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MedHelp Member's Question

Ultram use for chronic back pain

by John from oregon, May 15, 2000 12:00AM
Back in 1995 I had an on the job back injury followed by another injury 2 months later resulting in ??L7 & L8?? discs being blown out.  Intense debelitating pain in my lower back - severe pain shooting into my left hip and on down my entire left leg.  I've been diagnosed with permenent nerve damage resulting in constant pain in my lower back - left hip & on down my left leg, my left leg below the knee is always pins & niddles.  I was put on many different pain meds at first then I was put on the drug Ultram(tramodol hydrochloride) 50mg. 8 times daily.  I was told this drug may do well with me and it was completly non-addictive.  WOW!  That sounded like my kind of drug.  Many years later hear I am in this all to familiar spot -- I am very addicted to Ultam.  The manufacturer is now saying a small percentage may become mentally addicted.  This is no mental addiction - as I write this I'm into my second week of withdrawals - last night no sleep again - skin crawling - stwitching uncontrolably - having to move arms & legs around constantly just to maintain!  What a couple of weeks.  My doctor hadn't even heard that Ultram was very addictive to some people - maybe all people.  Hear I am again -- my doctor has cut me off my pain meds -- without my meds I cannot fuction.  Two or three days in withdrawls the back pain starts up.  It is so severe the only thing my mind will think on is how can I possibly stop this pain!  There is no such thing as work or anything else for that matter.  I know this is rather long but I wanted you to get the full scope of this problem.

This whole thing of withdrawls is getting unacceptedable.  I work full time as an auto body repair man and I preach full time at a local church.

This whole thing is rather imbarishing.

Are there alternative medications - alternative therapys that will work on this kind of pain?  I'm getting desperate here!  

Give me some answers - this is something no one else seems able to do!  ARe there other drugs that work without the addictions?  What is a person such as myself to do?  

THANKS FOR LISTENING!
Member Comments (25)

by TO SHARON FROM SHELLEY, May 16, 2000 12:00AM
BOY, SOUNDS LIKE YOU NEED HELP.  HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO A PAIN CLINIC?  ASK YOUR PRIMARY DOCTOR FOR A REFERRAL AND THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO HELP YOU.  YOU MAY HAVE TO JUST ACCEPT THE FACT THAT NARCOTIC PAIN MEDS MAY BE YOUR'E ONLY CHOICE FOR DEBILITATING PAIN, ESPECIALLY IF THE PAIN PREVENTS YOU FROM FUNCTIONING.  I GUESS YOU HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION THOUGH.  IT IS NOT EASY, I KNOW. IF YOU ARE TRULY IN PAIN, AND YOUR'E DOC "CUT YOU OFF", I WOULD LOOK FOR ANOTHER ONE WITH A LITTLE MORE COMPASSION.GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

by Me from Maine, May 16, 2000 12:00AM
In Response to your question, I am not sure what other medications a person should use other than ultram.  Most doctors preach that Ultram is the only medication that will ease the pain without becoming addicted.  My friend has Ultram prescribed to him on a regular basis.  I pulled a muscle at the gym a couple of years ago and couldn't deal with the pain.  He told me to try an Ultram, so I did.  Not only did this wonder pill kill the pain, it also made me feel happy.  In addition to making me feel happy, it seemed that all of my worries about normal day life, were not as important as I thought.  I loved it.  Needless to say, I started taking Ultram on a regular basis for a while due to the "Happy" effect.  When the drug started to wear off, I would become irritated, depressed, cranky, tired, and wanted more.  I was prescribed paxil for depression, "partly due to these pills", but mostly about general life.  I was taking paxil for about a month.  Paxil didn't give me any good feeling at all.  It made me extremely tired and thats it.  Sounds kind of weird but Ultram should be prescribed as an anti-depressent in addition to a pain killer.  Just a note for all of you.....Ultram is very addicting...Once you take the first pill, you are not going to want to stop.  And its all down hill from there.  If you can avoid Ultram, I would recommend it.  Even to this day, I am still taking Ultram almost on a regular basis....just because it makes me feel good.



Hope this helps someone out there.



Be careful

by imus3, May 18, 2000 12:00AM
Ultram is maby 2 steps up from an Aspren, If you get messed up on ultram, a percocet would probly kill you.

by Mike to Brighty, Brian et al, May 18, 2000 12:00AM
What is your point to all this **** all the time? Do you get satisfaction from bragging about just how many opiates you can take? How high your tolerance is? No one cares how messed up you are, including yourself. Your drug intake has effected your ability to spell and articulate yourself. People's problems are theirs and real. If you think people are being trivial for complaining about their problems with Ultram and the like because they aren't strung out yet and chewing 35 Oxycontin's a day, you are the one with the problem. No one is impressed. Enjoy your day.

by M, May 18, 2000 12:00AM
Has anyone ever noticed that they are eating less and/or losing weight with this med?  I took Ultram for awhile (about 10 a day).

Well last week I stepped on the scale and I was 20 pounds lighter.  I lost it over about a 2 month period, so it wasn't a rapid loss.  Anyone else notice this?

by barbara to pain and lortab, May 18, 2000 12:00AM


You have a serious mental disorder, not only a high addiction to narcotics. You really should consider entering yourself into a mental hospital for detoxing and mental help.

by SA.MD WON'T ANSWER MY SIMPLE QUESTION.CO, May 19, 2000 12:00AM




As a person in severe pain from multiple back fusions,I know for myself that ultram is useless.

In the start I had to throw away hundreds upon hundreds of worthless ultram. Let me inform you as to the MD trick. Ultram is almost as good as asprin. NON ADDICTING unless you think you are,but you are not. Your mind has alot of power and if it says you are addicted and you believe it,then you think you are.

The gimmick here that MD loves is that they can precribe billions of this garbage to you ((like other people on this forum has said,they have 10 refills left on their ultram)). Try that on a drug that REALLY WORKS. Maybe a few refills,but 10 refills? In your dreams. Vicodin and Lortabs 10/500,are the lowest pain medicine that works a little. Tab pure morphine helps. Perocets are what many needs but MD'S are scared of the BIG GOVERMENT and insurance crooks about giving this out. Tell you MD quack you demand a new scan of the pain problem and don't want to waste your time on FAKE MEDS like the MD who responded to your add said. If one would really tell the truth,and had the balls to do something about it you would be feeling a whole lot better.

Whoever gives you ultram,tell them you're no fool. Tell them to take it themselves for a minor headache. Or their wife for PMS. I doubt it even would work for that. Good luck. You will surely need alot of luck to find a decent MD.

by reply to What a joke. Asprin is much bet, May 19, 2000 12:00AM
I am sorry to hear about your problems with Ultram.  Most likely you are so use to taking stronger drugs that a med like Ultram is useless to you.  I have never heard of Ultram being prescribed for a headache or PMS (actually Ultram can cause headaches).  I believe Ultram is a med that targets the muscles in your back.  Yes there are goverment crackdowns on stronger meds, for a reason.  Everyone is different and each body is different, what may work for one may not work for another.

I know that Ultram works for me, until my body builds a tolerance as it seems yours has.  As for refills, I don't think that any Dr. out there would give 10 refills on anything stronger than Ultram.  A good Dr. would want to see a patient if the pain persists for that long of a period.  Now on Ultram yes I was given 12 refills of 120 each.  I don't know if my Dr. actually called it in like that or if it was a pharmacy error, but I can tell you this, I have filled 2 of them so far and my current bottle says I have 10 left.  I take the ultram because of my fear of the cervical epidural.  I am suppose to go in for a cervical epidural to help ease the pain of the herniated disk in my neck.  I wouldn't get an epidural in my lower back for the birth of my kids!  I can not seems to make the appointment to have them stick a needle into my spine through my NECK!

Again I am sorry that you are in so much pain and are holding such a high tolerance to pain