pain reminded me.
So, is it addictive? - not in the addict sense. Only in the dependency sense. If you need a drug, and your body becomes dependent on it, it is your call if that is a bad thing.
I am thankful for ten years of tramadol. I have not found anything yet that treats the pain as completely, exept for oxycontin, which they won't give me long term, and am suffering now. Tramadol for me had the fewest side effects of all the meds I tried years ago.
Can I just say that tramadol is realy rubbish to come off of...real nasty and best not done alone or quickly. But it is a great med for pain. It does not cause depression, or weight gain, or memory loss. If you can stay at a dose no higher than 200mg a day, slow release, you will be a doing great. If you need more, you will still easily be able to have a life. So many other drugs for pain take away much more than they give back. But yes, it is often a difficult drug to withdraw from.
Hi there,
I know it sometime since you posted I just found it intresting the title Tramadol, I was put on tramadol after a falling on my back and wow how strong they were I may have fought this as I am not a tablet taker, I was on Tramadol for 4-5 weeks and made myself go back to the doctors to ask to take me off them I really didnt like the feeling on them very sluggish majority of the time sleeping felt awful on my husband coming in from work and there I was asleep. I felt like my eyes were flicking and my reactions slowed down I could not drive on them so that ment I could not work as my job is driving. My doctor did tell me not to come of them straight but slowly and she put something in place instead of them. I would not go back to taking them agai inless it was a dyer need to.
Hi everyone,
Lots of well expressed opionions on Tramadol here.
I would add that Tramadol is a very good pain medication, if it suits you. Only you and your gp or consultant can decide how much and how long you should take it, depending on the reason why you've been prescribed it in the first place.
If you suffer from chronic pain, have tried everything and Tramadol is the one that suits you best, then take it, if it makes your life more endurable.
The main problem with it is that people often keep taking it out of habit rather than because they really need it. You start off taking it as prescribed for something and feel better and keep taking it even when you are not in that much pain, that's when dependance sets in.
I have taken it on and off for years, only when the pain warrants it though and am certainly not dependant on it. Yes there are side effects but when the pain is that bad sometimes you need a break from it.
Don't forget that when the chips are down all pain medications can become habit forming and difficult to withdraw from. All have side effects that some people can live with and some can't, it's a matter of what suits you. Do not be put off at least trying something that you may find is just right for yourself, you can always stop taking it if it doesn't suit you.
The body gets used to any medication in time and not just Tramadol.
Many people all over the world are very grateful for Tramadol as it has enabled them to return to work and live a more normal life, through the pain.
Just wanted to put my two penneth into the discussion.
Hope all of you in pain are managing ok today. Fanny Jane.
Fanny Jane,
Thanks very much for expressing your opinion on Tramadol, also called Zydol incidentally.
Personally I find the drug useful when in dire straights as just taking Paracetamol on their own just isn't enough. Oh and if you're wondering why I still need pain killers, well it's for a bladder symptom.
Ooops, a typo there, correction should be "dire straits"
Hi Mr Flintstone,
.. I thought Dire Straights were a pop group... boom boom.
Seriously, I was just worried that some people are put off by posts that may not be relevant to them or their current situation.
As you say Tramadol can be very useful for many of us. Sorry to hear you have bladder problems, I get quite a few UTI's and they are horrible. I also have chronic pain issues due to Arthritis and nerve damage. Pain meds are necessary to continue a reasonably normal life for many people, for many reasons.
Love your logo... take care, Fanny Jane.
Fanny Jane.
I am having an US Ultrasound next week, but although my GP did a DRE recently I still have a feeling that I may have Prostatitis, and I am thinking that because I was diagnosed 7 years ago as having inflammation of the Trigone area I am thinking that I may have the same again.
I find that I need to lie down or to one side to take away the feeling I get which is horrible, and I try not to take any paracetamol or Tramadol unless I really need to.
Hello Mr Flintstone, Sorry to hear of your specific problems.
My husband has similar worries to you but so far all is well with him. He does take pain medication when he's rough as he turns into a 6 year old and then I insist! I have five grandsons under 7, all of which are better at being poorly than him!
Forgive me if I'm wrong but you sound like a chap of our age and sadly this is the time that prostrate problems start to show up.
Good luck with your ultrasound next week. We have known several friends with nasty prostrate problems and after treatment they are all doing well, which I keep pointing out to Mr Fanny Jane.
So keep positive and if you are in pain, take a pill and have a lay down with a nice cup of tea.
Take care, Fanny Jane.
Thank You Fanny Jane :-)
I have been taking Tramadol daily, off and on for 3 years now.
My dose has remained at 50-100mg once daily during this period, mostly 50mg.
To answer the OP question about addiction, Tramadol is described as having a very low addiction potential and I would agree with this. However, it's clear to make a distinction here between a physical addiction and a dependency problem.
Opiate-style drugs can cause a physical addiction, but Tramadol in my experience is not in the same league as these drugs as Tramadol has fairly weak opiate-receptor activity.
That said, yes, there is a very real risk of dependency with Tramadol if used for more than a few weeks daily at a time. One can easily come to depend on the drug and its effects. When you stop, the withdrawal effects at low dose are minimal (for me anyway) and that backs up my argument that Tramadol does not cause full blown physical addiction like a true opiate drug would. At higher doses though, this could be different and I have heard horror stories if people experiencing horrendous withdrawal problems from Tramadol were they have been taking doses of 200mg+ daily for long periods of time.
The important thing I think is to lower your dose gradually when you come off it, if you have been taking a higher dose, just as you would with any opiate drug you have been taking for a long time.
When I tore a tendon in my ankle, I told my dr. that i was an alcoholic and susceptible to addition, and was given Tramadol instead of some usual narcotic. It was great for the pain, but it also made me feel great, sort of like a speed feeling. Long after my pain was gone I was still taking it, getting easily, overnight, from the Internet. I was only using it to get high and have extra energy.
I got up to taking 1000 to 1500 mg per day on weekends, less during the workweek. When I would run out and the refill was delayed for any reason, I would experience what I’ve heard called “brain zaps”. But that was only the start of each withdrawal. They got worse as the hours wore on, then I would get sick. I mean, this was REAL narcotic-type withdrawal that you hear so much about. I could not believe how terrible it was.
While I was “high”, I couldn’t think to any level of complexity at all. I could do some repetitive task (I’m a computer network engineer), but not visualize or conceptualize in my mind to any degree at all. And maybe even worse than that, I had what they call “roid rage”…..you know, like when you are taking steroids to lift weights or whatever. I could actually watch myself get enraged at the slightest thing, and then go back down to being quiet, but still intense, a short time after.
I felt hopeless to ever get off of it. Ever. After 2 or 3 days without it, I would be too sick to even get out of bed.
Finally, I decided that I had to at least stop getting high with it, to just stop taking the amount to get buzzed, and only take enough to ward off the withdrawal symptoms. I got down to 2 50mg per day over about a 3 week period. Then, thank goodness, I got really sick from an unrelated issue, and while horribly sick in bed, I took no Tramadol, because I could order none and no one was going to get me any! After another 2 weeks, I was off complete.
If you want to experience REAL addiction, like you see on TV, take Tramadol.